By: Al Pickett
July/August 2010

Ray Priess, president, and Brian Smith, vice-president, of Falcon Rigs Inc., say their company has a simple philosophy. “Our mission statement, if you will,” Priess points out, “is to furnish a well-built piece of equipment to serve our customers’ needs for many years.”

Surviving the best and worst of times.

Falcon Rigs is a manufacturer of new portable well service/drilling rigs and swab rigs. Established in 2004 as Rebel Equipment, the company changed its name to Falcon Rigs in 2007, according to Priess. He contends that Falcon Rigs is committed to top quality total rig refurbishments, repairs and testing at its 35,000-square-foot state-of-the-art facility in Cashion, Oklahoma, which is just north of Oklahoma City.

Although the company is relatively new, Priess emphasizes that he and his managers have more than 100 years of experience in the oilfield industry. “I used to own Priess Enterprises in 1981,” he says. “I sold out to a Canadian corporation, so I have an extensive well servicing background.”

Priess states that Falcon offers well servicing rigs that range from the 250 series to the 1,000-horsepower series. “We have taken the old standard drawworks and improved the quality,” he explains. “We used to rebuild rigs from the floor up, so we know the weak points. We make our rigs to last, so they don’t have breakdowns.”

Priess adds that Falcon rigs have no proprietary parts on them, meaning if a bearing, a seal or some other part goes out, the rig’s operator can easily find the necessary “off the shelf” part, even if they are a long way from Falcon’s facility in Oklahoma.
Falcon has also taken the electronic requirements and built in additional safety features to its rigs, according to Priess. “The rig has to be in neutral before the engine will start,” he points out. “You can’t shift gears without your foot on the brake, just like in automobiles. All our axles have the mandatory anti-lock braking system, too. We follow all National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA) regulations to the tee. We can also lock out all rig-up hydraulic controls after it is rigged up. All of those are safety features.”

“We write our own electronic programs for Detroit, Caterpillar and Cummins because we use all three engines.”

Falcon Rigs Inc., is a registered vehicle manufacturer through NHTSA/SAE and is also licensed in the state of Oklahoma, according to Priess.

He claims that the Falcon rigs also have a unique feature the company calls Power View, which provides a digital read-out instead of just a pressure or temperature gauge if there is a problem. The six-inch diagnostic mini-computer is located both in the cab as well as on the deck of the rig.

“We build our own electronic wiring harnesses,” he continues. “We also write our own electronic programs for Detroit, Caterpillar and Cummins because we use all three engines. We have also built California legal rigs that meet weight and dimension criteria as well as clean-idle emission requirements.” Priess adds that Falcon Rigs also has its own electronics department. “Most electronic problems can be solved over the phone,” he claims. “That is a convenience and saves our customers time.” Priess says Falcon Rigs also offer electronic road-to-wench shifting, a feature that is fairly unique to his company since that is done manually in many competitors’ rigs.

Besides its well servicing rigs, Falcon builds swab rigs, too. The swab units are self-contained.

Besides its well servicing rigs, Falcon builds swab rigs, too. “We have sold numerous swab units over the last five years,” Priess says. “We also offer the Power View on our swab units.” He adds that Falcon’s swab units are self-contained, meaning the entire unit can be moved from one vehicle to another. “That is a real benefit,” Priess explains. “If you wreck a truck or purchase a different model truck, the lift mast and drawworks can be lifted out of the old truck and put into another truck. The majority of the units we’ve built have been put on used trucks that are three to five years old. When our customers purchase a new truck, they can lift the unit out of the old truck and stick it on the new truck.”

Falcon rigs uses the latest technology and quality components combined with “old school” technology and workmanship.

Priess says Falcon has seen its growth in the international market. “We now have nine rigs operating in South America,” he relates, “and we plan to continue to expand.”

Since establishing Falcon Rigs in 2004, Priess admits the well servicing industry, as well as his company, has seen the best of times and the worst of times. He contends his company survived the industry’s economic downturn through its customer relations. “Customers relied on us for parts and repairs on their existing fleets,” he states. “We also made custom modifications to rigs, even competitors’ rigs. Of course, we also provide in-field services.”

Priess says his company saw a rapid increase in sales and interest from companies asking for quotes during the first quarter of 2010. But activity dramatically dropped off in the second quarter this year.

“A decrease in oil prices, the BP oil spill in the Gulf, and the problems with the Euro and the world economy all point to a slowdown in our industry,” he explains. “Rates are down now for well servicing in this part of the country, too. We also had one of the worst winters we’ve seen in Oklahoma in years and then we had a wet spring. We had one customer tell us he had three jobs canceled in May because it was just too wet to get to the well site.”

“We strive to build a quality product with lower maintenance, ease of repair and easy accessibility of components.”

In the ever-changing well servicing industry, Priess contends that Falcon rigs use the latest technology and quality components combined with “old school” technology and workmanship. “We strive to build a quality product with lower maintenance, ease of repair and easy accessibility of components,” he touts.