Climax Wind Pump

Our wind pump was originally supplied and erected at Gorfen Letch Farm in Nortumberland by Jackson’s Agricultural Engineers of Morpeth in 1952, who themselves got it in kit form from Climax Engineering.

The pump statistics are: tower platform 4.5 feet square; 18.5 feet above the ground; head is 25.5 feet; the 18 blades are 3 foot long by 6 inches; the sails are 10 foot in diameter; pump stroke 12 inches and three inches diameter; in a steady breeze, ie, force 4 to 6, it does approximately 10 strokes per minute.

Vale Mill Trust, who run Path Head Water Mill,  dismantled the wind pump in 1990 and brought the bent and damaged parts to our store. We stripped the various units: sails, tail, gearbox and tower. The gearbox was overhauled by MKW engineering at Stargate as a charitable act. This gave us a solid base to carry out the straightening and painting of the other parts ready for re-erection at Path Head.

The tower was erected in an adjacent allotment for safety and security and the head was lifted in place by Andy Barton of Newburn. Channels were dug from our supply stream and 32mm delivery pipe was buried to supply our reservoir along with our hydraulic ram pump.