cthomas
off to a rocking start
Member since April 2023
Posts: 24
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Post by cthomas on Sept 1, 2023 10:47:39 GMT -5
I have a two barrel Chicago Electric / Harbor Freight two barrel tumbler. I suspect it is starting to die as the motor is making more noise and there is red dust near the motor shaft. It has been running 24/7 for about 8 months or so which seems to be about the lifespan of these things.
So what are the best cheapest options?
Buy a replacement motor off eBay for $42 Buy an entire new tumbler from HF for $70 Buy a Lortone motor and try to make it fit $35 Buy a new Lortone when in stock $160
There is a YouTube video that shows how make a completely new tumbler using only the barrel rods but that seems like way more work than I am willing to exert.
Is there a way to repair the existing motor?
Thanks.
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Post by southernlakehuronguy on Sept 1, 2023 11:03:46 GMT -5
Sounds like the motor bearings. Cheapest route if you didn't get the 2 year warranty from Harbor freight, you can get 626 bearings on E-bay dirt cheap. Another option is to buy another tumbler from harbor freight, as being Labor day, you'll save 25%.
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skmcconnell361
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since August 2023
Posts: 125
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Post by skmcconnell361 on Sept 1, 2023 14:19:36 GMT -5
Personally I would trust this site over ebay www.thetumblersbench.com/ and they have the motor bearings. I did see a video on replacing the bearings
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cthomas
off to a rocking start
Member since April 2023
Posts: 24
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Post by cthomas on Sept 1, 2023 14:44:19 GMT -5
Thanks for that video, I missed that. (Good to watch at 2x speed) Took the motor out, and pulled out the bearings. I should have waited until it cooled. Ended up stripping one of the screws and had to drill it out. Will head to Home Depot later to find a replacement. Got the bearings out, was hoping they were the same size as skateboard bearings but they are not. Ordered 10 bearings off eBay for $14. Lots of really cheap cheap 626z bearings. Only found one vendor claiming they had ABEC-3 rated bearings. Nothing higher. Everything else was ABEC-1 or not listed. Now I have to wait a week for them to arrive.
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Post by velodromed on Sept 1, 2023 16:40:26 GMT -5
Thanks for that video, I missed that. (Good to watch at 2x speed) Took the motor out, and pulled out the bearings. I should have waited until it cooled. Ended up stripping one of the screws and had to drill it out. Will head to Home Depot later to find a replacement. Got the bearings out, was hoping they were the same size as skateboard bearings but they are not. Ordered 10 bearings off eBay for $14. Lots of really cheap cheap 626z bearings. Only found one vendor claiming they had ABEC-3 rated bearings. Nothing higher. Everything else was ABEC-1 or not listed. Now I have to wait a week for them to arrive. For next time, try Jim’s bearings. They are my go to. I build/run high end, off road RC cars and go through a lot of bearings. jimsbearings.com//www.google.com/search?q=jims+bearings&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&hl=en-us&client=safaribearings%C2%A0Tumblers motor bearings are exposed to high heat and dust, so metal shielded ABEC-3 are good enough. ABEC 5 are good also but more pricey. The number represents the tolerance level the bearings are manufactured too. The material used is just as important. I like super tough chromium steel bearings. It is important to lightly oil them at least every 6-8 weeks during use. I also add a drop of oil before use, then wipe it off after a few minutes, before install. Blow out the motor and surrounding with compressed air first though, and wipe surfaces down. Figure on replacing them yearly unless play develops in the motor shaft. If you can wiggle it back and forth, the bearing is dying. Squeaking or similar noises may or may not occur also. The motors may develop a whine or grumble sound too lol.
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skmcconnell361
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since August 2023
Posts: 125
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Post by skmcconnell361 on Sept 1, 2023 21:52:15 GMT -5
Thanks for that video, I missed that. (Good to watch at 2x speed) Took the motor out, and pulled out the bearings. I should have waited until it cooled. Ended up stripping one of the screws and had to drill it out. Will head to Home Depot later to find a replacement. Got the bearings out, was hoping they were the same size as skateboard bearings but they are not. Ordered 10 bearings off eBay for $14. Lots of really cheap cheap 626z bearings. Only found one vendor claiming they had ABEC-3 rated bearings. Nothing higher. Everything else was ABEC-1 or not listed. Now I have to wait a week for them to arrive. another tip I saw was to leave the heat shield off and use a small clip on fan blowing directly on the motor. I figure it could not hurt so will be doing that on next run with that tumbler.
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Post by velodromed on Sept 4, 2023 12:20:33 GMT -5
I have a wire jewelry dual 3 pound Tumblr that is basically the same thing as the harbor freight tumbler. The motor in mine died, and they sent me a replacement base…but last night I wanted to get the old one running again, so I took the motor out and apart. The motor was surprisingly simple. Didn’t even have a ‘can’ surrounding the whole thing. I just took the two end pieces off that hold the bearings and the rotor slid right out of the stator. I cleaned it all with electrical cleaner, I really had to work on the bearings to free them up because they were frozen, but I got them working well, put it back together and it works. I didn’t even put it back together totally right because I wasn’t paying attention. But it works. Eventually I’ll take it apart again and put it back together correctly with new bearings.
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cthomas
off to a rocking start
Member since April 2023
Posts: 24
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Post by cthomas on Sept 15, 2023 16:13:06 GMT -5
I finally got the ABEC-3 626z bearings I ordered of eBay. Popped them in and tumbler is tumbling again.
In case anyone needs the info the bolts that hold the bearings in are metric. M4x45 You can get M4x50 at Home Depot and they work fine, just a little longer.
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