Vintage Windmill and Wind Generator Forum

Brandon , my Ideal Steel is VERY similar in construction . Stover was the manufacturer of mine .
The pin on mine is screwed into the bull gear . What is the rotation direction ? It may be left hand thread ?
Clean up the inside end and maybe you can see some thread . maybe,

That's right, it could be threaded, a lot of those early mills had threaded pins. I know Aermotor had tapered and bradded pins which I never cared for. Left or right threads either one. Maybe I have a gear at the shop with a pin I can check.

I've checked for threads and can't see any, I'll keep looking but where the back is broke out it's all jagged but its flush with the bull gear back so it won't let it spin. it's wierd Steve and I talked this weekend about it scratching our heads

Looking at the replacement parts list and diagram on the site it's a single component I have not been able to locate a exploded diagram or anything for the model E

Has someone welded it or repaired it in the past does it look like?

It's got some beveling on a few edges but it's random and almost looks like it was just from it breaking out. I will try and see if it will twist out but with as loose as it is in the hole I'm afraid the threads would be destroyed.

Brandon I've never worked on a Woodman's but from the pics I would say the gear and pin are one piece not separate. Just my opinion

I was able to spend more time last night examining it, the pin can move up, down, right, left, wobble in circles so I think it's separate but I can't see any threads and with the way it moves up and down if there were threads they must be gone. Can't find a retainer clip, or pin or set screw or anything.

Could they have set the pin in a jig and then cast the piece around it, so it's separate but part of the casting?

They could have, yes. Several makes of mills have the neckpipe in the casting.

Maybe I can get more info today at the shop.

I do not have one of those, so I have no comparison. I do have a gear from an earlier model but it is assembled different. If I post pictures, it would do no good. I would suggest cut off flush, and see from the top how it's held in. It's already cracked, and loose. If it falls out, weld it back. You might need to anyway, or the new pin or repair will be weak. On the old gears I have, the hole is not tapered. But they are from a different model.

I would not be surprised if your pin has a shoulder that fits down in the outer thick part of the gear, while a smaller diameter end goes thru the inside and peens over. Kind of like a Dempster pitman pin fits in the bottom of the arm, only with more support (IF) it fits down in a bore in your gear.

I'll give it a try, cutting and drilling here we go again, my machinest is going to love this project haha.

It's like a box of chocolate you never know what your going to get

Thanks Windy for looking