The sucker-rod string is the most vital part of the pumping system, since it provides the link between the surface pumping unit
and the downhole pump. It's several thousand feet long and having a maximum diameter of slightly more than one inch.
The rod string is composed of individual sucker rods, connected to each other, until the required pumping depth is reached.
Early pumping installations used wooden poles, usually made of hickory, which had steel end-fittings to facilitate joining of
the rods. As average well depths increased and greater rod strength was required, the all-steel sucker rods appeared. These
are solid steel bars with forged upset ends to accommodate male or female threads, a design that has remained unchanged.
The most important improvements in sucker-rod manufacturing methods over the years were the application of heat treating
to improve corrosion resistance, better pin constructions, and the use of rolling instead of cutting for making the necessary
threads.
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