US Patent 7703857 Continuous miner having a sumping frame

A continuous miner including a support frame having a support frame front, and a sumping frame mounted on the support frame for forward and rearward movement relative to the support frame. The sumping frame has a sumping frame front, and the miner further includes a cutting drum pivotally mounted on the sumping frame, the cutting drum being positioned near the sumping frame front. The miner also includes a gathering head for gathering mined minerals pivotally mounted on the sumping frame front, and a hydraulic cylinder for pivoting and fixing the gathering head relative to the sumping frame in both the raising and lowering directions. The continuous miner also includes a first drilling platform pivotally mounted on the support frame front, a second drilling platform pivotally mounted on the support frame front and spaced apart from the first drilling platform, a hydraulic cylinder for pivoting and fixing the first drilling platform relative to the support frame independently of the second drilling platform, and a hydraulic cylinder for pivoting and fixing the second drilling platform relative to the support frame independently of the first drilling platform.