Setting a Rebuilt American 18 Unit.

Last video of an American 18 rebuild.

[@corycochran6756]

"If I get stopped, I'll just tell them I'm a farmer." LOL!!!!🤣🤣🤣

[@TheZachLife]

Farmers get away with anything LOL.

[@mnmountainman9343]

If your farming your "good to go" just send it

[@bradleymcwilliams6348]

I've always said the same thing. We operate trucks, and stuff they'll throw us in jail over, a farmer can do in a half ton pick up. Knew a guy that hauled around and 850 Case dozer on a single tire one ton and gooseneck, with farm tags...

[@379insk]

I'm a farmer.....I always play the farmer card when the DOT pulls me over! Doesn't work much anymore. Lol

[@anon556]

@@bradleymcwilliams6348 "sir, I'm a farmer."
"Oi, You got a permit for that?!"

[@MrEric_API]

Setting up the super customized "Hot Rod" American pumpjack unit. I vote for chrome rocker covers!!
I love the final touch of the fan blades!!!!

[@TheZachLife]

Haha I agree. It needs some. LOL

[@michael931]

Needs a K&N filter...... :)

[@peterhodgkins6985]

American Shade Tree Engineering at it's very best! You've got some of the most entertaining content on youtube, Zach! I love how you keep mulling things over until you've answered all the "Why'd it do that?" questions.

[@TheZachLife]

Haha Thanks.

[@TheWittyGeek]

I just want to point out that you're fantastic at presenting this stuff. I wish you did videos more often but I understand you're taking care of all of this stuff full-time+ and UA-cam is a lot of extra work. Either way, I appreciate you showing us a glimpse into your life, it's good content and interesting to watch.

[@TheZachLife]

Thanks for watching.

[@Wingnut_Stickman]

Your oil draw at the end reminds me it's time for a cup of coffee! Excellent video, thank you for sharing.

[@TheZachLife]

Haha thanks.

[@PatinaChevy56]

I grew up in Kilgore, Tx and was used to seeing pump jacks everywhere. They're usually massive Lufkins. In the 80s I used to drive down the road to one of the old Busby leases to listen to the hit and miss engine pulling up that oil. I always loved the sound when those old motors would get under load. I think some of those old timers would run them off the drip gas coming from the well. My first time up toward Amarillo I saw all those tiny little pump jacks out in the field and I thought they were some kind of yard art like folks in Kilgore had around the house.

[@andrewjames8139]

Boy this brings back a Flood of Memories.In 75 /76/77 I was a ''SWAMPER'' (worm) on a Rig-Up Truck.Truck's. We set many a Pump=Jack. Thanks Zack of bringing them back.

[@spider0804]

The difference between a professional and a new person is not that the pro never makes mistakes.
The difference is that a professional knows how to fix their mistakes, and fix them correctly.

[@travispalmer3647]

"Let me show you how rod heavy this is" Pulls the jack right to the top of the well after turning it off......I am a new subscriber and i love it.....Lots of good work on all kinds of things......do with what ya got.

[@demartin5366]

What a blast to join you on this trip to place the pump unit! Loved the forklift ride out to the lease. it's 10:00pm, I need to get to bed, but I can't stop watching your video. The camera positions are perfect. I like the way you analyze a problem and just go for it with common sense improvising remedies. Love the motor counterweight, that is the coolest idea! Good analysis of the weight load, you did a great job setting this unit. That oil looked like Swiss Miss hot cocoa...haha, Great job as always, Zach!!

[@shawnstillman736]

Dude the bag of concrete at the end had me rolling!

[@garyplewa9277]

I would see pump jacks in my travels but never knew all of the details involved in setting up and running them. Thanks for all of your videos about oil field operations.

[@garrisonkarr9445]

WOW !! ... the ingenuity of the patch never ceases to amaze! ... Keep on pump'n !

[@robertandrews4382]

This stuff is interesting as hell to me. While visiting my mother in Dallas seeing them pumping really drew my attention and made me wonder how they worked. I wish I could come out and work with you for a year. Neat stuff man I'm subscribed 👍👌

[@Mike-01234]

Amazing how all this was worked out over 100 years ago except for the electric motor added later. Even the separator tanks that removes water, and gas without any power or moving parts. We think so many amazing technology was created in the late 20th century. If you really look at the details of what was done in the 19th century and early 20th century it's just as impressive.

[@matthewmcdaniel8846]

That’s the best pump unit I’ve seen yet it has character

[@kek9004]

I'm from Canada and work in the oilfield. we set big jacks 640s 920s this channel is badass

[@TheZachLife]

Thanks.

[@damocsell]

I used to work for a ranch using these style of jack for stock water I loved them they were very efficient pumpers and the diesel motors we used did not have to work very hard. I had one pump that I tuned down to pump 24/7 7 GPM 10000 gallons per day and it used less than 2 gallons of diesel per day. I could never get close to this with electric submersible.

[@moe85moe85]

cement bag on the engine block and hoping for a little rain is just brilliant!! love it

[@jhogan1960]

Just found your channel. I have a friend who came from West Texas and she used to work as a lab tech for water disposal from the oil fields. I work in a water treatment plant, and a lot of the stuff you do (basically moving liquids) is what we do, pumps, sheaves, electric motors, etc. I enjoy you well edited productions.

[@TheZachLife]

Thanks.

[@MoreFormosa]

The power of a thumbnail! notice how many views this vid has compared to some of your others. That engine block propped up there is hilarious, good ole American ingenuity baby! 🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸💪🏼

[@haljackson4064]

When I saw that old engine for counter balance I started laughing. You are a amazing guy to piece together those old wells, stripper wells, hope you get rich working so hard.

[@TheZachLife]

Haha Thanks.

[@watchguy7986]

I love the function of form approach you have. Nice work

[@bitrage.]

That fork lift got sum RPM!!!

[@Ken-rk3by]

When a guy is man enough to admit he f-cked-up and still puts it on his channel. He gets a big THUMBS UP and a new subscriber LOL. You should put an old 4-71 Detroit on the beam for the counterweight minus the flywheel. That would be closer to the 1,000 lbs. you needed and maybe hang it under the beam so it doesn't twist the beam.

[@BudFox559]

This kind of ingenuity is what made America great. It's really interesting.

[@joeystrains.9316]

Jack pumps are fascinating to watch. Lived near several of them growing up.

[@ToddsterSaw]

Driving down the highway in a forklift hauling a pumpjack. I love it!!

[@charlesyoungblood1402]

Thanks for what you do. We need ya now more than ever . Keep em pumpin !

[@Jdigger4130]

Found ya on 100 year old well. STAYING CUZ YER A RAD GUY Zach! I am hooked!

[@TheZachLife]

Haha Sounds like a plan.

[@stevenlapham5254]

Great explanations.... Interesting

[@cmh2111]

I was sitting having a coffee at the local coffee shop and a pickup towing a lawn tractor drives by. Ya I get it. Normal to see weird things drive by. Seeing a oil well pump on a fork lift drive by, might get my attention though. LoL.

[@TheZachLife]

Haha

[@dcm12388]

Always take a break when stuff starts going wrong it really helps try it

[@joeldawson442]

Glorious TX! Worked for some farming bros after graduating not too far from there. Plowed all day on a JD 4020 and my plowing compadre on an 8630. The boss told us to go to another field when we finished. It was cervesa:30 for my compadre and he couldn’t wait on the boss to come get us so he dropped the plow on the 4020 and we headed home about 8 mi. No fear of cops but I should have been real afeared of the boss. Almost met a premature end to my farmhand days. Ol’ compadre got returned to sender.

[@solanaceae2069]

You know a man takes his work seriously when his trucks are Fords

[@rosco4659]

Nice channel, something new for me to take an interest in. I was thinking c.ould you hang a couple barrels of the side and maybe shovel dirt into them to add weight when you are rod heavy. Best thing would is you dont have to transport as much weight around, just tip them out and leave it behind

[@Brad.whatthe]

Maybe a powerstroke engine block might have been heavy enough, I bet there readily available 👍

[@TheZachLife]

haha maybe. I was thinking to my self that I should have used a big block.

[@keithphillips1234]

See, Chevy always comes out on top! 😊

[@dannywilsher4165]

By no means am I trying to tell you how to do your job Mr. Zach. But they make a tool that you can weigh your rods, then you can calculate with a little bit of math how much counterweight you need 2 make the motor pretty much freewheel. This will save electricity and wear and tear on the motor and the bearings on the pumpjack. The only bearings that will have any weight on them will be on the fulcrum of the pumpjack. All the others will be pretty much floating. I never had the opportunity to set-up a pumpjack but I used to own a business that we serviced pump jacks in West TX and eastern New Mexico.

[@markkwasny9650]

Your forklift probably enjoyed the road trip.

[@jiveturkey9993]

When I was a kid I worked at a shop rebuilding oil pumps for those things. They were some super high pressure pumps.

[@raybassman7536]

Love your videos Zach!

[@mikew4171]

Dangest "procedure" I've ever seen Zack !! SAALUTE !! However, I can readily see you're the quintessential "risk taker" with exemplary "field mechanics TALENT" ...... BUT, I'd be carefull about taking those kinds of chances ...... especially with regard to "choppin fingers off" from a mis-hap. Looks to me like from the pics of your left hand on the steering wheel, you're already missing the tip of that index "fanger" and just as a reminder, you only have 9 more of those left !! lol GREAT vid Zack !! THNKS for posting ...... WE ALL enjoy heck out of them !!

[@TheZachLife]

Hahaha yep cut the same one off twice. Thanks.

[@whitehorse1959]

Black gold, Texas tea, yeah.

[@FixItStupid]

You Have A Lot Of FUN Thank You

[@johnberry1107]

Yes, just think about it some and then make it work, better.
Zach - watch out! A fellow that I know lost a thumb one time he was "hoping it don't let go". he found out it is harder to turn a wrench when you are a finger short of usual.
Thank you.

[@stovebolt448]

Well there goes Zach driving down the road with his oil well pump, just another day in Texas.🤗 Someone has already said it, you need chrome valve covers on that small block, and is there anyway you can make the fan turn with the wind.😋 It took 75 years but I just bet knowing you that that power line runs right into a.....current bush.😁 With it being rod heavy doesn't that put a lot of load on your gear box?

[@TheZachLife]

Haha I agree it needs a set. It does some i think its ok for now.
I will fine some more junk to put on it at some point.

[@danielmoorley8652]

Half the stroke the gear box is driving the load , on the other half of the stroke the load is driving the gear box, you can actually hear the electric motor loading up on the driven half of the stroke

[@RichieCat4223]

0:35 This is what a pick up was meant for, work. Not just drive around with a loud muffler thinking "I'm a truck driving man."

[@texasfairbanksman272]

Good job. You could sure use an extra hand every now and then. I’m from North Texas too and would like to meet you some day. Take care and keep the videos coming!

[@TheZachLife]

Sounds good. I've watched most of your videos. I like the old engines.

[@alanpecherer5705]

Hard to imagine how that rig could have cracked that beam on the skid, but I guess if you have a machine running 24/7 for 25+ years, a tiny bit of flex you can't even see can eventually produce a crack like that with cold/hot/wet/dry (the one welded up @ 3:51)

[@MrOilcountry]

Like the counterweight!

[@yanghigh1942]

i laughed so hard when you sent that bag of quickcrete up there

[@mrivantchernegovski3869]

Hey from New Zealand cool SBC counter wieght lol what ever works ,guess it was bad as the left hand head is off to check something,great channel

[@johntaylor1947]

It looks like fairly hard work, but it is outside with no one around to bug you

[@ethanelectric1024]

weld extra wide flange beam or I beam or scrap to end to make it longer for more counter balance to offset the extra length on the front. Then if you really wanna be cheap make some sort of sack or crate or cement block to hang on the end.

[@alkennedy1124]

Small block is 300 pounds lolnice ,thanks BigAl California

[@abpob6052]

I love getting things done with what you can find laying around. With that said, you only need a small amount of math and some basic engineering statics calculations for moments and you wouldn't have to guess about any of this.

[@peter7624]

Engineering at it's finest! Love the cement bag.

[@ryanehlis426]

Sketchy 🤣 I haul crude oil and I just plugged a hole in my tank with a screw and JB weld.

[@Mike-01234]

Chevy SB is around 550 lbs 6.7L Cummins diesel is 1100 lbs.

[@billsmith5166]

Maybe you could put a radiator in front of the fan on the engine to make it balance better, and if that doesn't work, maybe some fenders a front bumper and a grill. 😄

[@jeffjacobson3388]

Smelt some led and fill up the crank case with it and then you’ll have a hidden lead storage for ammo slugs down the road.

[@byronleatham1183]

Small box Chevy only weighs like $275 lb to 300 so you need a couple more hundred pounds I can tell by listening to your rig that it's actually pulling real hard so you get it balanced out to where you don't hear that buzz as it tries to pull up so it's nice and smooth both ways so put some more weight on the back a couple more hundred pounds

[@zakksrage]

A farmer in the harvest season of black gold

[@K.kswag21]

It’s actually common to see farm vehicles driving on the road in Texas in small towns y’all drive and stay safe

[@marty0715yt]

Since the draw pipe is bent at the top, shouldn't you move the sled further way from the well so that the pull is more vertical and hopefully will straighten it back? Or is it no big deal?

[@VicsYard]

Awesome!

[@808TheDuck]

Interesting!

[@MrEferrell]

You need to change direction of rotation on your gearbox. The motor turns the input shaft, the input turns the intermediate shaft which turn the bull gear on the crankshaft. The way they are made on the inside, the bull gear picks up the oil, carries it over the top and squirts it out between the gears onto the crank bearings. The way it is rotating now, the oil just squirts off the intermediate back into the crank case. Pull the cover and watch it run. Been there, done that, more than once.

[@TheZachLife]

The bearing are oiled from the drip trays. American D's can run ether direction.

[@dcata251]

God bless you.

[@briansumner2700]

Nice light brown crude oil. I bet that stuff is high in natural gasolines. Well done. That is the first time I've seen a SBC used as a counterweight. LOL.

[@TheZachLife]

Haha. First time for everything.

[@obfuscated3090]

If the problem was the cast clamp half splitting it would be easy to have some plate waterjetted or laser cut then mill any groove desired. Maybe your lasercutting bro could cut a batch. I get the 'git 'er dun part but slow systematic preparation can pay off. A bench stock of common spares saves trips to the store and time is money.
BTW there's a better adjustable wrench for that job that ironworkers use ( "Crescent spud wrench" with a taper bar instead of a flat handle) that besides being longer and comfier to put a boot on fits cheater pipes with little or no wobble. Ironworker tools like sleaver bars and bull pins are so handy around the shop I keep them though I'm not an ironworker.
There are many tricks from many trades and the reason I'm here is to learn some of yours!
A tool/equipment skid for your truck bed (with fork pockets of course) could let ya have all the weaponry you want on-hand. Weldors fab some slick ones. I'm old, near crippled and lazy so I look to be efficient.

[@TheZachLife]

Ive got some spud wrenches but never though about putting a cheater on them. Thats a good idea.

[@chamarystigers8731]

I love oil pump jack with V8 engine on oil pump jack look great

[@scarter176]

need zoomies on the counterweight

[@moneyshot7775]

I just discovered your channel and I can see right now that you and I would turn the whole world upside down if we were to ever meet! Not sure where you're located at but I'm a 3rd generation oilfield baby from South Central Arkansas born and raised! We are alot alike yet totally different at the same time! Those little Americans sure are some good little units MOST times😂

[@TheZachLife]

Hahah we are north central texas. Yeah the American are just about my favorite.

[@mike-bj4dk]

you make it sound fun you should hire me lol

[@SteamCrane]

Chrome valve covers, chrome air cleaner, maybe K+N.

[@thomasrape4616]

I don't know how much they weigh but when I was a young man I used to lift and walk off with a small block chevy with the heads and intake removed. You, by my best guess, would be looking at around 350 to 400 lb with a complete engine, better allow for that aluminum intake.

[@siggyretburns7523]

Hell, I take the forklift to school everyday. Mom sez when I start jr high, I can start taking the tractor.

[@TheZachLife]

Haha

[@moondogdieselworks3883]

Love the power plant

[@althomas6496]

I made a c shaped fixture with a screw to get the bend out of polish rod if it isn't bent to bad.

[@christophernewton5095]

About how much would it cost to drill a new well
In your area

[@dcm12388]

I would love to see how much oil is coming up what does it look like is it really thin

[@dubstrippin]

Lol I’d love to spend a day doin this with ya. What a hoot

[@rickterry1397]

Mad Maxx would be proud of ya! lol

[@davidwarm6799]

I’m making a pumpjack out of wood with a flare to run next April first. I want my neighbors to freak out.

[@jamesbarber3854]

Should have slid the beam back and push the unit forward. More leverage on rod pull.

[@scowell]

Big fat dose of 'gitter done'!

[@DarkElfDiva]

This is probably a stupid question, but if the well was too high, why not just add more wood under the base of the pump to make up the difference?

[@kingmike40]

Are you the oil barren who I have been paying at the gas pump?

[@SteamCrane]

Greedy oil baron rolling in dough!

[@JS-oy6nn]

Think I’ve help set around a half dozen of these on coalbed methane wells

[@mikeakridge6555]

It looks like you'd have better balance if you rotate the motor in the other direction. It will hang the crankshaft linkage further away from the beam's fulcrum when it's lifting the rod. (Near the end of the video- the pump that has the v8 on it.)

[@jonesey1981]

What part of Texas are you in? I’m in Wichita Falls. Cheers, your channel is super interesting. Thanks for your time.

[@K.kswag21]

SO IM ON MY PHONE HERE GOING TO HAVE TO LOOK AT IT HALF A MILE AWAY🤣🤣🤣cause the wide angle

[@labandonaldhock80]

You need to balance that jack, your electric bill will make it worth your while, plus have mercy on the belts

[@tommyhunter1817]

I want one of those things for a decoration at my farm. They hard to come by?

[@TheZachLife]

Not really. Some times people buy them with grenaded gear boxes for decoration.

[@donaldappelhof2059]

I want one but my wife says no! I think it’s cute 🥰

[@RuralTowner]

V8 powered pump & 49cc 2-cycle powered forklift

[@TheZachLife]

Hahaha

[@labandonaldhock80]

Your amp meter should be equal draw on both sides of the stroke.

[@steveanderson9290]

That's high tech yer talkin' 'bout right there 🙂.

[@kevinroberts9394]

Holding the polish rod in with a stack of washers? I realize half of the clamp is broke missing ect. How about a u-bolt?