New owner of a Dempster 12A

[VicLar95]

Afternoon! Wanted to introduce myself. My name is Larry and I live in Kearney, MO just 15 miles or so North of Kansas City. I purchased a Dempster 12A 8ft and I'm hoping there are other here with a similar windmill. The entire windmill is currently together and laying down. I have found someone to stand it up for me, but wondering how hard it is to pull the head off to check it all out prior to it being stood up. I purchased the windmill from a home owner that bought a house with this laying in the backyard. The previous home owner took the windmill down and then passed away. The new property owners wanted it gone! I'm looking for tips on how to identify the age of the head and best way to remove the head. Any and all help is appreciated!

[mtblah]

Larry , fortunately you found the right place to find help . There are guy's here with decades of experience repairing windmills and some novices like me who they have helped restore mine .
1st think find a parts manual and see how you motor operates . Thats a starting point
Mike B
New Braunfels TX

[Wayne]

Lots of Dempster 12A's out there. If the wheel is still on the head, taking it off would be a good place to start. Then you could take the bonnet off and look inside. Take some pictures and post.

[windybob]

Dempster was the heavy duty model, marketed starting in 1931 for several years. Does it turn? take out the pumrod that screws in the yoke under the helmet in the case. Probably a cotter pin going thru a hole in the threads at the top of it. At the very bottom of the neckpipe ther is a bracket that comes in half with 2 bols, that is for the brake. Take it off. UNder the stormstay in the tower, there is a clamp that comes in 2 when you take t 2 bolts out, or just loosen them and slide it down off the bottom of the neckpipe. Now you can take the head off the tower, CATCH all the balls that fall out of the cup (turntable). Of course, you would take off the fan (wheel) and tail (vane) first. Now you can actually put it up on a table use penetrating oil on EVERYTHING that moves. You might have done all this by now, I am late to post.