Pumpjack

Round Mountain Road, Tupman Road, Highway 33, 7th Standard Road. California, October / November 2009.
Copyright 2009 Hamish Reid.

[@mmmbad]

My parents and I went on a trip out West when I was 9 years old. These things fascinated me then and still do. They used to call them "oil birds". There's something hypnotic about them. I could watch these all day.

[@libraryquiet]

I saw my first one when I was around eight years old and I became hooked. I still am! I don't know..., every time I see them it's like..., it's like the giants of Easter Island come to life.

[@tashalynn29]

me too. cool towatch

[@richardbean1707]

Trust me, they're only more hypnotic when you work with them and live around them year round lol

[@kompot2926]

yea dude i dont know im just addictted to it

[@ll3masterhoi368]

I can also look at iT for a while

[@californigirl]

I love 'em. When I was little, I called them dinosaurs. Very relaxing to watch them. In the quiet evenings in the desert, when my dad stopped for gas they echoed across the night.

[@feelsman7837]

Big time

[@kevinbarber2795]

That sounds really peaceful and cool.

[@HopeisAnger]

My dad called them dinosaurs when I was a kid. I forgot all about that. Thanks for jogging that memory.👍

[@Sarah.Riedel]

I don't know why but I find the motion of these really soothing and aesthetically pleasing it's weird how many people seem to hate it

[@vitonamous]

Yeah its like making me calm (for no reason)

[@lennieblue]

Really? I don't hate them at all. I searched just to watch them go. I find them calming and fascinating. As a kid I'd watch them out the car windows on long trips.

[@danielsong1323]

II have a phobia of this

[@askhowiknow5527]

Usually when we make machines they aren’t naturally peaceful

[@teemu6779]

I dont know why, but this gives kind of dystophic emotions. Maybe because of Terminator 2

[@CarlKem]

Ah, man! I love the sound of that pumpjack working! Been over twenty years since I last worked on a PJ. Damn I miss them!

[@okwhatever2995]

Strange how relaxing that sound is lol

[@alishacollins4208]

I've always loved these. Especially with the little noise. I wish I could just have a prop version in my yard! Haha it's just so relaxing to watch and cute.

[@9donald_10douglas]

Yeah

[@ItsJustGilly]

There's something extremely unsettling about the sound of these things. Could be perfectly used as a movie's intro

[@randycrump5464]

I've worked on and around them for forty years in the oilfield and it never got old.

[@bradr2142]

Bet you love this video and I bet you miss the work.

[@NickAnimating]

massive respect

[@SuV33358]

I absolutely love watching these in motion! So relaxing....ASMR

[@libraryquiet]

I'm an artist. And from my point of view..., these oil rigs are fantastic! Austere and relentless. What an awesome painting this could be. You got the heat waves, ten or more of these metal giants in the foreground..., all that's missing is a B-52 bomber in the distance just leaving the ground on takeoff. Awesome!

[@HamishReidVideo]

Thanks! Sadly I was unable to arrange the B-52, but I was once buzzed by a small Cessna while videoing some of this :-).

[@libraryquiet]

@@HamishReidVideo I'll paint the B-52 in the background. Killer!

[@antennaist]

Could you include a P-51 mustang in the background ?

[@hhhhhhhhh1071]

@@antennaistthis was 4 years ago, I doubt the original poster will see this again let alone do that

[@highkamp]

I first saw them going to Texas as a kid and became fascinated with them and still am 50 years later!

[@9donald_10douglas]

I know right

[@tayleign]

They are so unsettling to me

[@jerrywatt6813]

Here in southern california we called them grasshoppers when we were kids they are still everywhere !!

[@HamishReidVideo]

Grasshoppers! We used to call them nodding donkeys 😀

[@sonianevermind1232]

I can't help but imagine what it'd be like to ride one of those things

[@dopplerfox]

Me too! I bet it's quite a substantial amount of fun, but it's dangerous too.

[@aarongreen5331]

I grew up in, and still live in, west Texas. Riding these is fun and oddly calming as long as you don’t get caught.

[@itsty90]

I imagine the same thing

[@shawnfields8390]

I’m western Oklahoma we have ridden them out here, at least you can see quite a way when on top to see if the pumper is coming and get off location before he gets there

[@dale116dot7]

When I was a kid back in grade four (around 40 years ago) a classmate did that. It was the last thing he did.

[@4everroux]

I love the sound of these! Kept it on repeat for my hour drive. Thanks!

[@Decidetto]

I always found the sight of these really unsettling, somehow ominous. Am I the only one?

[@brumi1061]

same

[@officergregorystevens5765]

yeah i think in part because they're associated in the media with the 'evils of capitalism' etc... also they have a kind of animal like appearance just enough to be creepy.. like a bird or dinosaur of some kind.

[@thebuttonmushroom]

I completely agree. The sound is also something I expect from a horror film. I know I'm going to have Derrick filled nightmares now.

[@tayleign]

Decidetto same here

[@madelynt1615]

@@officergregorystevens5765 I didnt think they were creepy till I read your comment

[@Bluelightning23]

What a beautiful sight and sound of American prosperity.

[@thepikachuoftexas3871]

Aww the sweet sound of West Texas 😊❤

[@HamishReidVideo]

'cept it's West California :-)

[@thepikachuoftexas3871]

@@HamishReidVideoThat’s cool. Brings back memories of growing up in West Texas

[@greyline6885]

My great grandma used to have a ranch out in the pandhandle. Nothing but wilderness for miles around, but these pumpjacks were scattered around the place. One was directly across the road from the house she lived in. I have wonderful memories of that place, walking around and hearing these.

[@nonothebot]

I've allways been fascinated by these machines. Funny video, verry good job. Thanks !

[@JonatanGronoset]

This is how my heart sounds, the doctor can back it up.

[@hhhhhhhhh1071]

That is 1 pump every 5 seconds which is 12 bpm U ok?

[@knobsdialsandbuttons]

Fascinating machines. I could watch them all day !

[@cryptid9361]

Ever since I saw that one gorillas vevo I’ve constantly been fascinated with oil pumps like these

[@RainJetSprinklers]

Awesome video, does a good job of showing what the petroleum industry looks like in California.

[@PharaohDeathMask]

This was a great video. I would describe it as having soothing motion with sinister sound.

[@HamishReidVideo]

Great description :-)

[@thedrivechannel83]

Why do I like this video? Its strangely hypnotic.

[@17Americanoboi]

I've never seen one in person but I still find them fascinating to watch. So far I've built four working models of these and they turned out great!

[@Sin.Atonement]

This sounds straight out of a horror movie I grew up around these things, you'd see fields with them, they reminded me of dead metal horses in the field

[@mostirrational]

Watching this while listening to Old Town Road; it's perfect.

[@HamishReidVideo]

I am so tempted to mash this up with Old Town Road and see how it works :-). Not sure Lil Nas X would like the results tho...

[@mostirrational]

@@HamishReidVideo Hope it works! :)

[@druiddobby]

This is one of my favourite videos on the internet :)

[@samuraisam7441]

No

[@druiddobby]

@@samuraisam7441 sam you nerd when are we playing barotrauma

[@edendrennan2010]

I agree. This is one of my favourite videos on KZbin

[@rabiileomar7395]

Nice to watch .electric car can never replace the freedom these humming mechines give to the world

[@illuminate4622]

What? With an electric car you can get your fuel from your roof!

[@hhhhhhhhh1071]

​​@@illuminate4622 ...and the cobalt from Congolese slave labor They're all bad, oil is just a lot more fun to watch getting created in fields like these which don't poison water supplies and kill natives - yes I'm talking about Shell, they actually do that

[@magy357]

great. just one small complaint. it's shame there is no sound of all those pumpjacks, especially group from 4:00 minute. It's a bit disappointment, that I hear only first pumpjack through whole video of different pumpjacks with constructions and speed.

[@ShawnaGraham50]

Strangely addictive

[@fluffymacaw933]

I used to think of these machines as gentle giants that drink oil, but over the years they started becoming scarce

[@RT29Wuelfel]

Excellent video ! Interesting views and high quality!

[@82littlerock]

Thank you for sharing this video. There is a good variety here - the compound action at 3:30 mins is interesting.

[@9donald_10douglas]

I love pumpjacks the reeeAHHHH noise they make is what I would listen to all day long I always pass by a lot of pumpjacks

[@thebuttonmushroom]

Is it just me who finds these slightly creepy?

[@PaulBenares]

I think, that's the uncanny valley.

[@arkbien9303]

the repetitive droning is horribly creepy.

[@jellystrains2039]

I hate them and the noise is so creepy

[@Mpompadour]

Yes, I have always found them creepy, but I can't exactly put my finger on why.

[@spectraleyes6587]

Because our lust for oil is slowly killing us

[@leslieelliott9097]

Love the back country and love the pump jacks. We called them donkeys. Raised my family in Ojai. Took 33 over the mountains to Bakersfield many, many times. I don't think people realize how much oil there is in California. Those dinosaurs did a good job of leaving their magic legacy there.

[@HamishReidVideo]

Didn't they just! People often seem surprised California has any oil at all… (just make them drive down Highway 33 to Taft :-)). Growing up in Australia, we called them "nodding donkeys".

[@focusfolks]

@@HamishReidVideo Do we have some in Aus?

[@HamishReidVideo]

We must do! Or I think we do, anyway. But I'm having trouble thinking where they'd be, though. It's been a while… Oh well.

[@focusfolks]

@@HamishReidVideo Yeah, nowhere in particular jumps out as an oil producing location, but I hardly know the entire countryside

[@mostirrational]

Mesmerizing steampunk ambience...

[@vidsbyluke]

my favorite animal

[@hhhhhhhhh1071]

Relatable

[@duncandistortion]

Relaxing to watch & listen to.

[@malikaaudrey]

i love the sound...

[@lennieblue]

It's funny because us kids (back in the 60's and 70's) thought they looked like giant ants working. To me, they still look like that! I've got a good imagination. 😁

[@jimmychanbers2424]

It's a spooky sound at night. Lol

[@erickellogg8532]

I remember seeing these all over ohio pennsylvania west virginia. Then I moved out west I saw them all over california. I live in indiana and they are here too

[@RODALCO2007]

Great video.

[@infinity_1486]

this thing scares me but its nice

[@hefley4]

I miss that sound, also! Even more ... the sound when the big pumps were powered with internal combustion engines: roryrrrrERRRRRRR chug chug chug chug chug chg roryrrrr ERRRRRRRRR chug chug chug chug .... haven't heard that in a longggg time...

[@9donald_10douglas]

That's the sound I like I could watch one all day

[@Jorge_Herrera182]

el mejor video que e visto exelente trabajo

[@wolvesofthefortressofthede973]

There are a few of them around Southern Illinois where my parents grew up.

[@RileyGoss]

Superb video. I dig it.

[@pinz2022]

Ever since I was a kid and someone told me what they were I've always wondered about the details. These are for mature oil fields where it's no longer bubbling up under pressure but has to be pumped. Since it takes energy and moola to operate these things I always wondered where the break-even point was reached--both in terms of pumping depth and operating expenses. I noticed the crumbling concrete footings and rusting fixtures on some of those beasts and figure some of them must be ancient.

[@hhhhhhhhh1071]

Yes, I live on a relatively unexploited natural gas field and I'm trying so hard to find one but they're nowhere because it's impractical to pump it if it just comes out by itself

[@gagrispermiarz]

"It makes 100 dollars worth of crude oil each pump"

[@phillipgraham1422]

Quite literally this is the heart beat of humanity.

[@vinnythegoat5594]

Fun fact: pump Jacks. Never turn off some of them were working back in the 1920s

[@tashalynn29]

Please make a 10 hour version of this video.

[@MsJamesFord]

I love pillow shots like this. As a video response I want to make a compilation in due time of mechanical objects similar to this one. My favourites are the whirring of telephone lines, the sound of rainfall on corrugated steel, the sound of crackling bonfire (technically this may be classified as machinery I suppose), the sound of a bus engine humming, and old fashioned movie projectors. Suggestions are welcome.

[@dtrawick123]

I noticed there were a lot of Lufkin Industry pumps in your video. I knew we made a lot of pumping units but I didn't think they were that prominent. I had figured there were more companies making them than the few I did see :\

[@randycrump5464]

The unit you hear thumping which is not normal is either tagging the bottom and rods needs to be raised or fluid pound from partial pump fillage.

[@tedbishop]

By the size of the counter weights, it is a VERY shallow oil well.

[@Woodburner100]

The soundtrack is the same throughout the whole video of the one pumping unit with the bad clunk in the gearbox.

[@MrJuvefrank]

People sound like we are all going to need one of these in our back yard, but things in the Middle-East are not so bad that the price at the pump should jump.

[@mortencarlsen4513]

Beautiful

[@lavequiasignora9879]

I made up a name for four of the oil wells at 2:13. I call them "Red heads."

[@campbat5712]

I bet im the only person whos earched for this lol

[@vitonamous]

Soooo relaxing

[@elonmust7470]

first one looked pumpheavy.

[@shermanbass5449]

I'm a Trinidadian growing in a place call forest witch was run by Texaco BP &shell I missed seeing them working on them and on the Rig

[@dodsbacken]

Hi great video, I really liked the sound, is it recorded on one of the sites or is it from another place?

[@mostirrational]

I'm gonna take my horse to the oil town road...

[@dvdortiz9031]

Don quixote enemies!!! Wind mills!!!

[@pinz2022]

I guess there are times and places where these things are turned on and off or even abandoned and later restored according to oil price fluctuations? Wiki says the pumps are powered every which way imaginable. From being plugged into the electrical grid to diesel, propane or even using the "casing gas" coming out of the well.

[@jaquanteharden]

Sounds like money to me

[@madelynt1615]

I seen one of these in gta 5

[@BigBoss89189]

Perhaps a 10 hour loop can be made.

[@PeterPlaysgamez]

Habitible Mars expectations: futuristic building and cyborgs Habitible Mars in reality:

[@leborico]

what's the music ??? I love it

[@californiacrude]

nice work

[@AutodidactEngineer]

hi I'amfrom the future "I'did it I'replied to a 9 year old comment... peace

[@lightningfun6486]

Relaxing

[@bradjames6748]

In Alberta Canada they decorate them like horses and reindeer, they are also HUGE!!

[@HamishReidVideo]

They do that in bits of California too!

[@HalitorianEmpire]

i made a nodding donkey (Pumpjack) in roblox while listening to this

[@Michael_2211]

What’s what the hell is that noise

[@concretekid7310]

I know Ive worked on 50% of those wells

[@rsturbolad26]

how is the oil captured on the up cycle?

[@bennyrodriguez4344]

What lease is it then ? 🤷🏻‍♂️

[@cs975l6]

See how many RPM you can get of that jack before part's start to fly😁😁🤣🤣🤣🤣😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨💥💥💥💥😁😁😁😁😁😁

[@enriquescolari9881]

De solo observar , uno llega a la certeza de que lo que hacemos a la naturaleza es insostenible .

[@HamishReidVideo]

Muy cierto...

[@Fulken16]

Looks a lot like Kern County :)

[@HamishReidVideo]

Well, it's the heart of Kern County! :-).

[@AdrianoCoen]

Where did you find all these clipssss

[@HamishReidVideo]

I took all these clips myself long ago in the Bakersfield (California) area with a really old semi-pro video recorder. I just drove around on roads like Highway 33 or China Grade Loop or Round Mountain Road or 7th Standard Road, etc., and stopped whenever I saw a pumpjack I liked (I was often trespassing so I had to do it quickly). I put the best clips into this video. I did it all ages ago now, back in the tape era!

[@Anomagnatu]

Are there any old pumpjacks lying around I could rent for a prop on a movie? Who could I ask about that?

[@judgedredd8657]

ask any major oilfield contractor, look in texas mostly

[@nothingforgrantedPS23]

The sound of America turning.

[@stillgunnasendit4146]

Too anyone that knows do these sound like drums when heard in the distance

[@michelanthony3554]

I'm wondering where in the States I can find these beautiful things working. Does anyone know? I'm around Utah/Arizona now :)

[@whitneybrown5411]

They're not beautiful; they're weapons of mass destruction. But I noticed plenty of them off State Route 10 in Utah, driving between Price and Huntington.

[@hhhhhhhhh1071]

​@@whitneybrown5411 how are they weapons of mass destruction, they just collect oil

[@bourbonfan1]

see the one armed bandit

[@Obladgolated]

How much crude comes up on each stroke?

[@hhhhhhhhh1071]

Depends on size, usually 5 to 40 L from what I've heard

[@tonyaburrow500]

pump jack

[@MOMB388]

Trabalho dando manutenção nas unidades de bombeio da petrobras no campo de Fazenda Balsamo na Bahia Brasil.

[@10.000Days]

That old one crank arm Lufkin is running to fast.

[@Goofyahh6543]

My parents come from azerbaijan and my mother sounds of pumpjack not happy no mome my favorite machine is pumpjack

[@itskevinjustkevin]

Ah! The sound of money making

[@mikomonk8860]

Why is ths so interesting