Wooferhound
Cave Dweller
Lortone QT66 and 3A
Member since December 2016
Posts: 1,422
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Post by Wooferhound on Apr 12, 2018 9:25:34 GMT -5
I have had my Lortone QT66 for 13 months now. In that time I had a barrel Blowout bad, and another blowout mildly. A small amount of grit got into the roller bearings. So now that i'm more experienced and can hopefully keep from blowing out another barrel, I decided to refurbish the machine.
Took off the belt/pulley cover and noticed that the belt was rather loose even though it was working wonderfully. Had about a teaspoon of black powder in there that had come off the belt from more than a year of operation. Brushed that all out then cleaned up the pulleys and belt.
Popped the clips off the end of the barrel rollers, then removed the rollers along with the plastic bearings. Had been putting a drop of 3-in-1 oil on the bearings every month as Lortone suggests in the manual, but the stuff being cleaned off of the bearings and rollers was a thick black sludge. Removed the gunk with paper towels and cleaned the frame. The ends of the rollers had been scratched up a bit when the grit got in there from a blowout, but it was not too bad so did not try and smooth them down any.
Then it's time to put it all back together. Popped the bearings and rollers back in, snapping the retaining clips back on the roller ends. Added plenty of oil to the bearings and the rollers operate so easily. Also added a couple of drops of oil into the 2 lubrication holes on each end of the motor. Put the original belt back on, making sure to properly tighten it up, I've got a spare belt but the old one looked fine even after losing some material as powder in the housing. Added the belt housing back on and it and now the thing looks and operates like New again.
Rather easy to do and it only took about an hour to do. It's running great and the sound it makes is smoother and much quieter than before. Now to pay more attention and prevent any future blowouts. no pictures ... sorry.
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unclesoska
freely admits to licking rocks
All those jade boulders tossed in search of gold!
Member since February 2011
Posts: 934
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Post by unclesoska on Apr 12, 2018 9:42:25 GMT -5
Maintenance. You did maintenance. Refurbishing involves inspecting and possibly/probably replacing bearings. Def replace belt (a teaspoon of black powder? That belt will be toast in no time.) It also involves stripping and repainting, a whole lot of work if done right. So maybe you change the title of this to "maintaining a QT66, or something of that nature. Sorry to be a dick- maintenance takes an hour, refurb requires @ least a day. Trust me, I know.
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Wooferhound
Cave Dweller
Lortone QT66 and 3A
Member since December 2016
Posts: 1,422
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Post by Wooferhound on Apr 12, 2018 14:47:37 GMT -5
Well I don't know, The amount of work that you are describing sounds more like Rebuilding. I was just doing a deep cleaning which is taking the existing parts and Refurbishing it to be as good as possible. I would think of Maintenance as something like oiling the bearings once a month and checking/tightening the belt tension. Seems like a semantic issue?
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Post by gmitch067 on Apr 12, 2018 21:38:43 GMT -5
I have had my Lortone QT66 for 13 months now. In that time I had a barrel Blowout bad, and another blowout mildly. A small amount of grit got into the roller bearings. So now that i'm more experienced and can hopefully keep from blowing out another barrel, I decided to refurbish the machine. Took off the belt/pulley cover and noticed that the belt was rather loose even though it was working wonderfully. Had about a teaspoon of black powder in there that had come off the belt from more than a year of operation. Brushed that all out then cleaned up the pulleys and belt. Popped the clips off the end of the barrel rollers, then removed the rollers along with the plastic bearings. Had been putting a drop of 3-in-1 oil on the bearings every month as Lortone suggests in the manual, but the stuff being cleaned off of the bearings and rollers was a thick black sludge. Removed the gunk with paper towels and cleaned the frame. The ends of the rollers had been scratched up a bit when the grit got in there from a blowout, but it was not too bad so did not try and smooth them down any. Then it's time to put it all back together. Popped the bearings and rollers back in, snapping the retaining clips back on the roller ends. Added plenty of oil to the bearings and the rollers operate so easily. Also added a couple of drops of oil into the 2 lubrication holes on each end of the motor. Put the original belt back on, making sure to properly tighten it up, I've got a spare belt but the old one looked fine even after losing some material as powder in the housing. Added the belt housing back on and it and now the thing looks and operates like New again. Rather easy to do and it only took about an hour to do. It's running great and the sound it makes is smoother and much quieter than before. Now to pay more attention and prevent any future blowouts. no pictures ... sorry. Good post Wooferhound. I just had one of my QT66/12 units stop (it was configured to run a 12 lb barrel - also about a year old like yours). Opened it up and noted the belt was not engaging the pulley with black rubber dust piled up.. too loose. Even though I have new belts available, it was not necessary to replace the old one yet... sooo... I just readjusted the belt tension and am back in business again. Just to check... I found the same belt problem existed in my other QT66/12 also. It is a good idea to run preventative maintenance checks every 6-8 mos. to check belts and clean up oil buildup. I put a drop of 3-in-One oil on the bushings every time I do a tumble clean-out (2-3 times per month). I was not aware of an oil hole(s) in the motor though... I have to check my next clean-out. Thanks! Glenn
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kskid
Cave Dweller
Member since July 2014
Posts: 98
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Post by kskid on Apr 12, 2018 21:47:51 GMT -5
I was not aware of an oil hole(s) in the motor though... I have to check my next clean-out. X2
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Post by TheRock on Apr 12, 2018 22:01:26 GMT -5
Well I don't know, The amount of work that you are describing sounds more like Rebuilding. I was just doing a deep cleaning which is taking the existing parts and Refurbishing it to be as good as possible. I would think of Maintenance as something like oiling the bearings once a month and checking/tightening the belt tension. Seems like a semantic issue? You are spot on what you did is a refurbishing, anything 13 months old is not old enough to do a rebuild yet unless it has been totally neglected,I just purchased 2 brand new QT66's and had a blow out on 1 the other day and you talk about a freakin mess it will need a good refurbishing just like you did. A rebuild would require repainting new shafts new bearings new valves ground new piston and rings & pistons and bored 30 over and crank turned with new bearings.
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Post by gmitch067 on Apr 12, 2018 22:03:02 GMT -5
I was not aware of an oil hole(s) in the motor though... I have to check my next clean-out. X2 Thanks kskid! What is a good maintenance periodicity for oiling the motor? Is 3-in-One oil OK (good viscosity for that)? Glenn
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kskid
Cave Dweller
Member since July 2014
Posts: 98
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Post by kskid on Apr 12, 2018 22:25:04 GMT -5
I use 3in1, one or two drops each bearing per month. Others do more, less, thicker, and thinner. Like so many things here, it's all about what works best for you. Lubrication came up several times in a recent post by rockpickerforever about refurbing a Lortone. Lots of different opinions - great information. Happy tumbling!
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Wooferhound
Cave Dweller
Lortone QT66 and 3A
Member since December 2016
Posts: 1,422
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Post by Wooferhound on Apr 13, 2018 6:35:49 GMT -5
I was not aware of an oil hole(s) in the motor though... I have to check my next clean-out. X2 The oil holes are on each end of the motor. Not on top but part of the way down the side. A couple of V notches with a small tube leading down to the motor bearings. Had to look close, almost missed them. Every time I get close to this tumbler I'm amazed at how much better and quieter it sounds
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