SEMCO Pump Hoist (Water Well Guys Only Please)

[Texas Wellman]

Looking at getting their S4000 model. Anybody know much about them? I run a Smeal 5T now but really don't need that much capacity. The Semco is 4,000 single line capacity, 8K with a two part. I heard the derrick is hydraulically telescoped, you don't have to run the cable all the way to the top and down again.

 

[Craigpump]

I ran a Kyle that's basically a copy of a Semco. The stinger is indeed telescoped by a hydraulic cylinder but you have to be careful the guy line isn't hooked before telescoping or you will bend the rods in the cylinders that raise the tower. Also the one a ran had a leak in the cylinder that scoped out the stinger, so there was hyd oil dripping into the bed.

Does the one you're looking at have a 4spd trans on the winch? If so, I would strongly suggest you tie into gear somehow. I've seen transmissions jump out of gear and drop everything to the bottom of the well. The Kyle had a DP planetary winch and the engine had to be running pretty fast in order to have decent line speed.

I didn't care for the lack of bed space either, by the time you put a 1000' roll of 10/3, a pump, and offset pipe there was no room for anything bigger than a WX250.

How about looking for a nice Monitor? They're lighter & faster than a Smeal.

I've been working on a new one, should have it on the job by May.

 

[Sponsor]

 

[Valveman]

I ran a Semco for a short while. Traded it off for another 5T. It was OK, but I was just raised on a Smeal. Have had 5T's, 10T's, 12T's, and liked them all. Ford/Chevy, Goulds/Grundfos? Like most things these days, probably not a lot of difference between them.

 

[PumpMd]

To answer your concerns about the height of the tower from the 3T with steel pipe 21' and a 10-12' well house. If, steel pipe is used in your area with a high level well house, the taller height from the tower would be nice to have, so you can get your drop pipe out of the well house.

PVC is more common around here and the door will let you bring the drop pipe out of the well house most of the time. But, if you can't bring your drop pipe out of the well house, you will need to stand your drop pipe up on the floor (in a bucket to keep the ends of the drop pipe clean and from anything that might damage the threads). This will allow you to grab the next drop pipe. You will need a good size hole in the roof to handle more drop pipe from the deep wells.

This is why I hate well houses over the top of the well and recommend you leave the well outside for easy access (give us working room please) in the future with a pitless adapter to remote your well house to a better location.

 

[Valveman]

We did a lot of work in the oil field with 30' sections of pipe. All of our Smeals had extended booms with 42' reach or so. Also helped with tall well houses and windmills. I always wanted a sign truck so I could just pull up in the alley and reach over as far as I needed.

 

[Craigpump]

When I was a kid we had a new Monitor with a hoop on the crown so we could pull double sections of galvanized.

 

[Texas Wellman]

Also I know this is hearsay but I'm considering going with a gas truck this go round. The EPA and the automakers desire to get their diesel engines to 1,000 HP without increasing the reliability has pretty much ruined good old reliable diesel engines for me. Plus it's a $8K upgrade.

I know I've seen units run off of clutch pumps but Ford has the PTO option available for the gas trucks as well. Craig is that new truck a 3500 or 4500?

 

[Craigpump]

My 2013 Ram 5500 with a Cummins gets 8.2 mpg, but it's ballsy as hell. It will out pull my '05 Duramax every day of the week.

 

[Texas Wellman]

I'm getting 13-15 out of my '04 F350 6.0L diesel (hand calcualted). That is with the idling and all.

 

[Craigpump]

I'd stick with the Smeal, especially if it's paid for.

 

[VAWellDriller]

Also I know this is hearsay but I'm considering going with a gas truck this go round. The EPA and the automakers desire to get their diesel engines to 1,000 HP without increasing the reliability has pretty much ruined good old reliable diesel engines for me. Plus it's a $8K upgrade.

I know I've seen units run off of clutch pumps but Ford has the PTO option available for the gas trucks as well. Craig is that new truck a 3500 or 4500?

I think if you don't do a lot of heavy towing, the gas is a smarter than a NEW diesel. I have all fords....have been through 2 -6.0's currently have 1 -6.4 and 3 6.7's. I have had lots of problems..... MOST of my problems were under warranty and I'm glad that I didn't have to pay the bill. My 6T smeal is on a 2008 Ford with 6.4....something in the high pressure fuel system (pump I think) went bad and they had to take the cab off the truck to fix it. That was really cute; they had to stand the smeal up in the dealership so they could get the cab off. I don't usually tow anything with my smeal, and my next one will defintely be gas. I don't joy ride and I don't drive the pump hoist unless I'm making money, so I really could care less what kind of fuel mileage it gets. Can't say much about the Semco; one guy around here has one and it seems to do just fine.

Nice looking machine Craig, you're building it all from scratch?

 

[Texas Wellman]

Right now I have a '15 F250 SRW 4x4 with a service body 6.2 gas and I'm getting 11-13 mpg. I'm with you, I won't be joy riding this truck around. I figure with a full pump hoist and tools I'd get maybe 8-12 mpg tops and I think I'd be OK with that as long as it was mechanically sound.

 

[Craigpump]

Thank you. Yes, I started with a new truck, a pile of square tube, band saw, a mig welder & an idea.

A friend of mine had a P7000 PullStar that I ran a few times, it's quiet, fast, smooth, very stable, strong. He liked it so much that he just bought a new PullStar P10.

 

[Valveman]

Nothing the EPA does makes any sense to me. My old '94 Dodge with the Cummins Diesel will get 20 MPG all day long, and 12 pulling a trailer. I thought EPA regulations were suppose to make for better mileage, not worse?

 

[VAWellDriller]

Thank you. Yes, I started with a new truck, a pile of square tube, band saw, a mig welder & an idea.


And a lot of time and hard work!

 

[Boycedrilling]

Ive never run a Simco hoist so I don't know how they are to actually use. They are a more basic rig to me that a Hunke (Smeal) or Pulstar.

I learned on a 3t. The next dealer I worked for had a 10t and three 40-50 ton A frame rigs for deep turbines. I did a lot of work with that 10T. It was on a 4wd F700 Ford to get around in the sand.

Now I own a 5t, a 10t and a 50 ton A frame rig. I really prefer to run the 10t over the 5t, except when it comes to drive it. The 10t is pulling a 125 hp submersible on 460 ft of 6" in the morning. I've actually got my 50 ton rig rented to the one pump company I worked for 20 years ago, to help them out. They had 3 when I worked for them. They sold one about 10 years ago. Their second one was in an accident 5-6 weeks ago so they're renting mine while they either repair theirs or get a settlement from the insurance company.

Another company I used to work for bought a new Semco 30,000 last winter. It was on display at the NGWA convention in Las Vegas. Talked to one of their guys last weekend. He said yeah, would have been nice to get a 50 ton Hunke or Pulstar, but the Simco is close to Two hundred thousand less expensive.

 

[Craigpump]

$200k cheaper? Makes me wonder about what your not getting.

 

[KPS water]

I ran a Kyle that's basically a copy of a Semco. The stinger is indeed telescoped by a hydraulic cylinder but you have to be careful the guy line isn't hooked before telescoping or you will bend the rods in the cylinders that raise the tower. Also the one a ran had a leak in the cylinder that scoped out the stinger, so there was hyd oil dripping into the bed.

Does the one you're looking at have a 4spd trans on the winch? If so, I would strongly suggest you tie into gear somehow. I've seen transmissions jump out of gear and drop everything to the bottom of the well. The Kyle had a DP planetary winch and the engine had to be running pretty fast in order to have decent line speed.

I didn't care for the lack of bed space either, by the time you put a 1000' roll of 10/3, a pump, and offset pipe there was no room for anything bigger than a WX250.

How about looking for a nice Monitor? They're lighter & faster than a Smeal.

I've been working on a new one, should have it on the job by May.

Looking good Rodger. Nice work bud!

 

[Craigpump]

Thanks Frank, stop by anytime. We're just down from the high school.

 

[Craigpump]

Finally. Designed and built by a pump guy for a pump guy.

4500 lbs single line @ 150+ ' per minute, 10' of useable bed space, 8.5' of layback before telescoping the tower