1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is directed to a TONG BEARING and in particular, to a machinable TONG BEARING that may be reconditioned for multiple uses and an extended useful life.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Tong systems are utilized in the oil well industry for attaching to and tightening various types of rods and tubing. Such tongs are utilized with a backup system that holds one element while a second element is gripped by the tong and rotated to connect and disconnect the two elements.
A typical tong includes a housing around a gripping portion of the tong, with a gripping portion being driven and rotating relative to the housing. Conventional tongs utilize a series of bearing elements to facilitate rotational movement with less friction and wear. Such rollers, ball bearings or other conventional bearings are subject to the harsh conditions encountered at a well or drilling site. Therefore, such single use conventional bearings are subject to wear and/or failure, requiring frequent replacement. Moreover, in order to ensure smooth and continuous operation, multiple bearings are required at multiple positions spaced apart on both the top and bottom of the tong housing around the gripping assembly. The maintenance and replacement of the large number of bearings is both time consuming and expensive. Moreover, the maintenance required and high rate of failure can cause extended down time for the tong, affecting reliability, causing additional delays and adding to operational costs.
It can be seen then that a new and improved bearing system is needed for tongs. Such a bearing system should eliminate the large number of bearings and small parts currently needed. Moreover, the bearing system should provide for greater reliability and less down time. Such a bearing should be easily removed and interchanged with other bearings. Moreover, the utility of such a bearing is improved if a bearing element can be reconditioned and used again. The present invention addresses these as well as other problems associated with tong bearings.