rotary question

This is some sort of consumer-modified machine. No manufacturer would make a machine where the height of the motor would not let you put a barrel on part of the shaft. Possibly, like John said, it is intended for a wider diameter barrel. (IF it was, you are turning the smaller barrel faster than recomended.)

I think this cannot be the original motor.

It is crucial to determine if the motor is stopping or if the rotation is not getting to the shaft.

If the motor is stopping, then the motor shaft is not turning, and either the motor is bad, or some part of your sleeves/bearings is bad and giving more resistance than the motor can be expected to overcome.

Like John said, if the shaft is turning, the next question is whether the drive pulley is turning. If not, you need to secure this pulley to the motor shaft better. IF the drive pulley is turning, is the driven (tumbler shaft) pulley turning. If not, then the belt is slipping. If the driven pulley is turning, is the tumbler shaft turning? If not, then the driven pulley needs to be secured more tightly to the tumbler shaft.

In my experience with 2nd hand dual-3lb units, the motor is giving out. But check all the points between motor and barrel.

I would not recommend buying a new manufacturers motor. 1) they are expensive, and 2) they usually have just enough power to turn everything if the sleeves/bearings are good and the belt is not too tight/loose, and the load is not too full ... etc. Generally they are 1/75th hp. - Unless it is intended for wider barrels and you get a new motor and a 12lb barrel.

I would look for a cheap 1/20 hp or 1/12 hp motor that you could mount alongside the unit, not under the barrels. (Or at least I would jack up the unit, so the motor was further under the barrels.) This motor will have plenty of power to turn even gunky sleeves/bearings and to handle over-full barrels.

The one disadvantage is that you need to custom-rig the motor mount, and get some custom belt to reach from the new motor location to the driven pulley. You also want to have the motor be able to slide a bit to let you tension the belt.

You might consider putting the motor below the unit, bolted down, and then somehow varying the blocks thickness you use to jack up the unit so you can tension the belt. Or, you might put the motor in front of the unit and arrange so it can slide back and forth about an inch before you bolt it securely. (A motor with a foot plate with elongated bolt holes will let you do this.)

This will look like way more of a contraption than it does now, but you will have shafts that should turn any barrels.

This one is only 1/40 hp, and I would recommend stronger, but it is cheap:

www.surpluscenter.com/item.asp?UID=2009121811205852&item=10-995&catname=electric

this one, also only 1/40 hp, is even cheaper:

www.surpluscenter.com/item.asp?UID=2009121811205852&item=10-964&catname=electric

This is a slippery slope. The RPM of any surplus motor you find might require a different sized drive pulley to maintain the same barrel speed. Or, the drive pulley you have will not fit on the shaft fo the new motor. Or, you find a drive pulley for the new motor's shaft, but it is made for a wider belt than the typical o-ring type belt your driven pulley is made for.

At some point, you start to think that if you are custom building the motor and redoing the belts and pulley's, why not also redo the frame to allow more/bigger barrels. I have been there and done that.

The alternative is that you do get a Thumlers or Lortone motor used on their 12lb units (e.g., QT-66, AR-12) and it bolts in right where you have it now - but then you still have the problem of the motor blocking the 2nd barrel.


Anyway, good luck. If you get a chance, post the hp and RPM and model# and anything else you can determine about the existing motor.

MAN!! Looking at this thing in the pics........Maybe I'll just try to save some money and buy some thing else! This looks way worse in the pics!!! UGGGHHH! I couldn't get everything off of it when cleaning, but I will have my husband take it apart tonight and do a better job of that. I take it apart, and it will NEVER work again!! LOL Right now it's running....so.......I wanna leave it running as long as I can. The guy I bought it from told me to keep those bushings at the ends of the shafts with plenty of oil.....guess I'm doin that much right anyways!

Other than the drum and red paint I don't see anything Thumler. Looks home made. The non pulley shaft has no bushings just running in a hole in frame. If motor is bad I don't think it would be worth replacing unless you can completely re-engineer the tumbler. I'd wait until after Christmas and watch e-Bay for all those unwanted Christmas tumblers or go to Cabellas or other reloading supply and buy a new one.

I would stick with rotary myself. Either a Lortone QT66 (add a 12 lb barrel later) or Thumler's Model B. Your two 3 lb rotaries would be hard pressed to supply a UV10 vibe for finishing. A vibe won't make rounded pebbles. A smaller vibe will finish what your 3 lb units produce but good small vibes are not cheap either.

If you plan to stick with polishing pebbles, follow John's advice. If you think more pre-forms are in your future, consider that they can go right into a vibe. ... and you can still use the small rotary to help feed the vibe.

:2cents: Looks like the rubber doesn't meet the barrel, and you definitely need stops. Have a great Christmas, maybe Santa will help ;D Ed

It dawned on me after seeing the close ups that the red things on the shafts are probably wheel arbor adapters (telescopic bushings). When it dies you should save it for parts. If you were mechanical you could move idler over, add bearings or bushings and have something that works. You would have to find bushings like Lortone and drill new holes. I'd cover shafts with braided vinyl hose also. Sounds like motor runs if everything turns.