Samson S: new to me crusty, where to begin

[DennisT]

A little progress today. Having removed the lock screw to free up the solid rod that parallels the oil pump tube, today I found an almost hidden companion screw to release the oil pump tube itself. There is also a lock screw in the central casting near that point that I suspect locks the shaft that carries the 2 small gears. And I think those two gears are factory installed using tapered pins. That ought'a be fun to get apart. Later.
Having done all the dry cleaning I could in my modest work area, (no pressure washer, not even water at all), I began with more penetrant and worked the big hub back forth. I had the oil pump tube and adjacent rod free of their locks, but left them in place to allow the traveling carrier to ride them. I gradually gained the mill's mainshaft/gear set movement, cleaning more field dirt and junk out of gear teeth every time I exposed more dry area. Two hours later the entire shaft rotates properly and the pitman arms function as designed. I had left the pump rod and solid rod in place until everything was fully rotating. Now I can pull off the pitman arms, pump rod saddle and the rods themselves. Then I'll be facing all the rest.
I do see one PROBLEM: the far forward, "star," wheel on the tip of the front hub is sloppy. (forward wheel that fan spokes bolt to) It is held on with that big castellated nut that typically is held in place with a cotter pin. I see NO cotter pin and that nut has worked it's way forward to be flush with the end of the shaft. That leaves a quarter inch or more slop. I have a hunch this happened over time when the mill was up and working. Then.....because of the above, a catastrophic event happened that doomed the fan itself. What is left of the hood/cover has, "slices," in it and a few months ago someone observed that looked like fan hits. I agree.
I will hit that nut with heat, more penetrant, heat, more penetrant, etc., until it gives up. I hope after that I find the shaft end threads good enough to save.
Oh.....there is a, "flat," behind the hub with a hand stamped number: D9315. Does that mean anything?
That's it for now. Your input and further tips at this point will be appreciated.

[windybob]

The crosshead is what rides on the guide rods. Bigger Samsons have 2 oil pumps, Guess yours has just 1.? Once you get both hubs off, then there are fixes, but a new shaft should be in order. I wish I could remember if the pinion gears had tapered pins, but I'm thinking they have maybe setscrews. And maybe straight keys, but I'm not positive. Keep an eye for setscrews, and tap one way or the other and see which way they may move. I'm betting the end one comes off towards the rear, the other I'm not sure, depending on if it comes out with the shaft. Need to be wary of those gears. Yes, hidden or hard to find setscrews are important to find. Oh I would take all the outside hardware off to make moving the head around easier. Penetrating oil is wonderful stuff ain't it...

[DennisT]

Thanks again. It will be interesting what the threads look like on the front of that main shaft. I hate to think of a complete new shaft, but...............
My plan was also to remove all outside hardware. One area concerns me: where the tail mounts.....that BIG spring is not something I want to unleash accidently. Could get hurt with that. But it would be easier with it all off, especially cleaning. I also see part of that is fastened to the main case using lead sealing washers inside the case. Just like early John Deere tractors used lead washers when mounting heads.
BTW, what COLOR paint did Samson use????????? I never thought of that.

[CTXmiller]

I believe they were painted black.

[windybob]

I think black also. My M is red now. Looks much nicer.

That tailspring should have an adjustment rod if I remember. When the tail is open, it has less tension. If it has the adjustment rod, back it off and you should be able to deal with it. If your Samson is like other ones, all the brake hardware is solid, with no spring to work with. Most Samson's I've seen have broken brake hardware due to no give in the brake system. I usually add a spring here or there. So might keep that in mind when re-assembling. Of course that will be a while

[DennisT]

I'll look for adjustment rod on that tailspring. The previous owner torched off all the fan struts just at the hub. Didn't hurt anything on the cast parts, just a lot of pieces to remove now. Same with tail. They torched the tailbone off just as it approached the tailspring assembly. So spring should see things as, "open," I guess. I'll admit that I'm pretty happy with progress so far. Still a LOT of cleaning to do to say nothing about main case disassembly itself. I hope this winter I can get some leads on finding a complete fan and tail. I've been asking our neighboring farmers to watch for something but an awful lot around here has been scrapped or disappeared over the years. Still, we live n a pretty vast wheat region and there were a LOT of windmills here once.

[windybob]

What size is it again? 10 footer?

[DennisT]

My friend first showed me this mill late November of last year. It was already frozen into the ground, so we made no attempt to get it out and he had no way to lift it at that time anyway. Last year I posted some photos, (some attached here now), and someone, (I think on this forum), said based on the number of spoke attachment points on the hub, it was a 10 foot. The oil quantity required still visible on the hood may have also contributed to that size determination. At any rate, with this post, you an see what I was up against when I first found it.
If you see it as anything other than a 10 foot Model S, that would be interesting.

[windybob]

Cool.. How far down is your water level there?

[windybob]

Looks like a spring tension adjustment at the top of the tailspring. Appears to be a long carriage bolt maybe. I think.