Documenting my Jacobs rebuild/Installation

Revolutionary
Revolutionary Registered Users Posts: 13
Greetings all;
I thought I'd share with you all the last year of rebuilding a my Jacobs 110VDC Mill, installing it, the works. It's sitting out there tonight making about 40 amps at 50+VDC, and it's just the coolest thing. A ton more work to do than I suspected, hope you all enjoy, this is an article I wrote for it on my website with a bunch of pictures http://revrealty.us/offgrid-windpower.html Each of the pictures can go to almost full screen if you click on them, this was a FUN project...
I use it to charge my batteries, (4) forklift vatteries with around 2,000 AH in them. Just awesome to sit here listening to the wind, the harder it blows the more I like it. When I first installed it, I feared the wind, a bit. Now, I've had it just be smoking outside, 60+ MPH, and the Jacob furls out, and everything is fine.
Happy New Year to you all-
Chris

Comments

  • waynefromnscanada
    waynefromnscanada Solar Expert Posts: 3,009 ✭✭✭✭
    Re: Documenting my Jacobs rebuild/Installation

    Great story, awesome machine. Thanks for sharing.
  • Revolutionary
    Revolutionary Registered Users Posts: 13
    Re: Documenting my Jacobs rebuild/Installation

    You're welcome, Wayne. Glad to share, some of the posts on Forums like this one are what made me think some of the things I wanted to do were possible. Keep an eye on the site for more articels, we've done what I think are some really cool stuff in the last year or so.
    Chris
  • TheBackRoads
    TheBackRoads Solar Expert Posts: 274 ✭✭
    Re: Documenting my Jacobs rebuild/Installation

    Thanks for sharing, enjoyed the read!
  • icarus
    icarus Solar Expert Posts: 5,436 ✭✭✭✭
    Re: Documenting my Jacobs rebuild/Installation

    I thought I posted this the other night.

    Thanks for the post and your link. I have been looking (tacitly) for a Jake for ~40 years and probably never will get one. It is just one of those machines that seemed to be the penultimate for it's time,, and like well build and well engineered things, stands the test of time.

    Good luck with it,, and let us know how it works out,

    Tony
  • Revolutionary
    Revolutionary Registered Users Posts: 13
    Re: Documenting my Jacobs rebuild/Installation

    Tony;
    I may know where you can get one. Give me a call or email if you'd like, glad to help.
    You can get my number & email so on from the link I put on here.
    Chris
  • WisJim
    WisJim Solar Expert Posts: 59 ✭✭✭
    Re: Documenting my Jacobs rebuild/Installation

    Just got the time to check on the forums. Nice article. We have a Jacobs Model 25 that we originally installed in 1977 or 78, then moved in 1989 and reinstalled it with new blades and blade controlled governor, as the original governor with all the gears developed wear on the gear faces in the 12 years that we used that style of governor. We did our installations with a gin pole, no crane, and the first time I and my wife did it ourselves, with 2 little kids too. Used our VW Beetle to pull the rope to lift the generator and governor. I installed the blades after the unit was on the tower top. We have a 60 foot tower, and it really should be twice as tall for better and more consistent winds. I grease the governor and turntable bearings spring and fall, haven't had to replace the brushes yet (but may do it next spring) and touch up paint occasionally. I had the tail pull out spring break once and have replaced the bushing in the bottom tower mounting twice. Next time we will make a new mount using a roller bearing instead of the bronze bushing. Be sure to grease that bushing regularly! Good luck!
  • Revolutionary
    Revolutionary Registered Users Posts: 13
    Re: Documenting my Jacobs rebuild/Installation

    Hey Jim;
    Wow, you used the gin pole to raise it, huh?
    I ran out of nerve on that; I have everything to do it with, and just decided to hire a crane to lift it. That;s awesome that you puled it off, though, really.

    I'll be greasing mine in the spring, bot governor & base/turnstyle, and I want to adjust the governor down JUST a little more. I think it can go a bit faster, as right now it makes just under 2100 Watts, total. the thing is, we split it so I could get 55Volts or so instaed of the 110 volts, so it's taking some messing around with to get it right.

    Good Luck with yours too, Jacobs are the way to go!
    Chris
  • WisJim
    WisJim Solar Expert Posts: 59 ✭✭✭
    Re: Documenting my Jacobs rebuild/Installation

    I installed my Jacobs twice with the gin pole, and also a 2.5kw WindPower that is about the same size, and a couple of others. I never wanted to spend the extra money for a crane, and at the time didn't find a crane nearby. The gin pole was custom made to fit my tower, though, and more sophisticated than a simple pipe like the one shown in the original Jacobs manual. Mine is designed so the rope goes through the main tube, with 2 pulleys at the top so the rope is directly centered over the generator lift ring. I may try a crane, though, if I install another machine--but that depends on if I can find an adequate tower cheap enough. I am slowly restoring another Jacobs, a 32 volt 1.8kw, and I would like to put up the WindPower again, too. But, in the long run, the PVs do a great job with LOTS less maintenance!! although it is nice to get that energy from the wind on these shorter windier winter days.