I got a great offer for a new position as a field service mechanic for a oil and gas company here in the city. I don't start until January and I have been buying a few tools every week to spread out the expense. They will furnish me with a truck outfitted with service bed, auto crane, welder and torch but all the tools are on me. I was curious if any OSA members were field service mechanics that could think of any tools that one would not normally think of that have helped them in the field. I already have all the general mechanics tools such as sockets, wrenches, ratchets, impacts, ETC. I also have all the specialty tools that I can think of for my industry (water transfer pump units). Just wanted to see if any one on here wanted to give me a heads up on tools that have helped them out in the field away from a shop. Another question I have been rolling around in my head is how do field mechanics press bearings in the field. A large part of my job will be rebuilding centrifugal pumps in the field and the bearings are all pressed on to the impeller shaft. I have always had a large press at my disposal and never had to improvise. I know you can heat up the bearing in a oven or with a torch and usually slide it on but what about when you have one that has been in service for a year and is covered in rust and calcium from hard water and you cant get it off without a press or cutting it off. Thanks guys and gals!
get a set of heavy duty bearing pullers. for the calcium crust just carry a large coffee can full of citric acid powder, pile the acid over the crust and wet with water until it makes a paste. let sit while you have a cup of joe then wash off the paste with the crud and remove the bearing. you can also remove the old race with a good cold chisel then clean the shaft with emery cloth. i would say you should get a good light a set of quality pullers some different size hammers and chisels several pairs of gloves and comfy rubber boots. sometimes a half sheet of 1/2 inch plywood is very useful when you have to get in the mud on your back.a large container of gritless goe joe and lots and lots of rags. oh several large sizes of wood blocks of oak are often handy. always have several 9/16 and 1/2 inch wrenches for your friends to loose and lots of screw drivers. some cheap plastic tarps some rope and bailing wire. always carry extra food behind the seat for those times when you can't get to town oh and a couple rolls of toilet paper.
Magnet on one of those extendable sticks. You will need one of those.
A really good set of prybars. Something that will stand up to the abuse. I have this one from snap on. http://store.snapon.com/Striking-Cr...Crown-Handle-Heavy-Duty-48-Green-P744571.aspx This thing has been a lifesaver more than once on the frac site. They make a 54" but it wont fit in my box or my service truck so I never got it. Matco makes a 1" shank that a few of the guys I work with have but it seems like overkill to me.
Dont enter the oilfield without a couple of pipe wrenches, 24" and 36". Bearings can be put on with a punch and hammer if need be. A torch can go a long way in helping with that also. Not sure what all you're doing but a hand pump and a couple of rams can do wonders in the field. Have plenty of chains, hooks, rigging, etc. Your truck will need a good vise on the back of it. Whatever space is left on your truck after that fill it with rags and hand cleaner.
Like any other field, you will never know up front all the specialty tools you will need. You learn that stuff as you go. When dealing with rusty or corroded parts a torch is your friend. A cheap set of wrenches up to as big as you want to carry around will be very handy. This is in addition to your good wrenches. You will probably find yourself in situations where you need to bend a wrench to get on a bolt, or even shorten a big wrench to get in somewhere tight. On your truck you will want to have spare parts to fix any normal problems you might encounter out in the field. These will be different between different trucks. It's also good to be able to charge your truck batteries off of your welder. You will also learn to use the autocrane to put stuff in the back of the truck, it will save your back alot.
Don't know about the oil industry equipment but getting a couple good cheater pipes is probably up there. I know one was always needed when working on heavy machinery when using a torch or impact wasn't an option.
A piece of old carpet can come in handy too. If you have to work on gravel or lie down on sun baked concrete it can be extremely helpful. . . same if the ground is super cold. I would suggest a 2' square and a 2' by 6' piece. . . the square when you have to kneel and the other to lie on. Both can roll up and fit in a fairly small space in the truck or back. When it gets nasty leave it and get another piece.
And don't forget to make sure you have a bunch of duct tape around. You can fix a radiator hose with just a couple layers, had one spring a leak on a car and after three layers I was able to drive till the next payday.
A piece of old carpet can come in handy too. If you have to work on gravel or lie down on sun baked concrete it can be extremely helpful. . . same if the ground is super cold. I would suggest a 2' square and a 2' by 6' piece. . . the square when you have to kneel and the other to lie on. Both can roll up and fit in a fairly small space in the truck or back. When it gets nasty leave it and get another piece.
And don't forget to make sure you have a bunch of duct tape around. You can fix a radiator hose with just a couple layers, had one spring a leak on a car and after three layers I was able to drive till the next payday.
JB80 is by far the best penetrating oil on the planet, blows PB blaster out of the water, but you have to order it. It doubles as cutting oil for taps and drilling too. I use it on everything. Works great for keeping your tools functioning in the field too.
http://www.justicebrothers.com/jb80.html
http://www.justicebrothers.com/jb80.html
