15 Years ago, a South Africa vegetable farming enterprise fitted two of its borehole pumps with custom-designed Vesconite spiders.
These spiders function as supports to centralize the pump shafts, which reach to a depth of nearly 80m below the ground surface. The Spiders have an outer diameter of 100mm with a shaft of one inch, with 8mm radiating spokes – which create a spider like appearance.
Pumping up to two million liters of irrigation water per day, the pumps original bronze spiders were removed, as they were deemed too heavy, likely to wear, and have a possibility of being stolen for resale when the pumps were removed for servicing.
The Vesconite spiders are still functioning without fault after all these years. According to farm owner Roland Gaberthuel, the Vesconite parts are likely to outlive the pumps themselves. Proof that Vesconite was the ideal material for this hard working and demanding application.
