Dempster now

[Kansas Rust Buzzard]

I was in the office trying to warm up and looked at Dempster's web site. Do they even stock any windmill parts for their mills anymore? The last catalog Rosemary sent me was 1994 and it was still pretty thick, up to 14 ft dia mills yet. I am pretty sure they don't sell anything new but do they even have parts from their old stock for sale? I know there was an auction sometime back but never really heard what sold? They were never very common around here after the wood era so I never messed with the modern ones much, there is probably 10 Fairburys for every Dempster in my country.

[windybob]

They no longer have mill parts, they auctioned off the forms, molds, and patterns. Machinery went also. If they even do anything any more, they do the fert spreaders. They may have just folded completely.

Wow you are closer than me, and we are covered up with Dempsters here.

[Kansas Rust Buzzard]

Lots of Mennonites here that were related to people in Fairbury so they bought those mills. Well, that and the Fairbury mills survived our winds a lot better, you rarely see a Dempster or Woodmanse with a wheel left on it.

[Dave Straub]

Fairbury's had problems where the wheel shaft on the end was peened over next the the small gear. Some or most mills the peen was weak and eventually the shaft would fly out the gearbox with wheel and sail to the ground. Now during over haul we drill a hole in the end of shaft and thread it and put a bolt with washer on it.
Also the bumper spring for the vane is a joke. It only has about a 2" travel. Also the brake lever design that pivots on the mounting bolt is too sloppy. Swapping parts between gearboxes sometime don't work. On the plus side the helical gears allow two teeth to be in mesh and do the work at all times instead of one on straight cut gears.

[Kansas Rust Buzzard]

Interesting Dave Sraub, I have picked up a couple dozen or more and only a couple had lost the wheel. I did have that problem with the brake, I pumped house water with one for years and I finally decided the brake was better off in the iron pile anyway. I wish I could still use it but my water table dropped and I just don't see big Fairburys around here much. Most of the problem I have is if they are on the ground the mice ruin the TImkens and I have to make new shafts. I have noticed that almost all of them say Winmill on the case but I have seen one that said Windmill, wondered if they only had one pattern to start with and eventually replaced it and the guy could spell better?

[windybob]

HAha Aaron, same here on the Winmill. Maybe it was on purpose?

[Kansas Rust Buzzard]

Yea, I think the brakes on most windmills are better off in the iron pile, wood Type P Eclipses are especially nasty to keep a brake on in working order. Of course you have a solid wood wheel instead of a vaneless and a brake, two wrongs never make a right.

[Dave Straub]

AND, then you have the ill designed, shoddy non adjustable Aermotor brake.

[windybob]

And I don't think much matches the crappy brake of a Monitor. lol