windmill gone bad

I own a 1965 red ball I am the second owner (the first owner was a school). While I was running my last job on the 10 x 15 windmill she started slipping, so I ordered a new belt once I put the belt on and started her up she runs fine in idle mode but once I engage the clutch the press grinds to a halt in less then one revolution and the motor stops and just humms. I have adjusted the belt looser and tighter but nothing works. ANy ideas? I can roll the flywheel over by hand with the clutch disengaged, but I cannot roll it over by hand with the clutch engaged? IS my baby dead? The bearing and press are heavily oiled (my belief is oil and grease are cheap repairs aren’t) Any help would be appreciated. Thanks

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Hi Moonprint
Sounds as though some bearing has ceased or something has broken and maybe jamming the gears.
There is little you can do until you can turn it over by hand.
Slipping usually indicates the clutch is in need of adjustment; rarely does the belt slip.
I assume you are trying to rotate the flywheel in the direction of the arrow on the outer face of it; there is a locking device on the main shaft to prevent turning in the opposite direction.

In the manual it tells you how to move the locking device on the main shaft so you can back up the press, Bern knows his stuff, does sound like a broken part or a bearing . Good Luck Dick G.

Thanks for the compliment Dickg!
Just a word of warning.
If you do release the lock and turn the machine backwards be VERY, very careful.
Unless you know what you are doing, do not use force to overcome any resistance that is felt;as you could easily damage the gripper head mechanism, and this would be very costly to replace.

I repaired a machine recently with the same issue. What had happened was that the oil distributors behind the oil reservoir had gotten depressurized. There is an 11 mm cap on each one. You have to periodically remove the cap, one at a time so you don’t mix them up, and shake out the accumulated oil in the cap. When you pull the oil handle, the air in the cap is compressed and when you release the handle the air pressure sends the oil to the bearings. You probably have a bearing locked up from lack of oil even though you have been pulling the handle.
The bearing I had to replace was the one that the crank for the pump passes through on the pump side of the press. It’s a major job and you will need to get someone to check it out for you. Sorry it happened.

Moonprint,

Check the sump under the press via the back door, or through that 6” round hole on the pump side. Things can fall down in there that can eventually stop the press, or at least inhibit smooth operation.

Especially if the press was run previously by students, who may not tighten a quoin properly…etc. Everything that falls out of the chase can go down into the sump where the main toggle resides.

Anybody who has ever dug around in there certainly knows that there is SOME clearance, but a dropped quoin, or even too much off-cut from a die cutting job, can interfere with free movement.

There should be nothing down there but OIL, the toggle, and the impression handle mechanism!

If you locate that 6” inspection hole on the pump side, and can inch the press backwards (have a co-worker lift the “dog” on the flywheel shaft between the flywheel and the main body - using a long screwdriver - while inching the flywheel CAREFULLY! backward) THE HEIDELBERG WINDMILL WILL NOT RUN MORE THAN A FEW DEGREES IN REVERSE WITHOUT DAMAGE! So, don’t force it in reverse, do so by single degrees.

Check the inspection hole until the main toggle bearing clears the hole. With power and clutch OFF, dig around in there for anything that might be obstructing the toggle.

oh, and please DO disconnect power before sticking anything inside the press.

Side note: I found about $1000 worth of guides, quoins, and Heidelberg tools inside the sump of a single 13x18 GT model! Bonus! If you stick your hand into the sump, be aware of Exacto blades, and other sharp objects that may also lurk there…

Good Luck, and Skill!
Jim Chase