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You know this hobby has got you if or when | 74 comments (74 topical, editorial)

Re: You know this hobby has got you if or when (4.00 / 1) (#59)
by Drives (drivesdeanw at yahoo.com) on Wed Dec 7th, 2005 at 07:44:37 PM MST
(User Info)

You know this hobby has got you when during a late night thunder storm you hear your Art Randolf blades making a loud noise every time the wind blows above 20 mph.
Even though it is dark, raining, and lightning you run out to your tower to examine it with a flash light. Due to it being 30 feet in the air you can't make out anything wrong except that the turbine is not producing any voltage but spinning so fast the blades are invisible.
So, to save the turbine you go get 100' rope, and try your best cowboy imitation to lasso the blades and tie rotor down. Mind you, your soaked, holding a soaking wet rope, and swinging it into the air with lightning striking all around the valley and hilltops. After the umpteenth time (I'm a yankee, not a cowboy!) you get the blades to wind up the rope, and tie it off. When the wife asks what the heck you were doing....you mention something about needing to check something in the barn, and "man is it raining outside!" as you wring your shirt out in the sink. Ha Ha.

FYI my engineering to calculate the proper size industrial, flat, toothed, timing belt between the motor shaft and turbine shaft was quite sound for up to a 40 mph wind....however we saw a 68mph gust, that probably ripped the teeth right off the belt. Ha Ha.

To this day it still amazes me the stupid things I do for this hobby.

Art's blades still look new, but they must have been going supersonic!
---------Dean-----------
[ Parent ]

You know this hobby has got you if or when | 74 comments (74 topical, 0 editorial)

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