Vintage Windmill and Wind Generator Forum

On a pumping mill there's a swivel so the mill can rotate in the wind so nothing breaks. Your direct drive your going to need something in line to give. If the mill was stationary and didn't rotate it would be fine.

To my way of thinking if and when the wheel turns it will drive the upper and lower gears via the drive shaft,
which will cause what ever is hooked up to want to operate. I imagine there is a clutch or some thing to disengage the mill.

On the old power mills you had two tappered gears that meshed at 90 degrees so when the mill turned back and forth in gentle wind it was fine. But if you had strong winds it would chew the gears up that's why they had a ratchet clutch in the line

Nice work.

That's awesome Ken!

Ken this is what the ratchet clutch looks like.

Thanks for the photo. I assume this is a safety device that would be used if there was a chance that too much load might be applied to the power shaft. Kind of like a spring loaded pressure clutch on a farm baler or other PTO operated farm equipment.

Yes needs to be put in the power shaft between the gear box and the implement your running. The spring pressure has to be just right in order for everything to run smoothly. A nut on a threaded shaft that runs through the spring and ratchet clutch would allow you to adjust the tension on the spring to the right tension needed. Trial and error.

Really ingenious & creative , thanks for sharing !

Neat stuff! With your set you probably don't have the issue I have read about with early power mills they would sometime rotate around the shaft not turn it.