Conveyor Belt Counter

[fish on!]

I need a little help. I found another dump credit union that I would like to start dumping some volume of halves on. They have a coin counter that is about the size of a coinstar machine but it operates with an inclined conveyor belt that feeds the coins into the machine.

I'd like to start diversifying my dumps since I want to up my volume this summer. I have a ton of different banks that will order me halves. At this point my limiting factor is a convenient way to dump a lot of coin. I did a test dump today, just to feel them out. It consisted of ~$250 in halves and ~$250 in dimes.

Here are my questions:

1. Does anyone have experiences both good and bad with this type of counter?

2. Does anyone know what the capacity of halves for this kind of counter is and what the bag change process is like?

3. Does anyone know how frequently this type of machine miscounts dimes?

Thanks in advance for the responses. I'm going to eventually figure this out on my own. I just wanted to avoid any headaches for me and the tellers in advance because my next try is going to be my usual $1k in halves. I still remember the one time I went to a bank that changes bags at $100 increments with ~$1200 in halves. The tellers will never forget that day.

 

[Iamrussell]

Sounds just like the machines I use- if it is the bags hold: dimes $2000, halves $1000
Changing bags isn't too hard for a teller that does it regularly, as far as miscounts- for dimes it's not too bad I think I've been shorted only 10-40 cents in a couple occasions 1 time it was a couple bucks but most times its spot on

 

[fish on!]

Sounds just like the machines I use- if it is the bags hold: dimes $2000, halves $1000
Changing bags isn't too hard for a teller that does it regularly, as far as miscounts- for dimes it's not too bad I think I've been shorted only 10-40 cents in a couple occasions 1 time it was a couple bucks but most times its spot on

Awesome! Thanks for the info. This is exactly what I wanted to hear. Now my only concern is that the redemption of the coin counting gets recorded on your account, so we'll see how long they let me play.

 

[Iamrussell]

Awesome! Thanks for the info. This is exactly what I wanted to hear. Now my only concern is that the redemption of the coin counting gets recorded on your account, so we'll see how long they let me play.

In my case for the majority of dumps they don't record it to my account- there are a few times where they show I deposited xxx amount and then withdrew xxx amount but not too often they just cash it out and I'm on my way- good luck

 

[usernameerror]

I've used this machine. Very efficient. Never had problems until the bank started charging fees for account holders. You can also each up the conveyor belt and grab foreign a from the magnet. Be careful of nails and sharp objects though.

 

[fish on!]

I've used this machine. Very efficient. Never had problems until the bank started charging fees for account holders. You can also each up the conveyor belt and grab foreign a from the magnet. Be careful of nails and sharp objects though.

Awesome! Thanks for the tip.

 

[ArkieBassMan]

This is kind of an unanswerable question. First off, I have no idea how many "conveyor belt type" machines are out there or how many different companies make one. The ones in my area may be totally different than the ones in yours. The conveyor types (in my area) are S-L-O-W! It takes 20 minutes+ to run $1000 in halves through one of these. Whereas in most of the others it only takes a couple of minutes (plus bag change time of course).

While waiting in line one day to use one of the conveyor type machines, the cent bags filled. Of course being a CRHer I'm checking out the bags as best I can. They were littered with MANY dimes, and I mean many. Hundreds. This machine while being horribly slow to begin with, jammed very frequently. This bank was pretty busy that day. I was about 5th in line to use the machine, no one had a large amount of coins to count, and overall it took me over 3 hours to get my halves dumped and counted. And that proves exactly nothing so far as coin counters go. This machine was obviously in need of cleaning and/or re-calibration, which I imagine does happen to every machine regardless of make or model. If your machine has been maintained properly, I'd be willing to lay odds that it works close to perfectly. If it hasn't, then it won't. What type it is will have little to do with that IMO.

The amount at which the bags fill is not universal for a certain type of machine or even bank. Its adjustable and the individual branch can set the amounts. Generally in my area, both half and dime bags fill at $1000, but most machines have 2 bags dedicated to dimes (only 1 for halves.) But, at one branch in a nearby town their half bag fills at $500 even though its another branch of the same bank and exact same machine that I use often. The one I use fills at $1000. I have even heard of (but never seen) coin counters that just dump all coins into a single large container.

The bag change process is pretty much the same in all of the machines, at least all of the ones I've seen. They open the machine and replace the full bag(s) with empty ones. Simple as that, although at times the person changing the bag has problems of getting the machine to let go of the full one. I assume the ~50 pounds of coins it contains has something to do with this. I have seen both canvas and coin-lok type bags used.

My advice is to "test" any potential machine with a smallish known amount before dumping hard and heavy. That should give you an idea of how its going to perform without putting your entire amount at risk of being horribly miscounted.

 

[Weaselbrott]

I love my bank with the conveyer belt coin counter, AKA "The Bean Counter" if you use my same bank. It fills at 1000, and it is brilliantly efficient. If only TD used these machines...

PS, I have found silver in the reject tubes of these machines too.

 

[$nack-Money]

if it is the "quick change" machine, which i'm thinking it is, it all depends on how well the machine is maintained. Some of the quick changes i use are complete junk, some count perfect every time. I have about 15 separate ones at my disposal. be sure to check the internal reject bin if the teller has to crack the door open to run a peripherals test, which will occur if they screw up the bag change (by not getting the bag on correctly or a multitude of other errors the machine may sense).

 

[fish on!]

Thanks for all of the help guys. This machine is definitely slower than my main dump bank's coin counter, but I'm looking for additional dumping grounds. I figure having extra dumping channels will help if I end up getting cut off from a bank. Also my main dump bank only has 6-8 branches. It never needs a bag change, but I just feel ridiculous walking in there with more than $1500 in halves even though they don't seem to mind. I still occasionally dump at TD, but between constant bag changes and not wanting to dump into that armored car service, I try to avoid it unless I have to.

I'll give the conveyor belt counter a more thorough test tomorrow. ($1k).

 

[$nack-Money]

try to get your tellers on a 1K per week routine. i find it works best if you train them this way. They will eventually wonder what happened to you if you fail to show up for your weekly 1K dump. with the quickchange machines, you'll definitely trigger a bag change every 1K of halves you feed into it. At my weekly 1K dump banks, the tellers start getting the new bag ready when i walk thru the door. it is now completely normal to them and a routine part of their friday. No one asks weird questions now, and they know what is expected of them to get me out the door. the only time im questioned is by customers when they notice the large display that ends close to 1K every time. Nothing to see here, move alone ladies and gentlemen- $nack

 

[fish on!]

try to get your tellers on a 1K per week routine. i find it works best if you train them this way. They will eventually wonder what happened to you if you fail to show up for your weekly 1K dump. with the quickchange machines, you'll definitely trigger a bag change every 1K of halves you feed into it. At my weekly 1K dump banks, the tellers start getting the new bag ready when i walk thru the door. it is now completely normal to them and a routine part of their friday. No one asks weird questions now, and they know what is expected of them to get me out the door. the only time im questioned is by customers when they notice the large display that ends close to 1K every time. Nothing to see here, move alone ladies and gentlemen- $nack

I know the routine. I just haven't run into this type of counter yet. My new favorite dump bank never needs a change, so the tellers are completely cool with whatever I bring in. I've gone as far as ~$2k in halves at my normal dump bank and the machine doesn't even slow down. TD is a different story. With the $100 bag changes, I believe I've come close to being shot by walking in there with $1k in halves. I'm just looking to expand my horizons a bit with the conveyor counters.

 

[fistfulladirt]

What brand is it? Sounds a bit like the LaRue that I use. $500 halves and dimes. Very efficient, counts $500 in dimes in about 2 minutes. I have had dimes counted as cents, but not often. It's usually spot on.

 

[Infowarrior]

If it is the one with the flap return tray, I have experience with it..

They can hold 500-1000 at a time, just ask that bank teller when they are changing it out.

Dont dump them full, they pull more coins than it can hold internally, and you can lose coins that way.

 

[SilverHoarder07]

if it is the "quick change" machine, which i'm thinking it is, it all depends on how well the machine is maintained. Some of the quick changes i use are complete junk, some count perfect every time. I have about 15 separate ones at my disposal. be sure to check the internal reject bin if the teller has to crack the door open to run a peripherals test, which will occur if they screw up the bag change (by not getting the bag on correctly or a multitude of other errors the machine may sense).

We have this type of machine at my work and it isn't reAlly possible to screw up a bag change. What happens is the coin Shute will get backed up if its only feeding a single denomination since it is so fast. I have come to learn that mixing a few different denominations in each bag I bring to be counted results in far fewer instances of backups. These machines from my experience are very fast and accurate. Info below on bag quantities:

Halves: 1k with 1 dedicated bag
Quarters: 1k with 3 dedicated bags
Dimes: 1k with 2 dedicated bags
Nickels: 200 with 2 dedicated bags
Pennies: 50 with 3 dedicated bags
Dollar coins:2k with 1 dedicated bag