NOV Steel Toe walking system

A walking system moves a land rig from well to well on a pad without laying the mast down. Mud pumps, houses, and the setback can stay in place. NOV’s Steel Toe uses hydraulic walking feet, powered by the rig’s hydraulic power unit. The substructure steps onto rollers and then lifts again.

It fits the substructure it was designed for. NOV says the rig can walk with a full-rated setback, change direction along the X or Y axis, and turn in 45-degree steps. Controls can be wireless, remote, tethered, or manual hydraulic. The published pieces include Steel Toe 1000 walking feet, BOP beams so the stack can move with the rig, piping extensions, and a cable festoon. The feet can stay pinned in an Ideal-series substructure for a pad-to-pad move. Stroke and maximum walk distance are layout-specific.

A skidding system that winches a substructure on a prepared track is a different move. Steel Toe is the hydraulic step under the substructure. It is not a mast, a drawworks, or a trailer. A walking package from another rig’s substructure will not pin into yours because both are called walking systems.

Confirm the rig series and that the feet, BOP beams, piping, and controls are all included. Ask what pad loading the feet were built for. A foot without the hydraulic controls, or a control system without the feet, is not a walking rig.