Pulling a well point?

djw250 · Aug 25, 2011

I've had pretty good luck pulling 2" galvanized wells up to 50 feet deep using a 2 ton chain hoist hung from a homemade "swingset" style frame made of 2" galvanized pipe. Most of the wells were in heavy clay and had been in the ground for up to 30 years. If you have trouble getting it moving, dig a hole around it and fill it with water and let it seep down around the casing. Wet clay is pretty slick.

speedbump · Aug 25, 2011

When I was a kid, I did a lot of 1-1/4" hand driven wells. Pulled a lot of the and replaced the screens (point). The way we pulled them was by first turning the pipe until we knew we had turned the screen because the resistance became steady. Then with a Railroad Spike puller on a 4 X 4 a chain wrapped around the pipe with a clove hitch and a pipe wrench on top of the chain on the pipe with up pressure to allow the jaws to bite into the pipe to hold the chain, someone would jump up and down on the other end of the spike puller. That is the only way we could get one to more if it was more than 10' in the ground.

If your not familiar with a RR Spike puller they look like the top image in the attached pic.

ayelvington · Aug 25, 2011

Well, I borrowed the-bigger-tractor today (JD 1070) with a rated 2,020 lb lift capacity on the 3 point hitch.

The pipe came up about a foot-and-a-half and stuck. Really stuck. **** near pulled a wheely stuck.

I told you that our mud is like nowhere else on earth...

The-biggest-tractor is a Massey Fergusy that belongs to my neighbor's father-in-law. I'll have to wait for a while on that one since it lives on a busy dairy farm, but I have my fingers crossed.

Signed,

Still stuck in PA...

gghb · Aug 25, 2011

never pulled a well caseing but have pulled lots of pileing . with them we put a good strain on them and then hit with the 2000lb pile hammer a couple of real sharp wacks they loosen right up same theory might work here

Greg

speedbump · Aug 26, 2011

I agree with the smacking with the strain on it. Just remember, with 2000# plus pulling up on something; when it breaks is going to become a missile.

I have seen other Pump guys with their pump hoists trying to pull jets out of wells with a 5 ton rig and nothing moved. Then they run the outriggers down to push the mast up and tighten the cable even more. The jet still doesn't move. If they would have unscrewed the pipes in the well, then went in with a set of jars which go up and down like a hammer, it would have come right out. Jarring is far better than straight pulling. Think of it this way. Try pushing a nail into a two X four. Then look at how easy it is for a 16 ounce hammer.

radioman · Aug 26, 2011

I like the other two ideas they suggested. I'd would dig all around the pipe to get rid some of the friction forces. If the well point driver is really important to you?! The BX should be about to remove at least 6-10 ft of the dirt around the pipe down in ground with FEL and toothbar. I'd also would create a bowl around the pipe and let water collect and "lubricate" the pipe over night. Then attempt to pull with 3 pt and combine farmjack or old car jack attached to it the same time and give it some whacks with tension still on it.

At this point, you got nothing to lose but time. :thumbsup:

speedbump · Aug 26, 2011

Be real careful with car jacks and other things that tend to push the pipe sideways, they can jump out and hurt you like you never wanted to be hurt.

jbooth · Aug 26, 2011

We used to pull them with a couple hydraulic jacks. Had a strong back with a slot in it that would fit the pipe but to small for the coupling to go throuh. With a jack on each side we could pull points that had been in for years. That set up would either pull the point and pipe or pull the pipe into. I think you said your coupling was shot so you might just have to weld your strongback to the pipe.

speedbump · Aug 26, 2011

We used to pull them with a couple hydraulic jacks. Had a strong back with a slot in it that would fit the pipe but to small for the coupling to go throuh.

I like that method. Not only are the jacks very close to the pipe, but your pushing straight up by being on both sides as opposed to pushing on one side which tends to rip threads in half on the tension side.

ayelvington · Sep 7, 2011

A neighbor brought over his Case CX100 to try and pull the well point.

Orchard Diary 9/7/2011: FAILURE at trying to pull the well point - YouTube

No joy. The CX100 has a rated lift of 7,000 lbs on the 3-point, so I'm giving up. I'll cut the pipe as low as I can and fill in the hole.

Yes, I'll try again next year....

Many thanks for all of the support!

speedbump · Sep 8, 2011

Watching that tractor squat only a half inch or so didn't really look like 7000 lbs, but who knows.

The RR Spike puller probably has more leverage than 7000 lbs, but they are still hard to get coming.

Did you try turning the pipe until all the joints butted so you were actually turning the screen in the hole. Sometimes that helps more than anything else.

ayelvington · Sep 8, 2011

speedbump said:
Watching that tractor squat only a half inch or so didn't really look like 7000 lbs, but who knows.

The RR Spike puller probably has more leverage than 7000 lbs, but they are still hard to get coming.

Did you try turning the pipe until all the joints butted so you were actually turning the screen in the hole. Sometimes that helps more than anything else.

Pipe doesn't turn. Simply not worth the time and effort to get the well point back. I've been driven more by curiosity than practicality, and now winter is coming... There's a time to quit, and the last tractor rang the bell!

Ford850 · Sep 8, 2011

ayelvington said:
Pipe doesn't turn. Simply not worth the time and effort to get the well point back. I've been driven more by curiosity than practicality, and now winter is coming... There's a time to quit, and the last tractor rang the bell!

I can appreciate your situation. Brown and blue clay... ugh. There is no "pouring water around it", or turning it. It is held in place by the clay "sucking" that smooth pipe surface.

speedbump · Sep 9, 2011

After having done hundreds of these in my younger days, I can say that there was never a time when I couldn't turn one. Or wring it off. It takes a good Ridgid Pipe Wrench. 14" to 36" will do and a 5' piece of 1-1/4" or larger pipe as a cheater. It will turn.

AdrianB · Jul 9, 2012

I have a 2" sand point that I want to pull, can someone tell me the best type of clamp to put on the pipe so I can but a chain around the pipe that will not pull off?

speedbump · Jul 9, 2012

A good pipe wrench (Ridgid) opened a little larger than 2" with someone pulling up on the handle will bite into the pipe and hold the chain in place. I am also assuming you have a galvanized pipe well, not PVC