Fairbury 8' 7A mast top slop

[goatman64]

I had the pleasure to rebuild a neighbors Fairbury 8' 7A winmill back in 2018. The main drive shaft snapped off many years earlier. A new drive shaft, new timken bearings and lots of work and the winmill was back in action. I acquired my own Fairbury 8' 7A in 2019 and now babysit two mills. I'm located on the front range of Colorado near Fort Collins and we had a severe wind event in early 2023. The force of this wind event damaged both winmills. I repaired my winmill in late summer 2023 and am finally getting around to getting the neighbors back in service. I have some questions about the mast top or turn table of the winmill. There is major slop in this component. Given the effort to dismantle this component hoping some folks can help me identify the type.

The tube that attaches the winmill base to the mast top has a huge amount of slop. When the winmill was operating, the base would shift nearly an 1". The winmill rotates easily and the ball bearings appear to be ok. Is the inside diameter of the mast top worn out and thus allowing the movement? I've searched for pics of the mast tops ... below is a ebay listing that appears correct.

Any help appreciated .. thx

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The ball bearing assembly looks like it should have three pieces and yet it appears I have two

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Below are pics of the neighbor's winmill

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[mtblah]

David , welcome back , you have been watching on line for a while now and have a very interesting question , and as you know there is a windmiller out there who knows & will share the information your looking for .
Best to you in Colo .

[CTXmiller]

Welcome to the forum.

Attached is a photo of the turntable on a relative’s 8’ 7AA. I might have more photos on my phone of the turntable.

[CTXmiller]

I don’t know much on Fairburys and the difference between the 7, 7A and 7AA. Attached is a 7 literature image.

[Ron Stauffer]

Welcome and greetings from the other side of Rockies.

There is a Tim C on the west side of Longmont about half hour from you. He says your tower cap is Fairbury but likely for a bigger mill. He has a lot of miscellaneous parts and thinks he has the right one. I will PM you his phone number.

I used to come over to the side several times a year to install but don’t travel as much. You must get annual wind events as one I put up in Berthoud close to you got mowed down by an air borne livestock shelter 3 years ago.
viewtopic.php?p=12256&hilit=shelter#p12256

Ron Stauffer
Montrose CO

[goatman64]

Appreciate the photos and input ...

I cleaned up my windmill so I could identify the mast cap and can see it is a Fairbury H49. What I still don't know, is the slop from wear on the mast cap, the mast post or both. Only way to know is to disassemble everything and see..

The neighbor's windmill is on a 30' wood tower with no lifting apparatus. Basically the lower portion of the windmill assembly and tail must be removed. Two people can stand on the elevated windmill platform.

I'm assuming the following procedure...

1. Remove tail
2. restrain mast pipe
3. unbolt mast pipe clamp in lower windmill assembly
4. lift and remove lower windmill assembly

At this point the ball bearing unit and mast cap can be removed.

Any diagrams or pics of this process?

I will give Tim C a ring tomorrow.

Thanks

[CTXmiller]

This image maybe of little use, but it shows wear on the mast pipe on a 7AA. The 7A is probably similar as the isn’t an easy way to grease the mast pipe at the tower cap.

Looking at the parts list, H49 is for both the 8’ and 10’ #7.

Are you just intending to lift the gearbox with wheel up and off the mast pipe to assess the mast pipe? I’d probably take the wheel off too (section by section) in preparation of lowering it and or for handling/weight.

[goatman64]

I have fully disassembled the fan and the geared drive assembly is removed. Just the bottom of windmill and tail are currently on the tower.

I'm wondering how heavy the bottom of the windmill without the tail is .. something two people can manage?

I've also thought about building a lifting attachment.

Thanks for the input

[CTXmiller]

Two people can manage that.

[windybob]

Don't know if it would help, but checking the fan (wheel) really close for balance and truity would be reccomended. An out of balance wheel, or one that isn't true will also cause a wobble. Of course wear in the neckpipe or tower casting doesn't help either. Also wear in the stormstay needs checking.

I have a few of those in the pile , but don't know much about them yet, as I try to steer clear of that brand. lol By the looks of the pictures, it appears that the mill is "wheel- heavy", as the turntable appears angled due to wear (?) If the mill is wheel heavy, you might consider a balance weight maybe on the tail. just a thought.