Harbor Freight tumbler belts snapping

TTv2 · Mar 29, 2020

I have the dual drum rotary tumbler from Harbor Freight and it had been working well until a few weeks ago when it started rotating the drums really slowly. I did some researching and found that the belt tension could be adjusted. So I added more tension to the belt and it did great, until that belt snapped.

I figured maybe it was time, that belt got used enough, so I replaced it on Friday and now today during more tumbling the second belt snapped. Am I putting too much tension on these belts? I need good tension on the belt when I fill both drums otherwise it doesn't spin them fast enough to get good results.

If anyone here has any experience with the HF tumblers, please I need your input. The belts are cheap enough to replace, but I don't want them breaking every time I try to use the machine.

Bugster · Mar 29, 2020

I have the single and the double. The double started having troubles turning the drums, so I checked the rollers and the non-powered roller was real stiff. I decided to oil the ends of the roller and turned it back on and the drums spun like it was new. Just used a drop or two of 3 in 1 oil. May help?

whughett · Mar 29, 2020

The dual drum has a load limit of 6 pounds are you stressing it that way. I’ve two of those no problems in several years.

Gumby0961 · Mar 29, 2020

Sounds like dry bearings.

TTv2 · Mar 29, 2020

whughett said:
The dual drum has a load limit of 6 pounds are you stressing it that way. I’ve two of those no problems in several years.

I'm not weighing the drums, but they're probably 3 pounds each, maybe more. Before i was just running one drum and leaving the other empty, so for now I'll just run one drum at a time.

IDK, I guess it's looking like I need to get a larger tumbler so I can do larger batches. This HF did me well and will continue to with my small batches of brass, but when I'm doing hundreds of .32 at a time I guess I'm gonna need to step up to the Frankford Lite.

starnbar · Mar 30, 2020

I don't know if you want to go bigger but years ago I bought a plastic drum cement mixer 1 yard size and filled it with walnut hull and some jewelers rouge that was about 28 years ago and it still polishes just fine every once in awhile I find some brass that has been in there for awhile some of it looks like gold.

whughett · Mar 30, 2020

starnbar said:
I don't know if you want to go bigger but years ago I bought a plastic drum cement mixer 1 yard size and filled it with walnut hull and some jewelers rouge that was about 28 years ago and it still polishes just fine every once in awhile I find some brass that has been in there for awhile some of it looks like gold.

Now that’s a serious tumbler. :what:

Nature Boy · Mar 30, 2020

whughett said:
Now that’s a serious tumbler.

you should see some of @jmorris ’s contraptions

Texas10mm · Mar 30, 2020

starnbar said:
I don't know if you want to go bigger but years ago I bought a plastic drum cement mixer 1 yard size and filled it with walnut hull and some jewelers rouge that was about 28 years ago and it still polishes just fine every once in awhile I find some brass that has been in there for awhile some of it looks like gold.

I've thought about doing that on more than one occasion. But I've ended up with three FA and one Hornady vibratory tumblers. I can clean quite a bit of brass at a time now.

Axis II · Mar 30, 2020

I cant help other than buy new belts from HF and oil the gear. I will say this.. I purchased the HF and used it once and took it back. I am a cheapo and saved up for the Frankfort Arsenal when it went on sale.

nofendertom · Mar 30, 2020

For BIG batches look at the HF cement mixer.

jmorris · Mar 30, 2020

Nature Boy said:
you should see some of @jmorris ’s contraptions

I don’t have them but I built 3 of these and a (gantry crane so they could load/unload them) for a business, they tumbled 15 gallons of brass per drum for each batch.

Direct drive 3ph gearmotor using VFD’s for soft start and able to use 120v single phase to power them.

Toml · Mar 30, 2020

V-Belt Global Supply sells Kevlar replacement belts. Buy once, cry once.

IHmagnum · Mar 31, 2020

If the rollers are not turning freely you may find that the chrome plating on the rollers has chipped off inside the nylon end bushings jamming them up. This happened on my first one which I exchanged for another only to have the same thing happen with the second one. I took it apart and used a dental pick to pry the chips out of the bushings, smoothed the inside of the bushings with a fine round chainsaw file and cleaned up the ends of the roller before reassembly. Oh, and be really careful with those tiny snap rings on the roller ends. They can really fly! And no I never did find it.
I have used it a fair amount in the year since with no other issues.

TTv2 · Mar 31, 2020

IHmagnum said:
If the rollers are not turning freely you may find that the chrome plating on the rollers has chipped off inside the nylon end bushings jamming them up. This happened on my first one which I exchanged for another only to have the same thing happen with the second one. I took it apart and used a dental pick to pry the chips out of the bushings, smoothed the inside of the bushings with a fine round chainsaw file and cleaned up the ends of the roller before reassembly. Oh, and be really careful with those tiny snap rings on the roller ends. They can really fly! And no I never did find it.
I have used it a fair amount in the year since with no other issues.

Rollers are fine, but the wheel the belt goes around as a lot of "wiggle", doesn't run perfectly true. Not sure if that's the issue, but I didn't have any issues before when I was only loading one drum and running that.

Only thing I can think is I'm putting too much weight in the drums and to get them to spin I have to make the belt very tight. I replaced the last belt and ran with just one drum and didn't have any issues for the few hours it was running, so I guess I'm going to have to start reducing the amount of brass and pins I'm putting in each drum.

TTv2 · Apr 1, 2020

Toml said:
V-Belt Global Supply sells Kevlar replacement belts. Buy once, cry once.

That's great, want to tell me which size fits my tumbler or are you an employee trying to do free advertising on a gun forum?

alfsauve · Apr 1, 2020

Speaking of buy-once-cry-once: Uh, you guys do know that you only buy HF things for one time, disposable use, right?

Demi-human · Apr 2, 2020

TTv2 said:
That's great, want to tell me which size fits my tumbler or are you an employee trying to do free advertising on a gun forum?

You mean a six rib, nine foot long v- belt won't work on a rock tumbler?!

Toml · Apr 3, 2020

TTv2 said:
That's great, want to tell me which size fits my tumbler or are you an employee trying to do free advertising on a gun forum?

No, just a recommendation.

Harbor Freight tumbler belts snapping

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