Thinking of looking for a small 5 or 6 foot mill-no idea which one would be worthwhile. ?????

[DennisT]

That says most of it. Having gone nuts 15 years ago chasing windmill parts, bitten with, "the bug," I was never able to get one going. Now, with the help of Hugh Grim of Spokane, I'll have my old F&W Star 37 going up. Nine or ten years ago the closest I got with something I thought I could handle, being inexperienced, was a little David Bradley. Bought it from a friend; bad shape. Gear case rusted/stuck. Neighbor said he had a friend who could un-stick everything and get it going. He never came through and I haven't seen that case since. Gone! I think that's when I got discouraged and.....well, gave up. Then 3 months ago along comes Hugh.
At my advanced age I will have no chance of getting back into this game properly, to any extent. But I'm already thinking of a second, small mill I could do some work on myself and directly play with. If I found another David Bradley, (Sears/Baker), it might make up for my past bad experience. However, ... is that really a good mill to spend my time, energy and money to look for????? Or are there better choices for a decent, really small windmill?
Thought I'd ask here as my experience is pretty minimal as well as talking to Hugh himself.
Dennis in E WA state wheatfields......

[Windcatcher530 Dan]

Dennis my thoughts would be either a 6ft Aermoter or a 6 1/2ft Monitor being you still can most likely get parts for. Also something you don't have to travel to far to purchase and hopefully on the ground to keep price down.This is my 6ft Aermoter on a homemade wooden tower.

20221106_063603_HDR.jpg

[mtblah]

Dennis , most any hobbie that you enjoy , time outside in nature , spending time with like minded enthuests , and just enjoying life is a worth while endevor !
sorry you had a bad experence with your first mill . But the vast majority of windmillers are the best .
I dont look for any specific windmill , I look for what is interesting to me , then spend way toooo much time working on it .
enjoy the ride !
Mike B
New Braunfels TX

[Wayne]

I love your Eastern Wa wheat fields. Have been to the museum at Walla Walla twice. Was just through that area Sept 2021. Good Luck with your search.

[DennisT]

Windcatcher, that's a nice set up and photo. Do you always leave your mill on the trailer?

[DennisT]

Wayne, thanks for the E WA comment. We're actually about 2.5 hours north of Walla Walla. Roughly on a dry, high plateau.

[Windcatcher530 Dan]

Yes Dennis it stays on the trailer it's hinged so I can raise it up and down with a winch.That way I can move it around my property and take it to HIT AND MISS AND TRACTOR SHOWS. Thanks.

[Wayne]

I'm a lover of rolling hills that when you get to the top you can see for mills. That is certainly Eastern Wa. Anyway what parts I have seen. First time I went to Walla Walla I got to watch a train wind its self through the hills. Really neat.

[Ron Stauffer]

FYI, smaller mills run at a higher RPM than larger. A six runs max at 125 RPM where an eight maxes at 105, your 10 F&W is 85. RPM impacts durability, reliability and rebuild life. A six is only 10% less in cost than an eight in upfront, parts etc

Bigger is better...

Ron Stauffer
Montrose CO

[DennisT]

Very interesting, Ron. I had not considered that at all. I think it immediately impacts my ideas on everything. Thank you.
Dennis