The early 1990’s were tough times in the Texas oilfield; everyone was cutting expenses to the bone. These pictures are of Richards Drilling Co. Rig 10 the crown jewel of the companies rigs. Rig 10 was a state-of-the-art diesel/electric powered rig and she was big even by today’s standards; she stood 188 feet (57.4 meters) tall.
This was a rush job and they were attempting to move in to the new location before the gravel was put on the new roadbed but were caught by a large thunder storm.
The heaviest load was the draw works it slid off the roadbed. They tried to save the cost of a winch Cat by using one of the two cranes that were needed to rig-up Rig 10. Oops!


Photo 1. This photo was taken from the seat of my D6D.
Photo 2. My D6D is in the background.
Photo 3. A close up view of the crane’s boom.
Photo 4. My D6D alongside the derrick before it is raised.
Photo 5. The red arrow points to the “bull lines", they are 4 inch diameter cables!
Photo 6. Almost up.
Sadly, Rig 10 eventually lost her battle to survive and was sold to China.
Craig

How did the boom fold over? Had it up to high or load swing back?

Hi ROME K/G, I was the winch cat for Rig 10 in my area. They preferred to use a D8 or at least a D7 but that's another story! I knew the crane operator and he told me that he had the boom all the way up and he said the crane was crazy overloaded. This was back in the day and there was no computer or load sensors on that crane. He told the Truck Pusher(his boss) the situation was dangerous and the Truck Pusher said $%#&* swing it!! The operator said he tried to swing it as gently as possible but the boom gave way in an instant.
Craig

Hey Craig, wow! yea things can go south in a hurry.

hopefully nobody was hurt, maimed, or killed...just EGO's...

You don't get fired in the oil patch - you get "run off".

I’m surprised the rig floor doesn’t sit up higher. Usually big rigs sit up high to give room for blow out equipment.

"phildirt" wrote:

You don't get fired in the oil field - you get "run off".

-that's correct Phillip....and the phone don't ring no more...you're officially in the doghouse (not the one on the rig floor)

kittylover123, No one was hurt and I was told Rig 10 otherwise had a good safety record.
I'm including translations from "oilfield" to everyday english. lol
Neil, I don't know what happened to the Truck Pusher, I know he was a "Old Hand" (long time employee) and was probably skilled at CYA. The only witnesses were the Crane Operator and some Roustabouts (unskilled labor).
Oil Slick, Rig 10 was a "sling shot" design. The Draw Works (basically a huge winch) were so heavy that it took 2 of those cranes working in tandem to lift it in place with the rig floor in the "down" position. When the derrick was fully raised and locked in position the Draw Works would pull on the "Bull Lines" (lifting cables) and raise the hinged Substructure with the Draw Works and Rig Floor closer to the height of the "A legs" (the triangle shaped structures with the orange "wheels" on top).
The Rig Floor was so high that it was equipped with an "electric inclined elevator" in addition to the standard stairway.
I wish I had more photos of Rig 10 but this was the only time I risked my 35mm camera on this rig (taking pictures was a big no-no).
This was also the last time that Rig 10 drilled a well in my area.
"Keep a bind on it",
Craig