Propeller Fan Keeps Livestock Cool

Propeller fan keeps livestock cool LIVESTOCK Miscellaneous 15-5-11 Old airplane propellers can be easily converted into powerful giant blower fans that work great in hot weather for keeping livestock cool, says Rawson, Ohio farmer Ron Cramer. Cramer bought a reconditioned 6-ft. long propeller designed for a Cessna 180 airplane and mounted it on a steel frame that's bolted onto a 5-ft. wide, 3-pt. rotary mower deck. The propeller is belt-driven off the mower's pto shaft. "It really moves a lot of air and keeps my poultry from being smothered to death in hot weather, especially when we're loading them into trucks," says Cramer, a commercial duck producer. He built his "propeller fan" two years ago. "At pto speed the propeller runs at about 2,000 rpms. Even when I stand 70 ft. away from the fan it almost blows me over. "I had been losing up to 30 ducks per truck load in hot weather. However, I haven't lost one since I built my propeller fan, which I use to blow air into trucks as the birds are loaded. I think it would help for loading any type of livestock or even to blow cool air into a barn. A good used propeller sells for $150 to $300." Cramer used 2-in. sq. tubular steel to build a frame to support the propeller and bolted it onto the mower deck. He bolted the propeller mounting flange to a wheel hub and 2-ft. length of axle tubing salvaged from the rear wheel of an old combine. The propeller is driven by a double V-belt that runs on a pair of double-groove, 12-in. dia. pulleys. A pair of threaded U-bolts mounted on the frame are used to raise or lower the top pulley in order to tighten or loosen the belt. Wire mesh hog panel clamped to the steel frame forms a protective cage around the propeller. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Ron Cramer, 12537 County Rd. 54, Rawson, Ohio 45881 (ph 419 963-2923).

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