Oil Exploration Gets Boost from Allied Winch

The relentless pursuit of new oil sources pushes exploration companies farther and farther into more forbidding conditions. Helping to keep man and machine moving is just the challenge Allied thrives on.

Western Geco is a major oil exploration firm that currently has several projects running on Alaska's North Slope. Efficient exploration depends on high-tech gear moving frequently from one site to another. But moving over ice and snow presents its own set of difficulties. Western Geco Regional Manager Bill Sands went looking for a tractor to help them get around more effectively.

Case dealer Yukon Equipment in Anchorage, Alaska had an ideal tractor for Western Geco—their Case QuadTrac. This unusual machine travels on four rubber treads, each independently supported. The QuadTrac delivers high travel speed, pulling power, and maneuverability in a single package. The only thing it lacked was a towing winch, to help get the heavy loads moving.

Yukon sales rep Earl Lackey knew that the QuadTrac was a great solution for his customer, and came to Allied to propose a winch. A major challenge was that the QuadTrac was not designed like a typical crawler tractor, with a heavy rear face for mounting a winch or ripper. But Allied engineers were able to devise a mounting that would fill the bill. The winch selected is the Allied W6G winch.

A second challenge was the extreme cold that the winch needed to endure. Allied engineers had experience with cold-weather packages for winches, and were able to select the proper oil seals and lubricants to keep the winch running in temperatures as low as -40 degrees F (-40 degrees C).

Thanks to the Case QuadTrac and some creative winch engineering, Western Geco customer Bill Sands is now able to move about the North Slope better than ever.