Licensed · Insured · Local
Water-Pumping Windmill Installation & Repair
A windmill is still one of the best machines ever put on Panhandle rangeland. No fuel, no power bill, no electronics to fry in a lightning storm. When the wind blows, which is most days out here, your cattle drink.
Applewhite Water Well installs new windmills, rebuilds old ones, and keeps working mills pumping. Tower work, motor rebuilds, cylinder pumps, rods, and leathers: we do all of it with our own boom truck and our own hands.
Plenty of old mills standing on this range can be brought back. If your granddad’s Aermotor has been freewheeling for a decade, there is a fair chance we can have it pumping again for less than you think.
What You Get With Applewhite
New installations
Complete windmill systems: tower, motor, cylinder, drop pipe, rods, and the stock tank or storage it feeds.
Rebuilds and restorations
Motor overhauls, new wheels and tails, tower straightening and re-anchoring on mills that have earned a second life.
Routine service
Oil changes, leathers, packing, and rod adjustments. An hour of service a year keeps a mill running for decades.
Boom truck equipped
Tower and wheel work is done safely from our boom, not from a ladder and a prayer.
How the Job Goes
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Assess the site or the mill
For new installs we check wind exposure, well depth, and water demand. For repairs we inspect the motor, wheel, tower, and downhole parts.
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Written scope and price
You get a clear list of what the mill needs now, what can wait, and what each piece costs.
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The work
Most repairs finish in a day. New tower sets and complete installs run longer, and we schedule around your cattle rotation.
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Pumping proof
We do not leave until the mill is pumping to the tank and the brake, furl, and oil are right.
Why windmills still make sense in the Panhandle
The economics are simple. A windmill costs more up front than an electric pump but then pumps for free at a site that would cost thousands to reach with power lines. On remote pasture, the grid is not even an option worth pricing.
Wind is the one input this country has in surplus. A properly sized mill over a decent well keeps a stock tank full through every season, and parts for the common motors are still made and still available.
Windmill or solar? An honest comparison
We install both, so we have no horse in the race. Windmills win on longevity and simplicity: a rebuilt motor can run 20 years with basic oiling. Solar wins on water volume per dollar in summer, when panels produce most and cattle drink most.
Calm, hot weeks are the windmill’s weak spot and solar’s best case. Cloudy, windy winters are the reverse. On big outfits we often pair one of each across pastures. Read our comparison guide, or call and describe your pasture and we will tell you which way we would go.
Looking at land with a mill on it?
Walk the tower legs first: straight legs and tight anchor bolts mean the expensive part is probably sound. Look up at the wheel for missing sails and a tail that sits square. Then look down: a wet spot or green grass at the base of a mill that "has not run in years" sometimes means the well below it is still good.
None of that replaces an inspection, but it tells you whether the mill belongs in your offer price as an asset or a teardown. We do formal pre-purchase windmill inspections when the answer matters to the money.
What wears out on a mill, and when
Leathers in the cylinder are the routine wear item; they are cheap and expected. Motor bearings and gears go when oil changes get skipped. Wooden or worn rods let go in storms. Tail and furl trouble shows up as a mill that will not turn out of high wind.
None of that condemns a mill. It is all rebuildable, and rebuilt mills with fresh leathers and clean oil come back strong.
Service before storm season
Spring storms are what tear up neglected mills. A furl that sticks or rods with a century of fatigue pick the worst day to fail. We recommend an annual service visit in late winter, before the wind gets serious and while the schedule is open.
Who shows up
Matthew Applewhite, Owner & Operator
When you call Applewhite Water Well, you get Matthew. He answers the phone, walks your property, quotes the job, and does the work. He holds an active Texas Water Well Driller and Pump Installer license (#61162) with the Master Water Well Pump Installer designation, verified with TDLR. Insured, and based in Wheeler.
- Same person from first call to finished well
- decades of hands-on well work in the eastern Texas Panhandle
- Serving ranches and rural homes across 12 Panhandle communities
- Written estimates before work begins, every time
Manufacturer & Industry Resources
- Aermotor Windmill Company — The classic American water-pumping windmill, still built in Texas.
Windmills Questions, Answered
Can you fix a windmill that has not run in years?
Usually, yes. If the tower is sound, a motor rebuild, new leathers, and rod work bring most old mills back. We inspect first and quote before touching a bolt.
Do you install new windmills?
Yes. Complete systems from tower to tank, sized to your well depth and herd. We install proven Aermotor-pattern equipment with parts availability.
How tall a tower do I need?
Tall enough for the wheel to sit in clean wind, above nearby trees and barns. Most stock installs run 21 to 33 feet. Site exposure decides it.
How often does a windmill need service?
Once a year: oil, leathers if needed, and a look over the wheel and furl. Skipping it for a decade is how mills end up freewheeling with a dead motor.
What does windmill repair cost?
Depends entirely on what is worn. Leathers and oil are inexpensive. Motor rebuilds and tower work cost more. You get the number in writing before we start. Call 806-334-0785.
Can a windmill fill a storage tank and a trough?
Yes. Mills commonly pump to an elevated or ground storage tank that gravity-feeds troughs, so cattle have water even through calm spells.
Will you look at a mill before I buy a property?
Yes. A pre-purchase windmill and well inspection tells you whether that picturesque mill is an asset or a rebuild bill.
Windmill versus solar pump: which is cheaper?
Solar is usually cheaper to install; a windmill is often cheaper to own over 30 years. The right answer depends on the site, and we install both, so you get a straight comparison.
Windmills Across the Eastern Texas Panhandle
We serve every community below from our shop in Wheeler. Pick your town for local details, or call and tell us where the gate is.
- Windmills in Wheeler, TX
- Windmills in Pampa, TX
- Windmills in Shamrock, TX
- Windmills in Canadian, TX
- Windmills in Wellington, TX
- Windmills in Groom, TX
- Windmills in Miami, TX
- Windmills in Kelton, TX
- Windmills in Skellytown, TX
- Windmills in Alanreed, TX
- Windmills in Briscoe, TX
- Windmills in Allison, TX