Windmill plans??

[beeforty]

To anchor your tower you could try and use big anchor bolt in your concrete pad and use Simpson tiedowns that bolt to your legs: Cold-Formed Steel: S/HDS & S/HDB Holdowns

 

[zzvyb6]

I anchor my towers with angle irons which have some cross girts bolted to them at their bottom. The secret to lining all this up is to stand the tower up in position while supported a few inches above the ground using cement blocks or stacks of 2 x 6 pieces. Level the tower out so it is square to the ground line. Then I take a hand post hole digger and drill straight down directly from the corner posts. Go as far as you like. Then I fill the holes with mixed concrete and push in the angle irons. Then attach them to the tower legs with bolts. All this is done while the cement is still wet and flowable. After a few days, remove the support blocks and you have a sturdy, square, durable, and strong installation. Since pushing a tower over requires the legs to go outward as much as upward, the outward component of the leg foundation needs to be pretty well packed dirt. All my mills use about three 80 lb bags of cement per leg. Its the just-add-water fast harden stuff from Home Depot, etc. Lining the leg pins up while the cement is still wet saves you an awful lot of grief. I don't use (or recommend) the round ground pillar forms, either. I want good grip to the soil.

 

[RxRatedZ71]

Wow, nice looking windmill. Thanks for the recommendation and pic.

 

[RxRatedZ71]

Got the pad poured for the base. My wife helped with the mixing and we found out she has quite the talent for smoothing out concrete also. She works a float well enough that I think I may sub her out...

 

[aginn]

Now all you need to do is add a pic or 2 of the finished project.
It has been a very informative read. Thanks for posting and please show us what the finished project look like.

 

[RxRatedZ71]

Ok, I get it. I guess I did leave you hanging a bit. Let me try to find a few photos and finalize this thread.

 

[RxRatedZ71]

Here is the finished project. I chose to position the tail fin straight back and it worked fine for 4-5 months in oklahoma winds. However I think the bearing on the actial head didnt get paclked with grease well enough and it started to squeal. (adds character right) That lasted for a day or two then it ground to a halt entirely. In hind sight I should have made the service ladder a bit wider bc my wide shoulders dont allow me to climb it to the service platform.

Thats where my wife comes to my aid. She scurries to the top and help me service it. She spun the tail over to a 80° angle and lube the head bearings. Now it just pivots in the strong winds.

 

[pjoz98]

Can anyone comment on the use of windmills for the purpose of pond aeration? There are a couple of companies that sell windmills just for this purpose. A link to one here: Koenders Windmills for water aeration

Do these really work? I have a 2 acre pond that would be the right size for one of these windmills, just not sure if they really do the job of aeration or would I just wind up with a nice windmill?

I have had a Koenders windmill aerator for over 8 years and it works great. I have about a 2/3 acre pond and only one aerating stone attached to the 16 ft windmill. You would probably need the dual stone kit. It has been a lifesaver in that it has reduced the algae growth. I have not had a fish kill even though the pond is about 6 ft deep. Every so often though I use Cutrine plus and always add Aquashade to keep the water blue. It does not harm the donkeys we have. I would rate the windmill aerator with a 10+ star. Any concerns you can email me. (pjoz98@yahoo.com)