Evance R9000. DIY servicing

[Gareth J]

Over the last couple years I've been servicing our 5kW R9000 myself.

Just wondering if anyone else does their own and if so, would care to share experience.
And indeed a source for parts. I'm waiting on Britwind for a quote for some bits but they didn't sound too keen to help. I expect I'll end up making my own basic stuff and ordering off the shelf standard parts.

Having just replaced the pitch bearings, I'm trialing a set of seals that'll hopefully help keep water out.

The major thing this year has been the tail tubes. It looks like the inside of the 80x40mm box section tubes that hold the tail on had little to no rust prevention on the inside from new. The fore mounting point for the plywood tail had almost corroded through. For this year, I've cut out a section and replaced it, then taped the holes and sloshed some cavity wax through them but I'll likely end up remaking them in the future. I would say it's worth getting these pipes looked at carefully by whoever does the servicing. I'm not sure if it would be the worst failure if it happened in situ but less than ideal for sure.

Anyway, any input appreciated and am happy to share my own.

[Gareth J]

Well, it seems not!

If someone stumbles across this thread in the future, happy to help if I can. Will be keeping this machine going as far a practical for the foreseeable.

[rogeriko]

You would have more luck posting on the farming forum in the renewables section.

[Gareth J]

Thank, good suggestion

[GilleRuadh]

Hi, did you get any further response on this? I have one of these machines and have watched it being serviced, looks pretty straightforward but the hydraulic jack to raise lower the tower looks expensive, maybe such a thing could be shared between owners?

[Gareth J]

Hi, did you get any further response on this? I have one of these machines and have watched it being serviced, looks pretty straightforward but the hydraulic jack to raise lower the tower looks expensive, maybe such a thing could be shared between owners?

Hi,
Yes, I completed the servicing and got a decent response from Britwind who seemed a who were willing to sell me some spares, although I didn't end up getting any last year.

The ram/s and brackets are expensive, I managed to get the details of the manufacturer for my tower type (stainton I think), take loads of measurements and get my own one made up. Think it was ~£700 for just the ram. The more common, twin ram type tower (Hutchinson, again, I think), uses a different setup unfortunately. There was a company located in Barnstaple offering ram kits for these on ebay fairly recently but think it was in the region of £2000. It's unfortunate as a local neighbour inquired about me servicing his tower, but his used the twin ram type and neither of use fancied forking out for the kit.

Sharing kit is a sensible idea in principal - after all, that's what service companies do. However, I fear that in practice, it might be a non starter unless you can club together very locally. They're really heavy. And none of the servicing companies are going to want you to hire theirs - they want to do the servicing.


If you're mechanically competent, (if replacing a vehicle cylinder head would be ok for you, it should be no stress) it is doable DIY.

If you do get further down the DIY service route, send me a PM, you'll need details of the special grease and the little pitch measuring gadget as a minimum. Among other things, like bearing data and potentially bearing pullers, I'm sure.

Whoever does your servicing, if the machine is approaching 10yrs old, check the condition of the tail boom + brackets.

[GilleRuadh]

Hi Gareth
I've got an 18m Hutchinson tower so would need the twin ram arrangement, can you give me a link to the company making these that you mentioned please? I agree the cost of these rams is an issue but I have a nagging concern about long term servicing and parts availability for machines such as these and how long Vince Dale will keep support going given that he is probably hardly selling any since FiT was axed. So greater self sufficiency would be sensible. That said there are lots of these around so likely to be interest in supplying the market for a while at least. So far mine has not missed a beat in 6 years or so. Britwind now are advising a service every two years
If I can get the ram situation sorted I would definitely try to service the machine and appreciate your offer to share details of the kit and parts involved.
Nice wind blowing this evening, generating around 4kW, only 4C outside but roasting in here!
Cheers

[Gareth J]

This is the company/kit I was looking at;

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/232585939527

Quite a bit more than I remembered though so maybe I'd phoned them up and enquired about just the rams/brackets. I plug a tractor into ours, saves having a powerpack onsite doing nothing most of the year.

Where abouts are you? That company was of particular interest to me as it's pretty local, maybe there are others nearer you.

I can see that bi-annual servicing would be ok, especially in a non costal setting. I'm glad we can get it down annually here though even just to spray some wax around and regrease the massive yaw bearing - dread to think what that would cost to replace.

Ours also seems to get on really well with easterly winds - think they're lmore steady and less gusty than the prevailing south/west, despite feeling less strong.

[GilleRuadh]

Thanks Gareth, I'll look into that. I's not clear from their ad if they supply the rams etc for the Hutchinson/Evance combination (they talk about Bergey) and it looks like it is one surplus bit of kit they're disposing of?
I've got a NH TL100 tractor on site so could use that, any disadvantages in uing a tractor with the rams?
We are 40 miles from nearest coast. I only generate about 7000kWhrs pa though robably due to the hill sheltering us from the east.
Cheers

[Gareth J]

Afraid I can't remember the details re. that company. Just thought it might be a good first port of call. I do remember finding a used kit f/s somewhere but it was still a lot of cash. May take some digging/phoning around.

Using a tractor is fine in my experience. Equally brown trousers as when they used to start tipping it with a power pack. I put an orifice restrictior in each end of the ram which helps keep things steady. Only limitation will be the total volume of oil the tractor can cope with pushing out. They are quite big rams but nothing like a larger tipping trailer. Should be able to find this data in the manual/online.

That will certainly be an easier life than one in the Shetland isles doing twice the kWh in salt water! We're somewhere in between, never quite exceed 10K and ~5mi from the coast.

[Pigsywigsy]

Hi Gareth, just reading your post now for the first time, good to hear you're getting into the servicing yourself, have you found any source for parts except the manufacturer? I need to get Bergey parts to recommission my turbine that's been offline longterm now.

Ta

[Gareth J]

Hi, sorry, just caught up with this.

Apart from standard, off the shelf stuff like bearings, seals and the like, no. Britwind own the machines, spares etc.

Fortunately, nothing has gone too badly wrong, apart from the rusty tail booms which are an easy enough DIY fix if confident with metalwork - or at least easy enough to farm out to a fabrication shop.

Time to drop it again soon so fingers crossed.

What parts do you need for your bergey?

Also, how did GilleRuadh get on with sourcing a lowering kit?

[GilleRuadh]

Hi Gareth, I followed up on the ebay ad for a hydraulic lowering/hoist kit, it seemed to be for a Bergey machine, sent the guy a message but no reply. I would still be keen to co-operate on this though as I perceive servicing as being one of the potential vulnerabilities. That said the Evance/Britwind machine seems to have been very reliable so far, especially compared to some other makes (there's a C&F machine near here that seems more often stopped than operating)
Cheers

[Gareth J]

Shame you got no response, maybe give them a ring? You might be able to draw out the locations of the mounting plates and design/commission your own kit. I had it in mind to make a modified set of Bergey brackets to allow my ram to be used but the throw on mine made it impossible. Not sure who else to try apart from scouring the internet and speak to whoever installed your machine, Bergey and indeed Britwind who may be able to help let you know which companies have made the brackets in the past.

Mine has been pretty good thus far and I saw several very weathered ones still spinning in the outer hebredies last year, which was reassuring. Pitch bearings have to be considered a service item but considering their life, it's no big surprise.

I'm not going to say that sharing the kit is a total non starter but it is fraught with potential problems - the logistics of getting hundreds of kg of kit around the country, who pays the bill if something small (or very catastrophic) goes wrong etc.