How to control speed?

[rickrutland]

I have an 8' Fairbury I've been working on. Don't have the skills to rebuild gear box, but everything seems to be working. Just cleaning, painting and reworking the tower.
Question:
When it is done, will be ornamental only and not pumping water. I assume I need to hang some weight on the pump rod to keep it from running wild. Any suggestions of how much/ how to do?
Thanks!

Rick

[larrychilton]

Not that familiar with Fairbury windmills but many, if not all windmills, have self-governing mechanisms. For instance, the center of wheel may be offset an inch or two from center of mast pipe or tower, that will cause the wheel to turn out of wind slightly in high winds, thereby slowing it down until the vane brings the wheel back directly into the wind. A spring mechanism is employed to return the vane back to perpendicular position. The spring can be adjusted to have more or less tension. Check the library for information of your windmill.

And of course, you can always furl the vane to keep the wheel stopped or only slowly turning.

Good luck,

Larry