Looks like I got to oficially join the club now.

[Phssthpok]

So I went for a two hour drive today to go pick up (7) solar panels for $150!! (did I ever mention that Craigslist is EVIL??)

While I'm there I get to chatting with the guy, and I comment on the little wind genny I see peeking up over his garage/shop. It's wired for 24v, and he was using it to supplement his solar panels for lighting a few other smaller loads. Turns out the thing went and siezed up on him sometime last year, and he's getting so's he doesn't want to futz with it any more. It still pivots freely though.

I asked him what he would ask for it. He didn't know. Said he paid about $700 for the thing a few years back....genny, tower, and controls.

The subject changed and  two hours later we came back to teh genny, and he says"...Oh.. I dunno..mebbe sentyfivehundred...."

I blink. "You mean $75 to $100?"

He chuckles. "yeah...not $7500... BETWEEN $75-100."

"With tower?"

"well...If I let the tower go with it, I'd have to bump it up to $150."

"I can do that."

So next weekend I need to make the two hour (one way) trip back down to disasseble, and cart away my new (to me) wind genny! Photos below assuming they don't show up too big. If they do I'll edit and post links instead. Anyone here able to identify this thing? It's supposed to be all stainless steel for marine installations (sailboat), wired for 24v, about 1 meter-ish blades (measuring from hub), sliprings and, of course, air-brakes.

**OK.. I'm having issues trying to figger out how to post immages on this forum....so you guys get LINKS!

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y32/Phssthpok/generator/pix090306_2.jpg

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y32/Phssthpok/generator/pix090306_1.jpg

[Warrior]

Congratulations are your new toy!

Looks like a Wincharger to me, although I'm not sure if there was a 24 volt version.

Keep us posted on your progress in getting it back working.

Warrior

[Phssthpok]

A little more info after searching Winchargers.

The genny-head is direct drive and, I'm guessing, just under 12" long, and about 4-5" diameter. Reminds me of some of the treadmill type motors I've been seeing on E-bay.

The blades are fiberglass (plastic?), have an airfoil contour, rectangular in shape with no taper, and are mounted away from the hub via spars(?). The tail is rigid (no furling) splits from the fin, and mounts directly to the body of the genny on either side.

None of the photos for Winchargers I've found show these characteristics....at least not on one unit.

Perhaps it's a home job using the air-brakes from an old Wincharger?

[hiker]

check out --wincharger.com--

click on there fourm.

[Phssthpok]

Thanks for the tip. I found that page when I searched, but for some reason looked right past the forum link. I'm going to wait until next weekend to register though so I can provide some better (non-cellphone) photos, and possibly some serial/model number info.

I am suprised though that more folks aren't interested in my scoring a complete mill for only $150 though. The tower alone is probbably worth twice that!

[elvin1949]

I am to GREEN to say much.

Can't find anything like that here.

DAMN but you are lucky.

enjoy

later

elvin

[Gary D]

It is indeed a find. The 2 windchargers I've owned had wooden blades tho. They were 12 volt units. The 6 footer peaked about 250 watts if memory serves me (think that's your size). Would be nice to do away with the airbrakes(making it quieter) and sliprings by the offsetting/ furling method the Dan's and Hugh uses. And a slight tilt up for blade clearance... Might be the brushes need replacing, and the bearings need lubed? Hope to see you find something simple and easy to fix. Have fun! :-) Gary D.

[Warrior]

Thats a great score and the price you paid is alot to envy. I have a 12 volt wincharger at home that my friends' dad lent me so I can have a looksy.

I asked him to sell it to me but his wife said NO, it's an antique bla bla bla...but you should have seen the huge pile of wood it was under.

Bet they're never going to restore it either.

Good luck on getting it back working. I think a good upgrade would be a 3 blade prop and the side facing furling system as was suggests.

Having a two blade prop at 1300 rpm is not good on the tower.

Warrior

[Phssthpok]

So I'm sitting here after a hard days work, pondering the task looming before me this coming Saturday:

Dropping a 30'Rohn 25g (http://www.antennasystems.com/PDFs/ROHN/g_series.pdf) guyed-lattice tower (after removing the wind genny) between the garage it's mounted to, and a barbed wire fence paralleling said garage about 6 feet away.

I have about 50' of 1/4" steel cable (wire rope), and several shackles (clevis's) to use, but there's a small grove of trees in the way to the rear of the garage, so getting my little tonka in there to tie-off on is not an option, nor is dropping the tower in that direction.....it would get hung up in the trees.

I had originally planned to just knock the sections apart as I came down from dropping the genny, but he seems to think they'll be pretty much bound together by several years in the weather.

Anyone have any suggestions?

[Gary D]

I'll post a link to a simple pole type "crane" that Zubbly has used. The one I borrowed (some 20 years ago)was just a pipe clamped to the lower tower section with a pulley on top. Your best way to control the kickout is to attach as close to the top section of the tower to be removed (before removing any bolts between the sections). A second rope attached to the tower section lower can help direct it around obstructions (guy wires and such). If you have a second person it should go quickly. The rope/wire is easier to control weight wise if looped around a pully ankored to a solid object(tree or pole). Zubbly's link is below (if I type it right). Hopefully this make sense, not confusing...  Gary D.

http://www.fieldlines.com/story/2006/4/30/225120/551