We just got this baby in action! I know they are common in West Texas, but in the Florida Panhandle they are not seen much. It's a 10 foot Aermotor mill on a 50' + tower with a 3" cylinder in a 4" well that's 88' deep. In light winds I hope to get a couple of thousand gallons a day from it. If the wind is really crankin', maybe double that! It should be more than enough to keep up with evaporative loss....if the wind blows!
When I was small they were everywhere and you still occasionally see them. However, most large ranches now use solar power for remote stock tanks. And a good windmill mechanic got paid more than a top hand. At first, you might wonder why they would make a sizable investment when wind is free. The problem involves repair expense and serious injuries from falling off the darn things. The reason you no longer see them is that collectors buy them as some type of yard art. A guy in Montague Texas has a bunch of them that he has bought and refurbished for resale. I enjoy driving by and looking.
When I was small we had one. Since it, like most, leaked my Grandmother planted strawberries around it. They were huge berries and the plants spread quite a ways. A good way to get your butt whipped was to step on the plants. When we finally got electricity the mill was replaced by an electrified pump. No idea what happened to it but I'll bet it blew over in a storm.
The Aerometer vanes aren't as efficient as the newer ones like Koender. But, I would still rather have one like Gareth does.
Last edited by Dave Davidson1; 09/25/1411:20 AM.
It's not about the fish. It's about the pond. Take care of the pond and the fish will be fine. PB subscriber since before it was in color.
Without a sense of urgency, Nothing ever gets done.
Boy, if I say "sic em", you'd better look for something to bite. Sam Shelley Rancher and Farmer Muleshoe Texas 1892-1985 RIP
The reason you no longer see them is that collectors buy them as some type of yard art. A guy in Montague Texas has a bunch of them that he has bought and refurbished for resale. I enjoy driving by and looking.
Dave that's what i want one for.... but gosh not sure how to ever pull that off as far as disassemble, reassemble, transport, etc...
10' is a big one. I think the one here is an 8', put up probably in the late 30's or early 40's. I think it has a 2 3/4" pump at 15' in a shallow well. 40' to the platform on the tower.
The mill still works on ours but the pump needs replaced. Last time we pulled the pump the leathers were shot and dad patched them up to get it going, but the whole pump portion in the well needs redone. Low on the priority list, since we don't use the well any more, but I would like to get it all working again some day, just for nostalgia reasons.
This Aermotor has been around for 75+ years so if yours lasts that long, it should serve you well for a long time.
Aermotor also built gasoline engines...... they didn't put all their stock in wind power. 8 cycles, hit and miss governing, both heavy farm engines as well as smaller pump engines.
"Forget pounds and ounces, I'm figuring displacement!"
If we accept that: MBG(+)FGSF(=)HBG(F1) And we surmise that: BG(>)HBG(F1) while GSF(<)HBG(F1) Would it hold true that: HBG(F1)(+)AM500(x)q.d.(=)1.5lbGRWT? PB answer: It depends.
Mark, I expect that you could buy it in pieces and haul it there for assembly. Get a couple of cases of beer and some of the guys around you like Al, Brian, and Larry would probably tackle the job. I'll supervise and George can be my assistant.
Montague is about 20 miles from my place at Bowie.
Last edited by Dave Davidson1; 09/25/1402:57 PM.
It's not about the fish. It's about the pond. Take care of the pond and the fish will be fine. PB subscriber since before it was in color.
Without a sense of urgency, Nothing ever gets done.
Boy, if I say "sic em", you'd better look for something to bite. Sam Shelley Rancher and Farmer Muleshoe Texas 1892-1985 RIP
Mark, I expect that you could buy it in pieces and haul it there for assembly. Get a couple of cases of beer and some of the guys around you like Al, Brian, and Larry would probably tackle the job. I'll supervise and George can be my assistant.
Montague is about 20 miles from my place at Bowie.
I agree, the thing is already on the ground. I've actually been involved in a windmill takedown, and getting it horizontal is the hardest part.
"Forget pounds and ounces, I'm figuring displacement!"
If we accept that: MBG(+)FGSF(=)HBG(F1) And we surmise that: BG(>)HBG(F1) while GSF(<)HBG(F1) Would it hold true that: HBG(F1)(+)AM500(x)q.d.(=)1.5lbGRWT? PB answer: It depends.
The lady we bought our bowling lane table from buys all the Aermotor turbines she can find. She power washes, seals them, and then sells them as home decor. Hers start at $800 just for a complete blade set, and there's a waiting list. Go figure.
When we found and bought our land a few years ago, the windmill and tower where already there. It had been destroyed in Hurricane Ivan. The sail was in twisted pieces and the mast was bent. The tower was hinged at the bottom, so with a little help from a local welding company with a boom truck we quickly had it laying sideways and easily worked on.
I found a local guy, a very senior fella, that was an accomplished Aermotor mechanic(by his own admission). He pulled the helmet and started checking serial numbers and stuff like the date of manufacture, May of 1936, at Aermotors then Chicago facility. He pronounced it a "Fine" mill and in good shape except for the missing sail, completely repairable. We negotiated a repair price and that was the last time I have ever been able to get in touch with him! In all fairness, it is a pretty tall tower, and he was pretty old with more than a few fried bluegill dinners under his ample coveralls.
The cost difference between repairing the old and buying a new mill solved the problem for me. Today I have a new cool functioning water pumping windmill and an antique mill sitting next to the pasture fence, waiting to be repaired.
All of the work was done on the ground with the tower down. The fully assembled mill/tower was raised by the guys with the boom truck. The attached pics will show "Bubba" servicing the mill with oil and securing the helmet immediately after standing the rig up. That earned him a pretty good tip since it kept me from having to climb the tower to do it!! OSHA would probably not approve of his methods but it worked for me.
After getting it up and connected we had several days of the calmest winds I can recall. And a WINDmill without wind is a huge metal sunflower, cool to look at but absolutely useless! Thankfully before coming back offshore the wind picked up and I was able to get a taste of sweet, cool well water!
Hey Zep, I took a look at the mill you posted the link to. With what I have learned about them in the past couple of years, that mill and tower disassembled would easily fit in the back of a pickup truck. The sail would be the bulkiest part since you would not want to break it all the way down. And be careful of the blade edges, it's like handling large razor blades! Leather gloves highly recommended!
