Okie Windmiller is an Oklahoma fella that is the modern day Don Quixote. We chase down broken windmills and see if we can’t get them back to pumping water. We also install new ones as well, along with solar water pumps. Our days are sometime long and treacherous, not without the occasional mishap, but full of fun and enjoyment of the career we chose. We think you will love it as much as we do, except you wont get covered with chiggers and ticks.
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Do what you do,love your content.with you two all the way.
Aww man thank you!!! We’re gonna keep it up!!!!!
Your reading on the DC current with an AC meter will be inaccurate but it will read. That being said my SQFlex motor to pump coupling came loose and wore out after 20 years down 450ft not fun to pull manually.
Man I bet that was fun to pull! Yeah I just use it as a gauge to show what’s happening down hole. I probably need to put that into a video so people will know what I’m doing, and that it’s not a true reading. I didn’t think anyone would even catch that. Thank you so much for watching and please keep doing it!!!
Really enjoy your windmill content. on your submersible installs i noticed no safety ropes. All my wellls have safety ropes, maybe depth related? one is >600 ft. another question are you using PVC directly into the pump? i know they are soft start but will they torque break? in the old pre soft start a lot of installers used torque arrestor rings When I had to hand pull that was a PITA do you have 2 rigs now the big 3 axle with the boom digger and the smaller crane truck for smaller jobs? Keep on growing to your sweet spot Lucky to havea family operation like you do. God Bless you guys
Howdy there! Thanks you for enjoying our content!!!!! So in our area, nobody uses ropes for solar or regular pumps. The main reason for me not using them is the soft start feature, but also have pulled pumps that the rope had not been tied well and it ends up locking the pump in the well bore if it falls. The action of the pump almost lets the rope settle into a solid ball that is tough to pull, especially on roll pipe. I have asked well drillers around me and they all agree, we don’t use them. We tape enough to hopefully be able to pull the pump if something breaks, but knock on wood, that’s never happened yet! Well we have 3, but one has never been on KZread yet. It’s a 65’ sign crane that the digger has almost replaced. The main trucks we run is the small 550 with the Pulstar and the big ole digger. Thank you for the support and for watching us grow! I’m there luckiest windmilled that I know with the good help! Thank you again!!!!
@@OkieWindmiller Thanks for the reply i wasn't really sure what the reason was some were done that way. I guess you roll the dice, just always use the best practices and parts and hope for the best!
Pretty much!!!!😀. Thank you sir!! Have an awesome day!
Found your channel when it came up on my feed. One observation is omitting the earth wire in the plug ,if and when a genset is connected up to it. Following from New Zealand now retired electrician🇳🇿👌👌
Howdy there all the way down in New Zealand!!!!!!! So the earth ground is still to the pump and controller/disconnect. The ground goes up to the controller/disconnect, and the pump and panels are rounded there. All I’m using are the positive and negative wires from the panels to the plug. I’ve been told this is correct, but if not, let me know. Thank you so much for finding us and subscribing!!!!!!!!!!!!
MY dad was an old school plumber and it was called pipe dope then,1940 , and it’s still called that today. Great video and awesome job, something different!! 👍👍👍👍👍
Man thank you!!!!! Glad to know we can still use that word!!!!! Thank you for watching and liking it!!!!!!
Another successful fix! Funny as soon as you did the quarterback pose, Uncle Rico came to mind and then you said it 😆
Haha thank you!!!! I’m trying!! Thank you for sticking around!!!!
new sub here.... what a great channel... lots of into and fun to listen to
Awesome!!!!! Thank you! I’m trying to make it something I would sit down and watch!!!! Thank you for subscribing and watching!!!!!
she isnt bossy.... she is authoritave.... i got me one of those wifes also....!!!! lol
Haha they’re wonderful tho! Wouldn’t have her any other way! Thank you for watching!!!!!!
Your production quality is improving every week -- well done. Lori's camera work was outstanding - like she was on a tripod! The banter between you is informative and entertaining; it makes your video shine. Now some comments: 1) On your first trip up the tower you magically stopped the wheel despite the brake mechanism not being hooked up and you didn't say a word about how you did it! You've got to explain those details! 2) Why was the pump so close to the bottom and how did you know that would be the case? In a recent video you said the pump should be several feet up to stay out of the mucky stuff. 3) Why do you leave all that old water in the stock tank instead of siphoning it out? Setting up would only take a minute. If you used disposable hoses, you could leave them on site and it would stop siphoning when the tank was empty and not restart.
Man thank you again! She is soooo good and always getting better! 1. I stopped the tower by hand. Just put a hand into the back of it and apply pressure to the convex side of the blades until you overpower the wind. Works every time!! 2. I need to check the video to see what you are referencing, but we do like the pump to be 5’ or more off the bottom of the static water level allows. 3. As much as I would love to clean out the tanks(I’m being serious), if that tank had 12” of water in it, then it was probably 5,000 gallons. The ranch wouldn’t like me pumping that out because they want it filled with water. It will settle and look clear and I guess the livestock doesn’t care enough to worry about it. That would also take a long time. Thank you again for the good comments and questions!!!!! Happy 4th!!!!
@@OkieWindmiller At 9:45 you noted concern about dropping the rod and at 13:55 you confirmed it was intact and the pump was just a few inches above the bottom.
Ohhhh ok! So we test to make sure the bottom of the pump is still there before we let go of it. Since we were able to let go of it, we know the pump was there. It just a safety measure when dealing with an open top cylinder. Since there are several things that can cause a windmill not to pump, one of them being a broken pipe. With an open top cylinder, the pipe can slide down and disappear into the well if it’s deep enough. If we were to let go of the sucker rod and the pipe had been broken below the surface, we would have a chance to lose it all. 😀Clear as mud I’m sure.
@@OkieWindmiller I appreciate your attempt at explaining it for me, but I've watched the first 15 minutes three times and it still looks (to me) like that pump was only inches off the bottom. Maybe the other video with the five foot standoff was the Grundfos motorized pump. Would that need a longer standoff than this leather version? Thanks also for explaining why not to drain the tank; I guess livestock can digest a lot dirtier water than we can.
You’re good! So I said that the traveling part of the pump should be just several inches from the bottom of the cylinder, not the bottom of the well. Apples and oranges. 😀
Puddin's fab shop didn't lead me astray! Y'all are interesting to watch.
Man thank you!!!!! I’m so glad he said what he did! We would still have 79 subscribers if he hadn’t!!!!!! Thank you for watching!!! We’re trying to get better every day!!!
@@OkieWindmiller You keep posting, I'll keep watching, commenting, and giving you the thumbs up!
Man yeah! Thank you!! That will make us keep making them!!!!!😀
35.5 inches from center of circle fig this out at 17:27 min will se if I’m rite !!😅😅
I bet you are! That’s too much math for my brain!!!!😅 I searched and searched for that formula but apparently nobody agrees with each other……….so I just had to do my country math!!!😆
Yep it worked tho three tape measure would work
I need to buy 2 more then!!😀
lol
Hey hi from another Okie. I live in Piedmont, Ok just discovered your channel yesterday and can’t turn it off. I have a Aeromoter 6’ wheel that my dad rescued from Goodland, Kansas in the 70’s. I now have it running in my pasture. I would like to follow you guys around someday.
Howdy out in Piedmont! We’re thru there alllllll the time!!! I bet that little 6 footer is nice!!! We love them!!!! We go to some pretty cool places! Thank you for watching!!!!!
you have some great content on your channel very knowledgeable about windmills i was thinking about how to make your job a little easier if you got a bag or something to be brought up by the hook that way if you forgot something your wife could bring down the bag or something and rush it up to you and also when your done throw all of your tools in it and then your hands are free to climb down
Thank you! Yeah I totally need to do that! I’m just so used to the way it was for years when I ran solo, hard to change! 😀 Thank you for watching!!!
Not southern. Okie engineering
Haha yep!!! I will tell her to change her verbiage😀. Thank you for watching!
I came, I subscribed, I liked what I saw. Puddin's Fab sent me. I'm glad I found you.
Man yah thank you!!!! Glad you like it! It’s different but I’m gonna try to keep getting better!
Camera was to far away.
Yep I think that was the first day of the camera. Sorry. I was new and had nobody to train me, but I’m hoping to keep getting better!!!!!😀
I do it with my GoPro eight plug it into just the one of them little handheld battery packs that are like 20,000 mA or whatever and I used to take it fishing with me and Kent four hours of films
Man that’s amazing! Yeah, we only get about 30 min of on and off filming before we’re having to swap it out…….
Another great day in Oklahoma.
For sure!!!!!
54:10 that’s when you need a fishing real clipped on your belt. You can ask momma to attach a wire cutter and you can real it up. That’s in case you forgot to take a tool up in the first place.
Yep, that would have came in handy that day!!!!!! Thank you for watching!!!
Plug the camara in to a power pack it will charge as it films !!
No way! I need to look into that!!!!!!! Thank you!!!!
I'm interested in how you got into this line of work. I'm a Shawnee born and raised and currently live in Choctaw, OK. Wife retired from Tinker and she is so much happier, lol....Be safe out there and keep up the great content.
Man thank you! Well mana bought me our first windmill in 2004, rebuilt it, people heard about it, and here we are. Been doing it ever since!!!!! Also nothing like leaving the big job and working for yourself! Thank you for watching!!!!!!
Shaneman!!
Zaneman!!!!!
Glad Lori got a mic! I think it’s fun to hear y’all’s conversations!
Thank you Syd, although sometimes I need to take it from her and hide it. 😀
very interest video !!! I like very mutch !!!!
Awesome! Thank you for watching it!! Working on the next one now!😀
Fine job sir
Thank yo so much!!!!!!!
Thanks for posting
You’re welcome! Thank you for watching!!!!!!!!
Thanks for posting you guys. This is so interesting
You’re welcome! Thank you for watching!!!!!
You may need a tool basket for your hook, that way she could winch up your lithium, save a climb,
Haha I know! I like climbing too much!
Awesome video love the content very interesting👍👍
Thank you!!!!!!!!
Another fine video you guys! Keep it up!
Will do! Thank you buddy!!!!!
I wasn't aware of the open sucker rod pump option until you mentioned it in the video, but it does make servicing the well easier, especially for deep wells. I am sure that there is a small taper for the pumping mechanism to slide in fairly easily. Thanks for showing that style of pump mechanism. I'm sure that if the foot valve was bad, you'll be pulling the pipe and all out.
Thank you! You could run all the road back down and rotate clockwise and grab the lower check and pull it also, without pulling any pipe. Super easy!
I wasn't aware of that. WOW!!!
Yep!!!! 😀
You and your wife is doing a great job on them windmills I could not do that climbing that thing up that tall I am afraid of heights anything taller than a woman's belly just scares the crap out of me
Bahahahaha there’s some tall ladies out there tho! Thank you and thank you for watching!!!
Really enjoyed this one. It covered the windmill from bottom to top. I was surprised by how small (diameter) the sucker rods were.
Thank you! Yep the steel ones are 7/16. Easy to work with!
Thanks for making video. I enjoy watching. I hear ya on needing glasses. I hit 43 also and wow I keep reaching for reeders.
Man you’re welcome! Yep, thinkin bout getting it fixed, but readers are cheap!!!!!!!!🤓
You sound like Owen Wilson the Southern chef. I gar on tee! I think that was his name. Very interesting video. What would I do different? I'd have a belt pouch like a carpenters nail pouch to put things in and a light duty rope to hoist things up and down with your grunt. I have bad joints and a lot of that is from climbing ladders and poles and going up and down ramps. You soon realize everything you will need and things you won't and you pack accordingly. Your helper can shag everything you forgot. With the helper you have she would have probably had everything you should need for a normal service but the rope is for the unexpected. Thank you and have some fun, jack P.S. please escuse my typing as I'm having trouble seeing right nor.
Perfect thank you sir! I may need to do that, because you are right, it’s gonna catch up to me. Thank you for watching and for the wisdom!
I believe that he's referring to Justin Wilson, the Cajun chef.
Justin Wilson!!!!!! That’s it!!!!!!
Good job! One of these days "L" should do the narration....or are you worried that she would turn into the "fan favorite"!?
Thank you Sir! You know she already is!!!!!!!😀
Thanks for the great video. now i understand how the foot valve assembly?? works
Thank you!!!!
I would put a fishing wire down the well to see if you can find any stuff left in there
Oh I bet there is all kinds of stuff down there!!!!!
Another great video with something different and the scenery is magnificent, thanks Mr
Awesome thank you! Yep we love that part of the state!!!!
Momma is SIGHT MANAGER. Now this next thing is a JOKE NO TRYING 2 B MEAN: Or if she's feeling EXTRA ORNERY......HBIC....(Head 🐩 In Charge) 😊 Just want to say have a happy/safe 4th! 🇺🇸💖🥳💥🇺🇸
Haha yep, and she knows it!!!! Thank you! Happy 4th to you!
Here's the technical talk folks may have missed start dictionary? : solar, 8 foot by 27 air motor, open top cylinder, sucker rod, service the leathers, Ferling mechanism, 14 guague, a dawg, 7/16 14 thread, Momma, coupling, brush hog blade, traveling valve. 😮 Now your are use to your location but combination of accent and how fast you mentioned location it would help to show location overlapped on video. 😊 Most people aren't familiar with Indian words. Johnson County/Pontotoc County lines, South of Aida. I use 2 live in TX, was OTR trucker drove US 59 100 times. What animal is leather made from. 💖 from Minnesota 😎
Man good idea! I did it once, put a dot on a map and had the image, will do that here on out! Thank like that! The leathers are cow hide, hair side out that contacts the cylinder! Thank you!
@@OkieWindmiller Now we need 2 add hair side out on da hide towards da cylinders to da dictionary don't Ya know. #OKWindmillTechTalk 😉😎
I’m on it! Dictionary coming!
@@OkieWindmiller So once you've got the dictionary started we'll need to figure a has tag so its easier for Y'all to add to it and for us to get a quick link from google search. #OkieWindmillTechTalk Ask you viewers for other names
@@OkieWindmiller What do you call us groupies? If Y'all don't have a name yet here's some of my suggestions.#1)OakieH2OhhTURBINENATORS A) Windmillers B) Blowhards C)Wind Blown Water Pumpers YES ask viewers for help the WE can fote. Online surveys are easy to post. 😎#OakieWindmillerGroupies Can you tell I might be future Groupie President?😎 💖From Minnesota
Shane you should get a couple 2x6 and drill holes halfway through them for the sucker rod to sit in on the ground, plus some for the pipe as well to keep the threads good and clean and organized
I hear you. I have several that I use in the truck, but at that location, there is concrete poured at the base of most of the mills. It’s pretty nice working down there! Thank you for watching!
@OkieWindmiller I love watching your videos, have you ever tried the chest mount for go pro
Thank you! I have not but I may. The head mound bugs me because I can’t see where it’s pointed.
Yall forgot weatherman and philosopher! And maybe iron worker.
Haha yep ain’t that right!!!!!! Thank you so much for watching!
Why don’t you use a rope and bucket to send things up and down so you don’t have to climb up and down so much? Please use a safety strap and a tool pouch to carry things up and down and use both hands to climb lol, you scare me sometimes lol.
I have used the rope and bucket in the past, and just didn’t like it. I love climbing!!! I will try to get to wearing the belt, I have one, but don’t like being strapped to it for several reasons. But, safety is always paramount.
That was neat to watch, thank you!
Thank you!!!!!!!
I couldn’t do that work. I don’t like being more than 10 feet off the ground. The small work platform, I would never get anything done 😂😂😂. Nice job!! Cool rebuild.
Hahaha I’m at home up there thanks to the 20 years doing it. I bet you could do it!!!!! Thank you!
👍👍 GREAT VID. ENJOYED
Thank you very much!
I love it i keep learning something new and it also brings back memories. We can see what you are doing but also we're enjoying the view of southern Oklahoma so thank you, it's beautiful up there
Haha awesome! Thank you so much, the scenery is special for sure, just wished the camera did it more justice!!!
Those leather cups are very interesting. It might be cool to see how the make and shape them
Yeah I would love to tour several types of factories that produce the products we use! Thank you!
WHY do you not tie a rope around your waist when going up on top so you can haul up all the supplies you need without having to make extra trips up and down the ladder a bucket on the end of the rope would work wonders. (It makes me tired watching you climb. LOL).
Haha it’s just the way I’ve always done it. In the early years, mama was raising babies and I was solo, so it wasn’t an option to have someone load a tool into my bucket it I needed it, so I climbed. I love it. Keeps me in good fighting shape!