An Eaton 420 Series pump is an important part of the hydraulic circuitry on the MudPuppy 170-2SC mud system.Barnes and Eaton’s Bill Potterf, area sales manager, powered up the MudPuppy to hear it hum. They realized that not only was the gas engine not powerful enough to do the job, it also caused the accompanying pump, an Eaton 420 Series load-sensing pressure-compensated design, to act erratically.
Packing more punch
Barnes’ system design sense immediately went into action. “Using Bill’s product recommendations, I converted the previous plumbing nightmare into a streamlined Eaton custom manifold, using two MRV-16 Series two-position rotary valves, FAR1-16 Series threaded cartridge valves for the system’s load-sending circuit and flow controls, and Aeroquip hose assemblies.”
They worked to declutter the company’s most powerful MudPuppy that offers an additional 100 hp.
“The previous supplier had designed a hydraulic system that was complicated, confusing, and impossible to service in the field, costing MudPuppy $40,000 in hydraulic components. We added an Eaton 6422 Series hydrostatic pump and Eaton 3333 Series motor to our newly designed circuitry for the basic model, resulting in a net cost to the customer of under $9000 for the total system.”
The new system uses one component design that fits all four models of the MudPuppy, making assembly and parts inventory easy.
The redesigned MudPuppy is a far cry from the former design, Tibban says. “Our previous mud system worked well, but it was highly complicated and expensive,” he says. “As a result, we weren’t competitive in the marketplace. Spencer and Eaton were instrumental in helping develop a streamlined system that is user friendly.”
Results
Oil and water well drillers need equipment that is easy to set up and adjust in order to get the job done on time and on budget. MudPuppy machinery fits the requirements to a tee. In addition to a neat appearance, the Eaton product-equipped hydraulic system is almost fully automated, Tibban says.
“The original MudPuppy required up to 40 adjustments. With the assistance of Eaton products, the operator only needs to turn it on, and the mud system is ready to go,” Tibban says. “Overall, Eaton products are very reliable, and Eaton is very good about providing application assistance.”
Visit www.tibban.com for more on MudPuppy or www.eaton.com/hydraulics for more on Eaton’s products.