My DIY 15" Trommel Project

[Goodyguy]

My DIY 15

Trying to see how cheap I can build a decent 15" gold trommel........

Using a drainage pipe 15" inside diameter 4 feet long. cost: FREE from a local excavating Co. *Note: it's smoothwall ( NOT ribbed) on the inside.
I modified an aluminum bakers rack to fit the tube that I picked up at a salvage yard for $20.
The wheels were bought on sale at Harbor Freight for $3.99 ea.
The supports for the wheels were salvaged from a discarded aluminum lawn chair.

Total weight so far: 30lbs. Total cost so far $36

It's a start


GG~

 

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[Goodyguy]

Re: My DIY Inexpensive Trommel Project

Even if you have to buy a new drive motor, you are still way ahead money wise compared to a new purchase. How are you going to engage and disengage the drive to the belt?

Well I did get the motor to start, I had to replace the fuel lines from the carb to the tank and re install the fuel filter and use fresh gas/oil mix.
It's a John Deere so it runs like a deer

Today I fabricated brackets to hold the motor to the trommel frame. (took all day) but it looks good and I was able to line up the centrifugal clutch and drive post with a groove on the trommel tube.

Next I have to get a pulley to install on the clutch post and a drive belt and a way to put tension on the belt. I want to use a flat belt with the grooves and a matching pulley so looks like I'll be making a trip to the "pull a part" auto salvage yard tomorrow.

As far as engaging and disengaging the drive belt goes, I'm hoping that the centrifugal clutch will do the job as I adjust the motor speed, same way it did when I used it as a weed eater. At idle speed the clutch would freewheel.
Also I'm hoping I can regulate the speed of rotation of the trommel by adjusting the throttle.

Guess I'll know tomorrow

GG~

 

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[2cmorau]

Re: My DIY Inexpensive Trommel Project

since dredging is extinct in California ( i don't have much hope with Brown ) i would be surprised if he did a line item veto on AB120

your system looks great
guess i will have to get started on one myself
thanks for posting

 

[oragonads]

Re: My DIY Inexpensive Trommel Project

Wow, that's turning out great. Nice work

 

[Goodyguy]

Re: My DIY Inexpensive Trommel Project

Thanks for the responses everyone I really appreciate the kind words

Here is a photo of the motor set up showing the speed control (off an old lawnmower) and kill switch.
The 4 rib pulley came off a junk power steering unit $5. I Bought the belt brand new for $13.95
Had to shim the shaft to make the pulley fit (used a copper sleeve)

If you notice on the groove that the belt runs in I attached an old 6 groove serpentine belt upside down so the ribs match the grooves in the new belt (wont slip that way) also had to cut 1 rib off the 6 groove belt to make a mate to the 4 groove belt.

It's easy to control the rotation rpm with the throttle control and the centrifugal clutch allows the motor to freewheel at idle speed.
45 rpm seems about right for drum speed.

Only thing is, I may need to adjust the gas oil mix as the motor seemed to run hot after 15 minutes of constant run with the spray bar running and rocks inside. When they came out the tailing chute I ran them back through.... that kept me busy for a while until my wife made me put them back in the flower beds.

GG~

 

[russau]

Re: My DIY Inexpensive Trommel Project

looks good GG! for a belt tensioner i used some parts i had around the shop and made one with two peices of 1/8 x 1 flat bar stock and stainless steel,a "L" bracket, 1/4-20 hex bolts and nylock nuts and obviously a pully with a bearing in it.i used this on my stand alone hooka and my belt is a little large and this tensioner keeps the slack out of the belt as the belt streachs over time. i like the clutch for this setup!

 

[Goodyguy]

Re: My DIY Inexpensive Trommel Project

looks good GG! for a belt tensioner i used some parts i had around the shop and made one with two peices of 1/8 x 1 flat bar stock and stainless steel,a "L" bracket, 1/4-20 hex bolts and nylock nuts and obviously a pully with a bearing in it.i used this on my stand alone hooka and my belt is a little large and this tensioner keeps the slack out of the belt as the belt streachs over time. i like the clutch for this setup!

I will add the tensioner soon. Did you use a spring to apply tension or is it manually adjusted?

 

[2cmorau]

Re: My DIY Inexpensive Trommel Project

hiow about a slide plate mounted to the motor, that then mounts to your 1 1/4"? tubing where your motor is now mounted
just an idea for taking up the slack on that belt

 

[Goodyguy]

Re: My DIY Inexpensive Trommel Project

hiow about a slide plate mounted to the motor, that then mounts to your 1 1/4"? tubing where your motor is now mounted
just an idea for taking up the slack on that belt

Good idea

Here's a couple of photos of the spray bar in action....





Photo of my wheelchair pump/cart

 

[russau]

Re: My DIY Inexpensive Trommel Project

looks good GG! for a belt tensioner i used some parts i had around the shop and made one with two peices of 1/8 x 1 flat bar stock and stainless steel,a "L" bracket, 1/4-20 hex bolts and nylock nuts and obviously a pully with a bearing in it.i used this on my stand alone hooka and my belt is a little large and this tensioner keeps the slack out of the belt as the belt streachs over time. i like the clutch for this setup!

I will add the tensioner soon. Did you use a spring to apply tension or is it manually adjusted?

GG i used a spring to add tension. but you could have your motor on a piviot to use its weight to put tension on the belt. if it ever stops raining/flooding i plan to come over to Indiana (sugar creek) to dredge and ill bring it for you to see if you can get away for a bit.

 

[GrayCloud]

Re: My DIY Inexpensive Trommel Project

AIN'T NO PROBLEM WITH WATER FLOW. Looks good.

 

[Goodyguy]

Re: My DIY Inexpensive Trommel Project

GG i used a spring to add tension. but you could have your motor on a piviot to use its weight to put tension on the belt. if it ever stops raining/flooding i plan to come over to Indiana (sugar creek) to dredge and ill bring it for you to see if you can get away for a bit.

Thanks for the invitation I'll bring my dredge too. Just pm me with the date and time.
The flooding should be over by late July/Aug

GG~

 

[Goodyguy]

Re: My DIY Inexpensive Trommel Project

AIN'T NO PROBLEM WITH WATER FLOW. Looks good.

That 6 1/2 HP, Harbor Freight 4 stroke overhead valve engine on a 2" pump puts out over 150 gallons of water per minute.
When I use it on my high banker, the idle setting is almost too much, but when I hook it up to my dredge I have to crank it up to almost full throttle! But for all around use it does a great job.

GG~

 

[Goodyguy]

Re: My DIY Inexpensive Trommel Project

Just in case someone else uses one of these drain pipes, don't forget to add a back flow preventer ring onto the hopper end of the drum. I made mine out of a scrap piece of the ribbed part and pop riveted it to the end and sealed it with black silicone sealer. (you have to split it to get it to fit inside)



Otherwise water and gold bearing material would wash out the hopper end.

The other thing is, It will perform much more efficiently if you have a section of expanded metal for a classifier instead of drilling holes.
That will be my next modification along with using wheelbarrow type tires instead of the hard ones that are on there now.

One more important modification that I must do is to re-mount the motor so that the exhaust goes the opposite direction from the hopper. I really noticed the fumes when I upped the 2cycle oil to gasoline ratio. Hopefully I will just be able to reverse the muffler on the manifold to face the opposite direction and not have to re-mount the whole motor assy. to the other side of the trommel.

Go For The Gold,
GG~

 

[Astrobouncer]

Re: My DIY Inexpensive Trommel Project

Looking great so far, love it! I intend to make one eventually classifying into a wheelbarrow.

 

[russau]

Re: My DIY Inexpensive Trommel Project

well i went back to check on the pipe scraps when the pipefitter boss told me to at the end of their work day and the only scrap was 2 broken short peices of 12 in. PVC pipe. none of the large black ribbed pipe. ive never seen anyone so effeiceint on the use of pipe before! theres always scrap of somesort, but not today for me!

 

[Goodyguy]

Re: My DIY Inexpensive Trommel Project

Bad news ................... my idea to eliminate the need for gear reduction by use of the centrifugal clutch was in error.
It worked in theory but the reason I was having overheating issues was due to the fact that the clutch never had a chance to "lock in"
therefore it was in a constant state of slippage causing the clutch to overheat due to the constant friction.

The weedeater motor and centrifugal clutch will work fine once the proper gear reduction is in place allowing high enough motor rpm to fully "lock in" the clutch.

With a motor speed of 2000 rpm (when the clutch locks in) it will take 3 belts 5 pulleys I will need to run a 2" pulley on the motor to a 6" pulley driving a 4" pulley connected to a 2" double pulley running to the 15" drum to achieve 45 rpm at the drum.

Got to be a better way.

GG~

 

[jog]

Re: My DIY Inexpensive Trommel Project

The weedeaters connected to the drive gear, the drive gear is connected to the idler gear, the idler gear is. I think there is a song like that somewhere.
Don't you just love all the different ways of figuring out the ratio and how to route it. It's like a big brain teaser.
Looking good....

 

[Goodyguy]

Re: My DIY Inexpensive Trommel Project

The weedeaters connected to the drive gear, the drive gear is connected to the idler gear, the idler gear is. I think there is a song like that somewhere.
Don't you just love all the different ways of figuring out the ratio and how to route it. It's like a big brain teaser.
Looking good....

Lol! ...... Well a trip to the salvage yard has supplied me with a 45:1 ratio worm drive gear reducer for $20 It came with a 90 volt DC electric motor, if only it were a 12 volt I would scrap the weedeater and go DC.

Yep it's really a lot more fun working on figuring out the workings than shoveling dirt and gravel into the hopper.

GG~

 

[GrayCloud]

Re: My DIY Inexpensive Trommel Project

Buddy, Is there a converter that goes from 12 volt to a 90 volt?
I don't know of one, but I am pretty ignorant on this subject.

 

[Goodyguy]

Re: My DIY Inexpensive Trommel Project

Buddy, Is there a converter that goes from 12 volt to a 90 volt?
I don't know of one, but I am pretty --deleted-- on this subject.

No DC step up transformer goes that many volts at a jump. I could always run eight 12v batteries in series but seriously I wanted a motor that runs on gasoline so I don't have to worry about re-charging the battery(s) In case I'm away from a power source.

Although I just looked up the motor w/gearbox online and it sells for $425 and even though I bought this one at a salvage yard for $20 it looks like new.
I opened it to look at the commutator and brushes and it appears to have hardly been used. All the internal copper wire is clean and bright also.

Perhaps I can figure out a way to use it as a primary drive and use the gasoline motor as a backup.