Workover vs Drilling. What's with all the hate?

[@JuanRamos-yz4nt]

Worked Both Drilling and Workovers, Loved Both. Learned A Lot More On The Production Side and Made More Money, I'm Retired Now After 43 Yrs, But I'm There Everynight In My Dreams, Loved The Field. Proud OFT

[@James-ju1wb]

Thanks for explaining it. I'm applying for HSE jobs in the oil fields, and been hunting around trying to figure out the meat of the difference between the two. Thanks for explaining it!

[@davidkellymitchell4747]

Easy way to tell to a newbie is there is no mud pit near a workover unless a drilling rig was previously there years ago. Drilling rigs are usually bigger but that depends on how deep they plan on drilling. Drilling is 24/7 once the mud starts circulating but a workover crew can leave the pipe in the hole and go home when they get ready most of the time however a workover snubbing hand in the basket can get his head blown off in the event they do hit a gas pocket. Tubing looks like spaghetti flying in the sky. Lots of H2s and drilling hands won't work that job. Very dangerous. Much respect to workover hands. Those workovers provide new found wealth for royalty owners like me. God protect them from harm.

[@nwc3270]

In comparison a drilling rig is like your normal hand held black and decker drill , it can do one thing and that’s drill holes now bring a service rig into the picture it is like a Swiss Army knife it can do a boat load of tasks, 😂

[@Tubbs68]

That’s true

[@nwc3270]

You nailed it a drilling rig is on the well once, a service rig can be on the same well multiple times through out it life

[@trenchtv4152]

Well said

[@joeforns]

Back in the day a workover rig worked exclusively on gas wells , you could tell because they didn't have a rod basket . service rigs mostly serviced oil wells so they of course had rod baskets but could work on gas wells too . This side of the industry has always been more labor intensive and dirtier to . Not to say tripping drill pipe was an easy thing to do . But on the service side all you do is trip , you may lay down a production string and pick up a workover string than in an out than lay it down and put the production string back in . With some company men who didn't like their pipe being dragged in . There was no such a thing as a pipe lift like they got now and that shit would work you to death . So yes the drilling side is bigger badder and way more glamorous and usually pays better to and you can get hurt real bad on both of them or killed deader than hell , with your best bet being to just stay the hell out of that Goddamn oilfield .

[@Luis-sb6te]

No handed after no handed the whole damn time what a badass

[@willieponder7840]

Work over our so-called pulling units are five times faster than 99% of your drilling rigs

[@littleladybikernidhy7792]

Good post

[@Gonthor1000]

I work in wireline logging in California, where is this? Drilling and workover can talk all they want.

[@stanleyjones6705]

get over it. we are all out there doing the job. and yeah, some are dirtier than others.