“They found a loose lug in the pump panel in March, and the well started in April like it should. Travis wrote down what he looked at, and I still have the page.”
Doug H.Dry bean and corn grower near Mitchell
Ranch and irrigation electricians
Wells running in April. Pivots put to bed in October.
Wildcat Hills Electric is six people who wire and service the pumps, panels, pivots and barns of the North Platte valley. We go through each one before you need the water, and shut it down properly when the season ends.
- Pumps and pivots
- Barns and bins
- A written quote before work
What we wire
The power behind a ranch and an irrigated farm
Six kinds of work, all on the load side of the meter.
Center pivots
Panels, tower boxes, disconnects and the wiring out to the pump. We trace a fault from the control panel to the last tower.
Pivots, wells and pumps
Wells and pump starters
Motor starters, drives and the service to the well. We check the motor and its leads, then the controls that start it.
Pivots, wells and pumps
Barn fans and lights
Ventilation fans, barn lighting and the circuits for calving season, sized for dusty, damp buildings.
Yards, barns and bins
Stock tanks and windmills
Heated tank circuits, GFCI protection where animals drink, and the wiring to replace a windmill with a pump.
Yards, barns and bins
Grain bins and dryers
Fans, augers, dryer controls and the heavy feeders that run at harvest.
Yards, barns and bins
Shops and yard services
A new shop panel, yard lights, a service for a hay shed, and an inlet for a standby generator.
Yards, barns and bins
The checklist
Startup and shutdown, side by side
The same equipment gets two visits a year. Here is what each visit is for.
| Fall shutdown | Spring startup | |
|---|---|---|
| Service panel and disconnects | Fall shutdownOpen and lock out the disconnect, then close and seal the panel against mice. | Spring startupTighten the lugs, look for heat marks, work the disconnect, clear out nests. |
| Motors and pumps | Fall shutdownWrite down any noise, heat or slow starts so they're fixed over winter. | Spring startupLook over the motor leads, listen for a bad bearing, confirm it turns the right way. |
| Pivot towers and drives | Fall shutdownClose and seal the boxes and look for cracked conduit before the snow. | Spring startupWalk the line, open the tower boxes, look at the wiring at each gearbox. |
| Controls and drives | Fall shutdownSave the settings, power the controls down, note any fault history. | Spring startupCheck settings, test the safeties and the pressure switch, test the phone or radio link. |
| Grounds and surge | Fall shutdownList what last summer's storms may have damaged so it's ordered in time. | Spring startupCheck the ground connections and any surge protection that lightning may have used up. |
| What you get | Fall shutdownA winter list, in the order the water will need it. | Spring startupA written page of what we checked, what we found and what we'd fix. |
A faster first call
Text us a photo of the panel and the nameplate
Most calls start with two pictures. With them we can usually tell you what to expect before a truck leaves the shop.
What helps
The outside of the panel or pivot control, from the ground
The motor nameplate, if you can read it without climbing
Where the line comes in: a pole or a pad
A line about what it's doing, or not doing
How a job goes
From the first text to a running pump
- 01
Step 1: You text or call
Tell us what it's doing. Photos of the panel and nameplate help, and so does the nearest town.
- 02
Step 2: We walk the job
Someone comes out, looks at the equipment, and asks what the water, the cattle or the harvest need from it.
- 03
Step 3: You get a written quote
It lists the work, what's left out, and how and when you pay. We don't start without it.
- 04
Step 4: We plan it around the water
Work goes in the gaps: before first water, between cuttings, after harvest.
- 05
Step 5: We run it before we leave
Every pump, pivot or fan is run and tested with you. Permits and inspections are handled where the job needs them, and we tell you who inspects.
From the ground
What growers and ranchers say
“The tank heater kept tripping on cold mornings. Cody traced it to a cracked cord at the tank, not the breaker, and put the circuit on GFCI.”
Beth K.Cow-calf ranch near Bridgeport
“Lightning took out the control panel on a pivot. They wrote up everything the storm had hit, replaced the panel, and gave us the list for the insurance agent.”
Gilberto S.Alfalfa and hay near Minatare
Sample reviews.
Who comes out
Six people, one valley
You'll know the voice on the phone and the person at the gate.
Ramon Esparza
Owner, electrical contractor
Travis Wells
Lead journeyman, pivots and pumps
Cody Rainwater
Journeyman, controls and drives
Vicki Pennington
Office and scheduling
Esmeralda Lugo
Apprentice electrician
Abraham Cuevas
Apprentice electrician
Where the trucks go
Four counties along the North Platte and out toward the Wildcat Hills. See the full list by county.
Scotts Bluff County
- Scottsbluff
- Gering
- Terrytown
- Minatare
- Mitchell
- Morrill
- Henry
Morrill County
- Bayard
- Bridgeport
- Broadwater
Kimball County
- Bushnell
- Dix
Box Butte County
- Alliance
- Hemingford
We don't work in Wyoming or Colorado. Our license is Nebraska's, and those jobs belong to an electrician licensed there.
Whose license is on the work
The license number is in the footer of every page. Look it up with the state before you book.
License
Electrical Contractor
NE Lic. 000000 · Nebraska State Electrical Division
Lets the business take electrical jobs in Nebraska and pull the permits for them.
Insurance
General liability insurance
A certificate of insurance goes to you on request.
Check it yourself
Look it up
Search the license number on the state's lookup. The class and the holder's name show there.
Before you call
Questions we hear every spring
When should I book the spring startup?
Most growers want the same two weeks in April, so the earlier you call, the more days you have to choose from. Many book in the winter, once the shop is quiet. We walk the job, write the visit up, and pick a day that works around your first water.
What if a pivot or pump quits in the middle of the season?
Call or text. We'll tell you plainly when we can be there. In summer we decide the order by what's at stake: water on a crop comes before a shop light. If it's a day or two out, we say so.
Do you work with my power district?
We work on your side of the meter. The meter, the transformer and the line to them belong to your public power district. When a job needs a disconnect and a reconnect, we set it up with them and tell you the date.
Can you turn a diesel or gas irrigation engine into an electric one?
Often, yes. It depends on how far the nearest line is and what the power district says the line can carry. We start with a walk of the site and a call to the district, then write up what the job takes.
What does a visit cost?
We walk the job first, then send a written quote that lists the work, what's left out and how you pay. We don't give prices over the phone for work we haven't seen.
Are you licensed and insured?
Yes. The license number and the board that issued it are in the footer of every page, with the insurance line. Look the number up with the state before you book.
Ask for a visit
Tell us what needs power and where it is. We call back in office hours.
Phone(308) 555-0100
Hours
- Monday – FridayToday
- 7 a.m. – 5 p.m.
- SaturdayToday
- By appointment
- SundayToday
- Closed