Weight of rock in barrels question

[fantastic5]

I've finally got my Lortone 33B up and running and I have a question about the weight of the rocks in the barrels. Does the 3 lbs of rock include the weight of the barrel, water and slurry or just the rocks themselves?

The reason I am asking is we had a power outage over the weekend and I noticed that the tumbler did not start back up after the power came on. I had to pull one of the barrels off to get it to begin rotating again. So I weighed each barrel and both were a little over 3 1/2 lbs a piece fully loaded. I went ahead and did a clean out and re-weighed the rough and both barrels had less than 3 lbs of clean rock. Also this is a used tumbler, so I do not know what shape the motor is in.

Any advice would be appreciated. We have frequent power interuptions, especially in the winter, so I am concerned what will happen if this happens while we are at work.

[jamesp]

Sounds like your motor is weak or you have a bad bearing. The shafts should spin freely by hand when tumbler is off.
The shaft bearings or motor bearings could be bad. The motor should have plenty of power to turn the barrels no matter how full they are.
Sometimes a bad motor will not start on it's own, and needs a push. Or it may not start by itself when it is hot, but will start when cool.
I am suspicious of the motor. Sounds like a small motor that does not use a capacitor if not mistaken.

Try turning it on and off and see if the motor starts every time. If it does not start it may get hot sitting there, and you may here a buzzing sound.

Ah, that motor is kind of enclosed in the frame. Those motors are, well, not my favorite. Looking it up on ebay..
If it is an old tumbler and the bearings are good I would replace the motor Ann.
www.ebay.com/itm/LORTONE-3A-33B-3-1-5B-45C-TUMBLER-MOTOR-NEW-/191260977687

[FLrockhound]

That will occasionally happen to my lortone 45c. Sometimes I have to unplug take the barrel off and it will begin spinning then place the barrel back on while its running. In my case, the tumbler is from the 70s and I'm sure the motor has never been replaced. Replacing the motor sounds like that will fix your issues like Jamesp stated. I would change your belt also, that will probably be the next thing to go once the motor is replaced. I don't believe your barrel weight is an issue.

Hope everything works out well for you!

[Deleted]

This has always been a perplexing issue.. But without a scale.. I really do not have any correct way of checking the weight variance. About the only thing I go by, is that I simply fill the barrel half full or just slightly over half with the stones.. then add water just so that it covers the stone or even slightly less.. then add the grit.

The spindles do need oiled but using conventional oils seem to again bog down the system because the oil picks up the dust from its surroundings. I've found that grease works a bit better than just oil. But I'm still open to other suggestions on this. Because the spindle is socketed into a plastic cup which is prob not the best means of having this done and I doubt Lortone would update their systems but again incorp an enclosed ball baring spindle system.

True I have had issues with the belt driven tumblers and which there was an easier solution.. Maybe incorp a gear system instead of the rubber belt. I would suspect that's why many lean towards the vibe system instead of the belt driven.

[johnjsgems]

How long was the power outage? If it sat for hours you may need to shake the barrels and then put them on the rollers. You need at least 2/3 full barrels (3/4 even better. If the motor is too weak to turn loaded barrels you can use ceramic media to help lighten the load. Most used Lortones I've picked up needed the roller bushings replaced. Check those and the shafts where they ride in the bushings. Make sure they are clean and use a few drops of light weight oil on each. Also, Lortone belts are notorious for stretching and slipping so check that too.

[fantastic5]

Thanks for all the information! I am refurbishing an old Lortone QT66 and purchased the bearing set from Rock Shed ao I went ahead and bought a set for the 33B while I was ordering. I just haven't put the new set in yet. The belt on the 33B is new, so I will try the bearings which hopefully fixes the issue. Not sure if I will replace the motor if is bad.

[blessed]

John is right. The reason is because your grit, slurry, and rocks settle to one side. This makes it harder to get going again. I would think your motor and belt are ok.
James

[Deleted]

johnjsgems did bring up an interesting comment.. if the barrel sits for an extremely long time.. It's contents tend to get stuck or create a mass within the barrel and this doesn't want to give. In that case I would open the barrel and see how fluent everything is and make adjustments.. Might even have to pour it all out, clean it off and start over.

fantastic5 I was suggesting that I would hope someone come up with more of a baring option for these tumblers.. so It's unclear and I haven';t checked to see if anything like this has actually been created.. Thou if one is talented enough the baring would be a better alternative.. but the fact that the power went out still presents the mass or globing issue within the barrel.

[tkvancil]

I have two 33b's, one about 3 years old and one about 4. I have replaced the motor in each. One because I over tightened the belt and wore out the little bronze bushing. The other seemed to be from age. When they wear out they will have a harder time turning the barrel and seem to turn slower.

Your belt is new so it isn't stretched. It could be a little loose. This will keep the barrels from turning also. I adjust my belts on the 33's carefully having already burned my self once. Here's how I do mine ... with the tumbler running full barrels carefully put a hand on one barrel. If it stops easily, unplug and tighten ever so slightly, a little adjustment goes a long way. Repeat slight adjustments until the barrel continues turning when touched.

I also have had too much oil on the bushings. The excess oil got into the motor compartment and onto the belt causing it to slip. rubbing alcohol and a q-tip will clean that up.

I weigh my barrels each week. It is not unusual for me to have 7 to 8 pounds total between the two.

Good luck and happy tumbling!!

[thestripedone]

I have a question my lortone 33b

The large pully shaft moves in and out slightly while operating. Is this normal?
Thanks,
thestripedone (aka)Bruce