Family Business Builds Classic Windmills

Family Business Builds Classic Windmills ENERGY Wind Power Melvin Troyer’s grandfather established a windmill business in 1929 and it’s been in continuous operation ever since “My dad is 86 now and he’s still involved in the operations ” says Melvin Troyer “We don’t let him do the installations but he’s still busy in the workshop He’s helped here since he was a kid and so have I ” Troyer estimates that approximately half his customers purchase the windmills for work purposes Many of them are Amish and they use them to draw water to manage crops and livestock The rest of the buyers prefer the windmills for nostalgia and to enhance the beauty of their property “They’ll often connect them to a decorative pond for some aeration ” he explains Today the Troyer Windmill sources its windmill parts from the Aeromotor company a business that’s sold essentially the same windmill since its start in the early 19th century Sizes range from 30 ft to 80 ft though most windmills fall between 30 to 40 ft The wheels tend to be between 6 ft and 16 ft in diameter “Our most popular size is a 40-ft tower with an 8-ft wheel ” says Troyer “It’s a good working size Pricing for that one starts around $5 000 to $6 500 before shipping and assembly ” The size of the blade makes a significant difference in each windmill’s functionality While an 8-ft wheel will pump water from 100 ft a 10-ft wheel can reach 200 ft and a 16 ft over 1 000 The company handles installations across most of the U S east of the Mississippi He estimates that the company takes on close to 75 percent of all installations themselves averaging approximately one project a week Installation requires digging four holes between 4 to 5 ft deep for the base The team will put together the bottom layer and slowly climb the windmill assembling the rest as they go “There’s usually a rope and pully system involved ” says Troyer In most cases installation takes under a day The crew also handles necessary repairs on older models Overall Troyer is proud that his grandfather’s legacy is continuing “There aren’t a lot of folks installing windmills these days ” he says “We offer something unique in the area ” Contact: FARM SHOW Followup Troyer’s Windmill Sales 3981 County Road 70 Sugarcreek Ohio 44681 ph 330-893-0051; troyerwindmill76@gmail com

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