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Thread: Vibrating tumbler just burned up

  1. #1
    Boolit Master
    toallmy's Avatar
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    Vibrating tumbler just burned up

    I know this has been talked about over and over , but my Google search box is not working so please bear with me . I replaced my last vibrating tumbler with a cheap one a Niagara media falls # sr787 it looks like the Lyman and has 4 screws holding the motor in place . I have already ordered a replacement but has anyone found a replacement motor that holds up . I have been overloading this cheap tumbler for a year so I don't think it is the tumblers fought .

  2. #2
    Boolit Master Dan Cash's Avatar
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    Look for similar motors on the net. Grainger is one big supplier. You may have to do some adapting but is not an impossible project.
    To paraphrase Ronald Reagan, the trouble with many shooting experts is not that they're ignorant; its just that they know so much that isn't so.

  3. #3
    Boolit Grand Master

    Wayne Smith's Avatar
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    Something to think about - my first tumbler was the cheapest Lyman there was. It burned up in about two years of intermittant use. I bought the 1200 and it has been going for about twelve years so far! Big difference in quality between them.
    Wayne the Shrink

    There is no 'right' that requires me to work for you or you to work for me!

  4. #4
    Boolit Master
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    Made a tumbler with a motor like this and a replacement bowl from harbor freight.
    Motor (might work for you):
    http://www.ebay.com/itm/Vent-Fan-Mot...AAAOSwaB5XjjEL
    http://www.ebay.com/itm/Vent-Fan-Mot...4AAOSwCGVX4R5F
    Bowl:
    http://www.harborfreight.com/metal-v...owl-69225.html
    Last edited by Kenstone; 02-22-2017 at 03:46 PM.

  5. #5
    Boolit Buddy
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    OP, take apart the OEM motor and determine if it has real ball bearings, or just a brass bushing. A ball bearing motor is the one that will last.

    I have a 2hp booster pump motor on my well. GE brand, went about 12 years and quit working. Took it apart and the brass bushings the armature spun on were worn enough that the armature was rubbing on the field coils and that's why it quit.

    It's a $300+ motor at a regular supplier. Found one for $80 on Ebay. It's been there for 10 years, so I should pull the motor and install new bushings.

    The base model Frankford Arsenal tumbler that Midway sells is pretty good for the money.

  6. #6
    Boolit Master
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    I have took it apart and found the motor doesn't have closed bearings , but I didn't figure it had a high quality motor it cost around 50 bucks delivered . I left the bottom plate off so if it stops I can reach the motor and free it up . As long as I don't put much in it , it will still work but it's shot . I cruised the net for a while looking for a tougher replacement motors and I think with a little work I can rig a bracket and use a different motor . I was just hoping it would be a easy fix With a simple replacement motors .

  7. #7
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    Ditto on the Frankford tumbler from Midway. I bought some internet brass which was a little gungy and put it in the tumbler, bowl completely full of media and brass, and forgot about it. It ran for 36 hours before I remembered that it was running over in my shop. It was still going strong. The brass is really SHINEY! For what they cost I'd never bother with rebuilding one.

  8. #8
    Boolit Buddy Hogdaddy's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Der Gebirgsjager View Post
    Ditto on the Frankford tumbler from Midway. I bought some internet brass which was a little gungy and put it in the tumbler, bowl completely full of media and brass, and forgot about it. It ran for 36 hours before I remembered that it was running over in my shop. It was still going strong. The brass is really SHINEY! For what they cost I'd never bother with rebuilding one.
    Can't beat em for the $$ ; )
    H/D

  9. #9
    Boolit Master


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    I've been using a hf vibro tumbler for ? 7? Years.. Shows no sign of stopping.

  10. #10
    Boolit Master
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    I might have found a motor I made a offer but it might take a day or two . But Natchez sold me another tumbler anyway .

  11. #11
    Boolit Master



    retread's Avatar
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    I have a Frankfort Arsenal one that has been humming along for seven years. Never a hiccup. I also have a Dillon 2000 that will probably outlast me.

  12. #12
    Boolit Master


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    As said the motor has bushings instead of bearings. The motor with bushings is a misapplication because the bushings are not suppose to see any thrust. With the motor mounted vertically the weight of the armature wears out the bushings over time. In my cause the armature was allowed to hit the housing and be ruined.
    A motor with bearings may be available for not much more money. Or the motor may be priority to the vendor and the exact replacement may only be available through them. This was the case with my Thumblers Tumbler Ultra-vibe 18.
    A motor distributor may be able to upgrade you to a more durable motor.

  13. #13
    Boolit Master
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    Quote Originally Posted by toallmy View Post
    I have took it apart and found the motor doesn't have closed bearings , but I didn't figure it had a high quality motor it cost around 50 bucks delivered . I left the bottom plate off so if it stops I can reach the motor and free it up . As long as I don't put much in it , it will still work but it's shot . I cruised the net for a while looking for a tougher replacement motors and I think with a little work I can rig a bracket and use a different motor . I was just hoping it would be a easy fix With a simple replacement motors .
    Did you try to lube the bearings...er bushings?

  14. #14
    Boolit Grand Master

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    Grainger has specialists that can help you pick out the right one. If you have it have the information from the motor tag ready to give to them. But be prepared the replace is liable to be more than the new tumbler

  15. #15
    Boolit Buddy
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    Heres one from my favorite place, Surplus Center. Has bushings, not bearings but so cheap you can just buy 2.

    http://www.surpluscenter.com/Electri...OR-10-2614.axd

    Steve

  16. #16
    Boolit Master
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    Thanks guys, for a lot of help , I got it working and gave the guy a drop of oil on the top and bottom of wear the shaft goes through the motor , and it ran all afternoon fine although I didn't load it up full . I found a guy selling a Lyman 1200 that misplaced the bowl and made him a offer on the bottom only as I just want the motor , so I am going to try that first . If it doesn't work out I am going to go with a heavier duty motor and come up with a bracket . I usually tumble brass as I fire it in a few hundred rounds at a time . But this year I have been working on buckets full and over working the little vibrating tumbler .

  17. #17
    Boolit Buddy



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    I killed my midway tumbler a few weeks ago, it made it 18 years. I still have a Lyman that is about 6 months older I am pretty impressed with both of them as far as longevity. Granted I took a few years off but over the last 3-4 years I have been processing many 5 gallon buckets of indoor range brass so they have been working hard.

    bought a replacement tumbler yesterday went with the Frankfort arsenal for the price there really isn't a much better deal. I had a gift card so it was only 15 bucks outta my pocket.
    "Yes or no will almost always suffice as the answer"

  18. #18
    Boolit Master

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    Quote Originally Posted by toallmy View Post
    I left the bottom plate off so if it stops I can reach the motor and free it up.
    Leave the bottom plate off permanently. The motor will run cooler, you can easily remove lint with a vacuum or air blast, and you can easily re-lube every 3-5 years. Bushing motors should last for ages. Thhe motors linked to on ebay and at Surplus Center are designed for vertical fan use. The fan may tend to reduce the thrust from gravity slightly, but the air flow keeps the motor cooler than in a tumbler.

    In tumblers, an offset weight is used to cause vibration. Using a fan with 1 blade removed or one blade weighted might work as well for vibration and would keep the motor cooler.

  19. #19
    Boolit Grand Master

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    A small fan below the weight works well also. Its really hard to over load the vibrators since they only turn the counter weight. It might run longer with heavier loads but that's the only extra wear unlike a true tumbler that's turning the whole weight load. The draw back to the counter weight on the motor shaft is that it transfers the vibrations to the bushings/bearings increasing wear. I have considered a solid mount and belt drive to the counter weight to try to stop this.

  20. #20
    Boolit Buddy
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    I have a Lyman 1200

    I figure if it quits, I toss it and go rotary and stainless steel pins.

    I think that's the way to go these days.

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