Paper: Purchasing Used Pumping Units Considerations That Should Be Made

In these days of budget constraints due to unstable oil and gas prices, many companies have begun purchasing more and more used production equipment, including pumping units. In some cases they have been able to reduce "up-front" capital expenditures only to later find that there can be significant costs in repairs to this same equipment. This paper will examine the precautions and considerations that should be made before the purchases are finalized. We will review what we consider the six (6) major areas of concern: 1) the age and history of the pumping unit, 2) the gear reducer, 3) the unit's structural integrity, 4) the structural bearing assemblies, 5) additional equipment included in the purchase and, 6) the reputation of the used equipment supplier. While we recognize that there are many used equipment dealers supplying quality reconditioned equipment, the purpose of this paper is to educate the buyer about what to look for when preparing to make this capital expenditure.