Well Drilling Rig Built From Scrap Materials

Well Drilling Rig Built From Scrap Materials MISCELLANEOUS EQUIPMENT Miscellaneous 28-5-41 While serving my 6-month tour here in Kosovo, I have been constantly amazed by the ingenious home-crafted equipment used. It's still common to see horse-drawn wagons in town and farmers using scythes to harvest their wheat. One of the most interesting pieces of equipment I've seen is this well-drilling rig used to drill wells about 3 ft. wide. It was completely built from scrap materials. The frame consists of two truck frames mounted with one upside down on the other. The top one slides back and forth. A third truck frame is used as a guide for the drill extensions. The rig works just like a twist posthole digger, but on a much larger scale. The drive shaft from the engine connects to a hydraulic pump that powers most of the operation. Hydraulic rams extend and retract the machine over the well, and another ram applies down pressure. The drill bucket is turned by a hydraulic motor. The transfer case is used to power a winch that raises the drill bucket when full. Once the bucket is lifted, a piece of plywood is thrown over the hole and the contents emptied into a wheelbarrow. Once completed, the well was about 20 ft. deep and lined with concrete culvert sections. Total cost was $830. The well supplies up to three houses and may or may not be fitted with a pump. Hand digging the same-sized well would've taken weeks while this one was done in two days. (Keith Ferdon, Motley, Minn.; email: keith.ferdon@ monteith2.areur.army.mil)

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