If we set up a spudder operation in 2021, we have choices but not as many as we once had.
As I wrote in my most recent column, I believe it nearly impossible to purchase a brand new spudder rig today. We still have a choice of brands if we can find them: Bucyrus-Erie, Speedstar, Cyclone, Alten-Loomis and other brands, including some good shop-built rigs. With luck, we can find a used rig in excellent condition. But it’s more likely to find one that needs to be rebuilt — a big but not impossible task. The size of the rig we need, of course, depends on the hole size we drill and the formations we expect.