Vintage Windmill and Wind Generator Forum

I have this 602 and the hub is frozen. You can also see were a piece is broken. I have the piece and might be able to get it welded back. Does anyone have any good ideas on how to free. I have been using penetrating fluid and then heat. Any suggestions are welcome.
Tom

There is Babbitt in the snoot so too much heat can melt the poured Babbitt. Penetrating fluid and patience, plus some leverage. More penetrating fluid and patience at the onset. There are smarter folks on here than me that can give better advice.

Someone stored that mill with the hub facing down. Rain entered the hub and froze, cracking the hub.

Time, lots of time, let it sit even longer, don't try to hurry breaking loose the rust you will just break more stuff.
See the post section on "see what I broke today "

Build a stand and set it upright. Fill the gearbox with penetrate of your choice and as mentioned let it soak. I like Ed's red ... Dextron 3 ATF/kerosene/mineral spirits/acetone ... a quart of each will give you a gallon.

Put on a couple wheel sections on opposite sides. As its soaking, every day when you walk by, give a slight pull/wiggle to a wheel section. Sooner or (probably) later you will finally detect a little movement. just keep working it back and forth a little each day.

Bigger question in my mind ... does that mast pipe turn??

Somebody has been in to that motor before. It has the earlies style hub plug in a later U bolt hub, 702 style yoke and might have steel pinions versus cast. If you turn the yoke the right way, it drops off the guide wheel so you dont risk bending the oil ring or breaking off the oil spout. If the mast pipe comes out, remove it to make it less cumbersome. If you can position the motor so that the hole in the hub is up, fill the cavity with penetrate and let sit a few days.

After it sits a few days, drain and position motor as such. Using a 36" pipe wrench, position out close the outside of the middle part of the hub. One hand holds the pipe wrench and the other uses a 3# short handle sledge to hammer on the pipe wrench handle. This vibration and pressure will help loosen. The hoop is your backer to hold against the pipe wrench.

To remove the hub plug without a spanner wrench, put two right size punches in each of the two holes and use a crescent wrench flat up against the plug. The plug removed gives you access to remove the oil collector when you can rotate the hub with the hole straight up.

Getting the hub to rotate might be half the battle in disassembly...

Ron Stauffer
Montrose CO

Penetrating oil, vibration, heat, and patience.

Last year made....1933.

Total RPM's of lifetime.....Millions.

Chances of it needing new bearings.....99.99%

Melt out the old bearings, and get on with it. You might even need to torch the shaft, or the pinions off. Tip the hub up, and start melting with the bearing that is next to the spout washer. Once that's out, start on the snout bearing. the liquid babbitt will run out where the spout washer bearing ran out, namely on the topside of the spout washer. Or better yet, sacrifice the spout washer for a larger opening so the babbitt will flow out easier.

If you are going to repour it anyway, do it. After you baby it for days and days, and finally get the hub to move, then you need to salvage the pinions if they are any good. Then you will fight those for more days and days. Once you get it all apart, you will find that......the shaft is too rusty, and you need to replace it. The bearings are worn, and realize you should have melted them out anyway. OR Both the above issues.

If you are determined to save the pinions, find where the 2 crosspins in each pinion are located, and drill / drive / poke/ cuss or (all the above) to get the pins out. Whatever you do, do NOT USE A TAPERED PUNCH. Once the taper enters the OD of the pinion, it will split. They are cast, and will split easily.

Wow! Sounds like Windy has been down the road of pot holes before.

Only once or twice. lol

Thanks for the great advice. I will try penetrating oil until my patience runs out.