any one have a rcbs sidewinder?

[salpal48]

I have 2 sidwinders . . The older one The drum split . RCBS replaced It under the warrantee. . They Do a good Job in wet and dry tumble

[Moosegooser]

RCBS does a good job engineering its products. Thus the great customer service. they stand behind what they sell,,even when its obvious people abuse stuff... The sidewinder is made from .055 steel sheet metal.. its thickness restricts what bearing you can use in that thin of plate. If you press a bearing in place, you need more thickness than standard sheet metal. also, the bearing needs to be "captured" on both sides.. Sure they could use a 2 bolt surface mount, but, you need to be conscious of bolts loosening and then alinment lost,causing binding.. The "clip bearings" are used, not because of cheap manufacture,, but rather because, this is what they ( the bearings)are designed to do.. If contamination, or a rough shaft develops for any reason,, the bearing will fail.. Its maintenance and something to check.. I have only changed this 1 set, after decades of use.. its not like they fail continually.. You don't need to modify the unit either to hold 600 lbs! here is what the technical page states for the clip bearings... RCBS used them in the correct application..... as Usual!!!

" Flanged Sheet Metal Clip Bearings Are Designed Specifically For Putting Shafts Through Sheet Metal Plates.

iglide® clip bearings feature flanges on both ends. The bearings are secured in the sheet metal plate on both sides after installation. For easy installation, clip bearing features an angled slit that compensates for bearing expansion due to temperature and moisture increases. After installation, bearing forms a lining for the opening in the metal plate. MCI Series offer smooth operation, good wear resistance, low maintenance and lubrication free use. MYI Series compensates for heat expansion. Suitable for ambient temperatures with high humidity.

[salpal48]

If your Drum slips From time to Time, Check the drive side Gear. . The sidewinder does grind the Drum rim when Loaded . The pieces of the drum get impacted into the drive bushing and causing a slip. a wire brush will correct that. Sal

[dverna]

My Lortone is 45 years old. Sometimes spending a bit more is worth it

[Moosegooser]

Mechanical devices wear.. (Fact) Suggested maintenance on Lortone. Note the same "clip bearings" as the RCBS,,and the recommendation to check them, and occasionally lube. I honestly would place a bet that with most trouble in any machine, lack of maintenance and common sense is the culprit..

Pretty good advice ror most all rotary tumblers here " https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q...CF&FORM=VRDGAR

[Moosegooser]

If this is your Lortone model, Apples to Oranges comparing to Sidewinder... Sidewinder is NOT a rock tumbler..

https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q...4B&FORM=VDQVAP

[salpal48]

There are No Clip Bearing On any Lortone Made. All Lortone have Flange Bushing Or berings .. I have Lortones purchased in The late 60's with the same bushing
From the Model 3a to The commercial 40's
I only use Rock Tumblers to clean. Rock tumblers will last , most reloading Tumblers are Junk.
Posting a Photo Of My equipment

[Moosegooser]

You can see em in the videos I posted.(Time Mark 3:37) "Maintenance of Lortones "heavier shafts,but definitely a variance of a clip bearing. external oiled.. The second video I posted is of a Heavy duty Lortone rock polisher with pillar bearings and larger diameter shafts.. .. "Clip bearings" and variences of,, are commonly used in sheet metal frames when a drive rod, or a bearing supported rod is needed. Generally made of thermoplastic, fairly durable, various degrees of load capacity,based on rod diameter,and thickness of sheet metal.. Spent many many years in fabrication shops/ machine shops for aerospace,, as a toolmaker.. they do require some maintenance ,as the bloke in the video suggested... once a month.. Maybe the old school ones you have are different. hard to tell from picture,,, but I trust your word my friend...

This old thread isn't about comparing heavy duty rock polishers to a rifle brass tumbler with a 15 to 20 pound weight limit... Figure a gallonish of water, (7-8 pounds), 5lbs of SS pins (that the sidewinder wasn't designed for).. it doesn't give you much room for brass.... originally the wet weight for the Sidewinder was based on water, and a bit of RCBS case cleaner liquid.. maybe 8 lbs max? with brass? (100,, 7mm-08) or dry media and brass..

The sidewinder used as a wet tumbler for cleaning rifle and pistol brass, works perfectly with just water, a bit of dawn,,and a teaspoon of citric acid..... The upper bearings last a LONG TIME.. the weight is more on the lowers that are a bit beefier.. it cost me $3.00 and about five minutes of time to change the uppers for the first time in the machines life... didn't need it really,, but maintenance to me is important and respectful to my tools..

Using the machine as designed, and performing regular maintenance,, it will do you well, even though you may have paid a bit much for it.. $400.00 over a couple and a half decades aint much coin...

I spent $1600 on a dog!! She was the real bargain.. lays at my feet and listens to me sing as I load.. and picks up a duck or two..


Respectfully,,, Gooser

P.S. from Sidewinder owners manual.. "Prior to running the unit, put a drop of any medium weight oil on each of the bearings; repeat oiling approximately each 20 hours of operation.

[CBJed]

The way I cured my drum slippage problem, was to press fit a piece of rubber hose(heater hose) over the splined drive gear section of the shafts(giving more grippy traction).It changes the angle of the drum a bit but it has worked for me for a few years(wet tumbling with ceramic and then SS pins)

[Moosegooser]

I just saw a Vibra hone tumbler...... 5 ft cubed... $ 5,000.00 ( Sidewinder a bargain! )

1200 lbs,, 240 volt 3 phase...

[salpal48]

Weather you have a sidewinder or any Other "Reloading" tumbler, They all have One thing In Common. They are cheaply Made. There are more Problem tumbler threads than Lee problems threads.
Rock Tumblers Like Lortone, Thumler, diamond Pacific , covington, Sears, Star diamond will stand the test of time. This is also True to Vibrator machines all Cheaply made for Reloader.
Good machines For Vibratory Tumbling Look @ Raytech Finishing. Surprisingly Raytech Is made By Lyman Products.
Raytech is one of the Best Vibratory companies in the US
There not Cheap. and Not for everyone

[Bayou52]

Concur on the use of rock tumblers for wet tumbling brass. I've used the Thumlers Model B high speed for nearly 6 years. Heaven only knows how many tumbling hours it has to its credit.

My only substantial issue was with the factory belts - they were breaking with approx 20 hours of use or so. Five years ago, I switched to an equivalent sized o-ring as a drive belt. I'm still using the very first one.....

[RAD57]

Not too old of a thread but to minimize slipping with the Sidewinder put a piece of 2X4 wood or another object 1.5 to 2 inches under the feet opposite of the drive shaft. Doing this puts more weight on the drive shaft and prevents most if not all slipping by the drum. I've had my Sidewinder since 1999 and I've always used White Lightning wax lube (used on mountain bike chains) to lube the shafts and bearings, seems to work for me with minimal wear seen on anything.

[barnabus]

Not too old of a thread but to minimize slipping with the Sidewinder put a piece of 2X4 wood or another object 1.5 to 2 inches under the feet opposite of the drive shaft. Doing this puts more weight on the drive shaft and prevents most if not all slipping by the drum. I've had my Sidewinder since 1999 and I've always used White Lightning wax lube (used on mountain bike chains) to lube the shafts and bearings, seems to work for me with minimal wear seen on anything.

does the belt thats on the drive gear is what the drum is suppose to ride on?

[salpal48]

My sidewinder was slipping also. I found the rear Drive gear not the belt gear grinds the rear of the drum Into a Fine plastic Dust and Totally Clogs the gear . you will have to clean with a wire brush[QUOTE=kcajeel;1125688]I have a Sidewinder too and don't know what he's talking about. My drum slips a lot and I don't like that. Maybe what he's talking about is the fix I need? It's sure irritating.[/QUOTEe