Carnduff– When there’s a lot of snow, people break snowplows and snow blowers, and that keeps the welders happy. Brycen Mains of Mains Welding in Carnduff has been quite happy to see that snow.
“This year is crazy busy. I fixed seven snowblowers in 10 days,” he said on Jan. 10. “I worked Boxing Day.”
At least three quarters of that work is tied to clearing leases, he noted. Whereas last year, there was hardly any snow to clear, this year, there’s plenty. By early January, Carnduff had moutains of it, all around town.
“The fan housing will wear out around the blower and it needs to be replaced. I bend all new plate to go inside there,” he said of a typical snowblower repair.
One big four wheel drive tractor was in the shop, requiring repairs to its blade. That was a two-day project.
Overall, Mains said business is good, and he can’t complain. What is especially helpful is that drilling has picked up. “I’ve got four drilling rigs already,” he said.
One of those rigs had been racked in his yard for five or six months this past year. It’s now working.
“It feels like it’s turning around. You don’t have guys whining or crying like they used to be. For the last six months, guys have been steady,” he said.
“The fall of 2012 was pretty good. Really good, actually.”
It helps they’ve diversified somewhat. Having come off a farm himself, Mains is always cognizant of helping out his farming clients when they need it, especially during busy seeding and harvest times.
“We’ve moved into o cattle and ag as well, with portable corral sorting systems, portable panels and feeders. We’ve always made Texas gates.
Mains Welding has five people on staff, including himself. Two are journeyman welders, and three are apprentices. One of those is currently in school, taking his Level 2 training.
As a journeyman with his pressure ticket, Mains handles nearly all the drilling rig work. He explained each well needs a welder to come out twice; the first trip to weld the bowl, the second to cut intermediate casing.
“In this slowdown, I’ve never had to tell someone to go home because I didn’t have something for them to do,” he said. There’ve been some make-work projects, but not much.
So far, 2017 looks pretty good, Mains noted. “If right now is how it will be, it’s flat out,” he said.
Like other oilfield services, the rates they can charge still have not climbed from the deep cuts made a few years ago when the downturn hit. “Rates have affected everyone,” he said.
