DIY water well drilling rig

[nddoublea77]

I need a well drilled on my property. There is another well about 400 feet from where I will be putting the new one. Need to drill down 180 feet. I got quotes for 10k and 12k to drill it so I thought I would try and build my own before paying that kind of money. I need some help figuring out what size hydraulic motor to use for the drill head and the mast. I have the mast already. It is chain driven and turned by a 1 inch shaft. I want to power the rig with my cat 236b skid steer aux hydraulics. My skid steer flows 22 gpm and has a max pressure of 3300 psi. I would like to use 2 bi-directional motors with control for each. The motors could be the same size if it makes the install easier. I dont need a rpm much more than 100 rpm. Obviously high torque low speed then. Not sure if I can power 2 motors independently from one source or not. Any help with plumbing this is greatly appreciated.

 

[airbiscuit]

I can't help you with that, but do you have pretty good knowledge about drilling well casing? Maybe you work on an oil rig, but things can happen - stuck casings, big rocks, broken bits, etc. Just hoping you don't have any surprises.

 

[nddoublea77]

I understand there is a lot to consider. I still would like to try at least

 

[PILOON]

Maybe a bush hog type reduction gear box* could do the job coupled to the hydraulic drive.
I would believe compactness is not the primary requirement and using a reduction unit should open up lots of bargain possibilities

*many ratios to be had

You might even consider a HD post hole auger unit and adapt the drill shaft and hydraulic power. Craig's list might produce a suitable unit at decent $$'s.
They would be proper low RPM's and high torque needed.

 

[nddoublea77]

Nice idea. Thank you

 

[EddieWalker]

I looked into this at one time and the amount of power you need increase dramatically the deeper you go. You can get away with 20 feet pretty easily, but 50 feet is going to be about impossible with anything home made. Whatever you spend on trying to build something will be a total waste of time and money. Keep researching, but don't spend any money on this. Eventually the numbers will add up and you'll realize why it's so expensive to hire it done.

 

[Egon]

My Father and Grandfather used to drill water wells with a "Baptist" type rig. It was slow compared to a rotary but very simple and cheap to make. They could probably go down to four hundred feet or so. It doesn't require large horse power or a water pump to circulate. It does need out side water to flush he cuttings but this water is recirculated and the bit has a ball and seat which do the pumping.



[video]http://www.geocities.ws/h2oclubs/[/video]

 

[CCWKen]

You'll most likely want to use a rotary divider to split the hydraulics for each motor. These give equal volume to each circuit rather than using a priority divider. Otherwise, you may not be able to reverse/turn and lift at the same time. 22GPM (11GPM each) is plenty for running two high torque wheel motors. Make sure your "plumbing" supports the flow. I suggest wheel motors because they can be had in low speed, high torque and have large shafts that can support a side load, if necessary.

As a warning; You could be into the $2k range with just the three parts above, if bought new. That doesn't count control, plumbing or structure. You should be sure of your design and engineering before buying parts. Failure functionally or mechanically can be very expensive.

 

[jenkinsph]

You'll most likely want to use a rotary divider to split the hydraulics for each motor. These give equal volume to each circuit rather than using a priority divider. Otherwise, you may not be able to reverse/turn and lift at the same time. 22GPM (11GPM each) is plenty for running two high torque wheel motors. Make sure your "plumbing" supports the flow. I suggest wheel motors because they can be had in low speed, high torque and have large shafts that can support a side load, if necessary.

As a warning; You could be into the $2k range with just the three parts above, if bought new. That doesn't count control, plumbing or structure. You should be sure of your design and engineering before buying parts. Failure functionally or mechanically can be very expensive.

You can get dividers with different size flow rates on each side if that works better too. That might help after selecting the correct motors for the application.

This thread might be an exercise in futility though. Last I checked around here the price was about $30/ ft. so the $66/ft may have some room to negotiate with. Also depends on the locale and conditions, steel or pvc casing, rock to drill through.

 

[speedbump]

Egon has the right idea. The method he is talking about is called balling in some circles. The method I would recommend is the cable tool method. You could buy used tools reasonably priced. All the rig has to do is spool cable (5/8") or so to allow the bit to go up and down. A walking beam is needed to drill with. This is what gives the up/down movement that does the chewing up of the material your going through. Once the material gets into a gooey slurry, you drop a smaller line down with a thin wall 3" pipe with a poppett on the bottom to bail out the material. Then repeat. Driving casing as you go. PVC casing won't work with this method. The drilling tool is simply a long 3"+ bar of solid steel about 18' long with a bit on the bottom. These rigs can be mounted on trailers. Here is a you tube link: Lifewater Drilling Technology model LDT 36 Cable Tool Drill Rig - YouTube

 

[nddoublea77]

Good info CCWKen

 

[JRobyn]

Y'all should team up - http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/hydraulics/376020-help-need-design-hydraulic-control.html

A good excuse for a trip to South Africa to compare notes.

 

[Whatswrong]

I have a very good imagination ,I hate to discourage anyone from building stuff ,I have well drilling experience and understand developing a well .The very last thing I would ever
try build is a drilling rig.

Well drillers are not on each corner but I would think $10,000.00 although not extreme may be negotiable or find someone cheaper within range.

 

[mapper]

I don't know how far down you need to go, or what you subsurface conditions are, around here we are on an ice age structure that has layers of clay hardpan and sand and rock. Good water is found at 60-100' depending on the ground elevation. The local drilling companies use both hammer and rotary drills. When our next door neighbor had their well drilled, the driller started with a hammer rig, got down a ways and jammed the drill between a couple of boulders. They tried to pull it loose to no avail. They ended up bringing in a rotary rig to drill the well. The same driller ended up coming back to reseal the well with bentonite clay.
Just saying that even the experienced drillers can encounter some expensive set backs, even on a relatively shallow well (90' as opposed to 300-400')

 

[nddoublea77]

I had a 180 foot well dug 3 years ago on the same property. The top 30 feet is sand. No hard rock. I watched them drill the first one and they did hit a small rock at one point otherwise it was smooth sailing. He did say he used all the bentonite he had with. He also said he hit some decent water at 40 feet but knew to keep going. A fact that I found interesting since he was charging 30 bucks a foot. At 180 we have all the water we could use. The new well is 300-400 feet away from the first one. The well I need to drill is for a small apartment for 1 person. Dont need much flow. I understand that Im inexperienced and it may not work. I have been researching it for a month or so sourcing materials and parts. I didnt ask for opinions on whether or not I should do it, I obviously already am past that point since Im on here looking for help sizing a hydraulic motor. Even the professional well drillers had a "first" well and Im willing to spend the money trying and learning. If I pull it off I will be thousands ahead. That and I wouldn't be opposed to putting in a geothermal furnace then either.

 

[jenkinsph]

Welcome to TBN a place where you get to sort through various opinions. Frequently opinions offered are not what you are looking for but I find that 99% are well intended.

Good luck with your project, you will need it.

 

[Egon]

If the prodject is a definite go talk to hydraulic shops as to your design. Look carefully at set up drilling trucks to help in your design and find out who supplies the various mechanical components. Lots of trailer set up's on Google to look at for ideas and again parts sources. There are a few components, swivel head, that may be best purchased.

 

[Egon]

If the prodject is a definite go talk to hydraulic shops as to your design. Look carefully at set up drilling trucks to help in your design and find out who supplies the various mechanical components. Lots of trailer set up's on Google to look at for ideas and again parts sources. There are a few components, swivel head, that may be best purchased.

An example that will very similar to what your intending to build.
[video]http://www.lonestardrills.com/water-well-drills/hydraulic-series/ls300hplus/[/video]

 

[Sysop]

I would think it would be much simpler and less expensive to feed this small 1 person apartment with a 300-400 water line from the existing well since the existing well already produces "all the water you could use".

You already have a good tap into the aquifer. I see no real reason to open a new hole and double up on pumping/filtration equipment. It seems like a bad investment.

My farm has two full sized houses on it with a single 110' well and filtration system that serves both. I can support at least 9 people (never tried more) living at the farm with no water shortages, even in draught times.

 

[jenkinsph]

I would think it would be much simpler and less expensive to feed this small 1 person apartment with a 300-400 water line from the existing well since the existing well already produces "all the water you could use".

You already have a good tap into the aquifer. I see no real reason to open a new hole and double up on pumping/filtration equipment. It seems like a bad investment.

My farm has two full sized houses on it with a single 110' well and filtration system that serves both. I can support at least 9 people (never tried more) living at the farm with no water shortages, even in draught times.

I agree and was going to mention that very thing but instead read the OP's post above and doesn't seem to want any opinions.