Help me automate an old windmill

[ScaldedDog]

Our new property came with a windmill that "works", thiugh its not hooked up to a pump. The vane is operated by a hand crank today, and I'd like to make it so that I can remotely deploy the vane, and retract it when the wind really picks up. I'll soon have 12v lighting nearby, but I haven't yet figured out how to complete this.

My current thinking it to use a 12v ATV winch, but I need to restrict to a *very* narrow range. From fully retracted to fully deployed is only about 2ft of wire rope, and pulling past that could pull the vane completely off. Ideas o how to accomplish this?

I'll need to run the winch off a battery, as the 12v lighting circuit won't support the amperage a winch requires. I'll need a trickle charger that takes 12v as an input, though. Is there such a a thing?

Other ideas about how to make this work are welcome.

Mark

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[66Caprice]

Can't help with this but that thing is cool as hell! Post up the progress pics!!

 

[RPH]

Dc linear motor. The make plenty of sizes. Length of pull and force is adjustable on quite a few I’ve worked with.

 

[A**holes Garage]

Very odd, the Fairbanks Morse Eclipse was a multi-vaned windmill and had a unique vane supports for a windmill. Looks like someone attached a reproduction Fairbanks Morse Eclipse tail on an Aeromotor windmill?

Either way, still a cool yard ornament and project.

 

[Farmerjonathan]

You can get a self governed blade so if the wind comes up while you are sleeping or away, basically if the fan starts going to fast it causes the tail to come towards the fan so the wind "slips" through the blades instead of spinning the blades.

Here is some good information. https://www.midamericawindmillmuseum.org

 

[AffableCurmudgeon]

What you need is a furling mechanism. You can get rid of the vane deployment mechanism with the hand crank and make a spring loaded furling mechanism that will automatically turn the windmill out of the wind when the wind gets too high.

It is a really simple mechanism. Google it for details.

 

[ddawg16]

Looks like a good application for a solar panel.

 

[kbs2244]

do a search on the mfg
this has been a problem solved decades ago

for example

https://aermotorwindmill.com/collections/genuine-replacement-parts

 

[ScaldedDog]

Very odd, the Fairbanks Morse Eclipse was a multi-vaned windmill and had a unique vane supports for a windmill. Looks like someone attached a reproduction Fairbanks Morse Eclipse tail on an Aeromotor windmill?

Either way, still a cool yard ornament and project.

Could be. The PO of the property bought the head some time ago, so I don't have any history on it. From the ground, it looks old, but I need to get up there and have a look.

Mark

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[nadogail]

I am sure that the windmill companies solved this problem already, I suggest youconsult your local windmill dealer for info or a retrofit.

 

[Bert_]

I don't have any great ideas to make yours automatic. It makes me want to build a vane for my little windmill thought. It's missing.

 

[Jackfre]

Back in about '78 I built a tower for a Baker water pumping wind-mill. It was up on the last private property before the RL Stevenson State Park overlooking Calistoga on Mt St Helena in the Napa Valley. You could clearly see San Francisco from up there. The tower was built out of 3x1/4" angle iron and was 20' tall. Afterwards the owner set the mill. I got a call and went back up there and was blown away, as was the tower. The tower had bent backwards almost all the way to the ground. The self-feathering mechanism either wasn't hooked up or it malfunctioned, but that tower was bent in a perfect arch. All hell broke loose until I pulled out his specs and measured the material. It was pretty amazing seeing it though.