Challenge 27 HELP!

......when you need to get in the weeds.
Post Reply
TEller1981
Posts: 1
Joined: Thu Sep 10, 2020 1:59 pm
Location: Danville Il,

Challenge 27 HELP!

Post by TEller1981 »

I'm not sure this is the correct location for my question’s, but I recently purchased a basket case Challenge 27 windmill that my wife had to have. Her purpose for this windmill is for decoration only no water pumping etc, just an overly large yard ornament. The condition is (in my non-expert opinion good) however the gear mechanism in the upper head is completely missing, I have everything else. My first question: is they somewhere I can purchase the missing parts? I want the mill to function as normal no water pumping. I can assemble the mill without the gearing but I’m concerned with the missing gearing the mill will spin out of control and self-destruct. Question 2: How do you control the speed with/without the gearing? or if I’m not interested in the mill pumping water do I need the gearing? Again I’m sorry for all the questions but I would love to return this mill to it’s original condition, it’s truly a work of art.
User avatar
windybob
Posts: 3508
Joined: Mon Jan 14, 2019 5:59 pm
Location: Ames Oklahoma

Re: Challenge 27 HELP!

Post by windybob »

Welcome! Most of the parts for windmills are needed due to oiling. Some mills require more than others to keep it oiled. Parts are available, however I don't have much Challenge stuff here. Guess their sales force was weak in this part of the country. Probably what you need first anyway is a diagram of the parts so that you know what's what, and where they all go. Someone here will help!
Call Dan Benjamin for parts. P M me for the phone number.
CTXmiller
Posts: 933
Joined: Sat Dec 15, 2018 12:01 pm
Location: Waco, TX

Re: Challenge 27 HELP!

Post by CTXmiller »

Challenge 27
Posts: 43
Joined: Fri Jan 04, 2019 4:19 pm

Re: Challenge 27 HELP!

Post by Challenge 27 »

With regards to your C-27 . . .

As for missing parts . . . you might try advertising the "Wanted" in the classified section of this forum.

When we (hopefully) go to Shattuck next June you will very well may find a junk C-27 gearbox there, especially if you leave a post on the forum that you are looking for one. I've got a lot of C-27 stuff (in fact, too much) at trade fairs in the past.

You might contact Paul Behrends, who runs a windmill and crane company in Foosland, Illinos. He might have some stuff.

Also as for your missing parts . . . since this windmill is evidently going to be a spinner only, you don't need to worry about the pitmans, crosshead and associated parts, or the pump rod.

You will need the pinions and bull gears, though. As your windmills spins in the wind, the bull gears pick up the oil and it splashes all over the pinions and finds its way into the rear bearing for the wheel shaft. Also, the front bull gear has an oil dipper fastened to it (make sure you get that part!) As the gears turn, the dipper periodically rotates over a trough surrounding the crosshead guide rods, dribbling oil into the trough. Overflow from the trough goes into a channel cast into the top lip of the gearbox casting that runs around to the snout and drains onto a spiral oil carrier on the wheel shaft that carries oil to the front snout bearing. (In a working windmill, dippers from the crosshead would lift some of the oil out of the trough to lubricate the crosshead, but you don't need to worry about that.)
zchallenge 6.jpg
The dipper attached to the bull gear on a C-27. On earlier C-27s this dipper was made of braided wire. A small portion of the channel carrying oil to the spiral carrier for the snout bearing can be seen; in the front corner of the gearbox above the snout.

As for your concern about controlling the speed of operation, that is a separate function. It is the pressure or thrust of the wind against the wheel that causes the windmill to want turn out of the wind. The vane will hold the windmill into the wind until the thrust of the wind against the wheel, in a high enough wind, can overcome the resistance of the vane spring and turn the wheel away from the wind, keeping it from running too fast, and reducing the surface area of the wheel presented to the wind.

What is important is that since your windmill won't be pumping water, it will spin a lot faster in a wind than if it were doing work. There are various solutions to the this problem. Some will keep their windmill partially furled, preventing overspeeding. In a C-27, one easy way to do this would be to slip a short section of pipe over the outer end of the "bumper rod," preventing the vane from turning all the way to where its at a right angle to the wheel. Another trick might be to put a short section of chain between where the vane spring hooks on to the vane, or the vane spring bracket. This would significantly reduce the tension of the vane spring, allowing the windmill to regulate out of the wind at a more moderate wind speed.

Hope all this chatter helps.

Challenge 27

P.S. Be sure to post a photo of this windmill when you have it up and spinning!
You do not have the required permissions to view the files attached to this post.
User avatar
windybob
Posts: 3508
Joined: Mon Jan 14, 2019 5:59 pm
Location: Ames Oklahoma

Re: Challenge 27 HELP!

Post by windybob »

Good explaining Walter. Thanks.
Call Dan Benjamin for parts. P M me for the phone number.
Post Reply