Oil for windmills?

[aj]

What kind of oil should be used in the old windmill gearbox's? Does it really matter. Use the cheapest non-detergent oil? Would say 80-90 type stuff be to heavy and thus take more wind to power the thing?

 

[red]

AJ- if you have any Amish in your area they'd be a great source of info.

Red

 

[ELBEE]

I have a story!

My father was 45 years my senior. So by the time I was 13 or so he was asking me to do jobs a little more physically demanding than he now chose to do. One was the annual "Windmill gearbox oil changes", (my dad had 0 tolerance for wimps)! The rope tied to my belt wasn't for safety, it was to pull up the tools and supplies I needed after I was at the top. We used 30 weight gear oil. I would look into a synthetic mid weight gear oil, ask your auto parts guy.

When up on the tower stay behind the wheel, and move with it don't try to fight it, (try not to do this on a windy day). Don't ever look up, or look down! Oh, and don't get so comfortable with the job you forget where you are! And if you don't have enough "nerve" standing around,  hire a bucket truck.

It was Baxter Black that said, "I can't remember the old codger's name, but he was good with a horse, could handle a rope, and was a hell of a windmill man".

Next time I'll tell you about breakin' colts!

 

[RSC]

What kind of oil should be used in the old windmill gearbox's? Does it really matter. Use the cheapest non-detergent oil? Would say 80-90 type stuff be to heavy and thus take more wind to power the thing?

I asked a close friend of mine(Farwest on the Plantet)  who lives in Ranch Country in the Sandhills of Nebraska,  He says what they call Windmill Oil is the same as Irrigation Drip oil.

RSC

 

[CAB]

I would have guessed 80-90. Elbee, it sounds like you had a great childhood.

 

[RSC]

I have a story!

My father was 45 years my senior. So by the time I was 13 or so he was asking me to do jobs a little more physically demanding than he now chose to do. One was the annual "Windmill gearbox oil changes", (my dad had 0 tolerance for wimps)! The rope tied to my belt wasn't for safety, it was to pull up the tools and supplies I needed after I was at the top. We used 30 weight gear oil. I would look into a synthetic mid weight gear oil, ask your auto parts guy.

When up on the tower stay behind the wheel, and move with it don't try to fight it, (try not to do this on a windy day). Don't ever look up, or look down! Oh, and don't get so comfortable with the job you forget where you are! And if you don't have enough "nerve" standing around,  hire a bucket truck.

It was Baxter Black that said, "I can't remember the old codger's name, but he was good with a horse, could handle a rope, and was a hell of a windmill man".

Next time I'll tell you about breakin' colts!

When I was fresh out of college, I worked for a Ranch in the sandhills and I had to service all his windmills.  It was not something I was fond of.  On the days I had to do it,  he expected it done windy or not.  When you only have a certian crawlspace to get on the platform and you push tailfin around to give you room and as you start getting up their a big gush of wind comes up and whips the fin back around, kind of freaky.  Some of them windmills are up there too!

RSC

 

[chambero]

It's a fairly recent notion that humans aren't expendable.  It actually takes a lot to kill a hired hands (especially free ones - your own kin)l.  Amazing what we can survive.

 

[aj]

I know some of the old platforms(crow nests) are like 40 years old and pretty rotten boards. A safty belt should probably be used. Then sometimes a little whirlwind(dirt devil) would sneak up on you and spin the fin or wheel around on you. Then of course the brake doesn't work on half of the windmills...that is always handy. Isn't there a song about singing naked on a windmill? ;D