3 months ago
20
I americium not definite however galore of you volition beryllium acquainted with the word "Nodding Donkey".
But you mightiness good beryllium acquainted with the show of these things:
Nodding Donkeys are officially known arsenic Pumpjacks. Not definite which authoritative came up with that name, but Wikipedia says so. These contraptions are known nether antithetic names arsenic well, specified as: beam pump, walking beam pump, horsehead pump, nodding donkey pump (donkey pumper), rocking equine pump, grasshopper pump, sucker rod pump, dinosaur pump, Big Texan pump, thirsty vertebrate pump, hobby horse, oregon conscionable pumping unit.
And that is successful the English connection only. I americium definite galore countries person section names for these things. In the Netherlands, we telephone them "Ja-Knikkers". Which means arsenic overmuch arsenic Yes-nodding.
I find these things fascinating. Very elemental devices, travel successful rather a fig of antithetic varieties.
Just a basal diagram of however these devices work. Pretty elemental arsenic you tin see. Not overmuch mentation is required.
Nodding Donkeys person a spot of peculiar meaning to me. Or alternatively bring peculiar memories. My woman grew up successful Barbados. A tiny land successful the Caribbean. As you tin ideate we person visited the land galore times implicit the past 45 years oregon so. Also with our children (and these days grandchildren) On the island, they person immoderate lipid wells. Especially successful the confederate portion of the land determination utilized to beryllium dozens and dozens of these nodding donkeys. Most of them are gone oregon retired of committee these days.
But erstwhile our kids were small determination were plentifulness around. And they were fascinated! They could not get capable of them. Whenever we got successful the car to spell determination they would get each excited. They would play, spot the archetypal nodding donkey, who sees the astir nodding donkeys and truthful on. My father-in-law, i.e. their granddad, utilized to instrumentality them astir the vale wherever my inlaws lived, conscionable to spot the nodding donkeys!
Seeing a lonely nodding donkey determination retired successful the field, going up and down, slowly, but relentlessly, is someway a spot of a hypnotic sight. These lonely mechanical devices bring up oil, 24/7 without immoderate oversight!
When we lived successful Kansas City I callback driving immoderate 6-7 hours retired onto the prairies to an lipid museum. Somewhere successful the mediate of nowhere. As expected galore antithetic kinds of nodding donkeys!
So erstwhile I came crossed a "real moving exemplary of a Nodding Donkey" I had to person it immediately! Let america not sermon cost, due to the fact that erstwhile you woody successful important matters specified arsenic these outgo is nary issue. "Take my money" is the lone due amount.
It arrived the adjacent time by courier.
It comes successful this bully box, with immoderate bully images connected it. A batch of Chinese connected the container too.
Things get adjacent amended erstwhile you unfastened the box. Parts are each beautifully laid out, with numbers and a precise heavy assembly acquisition book!
Me being an technologist and a unspeakable nerd, archetypal happening is to work the implicit manual beforehand to back, of course!
The container is afloat of parts, hundreds of parts.
Also a container with each the tiny bits. Bolts, nuts, washers, O-rings etc. Hundreds and hundreds!
Putting the nodding donkey unneurotic is simply a reasonably casual process. I volition amusement you immoderate of the steps. I person besides made a video, posted towards the end, successful which you tin spot it really pumping!!
The piston rod comes with its ain small cheque valve. The drill good connected this exemplary is lone a fewer centimetres deep, fundamentally the thickness of the basal arsenic you volition see. On the existent donkey, this spot would beryllium sitting towards the bottommost of the well. So the lipid is not sucked up to the aboveground but pushed (or pumped) up from the well. (Sucking won't enactment arsenic you would not beryllium capable to spell deeper than astir 8-9 meters astatine best.
The basal sheet with the Filter Box and the stuffing box. Inside the stuffing container is different cheque valve.
This is simply a composite portion made up of an L-shaped faucet and a tiny portion of silicone tube. Very choky fit, I enactment immoderate Vaseline connected the faucet to get the conduit implicit it.
They telephone this cylindrical portion implicit the piston rod the wellbore cover. Notice the spring. Real nodding donkeys don't person springs. The piston volition determination downwards due to the fact that of its ain value and gravity. In the exemplary value and gravity needs a spot of assistance. Hence the spring! 
All fitted together
The kit comes with immoderate elemental tools. A screwdriver, immoderate tiny Allen keys and 1 ample open-ended spanner. The different tools I utilized are immoderate tweezers, a flathead screwdriver and immoderate pliers.
The tweezers are truly indispensable to prime retired the parts from the small container with bolts, nuts and truthful on. I lone took retired the parts I needed for each acquisition arsenic per the manual.
The small electrical motor comes unneurotic with a tiny gearbox. You bolt it onto a ample flange. (Large being a comparative word here, obviously!)
