Vintage Windmill and Wind Generator Forum

Does anyone have any good photos or parts lists of the later back geared Kirkwood. There is one on in Lubbock but most of my photos of it got glare from the lights that seem to always be in the worst spot. So far, I have only seen one drawing in literature and its a photo copy of a photo copy and not too good. Obviously, the one in Lubbock and the one in the drawing are very different, I believe the catalog picture was 1900 and I would guess it predates the one in Lubbock but it does look like it might have a brake so I am not sure? It seems the vast majority of surviving models were the direct stroke early version instead. Please correct me if I am wrong, I am just trying to figure out their system. Thanks

K.R.B. from what I read the original Kirkwood was direct stroke and the latter one was a back stroke which was produced for around thirty years. I wonder how many back stroke are in existence. The sketch of the back stroke does appear to have some kind of breaking system. Please post whatever more info you find. Thanks Dan.

A good place for the info would be in the library probably. Seems there should be more of them around here Aaron. They were made not far from here I think.

Windy are there any windmill museums in Kansas, might be one there.

As far as I know, the only Kirkwoods in Kansas are in private hands and all direct stroke. It appears there was an early DS governing system and a later and from the catalog picture an early BG system as well as a late one. I have looked online with not much success. The Ark City Historical Society, or maybe their county, has a nice write up about the company and the Gazette had a nice issue on it a while back but no pictures with a parts list to clear up the different models. I wish Henry Nelson was still with us, he always wanted to share information and I am always wondering why I didn't ask him more questions.

Aaron, I think if a person might find a Kirkwood laying right next to an Ottawa, it would be a lucky day, indeed! Wherever that might be, you stand a better chance of finding it than me.

Ha Windy, we did find a #2 Elgin laying right beside a Pipe Raymond right under a pumping 602 down the road! I found a nearly perfect arrow head hooking up my trailer today so a person never knows!

There ya go!