Workover and well-servicing rigs · service and workover depth by tubing or pipe size, hook load, drawworks power, self-propelled carriers and hydraulic masts, guying and rig-up, API equipment standards
A workover rig, also called a service or well-servicing rig, is a mobile hoisting rig, for example self-propelled or trailer-mounted, that is driven to an existing well to pull and run tubing, rods or pipe and carry out remedial work. Ask three things first: what jobs and depths it must cover with your tubing or drill pipe, what hook load and drawworks power that needs, and how the carrier, mast and guying suit your well sites and roads.
Truck-mounted, self-propelled and trailer-mounted workover and well-servicing rigs for oil and gas wells, mechanical or compound drive, with telescoping or hydraulically raised masts. Land drilling rigs (a separate product page), coiled-tubing and snubbing units, and rig components or engines sold alone are outside this page except where compared.
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01
OSHA's oil and gas eTool describes workover as remedial operations on a producing well to increase production, including sand cleanout, repairing liners and casing (squeeze cementing, patching, replacing or adding liners, opening collapsed casing), recompletions by sidetracking through a window in the casing, and plug-back with cement placed through tubing or by dump bailer. [1]
Sovonex, a rig supplier, states its self-propelled workover rigs' range in the units buyers compare: service depth of 1,600–8,500 m on 2⅞ in EUE tubing, workover depth of 2,000–9,000 m on 2⅞ in drill pipe, drilling depth of 3,600–6,000 m on 4½ in drill pipe, hook loads of 350–2,250 kN, drawworks power of 200–990 hp (150–735 kW), Caterpillar engines with Allison transmissions, mechanical or compound drive, and climates of −35 to 50 °C. It builds masts to API Spec 4F, hoisting equipment to API 8A and 8C and drawworks to API 7K. [3]
Editorial calculation: a hook load of 2,250 kN corresponds to about 2,250 / 9.81 ≈ 229 t, and 350 kN to about 36 t. Depth figures depend on the string: the same family is rated deeper on 2⅞ in tubing or pipe than on 4½ in drill pipe, so state the heaviest string you will pull.
Give the supplier the job types (pulling and running tubing or rods, cleanouts, casing repair, sidetracking, plug-back), well depths and the heaviest tubing, rod or drill pipe strings, required hook load, pump and power swivel needs, BOP size and pressure, carrier type and road and terrain limits, climate, crew and safety equipment, and certification (API 4F, 7K, 8C).
02
OSHA's servicing eTool describes the sequence: the workover rig is driven or transported to the cleaned and levelled site; guy-line anchors are set and pull tested; the truck- or trailer-mounted rig is spotted over the well, stabilised and levelled by manual or hydraulic jacks; guy lines are laid out free of kinks; the mast is raised and guyed; and the derrick emergency escape device is rigged up. It lists hazards such as a toppling mast if the carrier shifts, hydraulic cylinder or hose failure while raising, and mast twisting if a guy line or anchor fails, and advises the operator to assess wind speed and direction before raising the mast and to keep clearances from overhead power lines. [2]
Sovonex notes that its masts are erected hydraulically to shorten rig-up and that its carriers use a custom chassis, optionally with single-wheel full suspension, for desert and mountain terrain. [3]
Editorial note: ask for the guying pattern and anchor loads, the wind limits for raising and for operating, the carrier's axle loads and dimensions for your roads, and the mast's rated load with and without guys.
03
Suppliers linked to this page list workover rigs; each card links to the page reviewed.
Listings include API self-propelled workover rigs, electric workover rigs and truck-mounted rigs, workover rigs from 450 to 1,000 hp, and workover rigs from makers of drilling equipment, solids control or other drilling rigs. Ask each for depth by string, hook load, drawworks power, mast height and the API monograms held.
04
Romgaz publishes the technical details of its own T50 rig, the semitrailer-mounted version of its TW50: maximum load at the hoisting hook of 50 tf with chassis anchors, mast checkout static load of 65 tf, 6 lines on a 25 mm hoisting cable, 18 m pipe lengths and a 30.2 m free mast height. It gives maximum workover depths of 4,500 m on 2 7/8 in tubing (12.93 kg/m) and 3,300 m on 3 1/2 in tubing (17.27 kg/m). [4]
Its maximum accepted wind speeds for rig operation are 70 km/h with maximum hook load and stands in the derrick without safety anchors, 110 km/h with no hook load, stands in the derrick and safety anchors to the ground, and 160 km/h with no hook load and no stands. [4]
Editorial calculation: 4,500 m × 12.93 kg/m ≈ 58.2 t and 3,300 m × 17.27 kg/m ≈ 57.0 t of tubing weight in air, both above the 50 tf hook rating, and the page does not state the basis of its depth figures. Ask each supplier which string weight, well fluid and margin sit behind its depth rating, and for wind limits for each load case.
05
This is a functional reference built from the sources cited; it is not one maker's specification.
| System | Role | Fix in the order |
|---|---|---|
| Carrier | Moves and supports the rig. [2] [3] | Axles, suspension, dimensions. |
| Mast and guying | Carries hook load; raised hydraulically. [2] [3] | Height, rating, guy pattern. |
| Drawworks | Hoists strings. [3] | Power, API 7K. |
| Crown and travelling blocks | Hoisting equipment. [3] | Rating, API 8A/8C. |
| Engine and transmission | Power. [3] | Engine and drive type. |
| Escape device and work platform | Crew safety. [2] | Type. |
06
A workover rig quotation needs values for your wells. The table explains each field, gives published values where a reviewed source states them, and says what to obtain from the supplier.
| Field | What it means and published values | Ask the supplier for |
|---|---|---|
| Hook Load Capacity (tonnes) | Example: 350–2,250 kN. [3] | Hook load and mast rating. |
| Mast Height (meters) | Clear height for stands. | Height and setback. |
| Drawworks Power (horsepower (hp)) | Example: 200–990 hp. [3] | Power and line pull. |
| Maximum Depth Capacity (meters) | Example: 1,600–8,500 m on 2⅞ in tubing. [3] | Depth for your string. |
| Mast Load Capacity (kN) | Mast to API 4F. [3] | Rating, guyed and unguyed. |
| Traveling Block Speed (m/s) | Tripping speed. | Speed. |
| Drawworks Drum Capacity (m) | Line storage. | Capacity. |
| Power System (kW) | Example: 150–735 kW drawworks. [3] | Engine and drive. |
| Mast Erection Time (min) | Hydraulic raising. [3] | Time and procedure. |
| Transport Dimensions (m) | Roads and sites. [2] | Dimensions and axle loads. |
| Weight (t) | Carrier and roads. | Weight. |
| Operating Temperature (°C) | Example: −35 to 50 °C. [3] | Range. |
| Noise Level (dB(A)) | Site limits. | Value. |
07
Paste it into your enquiry below or into an email to a maker, then replace every bracket.
Jobs: [pull and run; cleanout; casing repair; sidetrack] Wells: [depths; heaviest string] Rig: [hook load; mast; drawworks] Well control: [BOP size; pressure] Carrier: [self-propelled or trailer; roads; terrain] Climate: [temperature; wind] Certification: [API 4F; 7K; 8C]
These companies list workover rigs.
Lists API self-propelled workover rigs with drilling rigs.
Product scope checked 2026-10-11
Lists electric workover rigs with drilling and workover equipment.
Product scope checked 2026-10-11
Lists workover rigs from 450 to 1,000 hp and well-servicing equipment.
Product scope checked 2026-10-11
Lists workover rigs with truck-mounted rigs and hoisting equipment.
Product scope checked 2026-10-11
Lists a workover rig alongside solids control systems.
Product scope checked 2026-10-11
Lists a workover rig among water-well, core and tunnelling rigs.
Product scope checked 2026-10-11
Explore company information and manufacturing capabilities, then discuss the scope of your project with a relevant supplier.
OSHA lists sand cleanout, liner and casing repair, recompletion by sidetracking, and plug-back among workover operations. [1]
It depends on the string; Sovonex quotes 1,600–8,500 m service depth on 2⅞ in tubing across its range. [3]
OSHA describes testing guy-line anchors, levelling the rig over the well, raising and guying the mast after checking wind, and rigging the escape device. [2]
Romgaz rates its T50 rig for 70 km/h with maximum hook load and stands racked without safety anchors, and 110 km/h with no hook load and safety anchors. [4]
Sources checked 2026-10-12. OSHA's oil and gas eTool is US government safety guidance; Sovonex is a rig supplier describing its own workover rig range. Figures are that range's examples, not limits for other makes.
Ask for use case, specification boundaries, supplier type, and RFQ preparation information for this product.
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