Frankford Arsenal Rotary Tumbler Drum Doesn't Rotate

[nicholst55]

New piece of kit. I put the pins, 100 pieces of large pistol brass, 100 pieces of large rifle brass (.30-06), added water, citric acid, and detergent. Sealed it up and set it on the base. Turned it on; motor runs and sounds normal, rubber wheels spin, drum just sits there. Maybe it's too heavy. It should be well within it's capabilities, but... let me remove the brass and try it. So with just the pins and water, same thing. The drum just sits there while the motor runs and the rubber wheels spin. I emailed Frankford Arsenal, but I'm not expecting much from them.

Suggestions, before I return it?

[XDROB]

So the one I have, you just place the drum down on the rubber wheels. Then turn the timer knob to 1 or 2 hours. And the drum spins. If you leave the drum off and turn the knob do the rubber wheels turn?

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[JimB..]

With the drum off turn on the motor. One wheel should be turning. If no wheel is turning that’s the problem.

[deces]

Is the drum dry when you set it on the spinning wheels?

[BMW Rider]

Like Deces said, dry it off. Take a little rubbing alcohol and clean the drive wheel and the rim of the drum so it has some friction. Maybe give it a little push start too.

[Tall]

So the one I have, you just place the drum down on the rubber wheels. Then turn the timer knob to 1 or 2 hours. And the drum spins. If you leave the drum off and turn the knob do the rubber wheels turn?

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Mine works like that too. Perfectly. Instead of posting on an internet forum I would call the place I bought it from.

[nicholst55]

Mine works like that too. Perfectly. Instead of posting on an internet forum I would call the place I bought it from.

I don't figure that Amazon is going to provide much tech assistance.

[nicholst55]

Okay, if y'all actually read the initial post, you would note that the motor does turn and the rubber wheels do turn. I'll try rubbing the rubber wheels down with rubbing alcohol and see if that helps. If that doesn't help, it's going back to Amazon.

[BK7saum]

How much water do you have in it? the first time I used mine I experienced the same issue. Maybe not enough weight or the apparatus could not overcome the half empty tumbler.

More water and dry wheels and it worked like a charm.

[BK7saum]

On second thought, I'll give you $25 for it as is, just so you won't have to troubleshoot it.

[JimB..]

Okay, if y'all actually read the initial post, you would note that the motor does turn and the rubber wheels do turn. I'll try rubbing the rubber wheels down with rubbing alcohol and see if that helps. If that doesn't help, it's going back to Amazon.

Sorry, I was jumping to conclusions. So the wheels aren’t getting traction on the drum. Clean both with something like fantastic or simple green, dry them, and try again.

[nicholst55]

I apologize if I'm coming across as cranky. I'm recovering from knee replacement surgery, and my surgical scar has become infected. It's keeping me busy doing things that I'd rather not be doing. The pain and discomfort certainly doesn't help any.

I'll try degreasing the rubber wheels and the ridges on the drum that ride on them tomorrow and see if that helps.

[deces]

If you can, I would highly recommend getting the RCBS one. It has a very convenient handle on the drum.

[scattershot]

I jad the same problem. It seems that the material the drum is made of isn’t getting traction withnthe rubber wheels. I put a strip of Gorilla tape around the part of the drum that contacts the wheels, and now it works fine. You still have to be careful not to overload the drum, necause it’s a poor design, but at least you can make it work.

[nicholst55]

I had the same problem. It seems that the material the drum is made of isn’t getting traction with the rubber wheels. I put a strip of Gorilla tape around the part of the drum that contacts the wheels, and now it works fine. You still have to be careful not to overload the drum, because it’s a poor design, but at least you can make it work.

I was wondering about that very thing - maybe putting some traction tape on the drum ridges that ride the rubber wheels. I'll try degreasing everything with rubbing alcohol tomorrow. I have encountered problems with blow molded plastic stuff before, because it has mold release agent on it; that's possibly the problem here. And I agree, the Frankford Arsenal design is pretty basic. If I end up buying a different one, RCBS will probably get the nod.

[deces]

Midsouth has these on sale often. I started wet tumbling with the Lyman unit and it is a powerful machine. I showed a friend a sale midsouth had on the rcbs version at a great price. He got it and I really started favoring it more than the Lyman, even though it's not as powerful.
https://www.midsouthshooterssupply.com/item/0004487001/stainless-steel-rotary-case-cleaner-2-gallon-7half-liter-capacity-(120v)

[nicholst55]

Midsouth has these on sale often. I started wet tumbling with the Lyman unit and it is a powerful machine. I showed a friend a sale midsouth had on the rcbs version at a great price. He got it and I really started favoring it more than the Lyman, even though it's not as powerful.
https://www.midsouthshooterssupply.com/item/0004487001/stainless-steel-rotary-case-cleaner-2-gallon-7half-liter-capacity-(120v)

If I hadn't just bought the FART, I'd be all over that deal on the RCBS!

[XDROB]

My FART worked perfectly from day one. So I'll keep it. I do like the handle on the RCBS one though.

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[Baltimoreed]

Neat design on the Lyman wet system but I’m still running my ancient ‘orange ball’ vibratory system. Try some friction tape like what they use on tennis rackets etc.

[ranger391xt]

I saw a you tube video where someone put rubber bands on the wheels to prevent them from slipping on the drum.

I found the video. https://youtu.be/MqFNNvbf3yo

Go to about the 4:45 mark where he talks about using the rubber bands as well as the issues with not having the drum full enough.

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[kayala]

Well it's definitely not too heavy, I've been tumbling 500-700 45ACP cases just fine; as others mentioned probably just need more traction.

[Sam Sackett]

Had that same problem with mine last weekend. I didn’t dry the chamber edges that ride on the wheels. Motor. Ran, no go. Had the dry everything out, then it worked fine.I put a smear of dish soap on the gasket to help it seal. Dish soap is slippery.

Sam Sackett

[nicholst55]

Okay, I fingered it out with a little help from y'all (and some other folks). Someone suggested cleaning off the rubber wheels on the base, and the raised ribs on the drum that engage them. I did this first with 91% rubbing alcohol - essentially degreased all the surfaces. A lot of that blow molded plastic crap has residue from mold release agent on it, which can cause various problems. This helped a little, but still no joy. Next, I took a piece of 600 grit sandpaper and scuffed the drive wheels up a bit with the motor running. That eliminated my problem, and the thing is currently running a load of .480 Ruger brass, water, pins, lemishine, and Dawn detergent.

[slim1836]

Don't ya just love a happy ending?

Slim

[nicholst55]

Don't ya just love a happy ending?

Slim

I know I do!

[revkab]

Make sure drum exterior is bone dry, and that the top is not leaking. If the drum exterior is wet, the wheels will just spin. Dry off the drum with a towel, let it air dry for a minute or so, and you should be good to go.

[revkab]

Make sure drum exterior is bone dry

[revkab]

My FART worked perfectly from day one. So I'll keep it. I do like the handle on the RCBS one though.

Sent from my SM-S908U using TapatalkI bought the smaller FA tumbler, and after figuring out to dry off the drum, had no problems ever since. In fact, bought a second one so I could do two batches at once.

[XDROB]

Ya!! Problem fixed. Enjoy your super bright brass!!

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[slowgojim]

I saw a you tube video where someone put rubber bands on the wheels to prevent them from slipping on the drum.

I found the video. https://youtu.be/MqFNNvbf3yo

Go to about the 4:45 mark where he talks about using the rubber bands as well as the issues with not having the drum full enough.

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Just degreased with alcohol. works fine now...