Vintage Windmill and Wind Generator Forum

Just thought I would share how we do our galvanized Rod.

Bart

Questions and comments from the field:

Is there any identifying marks on your steel rod that "brands" or identifies it from others?

What process is used to galvanize? Some older rod looked hot dipped but nothing new looks that way

Is there any industry standards for pipe length and rod length?

My pet peeve in pulling sets that others have done is seeing the rod coupler travel being in the pipe coupling or having to pull up on the sucker rod to get to the coupler. I use only Wheatland Tube drop pipe and it does seem longer than some import. If there is an industry pipe standard length, there does not seem to be adherence by import manufacturers.

The last new set I did, the pump cylinder lead for the sucker rod was 4" above the cylinder top with the plunger down. By the time I got to 7 sticks, I was flush with pipe top. I added a piece to keep the rod coupling above. At 14 sticks, I was back to just being even with the top of the drop pipe. Wheatland thread protectors are rated as couplers unlike import so that is what was used for pipe couplings.

Do you supply Preferred Pump since they are hq out of TX? My Preferred doesn't know where their rod comes from

Ron Stauffer
Montrose CO

We do not stamp the galvanized rod or couplings like we do our fiberglass. The rods are zinc plated at the mill we buy it from in Oklahoma. Our standard rod length is 21 ft. We do make some shorter rods on request. We quoted some 10ft 18ft and 21ft rod for a Preferred Pump in Kansas today. We do a lot of business with Preferred Pump. We send Rod all over the country. What Preferred Pump do you do business with? And are you buying steel Rod or fiberglass? We also do business with Denver Winpump.

So I had some time and actually measured rod and pipe. Rod comes in at 21' 1/4" and pipe is 21' 1/2". Rod couplers are straight threads so there is not added length from a gap in the center between two rods when coupled . Pipe couplers are tapered threads so there is almost a 1 1/4" gap between the ends of two pipes when coupled and tightened. 1 1/4" couplers are 2" overall length. That is how rod loses length so fast. Merchant couplers are straight thread but I have only seen them used on PVC drop pipe in wells. If you make rod 21' 2" with Wheatland pipe, it would be a perfect world...

I buy rod from Preferred in Denver, Grand Island or Phoenix OR from Aermotor. Normally, I carry inventory of rod and pipe as territory is large and not convenient to run to supply house for a job. Denver Winpump doesnt wholesale so rarely do i get there. I get Wheatland pipe out of Denver but NOT at supply houses as they only carry import. I get domestic pipe at 20% over import price so that is all I will do.

When I first started I did everything open top and glass rod, as I considered closed top and steel rod old school. Now I am doing half glass and half steel. A couple of reasons for this: high cost of 2" pipe, not seeing pipe condition if only pulling rod and really no time difference in pulling rod & pipe vs rod only. Deeper sets I will use an 449 open top cylinder reducing bushed down for 1 1/4" pipe to get the benefit of 3 leathers as 442 closed top shallow well cylinder has only 2 leather plunger.

I pull several open tops a year where the leathers are good but not pumping. Almost always there is a pipe issue especially if it is one I didnt install and there is import pipe. So I am tripping rod out, back in to see if pump, back out when doesnt, and then pipe out to see where issue is. When that happens enough, you quickly derate the "benefits" of open top and glass rod.

Ron

We have not sent any steel Rod to any of the Denver stores. They buy theirs from Merrill. We are pretty new to the steel Rod. We sell a ton of 5/8 fiberglass. And every year fewer and fewer 3/4 fiberglass. Aermotor probably buys the most 3/4 from us. And we make the couplings for Aermotors aquflex Rod. And the couplings for their wood rod. We sell a ton of our pipe couplings all over the country. They are made from made in the us dom tubing. On our cnc lathes in our shop. They are all api spec. But we are not api certified. We make sizes 3/4 all the way to 5 inch in black or zinc plated.

Of course glass rod length is irrelevant in open top as you do the make up at the stuffing box or where you convert to the pump rod. I will add a rod guide on open tops just up in to the pipe as leathers will last longer. Do you do any glass rod without guides as as I have seen it used in 1 1/4" pipe with closed top cylinders? Those setups must have only been popular when glass rod was first introduced as I rarely see it any more.

Ron

We make it with and without. And we make a reduced 5/8 coupling to try and get more flow in the 1 1/4 pipe.

There is a lot of 18' pipe/rod in NE and KS. The reason is short towers and being easier to pull pipe in