Patent ID: 7107875

Claim:
A method for connecting an upper tubular to a top tubular of a tubular string, comprising the steps of: operating a rotary drive to provide rotational and axial movement of the tubular string in a wellbore, wherein the step of operating the rotary drive to provide axial movement of the tubular string includes adjusting fluid pressure applied to a hydraulically operated axial displacement piston within the rotary drive; positioning the upper tubular above the top tubular of the tubular string, the upper tubular configured to have a bottom threaded end that connects to a top threaded end of the top tubular; changing a relative speed between the upper tubular and the top tubular to threadedly mate the bottom threaded end of the upper tubular and the top threaded end of the top tubular such that the upper tubular becomes a part of the tubular string; releasing the tubular string from engagement with the rotary drive; and operating a top drive to provide rotational and axial movement of the tubular string in the wellbore, wherein the top drive includes a member that is forced in a radial direction to grip the upper tubular.