Help from start to finish

[mojonito]

Hey guys. I joist bought a place that has what I think is an aero motor windmill that feeds a nice little pond. I’m not sure when it last worked. Hopefully ,with your help I can get this going again. Here are some pics of what I’m working with.

5AB4FD13-7559-4573-9E41-90DD6C500261.jpeg

[mojonito]

Next pic

[mojonito]

Next pic

[mojonito]

So I started by purchasing that windmill book from the museum as a first step. I think I’m going to get the actual pump mechanism up. The only connection I see is up near the top of the windmill but I hope there is a second underneath that galvanized piping. Here are some general questions. Is there a weight limit on these towers to climb? I am athletic but I am by no means light weight. Second question, how is one supposed to get around the base boards up high. Do you just shimmy over them? Seems kind of like an added risk and poor planning for future servicing. I’m guessing I will need new leathers at a minimum assuming everything else is working ok. Also, any ideas why the vane isn’t unfurling? Also, it doesn’t seem like the brake lets off. Anyways, lots of pics to follow and I appreciate all the help and suggestions you all can give!

[mojonito]

94E36D4F-9E38-494E-884B-2DE829A8787D.jpeg

EAADAB0D-1597-4AC6-8E98-DBAA34F8F78F.jpeg

[Bryon]

To start with, I believe your windmill is a WindEngine from Monterrey, Mexico. That is the name it is sold under in the United States. The blades, spokes, and bridges are WindEngine. It is a clone of a model 702 Aermotor windmill.

So I started by purchasing that windmill book from the museum as a first step. I think I’m going to get the actual pump mechanism up. The only connection I see is up near the top of the windmill but I hope there is a second underneath that galvanized piping.

There "should" be another connection for the sucker rod (the part that moves up and down and pumps the water) somewhere near the "T". The windmill has an 8 inch stroke so depending on where it is on the stroke, it could be beneath the "T".

Here are some general questions. Is there a weight limit on these towers to climb? I am athletic but I am by no means light weight.

Not really. I have climbed many a windmill tower and I am on the large side (250 lbs plus).

Second question, how is one supposed to get around the base boards up high. Do you just shimmy over them? Seems kind of like an added risk and poor planning for future servicing.

The corner of the base boards (called a platform) should have a corner cut off on the corner over the ladder for easier climbing. Make sure the platform is not rotted before you put your weight on it.

I’m guessing I will need new leathers at a minimum assuming everything else is working ok.

You don't know how old this set-up is. I would assume that all the pipe, all the sucker rod, and the pump (working barrel) are all bad and I would replace them all. If you don't, you will be working on this quite a lot. If you have an open top working barrel you should be able to pull all the sucker rod out and then pull all the pipe. Look at the inside of the legs of your tower, sometimes the water well people will write in pencil on the tower the well depth and other particulars about the well. If you don't have an open top working barrel, you will have to pull the rod and pipe at the same time. I would get the local water well guy to do the well work. May cost a little but it you drop the pipe/rod into the well, retrieving it would be very costly.

Also, any ideas why the vane isn’t unfurling? Also, it doesn’t seem like the brake lets off. Anyways, lots of pics to follow and I appreciate all the help and suggestions you all can give!

You are missing the tail spring. It goes from the gear box to the holes in the top of the tail vane. Once that is installed, the brake release should start working.

[mojonito]

thanks for the quick reply. I will take more pics and update as soon as i can get the working barrel up. where is a good place to find parts?

[mtblah]

Henry , there is a "J" shaped finger that stick out of the back of the motor for the spring to catch onto , the other end hooks into one of the 5 holes in the tail bone . In south TX I would clip into the 1st hole as the wind is often & strong , the tail will move easily and rotate the fan out of the wind sooner.

[Ron Stauffer]

Before you start unhooking anything on the pump rod string, you need to have someone look at it than knows. It appears but not sure from the pic that the drop pipe is still up at the well seal where it broke off from the discharge T? If so, either the sucker rod or the sell seal is the only thing holding up the drop pipe. There is nothing to pick up on the drop pipe with since the T is broken off. We use a harpoon down inside the pipe to grab it. If you loosen something, you cant move fast enough to keep the drop pipe from dropping. Fishing for pipe is even worse than your worst day fishing.

They either had binding or freezing issues in the past with that setup as evidenced by the splash pipe being welded to the top of the T

Ron Stauffer
Montrose CO

[mojonito]

Before you start unhooking anything on the pump rod string, you need to have someone look at it than knows. It appears but not sure from the pic that the drop pipe is still up at the well seal where it broke off from the discharge T? If so, either the sucker rod or the sell seal is the only thing holding up the drop pipe. There is nothing to pick up on the drop pipe with since the T is broken off. We use a harpoon down inside the pipe to grab it. If you loosen something, you cant move fast enough to keep the drop pipe from dropping. Fishing for pipe is even worse than your worst day fishing.

They either had binding or freezing issues in the past with that setup as evidenced by the splash pipe being welded to the top of the T

Ron Stauffer
Montrose CO

Good to know, thanks.