The Minard Run Oil Co., working to advance its capabilities in
oil and gas production, used local sources to get a new rig built
for its operation.

Carl McCracken and Mac’s Welding Service on Harrisburg Run was
able to build a 1953 rig to today’s standards in 11 months,
creating an upgraded rig to use for hydraulic fracturing.

Minard Run Oil officials called McCracken because they found the
demand on such equipment was so high, it was quicker for them to
build a rig themselves. They use McCracken’s services when needed
and decided to ask them to do the work.

McCracken said he was hesitant at first.

“It was the most massive project. It came to us in pallet boxes,
completely apart and probably 60 percent missing, so we had to make
extra parts,” said McCracken. “To buy parts for a later model would
have been hard so we had to make some.”

He added that he did have some local machine shops as well as a
company in Buffalo, N.Y., make parts as he needed them.

“It came out nice. If it works as good as it looks,” said
McCracken, who has been working the shop for nearly 40 years. The
rig they built is called a Wilson Super 38.

Happy with the work completed by McCracken, Rick Fesenmyer, vice
president of the oil field operation for the oil company, said they
initially tried to get the rig built by a company out of state, but
were pushed aside because of the high demand for such
equipment.

“McCracken started building it from the ground up in January,”
said Fesenmyer on Tuesday. He added that having it built in
Bradford was quicker than sending it out for construction
elsewhere.

“We had it built because of the increased need and the work
load. It allows us to be able to “frac” more wells for a bigger
drilling program,” he added.

Minard Run Oil, with offices located on South Avenue, is the
oldest independently, family-owned oil company to be producing off
of the same oil fields for 131 years. Rick Fesenmyer is a fifth
generation member of the company.

The company already owns a Cooper service rig that they have in
operation.

Fesenmyer explained that the new rig and equipment from a
service company work in conjunction with each other at the
site.

He said the service company will run the pipe into the ground
and hook into (Minard Run’s piping). The service company will then
run a mix of sand and water through a high pressure pipe into a
formation which will create a fracture in that formation.

“The sand acts as a proppant so when they are done putting
pressure, the rock stays separate and the oil stays in the
wellbore,” continued Fesenmyer.

He said that they keep a log as they go and may start down at
about 1,400 ft., move to 1,500 ft. and then down to 2,000 ft.

He said there is another boat with tubing and rods used before a
jack is set in the spot.

“It’s neat work,” added Fesenmyer. “I love doing it. I am not in
the field much anymore. Most of our people are already qualified.
We work with them for a long time before they are sent on their
own.”

He said that it takes three people to run the rig, an operator
and two hands. If they start at 5 a.m., it could take them about 12
hours to complete a project if there are no problems he added.