Lot-O tumbler motor malfunction

[xrayguy]

Here is a link to get some pictures from this morning. The parts all looked ok, just a little dirty since it is in the garage. Things to keep in mind are, which way the armature comes out, and orientation of the end cap. Note that the space between the bearings and the armature are different on each side. The bearing is closer to the armature on the end that goes into the motor housing. Also there is a flat washer that goes in first, then the spring washer,( with the fingers against the flat washer ), then the armature. I stuck them on with grease to simplify the assembly. Those bearings are held in place with clip rings, so they won't go anywhere. Last, put the end cap on with the mounting studs in line with the studs on the other end of the motor. I slip the clips on and tap with a small hammer to pop them on. I noticed the instructions from Lot-O says to make sure the weights in the fans are directly across from each other. I have been checking on that from time to time while tumbling. I have a mark on each fan to locate the weight position so I can see it. I hope this helps you. Very frustrating that things went bad so quickly. imgur.com/a/lox6ATv

[xrayguy]

I wanted to give you an update on my Lot-O problems. The new finger washer worked ok , but now there is a problem with the other end where the bearing is held in the part of the motor body that comes off with the clips. It is wearing out and has become an issue. I have had it with Lot-O and now looking at Diamond Pacific Mini Sonic. I could kick myself for not researching vibe tumblers a little better.
Lot-O is just using a cheap motor and I don't want to even try a replacement. At $120 what is the point.

[megq10]

Apr 11, 2019 9:50:29 GMT -5 grumpybill said:

Apr 11, 2019 0:11:44 GMT -5 Tommy said:

Well poop. I think the motor on my BRAND NEW Lot-O is toast.

Kinda' confirms my suspicion that Quality Control is slipping.

Me too!

[megq10]

Jul 14, 2021 18:37:45 GMT -5 geoyeti said:

I just had this happen to mine today. They said they will replace it (it has only been running a few weeks and I purchased it exactly 60 days ago). However, they told me I have to send the motor back and I can’t figure out how to take the fans off without breaking them. Allen wrench? Does anyone know how the fans detach so I can take the motor out?

They just pull off in each end

[megq10]

Is there a different replacement motor made by a different company
other than Fasco?
Same size and rpm as the U2iB?
712112835
Mine was only 3 months old and started making a loud racquet.

[megq10]

Jan 6, 2022 3:58:41 GMT -5 megq10 said:

Is there a different replacement motor made by a different company
other than Fasco?
Same size and rpm as the U2iB?
712112835
Mine was only 3 months old and started making a loud racquet.

This is on a Lot -O vibratory tumbler 😉

[impalarobss]

I had a the same problem with my Lot O rock tumbler. I called the manufacturer told them I had the tumbler only 3 months and it died. They told me to ship it back to them and within 2 weeks I had a new motor which didn’t last much longer than the first one. There was only one company that has the motor in stock and they want $190.00 for it. What I did was pull the motor apart put the Armature on my lathe and put a v groove on it and retrofitted a old washer machine motor with a belt to run it. It’s been running for over 6 months now and doing a good job. Thought no use getting another motor if they only last less than 3 months

[michigander2005]

My 4 month old lot o tumbler motor sounds terrible grinding like bearing is out. Left side facing it wobbles like bearing is out.
Anybody taken a motor apart and replaced bearings?

[waterboysh]

Figured I would post over in this thread because it's more likely to be found when someone is searching for a "lot-o motor" problem. Here's the original post I made back on Feb 14th, about 3 weeks after owning my Lot-o. I wish I could go back in time and kick myself for not calling the company immediately, but I know nothing about motors so I didn't.

A few months went by. My motor died completely. I called the number listed for the Lot-o manufacturer on rocktumbling.com and spoke to a man named Tom that told me I was out of luck because it was past the 90 day warranty and that it doesn't matter what video proof I have that the failure started just 1 month after purchase. Basically just told me tough luck, can't help you. So personally I rate their customer support a 1/5. I just wish there was more I could do about it.

[steelheader]

Wow wish I saw this thread before purchasing one. I mean, I watched a bunch of youtube videos praising these units but if I had known the bad was this bad I would have opted for another unit. A known recurring problem and the company hasn’t fixed it or honoured the product, wow. Fingers crossed mine doesn’t conk out… won’t be buying a replacement motor but spending my money elsewhere.

[agatemaggot]

Jun 7, 2022 20:09:50 GMT -5 steelheader said:

Wow wish I saw this thread before purchasing one. I mean, I watched a bunch of youtube videos praising these units but if I had known the bad was this bad I would have opted for another unit. A known recurring problem and the company hasn’t fixed it or honoured the product, wow. Fingers crossed mine doesn’t conk out… won’t be buying a replacement motor but spending my money elsewhere.

Don't buy from them, go to a local motor shop and they can order a real for you ! Take the old motor with you and they will come up with an exact fit !

[steelheader]

Cool, thanks for the heads up 😎

[waterboysh]

I took the motor apart to see what the inside looks like. The outside looked mostly fine. On the right side, I didn't see anything.




On the left side, I could see evidence that the bearing was shot. It was really dirty and had black gunk all over it.




After I got it open, everything looked perfectly fine other than the single bearing. It looked pretty bad on the inside too. When spinning it, there is a lot of wobble. I assume this is what caused the problem.

[waterboysh]

Quick update: I ordered the spring washer mentioned above. Put the motor all back together. Everything seemed fine. I could spin the shaft and not hear any weird noises. Did not seem to be an abnormal amount of friction. So I was very hopeful. I had run the motor for about 30 seconds with no fans attached while sitting on my kitchen counter and all seemed good.

So I go reattach it to the frame, fill the barrel, and place it in the frame. I plug it in... and omg, it was so quiet. Didn't sound like a buzzsaw. So I added my grit and everything. However... about 3 minutes later I hear this awful grinding noise. So I run out and by the time I had made it to the plug the fans had stopped spinning. I don't understand, because I can freely spin the shaft with practically no resistance. But I plug it in and nothing happens but the motor humming. So obviously something is wrong and I guess I need to just order a new motor.

Really bummed out about this. Also... no one has the motor in stock and has the whole time mine has been out of commission, which is 1.5 months now. I've been keeping an eye on several sites just in case.

[malduin]

That is really unfortunate, I hope you are able to locate a replacement motor shortly. I keep having issues with mine after a slurry is developed (regardless of stage), my rock movement just stalls out. I do not think my motor is strong enough.

[chuckd]

Same story different owner. I ran less then a dozen jobs and the motor died….same shaft wobble too. Sent and email to,Belt, Inc and Tom Stockwell advised they won’t be getting any more motors until the mid to end of September. Does anyone know if these are available somewhere else, any parts kit to rebuild the motor, any other make/model that can be swapped out? Any help deeply appreciated.

[waterboysh]

Aug 10, 2022 20:27:30 GMT -5 chuckd said:

Same story different owner. I ran less then a dozen jobs and the motor died….same shaft wobble too. Sent and email to,Belt, Inc and Tom Stockwell advised they won’t be getting any more motors until the mid to end of September. Does anyone know if these are available somewhere else, any parts kit to rebuild the motor, any other make/model that can be swapped out? Any help deeply appreciated.

I have called and spoken with a few of the retailers that sell the motor separately. They have all told me the same thing. When I spoke to Tom, he was very condescending. When I told him it failed after 4 months, he said "Sounds like you got a good amount of use from it then." I was like ,"uhhhh, well I didn't run it 24/7 over the last 4 months. I bet I only got 8 - 10 batches completed." His response to that was, "Like I said, it sounds like you got a good amount of use from it."

I am waiting for someone to have the Minisonic MT4 in stock and I'm going to purchase that and try to sell my lot-o frame and 2 barrels.

[hplcman]

Aug 11, 2022 9:05:42 GMT -5 waterboysh said:

Aug 10, 2022 20:27:30 GMT -5 chuckd said:

Same story different owner. I ran less then a dozen jobs and the motor died….same shaft wobble too. Sent and email to,Belt, Inc and Tom Stockwell advised they won’t be getting any more motors until the mid to end of September. Does anyone know if these are available somewhere else, any parts kit to rebuild the motor, any other make/model that can be swapped out? Any help deeply appreciated.

I have called and spoken with a few of the retailers that sell the motor separately. They have all told me the same thing. When I spoke to Tom, he was very condescending. When I told him it failed after 4 months, he said "Sounds like you got a good amount of use from it then." I was like ,"uhhhh, well I didn't run it 24/7 over the last 4 months. I bet I only got 8 - 10 batches completed." His response to that was, "Like I said, it sounds like you got a good amount of use from it."

I am waiting for someone to have the Minisonic MT4 in stock and I'm going to purchase that and try to sell my lot-o frame and 2 barrels.

What a horrible experience!  Seriously?  You spend a couple hundred bucks on a tumbler and are expected to be happy when it only lasts 4 months???  What a crock.  It's a shame this is happening, as it seems this tumbler had a loyal and happy following on this forum.  

[waterboysh]

I was finally able to get a new motor from Kingsley North after being on a waiting list for about 4 months. Had an issue already after only 24 hours, but I think it's minor and easily fixable. Here is an album with some pictures showing the issue.

What's interesting though is this new motor is a different brand, Imesa. I think the design of this motor is better. The original motor from Fasco had a design where most of the motor housing is one solid piece. The shaft is placed in the center, and then an end cap is placed on. This end cap holds the bearing. The end cap is then put on the motor and attached to the rest of the housing with some clips.

The new motor appears to be two halves. So there is no end cap. The two halves are held securely together by two bolts that run through the entire housing. So one side is the bolt head and the other side has a lock washer and nut. I don't know anything about motors, but this design seems better to me. The washer never really fit right in the endcap of the Fasco motor and I think this is where most of the issues stemmed from. When I took it apart, the washer on this side was discolored from heat and there was a bunch of black powder in the Lot-O fans and the inside of the motor. I think the bearing was spinning inside the endcap and rubbing away the metal until it got to the point where it was to loose and the shaft locked up. Once re-seated, I think the motor failed because of all the metallic dust that had built up inside it. This is just my personal theory though. I feel like this new motor's design more effectively sandwiches the bearings in place. But only time will tell.

So what problem did I have? The nut at the end of one of the two bolts that holds the two motor halves together came loose. I tried to put it back on and tighten it, but the end of bolt is stripped. I'm hoping the size is common enough that I can just go down to Lowe's and get a new one. But just in case it's not, I've already contacted Kingsley North and they are going to see what they can do about getting me a new bolt, washer, and nut.

[dillonf]

I have been tumbling with just rotaries (lortone) for a little over a year now. I thought I'd jump into the vibratory realm. I just purchased a Lot-O from rock shed. Now that I am reading more I am questioning the wisdom of my decision.

It seems like Lot-O have been having motor problems for over 4 years now, and haven't made any adjustments other than reducing the time period of the motor warranty from 90-days to 30-days. Now I am wondering if I should just try and return it before I even open the box (it hasn't even arrived yet) and wait for UV-10s to become available. Any advice from this group? Should I give it a try or is it not worth it? Are all the motors bad, or do folks get lucky once and a while?

Any and all advice appreciated.