Vintage Windmill and Wind Generator Forum

So I'm having a hard time getting it to furl completely. Probably mostly has to do with the oil on the brake band. But take a look at these pics. Should the ring rise all the way to the bottom of the gearbox? The upper furl handle is about a quarter inch from touching the bolts. It feels like if I pull any harder on the lower furl handle I made it'll break something. And that handle is 3ft long. I made it longer so it would have more leverage so my wife and kids can shut it down in a storm. As it sits now I can still spin the fan fairly easy. There is some drag but not much. I'll have to degease it and see what happens.

I haven't put any oil back in the gearbox since I stood it up. The puddles of oil on the stand are slowing down so I'll give it a little more time to clear itself out and I'll add the 2 quarts back into it and see what happens. If it starts leaking agian we'll have to find out why. I'd rather not have oil running down the tower legs.

Also you guys are crazy working on these things. That 3x3 work stand gets really tiny fast. I've been building scaffold almost 20 years so heights don't bother me at all, but I can't imagine having to work on it without the 8x8 scaffold I have next to it. Where to you even put the gearbox cap without dropping it let alone any tools you need up there? I want to pull that scaffold down soon, but I want to make sure I don't have any more work to do besides normal maintenance like checking the oil.

You turn the helmet upside down on the stud. lol works for me.

Wrench on a small rope so when you drop it you retrieve it , and not drop on your helpers head
Small tool belt with 2 quarts of red ATF
And try to see where oil is leaking from
The brake band is adjustable to a degree, and stopping the fan 100 percent is not necessary , tail at 90 degrees slow,s rotation considerably

Everything looks in place Kevin. It's okay it doesn't completely stop the wheel from turning actually it's better.The mast pipe where the furl disc slides up and down should be greased. Also where the furl rod buttons go into the cast pieces.