The mill is working properly again! Thanks to Mike Mortensen of Mike's Welding in Kimballton, we have a new U-joint connecting the fantail axle to the gear box which can handle the stress of the current angle. Once the parts came in, we were able to get the new joint on in a few hours and with no welding required. 

This joint should last some time for us and will ensure that other components aren't breaking down unexpectedly within the next few years. It will need to be greased once in awhile, but we'd much rather have that than another emergency later on. 

The downside to all of this is we did have to cut into our budget for a lift to make the repairs. We planned to have this lift in July to perform a bit of maintenance on the lower gearbox and address some other projects. We might have to push back on some of that for the time being, but at least the fantail is working properly again. 

We'll have the sails turning again on the next windy day!