21 JUNE 2021 WorldWide Drilling Resource® Important Items to Consider When Purchasing a Pump Hoist Adapted from Information by Albin Janecek, II Vice President, Pulstar Manufacturing So you’ve made the decision to purchase a new pump hoist. At this point, it would be wise to bring your pump hoist operator into the picture. This will be the person operating your investment on a daily basis and will most certainly have valuable input. There may be new options available which were not available the last time you purchased a hoist. If you are mostly involved in domestic work, climate conditions will definitely play a role in determining what you need regarding hydraulic system options. For example, if you are working in a hot climate, you will most certainly need hydraulic oil coolers; if you are working in a cooler climate, consider using synthetic hydraulic oil, and possibly oil reservoir heaters. Don’t “underbuy” at this crucial moment. A few extra dollars of investment can, and will, bring longer life to your hydraulic system. Optional longer tower height is an interesting topic. We see some contractors purchase much longer towers. The obvious idea, of course, is to have the ability to pull doubles, and/or be able to more efficiently work on windmills. Bear in mind, a “plus” sometimes leads to a “minus”. Although you will have much improved height, longer tower heights lead to decreased load ratings. Know and understand this. Pipe rack design/ construction has evolved dramatically over the last several years. Watch carefully when you choose. Based upon tragic personal injury accidents involving pipes ejecting forward, I cannot stress enough that more caution needs to be taken. Closed front pipe racks are very critical to consider. In fact, as a heads up, even if you are not considering purchasing equipment at this time, I would certainly give strong consideration to modifying your current pipe racks to have closed fronts. Further, DOT (Department of Transportation) laws now require anything 20 feet and longer to be fastened with at least three securing straps in the proper location. Hydraulic welder/generator packages have also improved dramatically in the past few years and offer two big advantages to the contractor: less space taken up in the service body, and they are dramatically lighter in weight than motor-driven welder/generators. Whether or not to purchase a sand line winch is also a strong consideration. Make sure you check with your manufacturer of choice and see how many various styles of sand lines they have to offer. The choice you make may dramatically affect the performance you are looking for. Bottom line - check carefully and understand all options available before you make a purchase. Editor’s note: A special thank-you to Albin for sharing his wealth of knowledge from over 40 years of pump hoist manufacturing with our readers. This pump hoist includes patented hydraulic pipe racks placing the pipe at a comfortable and safe working height. The closed front pipe rack is another great safety feature. WTR Atlantis Vault • Self-Contained • Simple installation • Simple installation • Trouble-free operation For more information call: (270) 786-3010 or visit us online: www.geothermalsupply.com
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy NDk4Mzk=