I used to sift my compost, but I have found all the little wood bits, clods, and rocks are great homes for the microbiology that makes no till bio-dynamic gardening so great. Chunky is my style, and the roots love it!!!

Truly amazing. A lot of hard work careful planning and thinking went into this project without any doubt. Much praise for the end result.

What a great accomplishment! Thank you for sharing it with us.

Hi! Nice build. I recently built my own version of a Trommel after watching a few of these Trommel builds on KZread. I used two 22" and 0ne 24" rim (wich had to be cut 2" smaller then brased back together),4' X 1/4" hardware mesh, a cross bar on output end to stop end travel ,three pulleys and two belts to drive it while cut final RPM to 30-39 RPM. Used sheet aluminum to stop dirt from being thrown out on lift side. works great with a very fine soil texture. Still have a 12' x 52' x ~4" deep decorative river rock to go (thats about 3-4 Ton of stone). I carved my idlers down mounted in my drill while using a ceramic file on both sides so they would fit inside both end rims. Already finished 2 Ton already.

I like the way the outer wheels form a rotatable container for the big cylindrical screen. That is a pretty creative solution to that mechanical puzzle.

I also copied your design to make my own, it works quite well. I found a 2 HP motor at a pawn shop that has plenty of power. For people who are going to build one and aren't savvy about such things, you can find sheaves, belts, axles and bearings at bearing shops, although getting used parts will definitely be cheaper if you can find them. The significant difference in mine is small fixed casters which ride inside the bike wheels to prevent the drum from drifting, instead of large wheels.

Great invention. Thanks for telling us what you used to make it. I am seriously considering it, and bookmarked you. BTW really nice raised bed frame.

Thank you for the video. It is just what I need to clean the gravel for my aquaponics system. :)

Well Done!! I would have never thought of it. Thanks for the inspiration.

Brillant ! I made a similar device on a smaller scale for cleaning seeds using an old washing-machine's drum - very sturdy thing. It gets connected directly to my tractor's PTO which can turn as slow as 120 rpm and I can blow a pressure washer in it at the same time. Actually that's goot for washing quite a lot of different things.

Awesome trommel, great job.

Awesome,simple but very efficient!!!! Good job!!!!

This is amazing. Well done.

Wow! That is so very cool! Great job.

This is fabulous! Our gardening effort was delayed last year due to rocks. We built a sifter to fit over our dump cart but we still had to sift by hand. I think I am getting one of these for my birthday present! This will definitely help us make quick work of rock sifting this year!

@user-ir7ib9qu9s

6 ай бұрын

Watch this video again

@user-ir7ib9qu9s

6 ай бұрын

If you wants to be a good knowledge-monger and disperses happiness to the people stands by you.

This thing is friggin' GENIUS

very cool machine. great work!

looks great! really like the small compact size so it can be moved around. i'm building one from an old cement mixer, but it doesn't look nearly as nice and clean as yours.

Nice man, good work!

I'm sorry I'm commenting from a phone, it's a great idea. And job I did 100 yard at my brothers on a stand that I had to rattle with a shovel if I knew then what I know now I would have built one like yours. Good job

Good project i like it .. thanks from Saudi Arabia

Looks great! What type of belt are you using to spin the trommel?

Colour me IMPRESSED!!!! Great another Project before the giant pumpkins HA HA great job!

this is very cool I can see where it would come in a handy for a few things like sifting rabbit manure, material to go into a pellet mill, sifting rock out if clay (water might need to be added) what is cool about this is when using natural material nothing goes to waste clay can be use to build many things the rocks can be use for concrete same with the material for a pellet mill the stuff that does not go threw can be ran threw a hammer mill again and nothing goes to waste. good job

Thanks, I've been considering how to make an item to sift compost and soil. Nice feasible design. Hope I can follow the basis of your concept. Thanks

Interesting, David... Thanks!

Thanks for posting this trommel build. I've built and have been using a manual trommel to screen compost for a few years and it's time to motorize. What's the horsepower on your motor or what do you recommend? Thanks!

I just love this machine the more I watch it run.

amazing design great job

I like your brace. I love how you put that dust guard on. One question: How did you size it to fit the drum & casters properly. Any advice is helpful. Thanks.

My mesh and some of my reducer wheels arrived today. I had already secured some bicycle wheels that I had found dumped. I have my belts on order and should expect them to arrive any day now, along with my 2 inch wheels. I've started construction of my framework and my trommel screen is completed, having taken around two and a half hours. I attached the mesh to the wheels using cable ties through the spoke holes. I might make a video when the project is done.

very nice! thanks for the idea!

nice! sure beats manually sifting... love it. i just might have to make one of these that reduces from a 540 PTO ...

Nice work!

This is pretty damn cool

LOL, I love it! You got the wife out there shoveling while you shoot the video then sound as if you've done all the work!! Nice job on the tumbler though, oh BTW, I would really consider a patent!

Love how it looks and works. Is there anyway to get a list of materials and maybe some plans for your design.

Thanks a lot!! inspiring thank you. This.. is life!

did you make the hoops yourself?or did you have them made for you. I noticed the wheels and belt are in groves

Great design. I don't know if they already told you, but to avoid the friction problem you mentioned, you could replace that flat guard (that prevents the tumbler from sliding forward) with something round and spinning. Kind of like a rolling pin, you know?

It's a good thing she's got you to film while she does all the shoveling. :) Also, I see you've provided yourself with a glass of iced tea in case the filming gets too strenuous. :)

@dwwaltman

5 жыл бұрын

Yep...because clearly shoveling for 3 mins of a 5 minute video represents the division of labor for a project that took several days....and because what, women should not use shovels?

@SpookyRain You need to operate the motor at its speed (3450rpm) and use pulleys to reduce the final RPM of the drum. If you try and slow the motor down you will move it out of its operational range and prematurely burn it out. In the above example he is using a 1725rpm motor with a 2" pulley going to a 10" pulley. This 1st reduction is 1725 rpm / (10" / 2") = 345 rpm. The 2nd reduction is the 2" pulley connected to the 25" drum which is 345 rpm / (25" / 2") = 27.6 rpm.

I use the Fred Flintstone method seriously I admire engineering minds like this.

I should respond to comments more often, I know. Apparently there is a Popular Mechanics article which came out in 2014 (I built this in 2010) which explains everything that I explain in the video. There are links to it below in the comments from other people. I am amazed how many people have copied this. This was a hasty job, and a lot of people have made various improvements. This version is just three bike rims wired to some 1" chicken wired, with regular belts from the auto parts store. The pulleys are from Hardwick's in Seattle, but they are readily available online. The motor was one that was laying around the shop. Wheels are from Lowe's. I got the idea driving by a big dirt and bark yard in Snohomish, WA, where they had one of these that was about 40 feet long and 12 feet high...a little big for my raised beds, but same idea.

Great Idea !!! Put this on Wheels a bit bigger than your Garden Bed... Slide that down as you go, that way it's filled on its own. Next year, use the same concept and use it to Clean all the stuff in your Garden Bed aka, roots, grass etc..., so that way you don't have to clean or pick by hand. I see a Multi-Usage if you just added the Wheels :))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))

Regarding the pulleys are they secured with setscrews?

I built this and decided to put the wheels on my lathe and turned a groove in the middle then had only one side of the rim in the groove. That settled the tremble moving back and forth and smoothed out the ride.

@user-ir7ib9qu9s

6 ай бұрын

This video talks about trommel and it’s content is great

You sound like you are out of wind, dang did she work so hard that you are out of wind. She is definitely a keeper. Lol

I'm in the final stages of building one very similar to yours but with dual screens - 1/4" and 3/4" so mine is 6' long and powered by a B/S 4hp gas motor. Also mine has a hopper so I can load it with my small tractor. Thanks for the ideas and excellent video

@tate2133

9 жыл бұрын

Mark, what did you use to build the screens, I need one to separate ground up material that consists of paper and solids, want to sift the paper out

@onebadsavage26

9 жыл бұрын

I just used 1/4" and 3/4" expanded metal and rolled them into tubes. Bolted the joints to gether...kind of a pain to get even but it works good. Now I'm working on an auger system to pull the material in. The hopper ended up being too high for my tractor

@onebadsavage26

9 жыл бұрын

Oh...I also used a 55 gal drum cut up for the ends of the screens. Thats what the wheels ride on

This is super nice. Where did you find/buy the drum?

Do you have to have a custom fan belt made for the screen, and where did you have it made at?

Great idea!

That is very SWEET!... The Basic setup you have definitely proves the concept. Like the others that have posted I am very interested to know how you made the screen. Please let us know how you attached the wire cloth to the bicycle rims). :)

Did you make the drum? Or did you buy? Where can I get one?

In this video you mention a number of features which were still under development such as the motor platform, the guard to keep the drum from running forward and the copper axle locking yoke. Did you resolve these issues and if so - what was the final outcome? Do you have a video of the final result? I am very keen to replicate this Susanna

@ThePangeafarm It's made out of bike rims and 1/2 wire mesh. I have a roller for it, I was just in a hurry to get it going :)

That sifter is so clever! In the words of Black Addar: "It is so clever you could stick a tail on it and call it a weasel!" I have GOT to make one of these. Nice fall project! Thanks for sharing your ideas with all of us.

I am such a big fan of homemade gardening doodads.

Where did you find motors and pulleys? What HP for the motor and shaft size?

Great idea, I'm looking to make a portable horse stall cleaner.

A home made power screen very nice

Nice after, what size are your pully’s and is that a mandrel holding the big pully?

What pulley is used at the top portion there that has the small pulley with it?

how do you build the trommel itself. i like your setup very cool!

Do you set the machine just off level to get the heavier stone to roll to one side??

what did u use for the axels

A perfect item to use on the end rims instead of a metal bracket would be training wheels/stabilisers, as they come with an angled bracket with holes included.

Why are you all out of breath, she was doing the real work .

@davidhatesentropy5907

3 ай бұрын

Because I was doing it for an hour before filming this..

I'm Making one now will post a video when done, I used roller blade wheels inside the bike rims instead of the 8 black wheels you used. they fit into the rims perfect. i also used 6mm galvanised aviary mesh as it filters the soil finer. INSPIRATION IS FROM THIS VIDEO!!! THANKS ;o)

how long is the mesh drum of the tremmol?

@DCVU2 I'd say you can find electrical motors that would work in lots of household appliances (sewing machine, washing machines, dishwashers, power tools, etc.) Ought to be able to find em cheap on Craigslist and then simply disassemble them. Might even be able to use a drill or box fan. For the belt, you might try the auto parts store or the lawn n garden section.

Did you ever make a "scoop loader" so you can use the tractor with it? I would like to see an image of it if you did. Thanks!

very nice ! is there a reason you dont use unsifted material in the bottom of the beds and just sift the top 6" or so? most veggies are only using top few inches to grow in,aside from taproots like carrots etc.

which pulley belt are you using? SPB? or classic B? How width is it? Where does it 'grip' in the rim, bottom or sides?

You form the hardware cloth into a cylinder and fasten it to the rims. I used #8 pan head screws, washers, and stop nuts. Some thread the mesh onto the rims using wire through the spoke holes -- Google "instructable compost trommel". My screw method created a bumpy rim (screw heads), so my wheels had to ride on the outer diameter. FH screws might work better. Mine passed the dirt test today, so I'm happy!

How fine should your compost be and should I use 1/2 in openings or 1/4 in openings

No use when the compost is wet!! Nice construction

I like the idea of the wife shoveling and you doing the video

Anyone know how these rotary sifters do with clay rich soils? Balls up when moist I’m guessing and requires high speed to break up when soil’s dry?

A very clever contraption. I'm wondering if you really need to sort the dirt or can you just use regular soil ... within reason ... obviously not the plastic!? I'm always impressed by those who can just whip up a contraption like that out of spare parts ... nice work. By the way, a master gardener on another channel chided me for calling it "dirt" .... he said you should call it soil. I agree with him, dirt sounds "dirty".

Where did you find the rings / trommel to make that.

How did you attach the wire to the rims? I have one now but the screws I used make it hard for the belt to turn the drum. and what is your motor rpm and pulley wheel sizes? I'm trying to figure how to slow mine down my motor is 3450rpm

Can you use a washing/drying machine chamber instead?

Nice, Thanks!

I more-or-less copied your design. Belts and pulleys came from a local supply house, which also had a 1/3 HP motor lying around (returned/used) for $30. I found a baby stroller with 4 pairs of double wheels for $5 at a thrift shop, so there were my 8 wheels, which were big enough to ride smoothly on the outside of the rims. A couple of caster wheels on each end of the thing ride on the rims and keep the cage aligned on the wheels.

Do you have a parts list and directions for build for this setup? I also watched Geoff Babcock's version and am very interested in building this thing but need a parts list and measurements and such. Thanks for a great video.

@TheNinjaMonkey

4 жыл бұрын

Did you ever manage to make one?

What gauge was the mesh? Is it welded wire or galvanized wire cloth?

great Idea. Could you explain how the screen is attached to the rims? Thanks

inline skate wheels in the grooves will stop lateral movement

What size bike rims did you use? How wide?

Nice design.

my suggestion is turn the whole thing 90 degrees and throw the dirt in from the side. then as u fill the raised bed you can slide the whole thing down the the length of the bed.

@lazygardens

7 жыл бұрын

Excellent idea.

Hi dont suppose u have some plans for this or a step by step guide, would love to build one of these for my allotment. Tony

NICE JOB

Where u got the center bearings?

lol man , cool job :o)

Awesome.

Where did you get your pulleys and belts?

I have a couple questions: How do you make the screen/drum assembly/trommel? How do you move it, especially the catch-trailer, to different parts of the raised bed? I'm not sure I'm wording that correctly--I understand 2 people can move everything--what I mean is where does the catch-trailer go next?? If you say along a side, perpendicular to a side, then the shoveler is no longer "in-line" but instead alongside, then backing up, then shovel a scoop into the trommel, etc.

@ElevatedEyes2023

8 жыл бұрын

google is your friend: www.popularmechanics.com/home/how-to-plans/how-to/a11370/how-to-build-a-motorized-trommel-and-why-on-earth-you-would-want-to-17246926/

Nice Idea, I would like to see a video on making the wire drum if you have one. Is that an AC or DC Motor?