The Windmill Build: Concept to Completion

Who doesn’t love a big, beautiful windmill in the landscape, slowly turning and creaking as a gentle breeze blows through the blades of the sail? There is nothing more iconic in the American West than a HUGE wooden tower with an Aermotor windmill on the horizon as you watch the sun fall and the moon rise. Today, we battle Murphy’s Law and Mother Nature, but this windmill is going to happen!

It may appear chaotic, but assembly of the windmill was quite easy. I don’t think Julio ever broke a sweat. I can’t say the same for myself. Timberlyne did a good job engineering the kit. Often, organization’s providing kit or pre-fab homes, barns, windmills, or other products do not engineer the individual parts with the level of precision demonstrated by Timberlyne.

Timberlyne has no idea I am making this movie. No doubt, they are going to have a heart attack when they how we assembled the tower. Someone call and tell them to skip to the very end, if they happen to stumble across this episode on YouTube. The finished product is breathtaking, no need to see the process….

Speaking of those who played a key role: It was Lady and Kloey who assembled the 10 ft Sail on the Windmill Motor while navigating a crazy pop-up windstorm. Great job ladies! I was ready to throw my tools in the pond and leave, but they saved the day!

A very special thank you to Julio. Julio is the MVP of my inner circle of people who possess the skills and expertise I need to bring our vision of this ranch to reality. He is my go-to-guy for anything construction, building, or home improvement related. He built the awesome awning over our back porch a couple of months ago and always takes great care of us. I am hoping he can help me build the next impossible project. Stay tuned, you’ll get a kick of this idea!!!

The guys who had no idea they would be on film, but still agreed to help us:

Dale and Calvin from Vrana’s Well Service & Marco from Ray’s Crane – Thanks Guys!!!!

If you are curious about the model of our tractor: The New Holland Workmaster 75 saved the day again. We could not operate this place without it. @NewHollandNA

Though it only made one scene, the 2024 Kawasaki Mule Pro-FXT 1000 Platinum Ranch Edition was used daily. The winch was not strong enough to lift the first wall into place, but did a good job helping to stabilize and support the weight, giving us a little more reassurance as we placed the second section of windmill tower. We hauled parts and pieces and use this ride on a daily basis to feed and check on the cattle, llamas, alpacas, and donkeys, who all seemed to enjoy watching us work through this project.

Assembly giant windmill
Assembly of an Aermotor windmill sail
Assembly of an Aermotor windmill stub tower
Assembly and installation of an Aermotor windmill motor, brake system, tail, and vane

Vrana's Well Service: Best water well installation and service team in Central Texas. Dale and Calvin understand the criticality of water. They took great care of us, when the well ran dry, two years ago. Dale coordinated the drilling of our well when his company was temporarily down. It says a lot about someone when they put the needs of their customers above their own.

Ray's Crane: Always responsive, affordable, and highly professional. They lift ridiculously heavy stuff really high in the air. You should have seen them tag team with the trucking company to haul and lift Kloey's caboose into place. Oh wait, we have a video of that day! Check it out.

JC Construction in La Grange, Texas: Julio's company. No job too large or too small. Julio will figure it out and exceed your expectations every time (from concept through execution). I can't say enough about his professionalism, competency, and customer focus. I will always stand by Julio and JC Construction. It is rare to find someone in his industry who treats a job site like their home and customers like their own family. This is why we love Julio!

Music:

Quiet When Dark by The Tap Room
Munir by Lukas Got Lucky
Badlands by Walt Adams
Friendship Road by Walt Adams
Esperando Tu DM by Lu-Ni
Born in the 80s by Falcon Dives
Es De Aqui Pa Ya by Lu-Ni
Spirit of the West by Roy Edwin Williams
Tacos y Salami by Lawd Ito
Wild Man’s Pass by Splasher!
Expliquer a Nouveau by Rymdklang Soundtracks
Sunset Rider by Speedy The Spider
Mezcal Romance by Speedy The Spider
Loner on a Cliff by Johan Glossner
Alabama Sweet Blood by American Legion
Dead On, Head On by American Legion

Don’t forget to stop by The Barnyard at Railhead Ranch on Instagram @ RailheadRanchTX

#ranch #ranching #farmhouse #windmill #windmills #construction #countrylife

[dudleydobie]

Loved but held my breath every minute watching this. I wonder how many plaintiffs attorneys were hiding in the brush and salivating over possible multiple death, personal injury and damage causes of action. Whew. Well done Scotts!

[MandyKubik]

I'm one of the "Mandy's" so I can't LOVE this more!!!

[randyscott]

Awesome-Julio has balls of steel for sure-looks great

[denisedenomme]

Hold my breath a few time watch this go up. Living dangerously for sure.
Love your windmill sure look amazing. Glad it’s been completed without any incidents .
Just wondering what’s next. Lol❤️🇨🇦

[Dr.Trjman]

Amazing video I enjoyed every single second great work 🎉

[joebufford]

There's one thing I didn't see was a well