RotoMetals2Inline FabricationLee PrecisionMidSouth Shooters Supply
WidenersLoad DataTitan ReloadingReloading Everything
Repackbox
Page 1 of 2 12 LastLast
Results 1 to 20 of 24

Thread: Dillon Tumbler

  1. #1
    Boolit Buddy
    Join Date
    Nov 2005
    Posts
    198

    Dillon Tumbler

    My Dillon Tumbler died on me, $110 to fix it and not even 3 years old. Sorry, 1 year warranty on electrics. Who makes a better machine?
    Best, Roger

  2. #2
    Boolit Master
    pmeisel's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2009
    Location
    Teays Valley
    Posts
    659
    My Lyman 1200 was purchased about the time George Bush was elected president... Jeb's daddy, not his brother....
    Paul

  3. #3
    Boolit Master
    Join Date
    Mar 2005
    Location
    aurora,co
    Posts
    4,320
    Quote Originally Posted by e15cap View Post
    My Dillon Tumbler died on me, $110 to fix it and not even 3 years old. Sorry, 1 year warranty on electrics. Who makes a better machine?
    Best, Roger
    well i have been telling eveyone in every tumbler thread...put a one hour timer on it. use corn, not walnut, and nufinish car polish.

    you just found out what happens when you do not use a timer.

    now the good news...the new motors from dillon are BETTER than the originals( and yes one year is about normal on electrical stuff),


    i do a lot of brass.....burned up my first dillon in 4 months.....got smart put it on a timer....
    ( ps dont get carried away by how old a tumbler is, find out how much it gets used...big difference)


    mike in co
    only accurate rifles are interesting

  4. #4
    Boolit Master
    Join Date
    Jun 2009
    Posts
    812
    My Dillon CV500 motor died last month, for the second time in 3 years. The first time it was $30 post paid for repair. Now they wanted $104.95 for a replacement motor. The salesman stated they discovered that the motors they used were not up to the job, and upgraded to the same motor as their big tumbler. Part of that $104.95 is for a new mount to take the different motor. $104.95 + $20 to ship it to Dillon = $124.95. A new CV750, which is the upgraded CV500 with the new motor is $139.95, plus shipping. Getting the old one fixed, at least by them, is not a good deal. I had read on a website that Dillon still had some old style motors, and would sell them directly to you for a DIY job. I asked Dillon, and they said they have no more left. I have been trying to locate a replacement motor on my own. The original motor is an A.O. Smith, shaded pole, subfractional motor with 1/4" shaft. So far no luck. Dillon said they were a special motor, made especially for them. Maybe Grainger has something that will match up? In the meanwhile I bought a Lyman Turbo 1200 for $42 from Natchez, along with some other goodies. About 1/3 the cost and works just as good. And Lyman sells replacement motor/bases as a stocked item.
    Last edited by GBertolet; 08-20-2010 at 08:03 AM. Reason: spelling

  5. #5
    Banned








    Join Date
    Mar 2005
    Location
    munising Michigan
    Posts
    17,725
    Im a big dillon fan and have there big tumbler. I havent had trouble with it but ill go this way. I also have a lyman and the lyman is a much better tumbler for agitation speed and cleans brass about twice as fast. No fan of lyman because of there terrible customer service but in the case of electronics dillion isnt much better.

  6. #6
    Boolit Master
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Location
    South Western NC
    Posts
    3,820
    "My Dillon CV500 motor died last month, for the second time in 3 years."

    Well, you are seeing the weak link in the tumblers of any brand, the motors and, sometimes, the power cord wires will break from the viberation.

    No tumbler brand makes their own motors. They all buy them from other makers at the best possible price. That means, cheep. What happens to most tumber motors that burn out is the oil drys and binds the shaft so it can't turn and that's preventable.

    The biggest uses of those small AC motors is in bath and kitchen range hood exhaust fans, not tumblers. Some motor production runs are quite good and some are not, what any of us get on our tumbler is a matter of luck, not brand. If we get a good one it will last a long time, if not.....? Most electrical supply stores carry direct replacement fan motors for not much $ and they sure aren't difficult to replace by a casually competant do-it-yourselfer.

    Bottom line, get the least costly tumbler you can find and keep the sales receipt for warrantee replacement. If a wire breaks, fix it. Oil the cheap bronze bearings once a year with few drops of a light non-gumming oil (I use Automatic Transmission Fluid). If the motor stops but hums it's probably okay, turn it off before melt down and oil the stuck bearings.

    Lowest priced tumblers I know of are from Harbor Freight Tools (especially when on sale, as they frequently are, and with a 20% off coupon), Berry's and Cabela's.

  7. #7
    Boolit Master
    Join Date
    Mar 2005
    Location
    aurora,co
    Posts
    4,320
    bronze bushing do not last long in a loaded enviroment. the weight on the end of the shaft does casue a load and wear.

    dillons new motor is a ball bearing motor, i do believe.....the new one is smooth and quiet.


    if you go looking for a motor..get a ball bearing, not a bushing.
    only accurate rifles are interesting

  8. #8
    Boolit Grand Master in Remembrance


    jcwit's Avatar
    Join Date
    Sep 2007
    Location
    somewhere in the middle
    Posts
    5,226
    Went thru 3 Harbor Freight tumblers in as many weeks, all had bronze bearings. Finally asked for my money back and bought a Berry/Cabelas tumbler, end of problem.

    Been running my Cabelas tumbler for years now, not sure what kind of bearing's they have but its like a Duracell Bunney, just keeps on running.

    Mike is right, get a ball bearing motor for a replacement.

  9. #9
    Boolit Bub PepperBuddha's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2010
    Location
    NY, but hoping for ?
    Posts
    60
    My Dillon and my Lyman are both over 10 years old....

  10. #10
    In Remembrance


    Join Date
    Oct 2008
    Location
    Michigan Thumb Area
    Posts
    5,948
    My first large Dillion tumbler lasted about 3 yr. before the motor went. They replaced the motor for free then. The tumbler has now been running over 10 yr. with the new motor. I also have a Midway tumbler that has been going for 5 yr.Robert

  11. #11
    Black Powder 100%


    cajun shooter's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jul 2008
    Location
    Livingston, La. 20 miles east of Baton Rouge, La.
    Posts
    4,416
    I think the best tumbler to buy today is the Thumblers Tumblers. I purchased my first Model B in the 70's and used it until the 1990's when the motor finally gave out. Sold it to a friend that is still using it today. I purchased the UV-18 in 1990 and I'm still using it. I purchased another model B in 08 and it will out live me. Buffalo Arms has the best price that I could find on the model B's which are the rotary type drum with the rubber insert for wet ceramic tumbling. Buy the High Speed 110 model.
    Shooter of the "HOLY BLACK" SASS 81802 AKA FAIRSHAKE; NRA ; BOLD; WARTHOG;Deadwood Marshal;Bayou Bounty Hunter; So That his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat; 44 WCF filled to the top, 210 gr. bullet

  12. #12
    Boolit Master

    Join Date
    Mar 2005
    Location
    south western pennsylvina
    Posts
    3,412
    maybe i missed something ? but i did not know dillon made a case tumbler ! i know that they have a case vibrator as i have one . on the subject of CASE THUMBLERS i have 2 loriton lapidary {rock} tumblers the 1st ive had since the late 60s , i clean my brass after each use . in all that time ive only replaced the drive belt once . at this time i ony shoot around 750 rounds per month but years past when i shot in compition i shot about 2000 per month . thats a pile of brass to be cleaned. the 2ed one i bought at a local gun shop used for $25.00 what a bargian about 2 years ago! and its the larger size. and as a bounus both can be used with liquids.
    i personaly use BB gun bbs and joy dish washing detergent added to water to clean my casings . you would be amazed how dirty the water is after tubmling ! and to think all that dirt ect goes into the corncob/walnut media. if i have to have the as new luster i use the dillon vibrater and corn cob , but the lortins do a pretty good job by itself. almost forgot there made to run for hours as ther actually made for rock polishing

  13. #13
    Boolit Master
    Join Date
    Mar 2005
    Location
    aurora,co
    Posts
    4,320
    Quote Originally Posted by bobthenailer View Post
    maybe i missed something ? but i did not know dillon made a case tumbler ! i know that they have a case vibrator as i have one . on the subject of CASE THUMBLERS i have 2 loriton lapidary {rock} tumblers the 1st ive had since the late 60s , i clean my brass after each use . in all that time ive only replaced the drive belt once . at this time i ony shoot around 750 rounds per month but years past when i shot in compition i shot about 2000 per month . thats a pile of brass to be cleaned. the 2ed one i bought at a local gun shop used for $25.00 what a bargian about 2 years ago! and its the larger size. and as a bounus both can be used with liquids.
    i personaly use BB gun bbs and joy dish washing detergent added to water to clean my casings . you would be amazed how dirty the water is after tubmling ! and to think all that dirt ect goes into the corncob/walnut media. if i have to have the as new luster i use the dillon vibrater and corn cob , but the lortins do a pretty good job by itself. almost forgot there made to run for hours as ther actually made for rock polishing
    bob most people still refer to most brass cleaning machines as "tumblers" from the original rock machines used to clean brass. most machines on the market today are indeed vibrators.
    the dillons are vibrators as you know. rcbs has the only gun biz rotary and its about $300...you can see why the vibrators get used...cheap and quick.
    there are others out there...but typically nowhere near the cost of a 9mm 600 count vib machine.
    i have 2 large dillons, one thunbles medium no model number/paint peeled, and rcbs sidewinder, a midway small and large.......
    the sidwinder is used to coat bullets, not polish brass.

    mike in co
    only accurate rifles are interesting

  14. #14
    Boolit Master
    Join Date
    May 2010
    Location
    Miamisburg, Oh
    Posts
    956
    I burned up three Lyman tumblers and then bought a large Dillon tumbler. It lasted ten years. A harbor freight tumbler lasted three weeks.

    I then purchased a Frankford Arsenal tumbler from Midway and it has been going strong for the last six months.
    How's that hope and change working for you?

  15. #15
    Boolit Master


    David2011's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2007
    Location
    Baytown Texas
    Posts
    4,106
    GBertolet's story sounds just like my experience. Fortunately, I had purchased one of the last of their old CV500 motors and it was still under warranty when it started getting really noisy as the lower bearing was starting to fail. Dillon treated me very fairly and upgraded me to the new motor in my CV500 for a fair price due to the credit on the replacement motor failure. The motor for the CV750 that they installed is huge by comparison to the old fan motor. It's power is apparent immediately. It doesn't "spool up." It starts at full RPM, RIGHT NOW. It's as quiet as the original.

    I got two Intermatic timers at a reasonable price off of fleabay. I mounted them in metal surface mount electrical boxes. For the polisher I used a 14 gauge extension cord to provide the cords and male/female plugs. For the lead furnace I mounted it in a 2 gang surface mount box and put the time and outlets in the box and screwed it to the wall. No worries about the polisher or the furnace running all night now.

    David

  16. #16
    Boolit Master
    Join Date
    May 2007
    Location
    Western PA
    Posts
    692
    Quote Originally Posted by mike in co View Post
    bronze bushing do not last long in a loaded enviroment. the weight on the end of the shaft does casue a load and wear.

    dillons new motor is a ball bearing motor, i do believe.....the new one is smooth and quiet.


    if you go looking for a motor..get a ball bearing, not a bushing.

    The old Dillon CV500 motor is ball bearing also. I replaced the bearings in mine once already. I have enough bearings here to do it 9 more times. If you hear the motor rattling turn it off and figure out what the problem is before the armature chews into the fields.

  17. #17
    Banned

    Join Date
    Feb 2010
    Location
    Arkansas
    Posts
    1,493
    I have had 4 of the Frankford Arsenal small vibratory tumblers for 6 years with no problems. Tumbled alo of brass, anywhere from 30 mins. to 3 days.

    +1 on the corn cob only and car polish. I use the paper towel trick, too.

    I have always wanted one of the bigger, better tumblers, maybe even one of the small industrial ones intended for use with the ceramic media. Made a 50BMG one from a Harbor Freight cement mixer and had the drum Rhino-lined. The start capacitor is out on the motor, but it can be push-started. The rotary tumblers are so much slower.

  18. #18
    Boolit Master
    Join Date
    Jun 2009
    Posts
    812
    The motor failure on my Dillon CV500 tumbler was not in the bearings, but in the windings/comutator. The motor spun freely when it was off. The motor did not want to start, but if you tilted the tumbler over and spun the weight by hand, it would start, but would not run at full power, and you could smell it getting hot. Occasionally when the motor was turned on, it would not spin at all, it was like it was magneticly locked in place. But unplug it, and the motor was free again.

  19. #19
    Boolit Master LAH's Avatar
    Join Date
    Mar 2005
    Location
    In The Hardwoods
    Posts
    3,045
    I don't remember when I wrote this but likely 2002/3. I have no clue to the hours this things has run since then. I use rice to clean brass & corn cob to polish. Believe me it's a great piece of machinery. This is probably now a Frankford Arsenal unless they've completely changed. Enjoy the read, won't take 5 minutes unless you read like me...............Creeker

    http://www.handloads.com/articles/default.asp?id=17

  20. #20
    Boolit Buddy
    Join Date
    Feb 2010
    Posts
    266
    I always figured if Dillon can't make a person happy well then they need to fill a tub with warm water cut their wrist because cause if those boy can't make you happy nobody can and life must suck

Page 1 of 2 12 LastLast

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •  
Abbreviations used in Reloading

BP Bronze Point IMR Improved Military Rifle PTD Pointed
BR Bench Rest M Magnum RN Round Nose
BT Boat Tail PL Power-Lokt SP Soft Point
C Compressed Charge PR Primer SPCL Soft Point "Core-Lokt"
HP Hollow Point PSPCL Pointed Soft Point "Core Lokt" C.O.L. Cartridge Overall Length
PSP Pointed Soft Point Spz Spitzer Point SBT Spitzer Boat Tail
LRN Lead Round Nose LWC Lead Wad Cutter LSWC Lead Semi Wad Cutter
GC Gas Check