DIY Well Pulling Rig Built Of Repurposed Materials 

Over the years we have pulled a good number of wells with this pile of parts !! It's saved my self, my family and quite a few friends a ton of money since I built it 30 years or more ago. Thanks for stopping in, watching and leaving a comment !!

Hahahaha....Junior Missus...she's gonna love that. LOL. Thanks Rick for the visit but man, I can't imagine pulling a well of any depth with a comealong. Whew !!

@@tractorman4461 shallow wells less than 100 ft with a single pole and a funky step ladder

Thanks Tom...everything went without a hitch !! Of course it pays to have good help for sure !! Congrats to the nephew....but there ain't nothing to get me to stay up until 2 a.m. any more though. LOL. I'd be dead on my feet the next day !! Have a great week my friend.

Hahahaha...two things I KNEW you'd like....the ladies and the tractor !! LOL. I might have to start keeping a closer eye on you mon ami....(-; Take care and have a wonderful week.

Well he was born in 1909 and in a day of blacksmiths, muleskinners, hard work and worry. They learned self preservation as a way of life. If they didn't have it, they either did without or made/built it themselves. Yep, quite the different world than we now experience. Thanks for the comment today.

@@tractorman4461 no, I was talking to your daughter about you being one hell of a man!!! LOL

@@Autigers2013 Hahahahaha....now see, that's funny !! LOL. I didn't get the connections. LOL. Thank you for the kudos !!

Good Morning my friend....we are gearing up for a nice Fourth !! Might even be some ribs and pork steaks on the grill. I hope the holiday finds you all happy and healthy. Have a great day !!

We had hand dug cisterns on the farm to catch rain water off the roof and they were as you described, but we didn't have any wells as such. I was lucky to have the extra help that could fiddle with the camera. But I HAD to get up from time to time to get some blood back in my lower legs !!

I figured the Massey fans would like the short clip of the old reliable tractor. Yes, the Missus and the daughter did a great job for me !

Aw heck man, it ain't a big thing at all !! I just film whatever it is I'm doing if I think its worthwhile to show then upload it. I don't really plan anything to any degree.... So as far as I'm concerned it's your thing, so like we said back in the '60's "Do what ya wanna do"...LOL. I'm finding that there are so many people out there that really don't do the variety of stuff that country boys like us do, and as a result they kinda like seeing just what the mystery is behind the doors we open sometimes. I've already seen that one you are talking about and dang if I didn't learn something myself about that fancy controller that guy invented. Still baffles me a bit.

Thanks Lee for the nice comment. Yes, we've been down this road before and everyone knows what needs to be done to make it happen smoothly.

Hahahaha...I started helping my dad pull wells with a similar frame mounted on the bumper of a '56 Ford 3/4 ton. Hand crank winch was my job once I got around 10 years old. I still have his old truck and the winch !! This one is much improved though. I built it in the early 80's for myself and have pulled numerous wells for friends and family members. Thanks for watching Jamie.

Yes, my daughter surprised me with her narration. I didn't know until I was editing the video. I knew the Missus was doing hers, but she was close enough I could hear her.

@@tractorman4461 Your 'job' may be in jeopardy, Wendell.

This one will reach to 30', which should be adequate for your desired working height. LOL. I gotta admit, I had a tough time with the first 8 or 10 steps each time I got up too. LOL. Not nearly as flexible as I once was...kinda like you. Yes, I got good helpers and on the next one, I intend on being a 'helper' myself. Training sessions are over !!

Good Morning ol' buddy....yes it was a good day with good help. The machine may be a little sketchy, but its always done what we needed though. (-; Oh I think the Missus would be happy to just sit back keep the coffee flowing and just bake a cake or pie or two. She'd probably enjoy some of the stories/or whatever that might arise. She'd probably relish the idea of me being out of her hair for a while anyway. LOL. Thank you for stopping in for a visit my friend and take care, be safe and as always... SemperFi !!

Yeah, with this much pipe a crew of 4 makes easy work of the project. I did pull a 285' one a couple years ago with three ladies. The Missus, her girl friend and her 78 yr old mother !! I let the older lady do the push button on the winch power unit and the Missus and her friend did all the hard stuff. I just stayed on my knees and twisted the wrenches !!

Even as ancient as it is, it's still got what's needed to do this job. I got lucky and found it in a pawn shop many years ago. But I had to go by a tool distributor in St Louis to find the 1'' square drive for it. That cost more than the threader !!

Thanks Dave for the compliment on the old rig. And yes, the two of them do in fact sound a LOT alike on the video as well as on the phone.

I hope all is well with you my friend. And thank you for the awesome comment. Have a wonderful day !!

The overcast day was perfect for this job for a change. It's usually nasty hot or cold or rainy or snowy !! We are glad it worked as slick as it did. But we HAVE been in the saddle quite a few times on quite a few wells before !!

Thank you for the supportive comment. It sure works well for us....pardon the pun. LOL

Thank you sir for the kind comment !! I wish you could convince the Missus of that. LOL. Thanks for watching another one today. Take care and stay cool this week.

Hahahaha.....Yes they did what needed to be done and even had lunch for us when we finished !! What's the old saying....' A man may work from dusk to dawn but a woman's work is never done'....?? See, they proved it right there didn't they Dean. LOL

I wondered if you might be experiencing 'puter problems or internet issues of some kind. I am sure glad to see its not a health issue that was holding you at bay !! This was a good day, but it'd been much worse if we had to pay full retail for the repair...whew !! Yeah that'd be a chunk of change for sure. Now I think ALL of us have a junk drawer that's really full of goodies...but when I look around I think I have a full size junk SHED !! LOL. It'd take me a week to just figure out how to start sifting it all through the sifter. Yeah, we have had the tutu's shelved for quite a while and I'm guessing it probably ought to stay there for a while....my loafers are still heavy enough to keep me grounded...LOL.Take care and don't work too hard in all this heat. Have a GREAT 4th along with Miss Alice....

Well David I thank you for such a super kind comment. We really DO try to be as self reliant as possible and I don't mind at all sharing what we do and how we do it if it will give others an idea on how to do something similar for themselves. But I do always say don't do as I say and definitely don't do as I do !! I want people to improve on what they see and make their own job easier as a result.

Well Wild Bill, unfortunately this one wasn't our first rodeo. The last time my own well went out we ended up pulling it on my birthday many years ago. We've pulled mine three times since 1980.

Yessir....that's the way to go. But back in the day that stuff wasn't available and all the wells went in with galvanized pipe. Have a good week John.

Hot dang Bob, too bad you couldn't have been sitting there to lend moral support!! LOL. At least now you can't say you've not seen it done !! Have a great week ol' buddy.

Hahahaha...yeah I picked up on that too...they DO sound alike. She's happy now with the well repaired for sure.

Cool !! Thanks Tony for stopping in today. We had a chair sitting there for ya !! LOL

Dang David, now THAT's a hole...hand dug I'm sure. Must also be a shallow well or spring fed....?

Its got to be threaded schedule 80 pvc with extruded couplings Rick. The starting torque from the submersible will tighten the pipe threads with each start. The best stuff is the new black plastic all in one piece.

@@tractorman4461 thanks Wendell.

Oh, its not too bad. But ya gotta have the right stuff to make it work smooth. The girls did a great job for us on the camera...so we got a candid views from non-biases sources....LOL

Yes, shallow wells are a much different thing than the deep wells like we have in this area. I think of you every time Estonia is in the news my friend. I hope all stays good and well for you over there with all the craziness that's so near !!

Hot dang, I can't imagine pulling one that deep three times in one day !! Especially by hand. The deepest I ever pulled by hand was 250' and that was ALL I wanted !! You might try looking in rural antique shops or look close at the pictures at farm auctions in your area. Auction Zip usually has local auctions listed with tons of pictures. Btw, the Missus bought one similar to this one for me at a yard sale for three bucks about 25 years ago too. What a deal that was.

@@tractorman4461 you’ve trained the Missus very well to find bargains for you at yard sales. Good to have a sharp eye, as she has gotten several nice finds over the years.

@@mafarmtown2086 Hahahaha...sure 'nuff. She bought me a 1937 International stationary baler with a throttle governed flywheel engine for three bucks at a sale one time too. And another time she bought a Oliver 77, 6' blade, 3 point rear scoop and a tractor mounted wood splitter for $400...and THATwas at a yard sale !! But now I'm bragging ain't I...?? LOL

Cool. I'm glad you enjoyed it !! At least its repaired and water is flowing again.

If you had to buy the materials to build this at full retail it'd be a killer for sure Bobby !! That's why I always kept my eye on the dumpsters on all the commercial construction sites. And so much of my building materials were a result of the demolition portion of projects from the contractors I worked for over the years. Thanks for stopping in today and good luck with your well the next time....which I hope is many many years down the road !!

Hot dang, you got it good Grizz !! Ain't nothing that easy down this way. LOL

The rolled black pipe has been in use down here for a while now and yes, that is the best route to go. I agree. Hopefully that's a bridge I won't have to cross for a while though. LOL If yours is collapsed pretty close to the surface, they may be able to sink the rotary bit, clean it up then add length to your steel casing....?? I think that's what you were meaning by removing the rock. Boy, that's nice to be able to pull all in one piece with the jeep though. I'm a bit envious ... And thanks for the awesome addition to the thread my friend. I guess instead of being a 'right' triangle....obtuse would be a bit more descriptive. LOL.

The residential wells down this way are usually 6 or 8'' steel casing for 60 or 80'. I've seen some new ones with schedule 80 pvc casing as well. Me and my 'crew' have pulled quite a number of wells of all depths in this area. But the majority are 300' to 400' plus. There are no shallow wells in this area unless its a rare artesian well. We do have two that I know of locally though. We have saved a number of friends and families a lot of money over the years with this rig.

@@tractorman4461 850 ft. And you can hit water at three hundred or so feet. But not any good or it won't be good for long. I'm not talking about your parts I'm talking about up this way. They can go a lot deeper. I think on the cheap it's $2,000 to do something on the line to what you've done on this video. I don't recall exactly it seemed like some of the guys he drilled Wells they want twice that. 10000 to 20000 to drill a well is common. Of course it can be more. 8 to 12 in across with initial casing. Closer to 8 is more common. And of course how far you go down with it now depends on the total depth of the well. I know people probably about 45 minutes away from you that they've got Wells they dug by hand we're talking 50 to 150 ft. 35ft on the shallow end. The most common deep depth around there was probably about 80 ft. No submerged pumps there. Well I don't know near as many people that used to. No of them is more like it. Anyway I was wondering if you've noticed if my videos have been suggested because I put up at 71 Nova and it should have skyrocketed and it did nothing and for the last several days whatever I put up has done nothing. I expect summertime to have something to do with it. That was a good video you made.

Yes, that IS on the cheap side. It'll knock a chunk outta three grand down this area for a 1 hp replacement installed at that depth. There's only MAYBE two contractors in this area that do well pump replacements.

Well, considering this is the third time in a little over a year this rig has been put to work, I'm sure if I was to look for it there would be more to do....But friends and family give me enough well work to keep me MORE than satisfied. LOL. Good luck with a log loading arch for the dump truck, btw.

@@tractorman4461 Lol. I get it, does look like a time. The loader probably won't happen any time soon, there's some issue in the wiring so I have no brake lights, dash or t/s. Wouldn't be a problem but I can only bring myself to be upside down under the dash 3-4 hours at a time before I call it quits.

No it threads in easily Chuck. But that's why you hear a slight 'bump' of the trigger either up a little or down a little. When it's just right, the 20 foot length of floppy pvc stays straight as an arrow and starts as easily as can be. The extruded pvc couplings are shaped with a deep angle on the ends too...almost like a miniature funnel of sorts.

This one was my granddads that we had on the farm. I worked with my dad as a kid pulling a few wells for his brothers and a friend or two.

We should, but no we never have. But sooner or later that practice will probably bite us in the rear. LOL. Thanks for stopping in and watching today.

That price would be for a shallow well around here. And they are few and far between. Most wells in this area are 300 to 500' and the installed price for a 1 hp submersible is close to double your cost. But if you have pvc and its not as deep as these, you can get by much more lighter duty. Power can be a reversible motor and a gear reduction box. Depending on the reduction and the end rpm you can adjust the diameter of the drum to increase or decrease the footage of lift if the reduction is too slow or too fast. But you can also power another winch like this one with the reduction box as well.

To have a pro do the same work including providing the new well pump at 400' would knock one heck of a hole out of three grand in this area.

Yes, and that's why I built it out of such heavy pipe. We have changed almost all the wells we have pulled with galvanized pipe to threaded schedule 80 PVC.

Well, the Heil Quaker products are part of ICP Corporation parent company. Tempstar is the identical unit to the Heil Quaker unit. Whirlpool units sold by Sears were also manufactured by Heil Quaker for many years. That’s just in case you would like to maintain brand loyalty and stay with a product that you know has been good to you. But what I suggest to people, especially in a rural situation is to stay with whatever major brand is available locally. Simply because with the sophistication and continual changes to the electronics and mechanical components Most contractors cannot afford to carry all the parts required to fix every brand like it used to be back in the day. Personally, I do not feel that any of the equipment today it is expected to have the longevity of the older units, like yours, and also like my 1984 Tempstar. Also, there seems to be some issues with the newer R410a and systems developing leaks. 410 operates at an exceptionally high pressure as compared to the old R-22. And then some manufacturers have developed what they call a microchannel evaporator coil that also seems to be a little more problematic than the old tube type evaporator coil’s. The micro channel coils are extremely efficient in transferring temperature and if you get a good one, that does not have a problem you are golden. But if you have one that develops a leak, you’re in for a ride. Over the years, I’ve worked on virtually every manufacturer of residential and commercial HVAC equipment from the smallest central air conditioner to 300 tons commercially. I guess the best suggestion is to hang with a contractor that you may know and trust to lead you in the proper direction for what’s available in your area. Never go with the cheapest though and definitely never go with the most ridiculously expensive. The reason I said to go with a brand that is relatively close to you. If you are rural, it’s because you will stand the greatest chance of having a critical repair part in stock for the inevitable failure. I hope that help you make a decision that will be beneficial to you. By the way,R410 is an isotope, which means it is a blend of two different refrigerant. If you develop a leak on the suction side of the system, your system can ultimately become unbalanced and not cool properly because the different refrigerants will vaporize at different temperatures and the mixture will no longer be perfect. Speaking of refrigerant. One of two things is probably wrong with your system. Number one it could be suffering from weakening valves in the compressor, if it is a reciprocating compressor or number two it could merely just be a little bit low on refrigerant. Refrigerant 22 has to have enough refrigerant in the system to maintain a minimum of 57 psi on the suction line to keep the coil from freezing. Much below 57 psi and there’s not enough refrigerant in the system to produce enough cooling to allow it to freeze. So yours is cooling just not cooling well, but not freezing up. So it’s one of two of these things I just described, more than likely. Of course, like everything else on the Internet, you better take that with a grain of salt! 😄 good luck and thank you for trusting me enough to ask.

@tractorman4461 tractorman do you recommend Lennox or Carrier? We are also looking at an Oxbox by Trane, what is you opinion on the Oxbox? Thanks for your advice!

@@Autigers2013 If my choice was between the two, Lennox would be my choice. That of course is based on years of experience on older equipment. I've been away from most of the modern advances for ten years now. The Oxbox is a new one on me....no knowledge on the product at all. Good luck with your upgrade no matter what you choose.

@@tractorman4461 supposedly oxbox is made by Trane, but they have different compressors.

Problem solved, got an older battery charger and got bubbles in solution almost right away

Yes, the newer, smart chargers will not work. They will only work on a battery that has a partial charge, and since there is nothing but the liquid solution there is no charge for it to read. So the answer is to get an older charger just like you suspected. remember though that it gives off hydrogen gas so don’t make any sparks when disconnecting. And definitely don’t do it inside a building.

@@tractorman4461 I will be careful and warned the family stay clear. Your video was clear about precautions. Gotta say you are one of the more capable guys on the planet. I think farm upbringing helps with problem solving. Thanks for all the RU-vid content

Jajajaja... ¡Íbamos bastante profundo, pero nos detuvimos antes de llegar al lugar frecuentado por el diablo!

Well now that's not good at all. Dang. If you have a good neighbor and have a shut off right inside the basement....can you connect the two houses through a garden hose and rob some of their water for the duration...? Hook to a hose bib outside and shut off the valve inside the house to keep from backfeeding to the leak. Home Depot or Lowes will have a female/female connector for that. I was thinking of doing this for the daughters but its 500 feet away. Instead they just carried water for the duration but showered up here.

@@tractorman4461 we shut the water off at both the meter and in the basement. The sump hole would fill from the ground being so wet and seeping in the drain so I’ve been using the shop vac to keep it emptied and bringing the water up and to the garden. Letting the sump operate it would just leak out outside and recycle. I have several huge jugs filled with water that my son brought me, and used the shower at my daughters. May be mid wk before they begin. Fun, fun! NOT!

​@@tractorman4461A backup plan is always a good idea. My son lives at 9400' in the Colorado mountains. He did a major remodel last winter. Installed a 250 gallon storage tank with a booster pump to supply the house. The well pump automatically fills the storage tank. I was concerned that if he lost his well pump in the middle of the winter, might play hell getting a rig up his steep driveway - not to mention the good chance of having to deal with multiple feet of snow. I piped it so that the well pump can supply the house directly if he looses the booster pump.

Didn't that look like fun...?!! We thought it did. LOL