Twin Wheel

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Star Zephyr
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Joined: Fri Jan 04, 2019 10:59 am
Location: Lubbock, TX

Twin Wheel

Post by Star Zephyr »

For several months now the second Twin Wheel has been in the shop and has been undergoing a complete overhaul. We have had new wheel arms and blades made and have been working on cutting and turning down new shafts that will turn it. A motor has been placed on the main frame so that when it is on display it will turn both wheels just as if it were working outside. The Twin Wheel was manufactured in Hutchinson, Kansas from 1919 until 1928 by the Twin Wheel Manufacturing Company. The original design was built with a chain drive and the wheels rotated in the same direction. After a few years the company revised their design and removed the chain drive to include beveled gear boxes behind the wheels that transferred the motion of the wheels by way of a shaft to a central bull gear that operated the pitman arm. The wheel rotation was also changed so that the wheels would be counter rotating. This actually helped keep the windmill pointed towards that wind. This Twin Wheel was actually the first windmill put up on the AWM property. It was taken down and second one was put up in its place after it was damaged in a wind storm about 10 years ago. This Twin Wheel will be put up on display in the new addition that will also house the Aermotor collection. Look for this addition to our collection before the end of the year.
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wind fab
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Re: Twin Wheel

Post by wind fab »

ed

thanks for the museum updates and the pictures we appreciate it.

paul in canada - double pitman steel king owner :geek:
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windybob
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Re: Twin Wheel

Post by windybob »

Man, what a piece of machinery that is. Are those new Hyatt bearings? I thought they stopped making them years ago.
Call Dan Benjamin for parts. P M me for the phone number.
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Star Zephyr
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Re: Twin Wheel

Post by Star Zephyr »

The first time I took one of these apart it had those same bearings inside all the housings that the shafts went through. I never imagined I'd find replacements for them, but I went over to one of the local bearing houses and they asked me how many I wanted. Apparently it's a common stock item, but the guy told me that they're mostly used now for low speed applications and the cotton gins use them in a lot of their machines. The only modification I had to make to it was turn down the face of the bearing because it was just a little bit to big, but it was easily remedied in the lathe. Oh and yes, he did call it a Hyatt bearing. The old man at the bearing house also told me that they were originally designed for Ford in I think the model A?
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Star Zephyr
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Location: Lubbock, TX

Re: Twin Wheel

Post by Star Zephyr »

Oh btw, in the video where I'm turning down a piece of UHMW round stock, I made bushings to place in the couplings that hold the shafts together. There was too much slop because they were so worn out.
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windybob
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Re: Twin Wheel

Post by windybob »

Here's the 64 thousand dollar question.....If the chain style snapped chains because the wind hit one wheel before the other, how did they remedy that on the shaft model? If the wind hit one wheel first, it would naturally drive the other wheel too. however, did they incorporate a clutch -type device to let one shaft slip, until it caught up with the other? Think like a Briggs & Stratton rope starter. the little balls catch when the rope is pulled, but when the engine starts, it spins the balls faster than the rope, so they are ineffective.

Also, what is the stroke on a mill like that? 10 inch? For like a 10 ft mill, or maybe around 20 inches, for 2 10 ft mills. I notice there are 2 stroke settings.

Next question is, what is the black item in the 5th picture? Also, is there room for a crankplate pin? looks like very little room between the crankplate, and the black item.

Thanks!
Call Dan Benjamin for parts. P M me for the phone number.
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Star Zephyr
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Location: Lubbock, TX

Re: Twin Wheel

Post by Star Zephyr »

The black thing in the picture is the motor that will turn the wheels so that it will spin when it''s on display. If you look to the right of the motor you'll see the chain coupling that connects the two shafts together. The motor is mounted on an angle iron and the motor is bolted to the angle, but out on the other end it will allow it to float around a little bit to help with the miss alignment of the shafts. But having eliminated the chain drive and putting in shafts didn't stop one wheel from spinning up first. I remember once when this one was up in the air that action actually broke off one of the teeth on the coupling. As far as I know there was never a clutch of any kind built into this.
The crank plate is 18 inches and there are 3 holes for the stroke and they're at 5', 6 1/2'' and 7'
I suppose with the slack in the bevel gears, the couplings and the pinion gear that engaged with the big central bull gear that is what allowed all the slop in the wheels.
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windybob
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Re: Twin Wheel

Post by windybob »

Correction on the stroke. Double those measurements, and you have it. 10, 13, and 14 inch.

Thanks for the details. Wow, what a machine. Incredible.
Call Dan Benjamin for parts. P M me for the phone number.
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