An elaborate playhouse featuring a gearmotor from Bison Gear and Engineering Corp., St. Charles, Ill., sold for $10,000 at auction, with proceeds used to provide free home repair services for elderly and low-income homeowners in the San Francisco Bay Area. The “Molino of La Mancha” playhouse was designed by Topos Architects of Palo Alto, Calif., who selected the gearmotor to power the playhouse windmill on still days. The motor comes from the VWDIR23 series of right-angle, variable speed drives.
The Don Quixote-inspired windmill was sold at the “Dreams Happen” auction, the primary fundraiser for the charity that provides free home repair services to those in need. Recipients of these services are senior citizens, single parents, grandparents raising grandkids, the disabled, low-income families with children, veterans, children caring for ailing parents, and the sick or poor in health. For more information, visit www.bisongear.com.