Louis Baker, Harbison Fischer Manufacturing Co.
The rod and tubing pumps of today are far advanced over the oil well pumps of twenty and thirty years ago. Wells were shallow and that time consisted of common working barrels and the old bowspring cups. As well were drilled deeper; longer runs were required to lower lifting costs, metals were experimented with to assemble the forerunner of the present day precision rod and tubing pumps. The original metal pumps were built with plungers turned down in lathes to fit each individual barrel so that interchangeability was impossible. In recent years the American Petroleum Institute committees, in collaboration with manufacturers and oil producers, have established basic dimensions on all pumps which will allow any pump shop to stock API parts to repair all types of pumps.