Questions To Ask When Purchasing Power Tongs

If you own an oilfield or an oil company, chances are good that you are going to need to make sure that you have the best equipment possible in order to ensure that productivity is as high as it can be. One type of equipment that you might not consider too heavily are your power tongs. Your power tongs can be used to avoid putting too much strain and friction on the chrome tube liners by reducing the overall steel carbon contact. This will allow you to go for a longer period of time without having to replace the chrome tube liners, allowing you to continue working your machines at full capacity with no need for downtime. If you need to replace your power tongs, you need to make sure that you are getting the best tongs possible. Here are some questions that you should ask when you are buying a new set of power tongs.

1. How many people does it take and how long does it take to set up or tear down the power tongs?

You need your power tongs to be as mobile as possible. This will allow you to use them in a variety of situations, save space, and save money because you won't have to purchase dedicated power tongs for each tube. However, if your tongs take a long time to set up and tear down, your tongs are not very mobile at all. Aim for finding a set of tongs that only take one or two people to set up and tear down and less than fifteen to twenty minutes to set up and tear down. This will allow you to make sure that you are maximizing the usage of your tongs and minimizing the tongs' downtime.

2. Can it hold smooth pipes without a friction enhancer?

The next question that you should is ask is if the tongs are able to hold smooth pipes on their own, without your needed to assess the situation and add a liner that will enhance the friction between the tongs and pipes. Some pipes are coated so that they are especially slick. You will lose time and money if you need to constantly be adding a friction liner so that your tongs are able to do their job. Opt for a set of power tongs that don't need this liner.

For more information, talk to a company that specializes in power tongs (like Drifters Casing Service Alberta).