need idea's

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I am in the planning stages of building a topsoil screen .I would like to make it have a vibrating screen. The main question is what would be a good way to make the screen vibrate . One Idea I have read about is   build a free standing screen with in a frame attach a big pulley and cut a section out . run a belt over the pulley to an engine. will this design work ? is there any better idea's out there that are simple to design . help please .
Reply:I found this tumbler:http://steveandlizthompson.shutterfly.com/109Yakdung
Reply:I am looking for something bigger that I can load with a bobcat or tractor.
Reply:google "shale shaker".  It's a device used to separate solids from drilling mud on an oil rig.  Probably way overkill for what you need but the concept is, I think, what you're looking for.Miller 211 w/ spool gunMiller Dynasty 200DXLongevity 60i IGBT plasmaO/A w/ crappy chinese torch/gaugesSouth Bend 10K latheGrizzly 4029 10x54 millGrizzly 7x12 hor bandsawangle grnders, bench grnder, bench belt sndr7.5 hp 80gal cmprsor
Reply:Most of the large screen plants I've dealt with have little more than a very large eccentric weight  mounted on a shaft (looked like a camshaft with one lobe).  Then an electric motor driving a pulley on the end of the shaft.  The whole screenbox sits on coil springs so it can shake as it gets up to speed.  I'm guessing the idea of a pulley with a section cut out of it is to mimic the eccentric weight mounted on the "real deal."  The pulley would have to be REALLY heavy to get the type of motion you're going to need to effectively screen a Bobcat-sized bucket.  Too much vibration and you toss material out of the box, too little and you don't get effective separation.  You'll need higher frequency vibration if you're dealing with material that has much moisture in it.  If your dirt has large rock in it, you might consider building a stationary screen (we called it a "grizzly") which will separate the largest stuff out to keep from damaging the screen cloth on your vibratory screen.I should clarify that this info comes from my experience with rock quarry screening plants - I've never dealt with dirt plants.  I would think the concepts would be similar.Last edited by tbone550; 02-04-2012 at 11:08 PM.
Reply:Vibratng excitter....Bolt an exciter to it, not much more than a very un balanced flywheel.  I worked in the oilsands as a millwright, one of our jobs was rebuilding the vibe screens that seperated the rocks out of the mined ore.  The exciters on these huge screens are gear boxes with pairs of off set weights, each weight is 300lbs, four to each gear box, three boxes per screen.  When running the entire tower that these are installed in vibrates.A great place to start might be the exploded diagram for small plate compactors..... A 4hp honda with a belt drive and slip idler for control just might be the ticket Bearings for the shaft that the weight is attached to will likely be the biggest hurdle.I suppose even bolting a 100 lb compactor to the screen frame would do it...
Reply:Yup same idea as tbone.Mount the whole thing on coil springs from an auto wrecker, on the screens I worked on the springs were the lowest wear/maintenace issue.  By far the biggest was wear on the screens, oilsand is the perfect abbrasive, alot like working in a pit full of lapping compund... It is pretty cool to watch the sand flow when vibrating.Im thinking that renting a compactor to test the idea will show that it is a sound plan. Attached Images
Reply:What size screen opening? Will the topsoil be dry? Do you want the screen flat or sloped? Will the loader/ bobcat dump directly on it or will a feeder/ conveyor feed onto it? Will there be much vegetation/ roots in the material to be screened? These are basic questions you need answers to before starting.                                          MikeOl' Stonebreaker  "Experience is the name everyone gives to their mistakes"Hobart G-213 portableMiller 175 migMiller thunderbolt ac/dc stick Victor O/A setupMakita chop saw
Reply:for starters the screen  openings are going to be 1/2 "- 3/4" probably start out with 3/4' and if that works well try to drop to 1/2". I plan to load it directly with the bobcat. Slope not sure looking for the best idea's  there will be rocks ans vegetation in the dirt. My idea is to start with a sloped screen variable angle grizzle bars above the screen then hopefully add a vibrating Assembly.
Reply:If you have vegetation it will blind a 3/4" scr in short order. I think you need to google, yahoo, etc. " screening topsoil". There's a lot to building a screen to do what you're wanting. It's hard to feed a screen the proper amount of material in a steady stream out of any implement bucket. I crushed and screened a lot of rock for a lot of years and dirt was always a big problem. IMO you need to do a lot of research before starting this project. One thing to keep in mind is: when screening dirt/topsoil, moisture in any form or amount is your worst enemy. I'm not trying to discourage you, just making sure your eyes are fully open.                                                  HTH,                                                             Mike  PS: that's why my sig is" Ol' Stonebreaker"Ol' Stonebreaker  "Experience is the name everyone gives to their mistakes"Hobart G-213 portableMiller 175 migMiller thunderbolt ac/dc stick Victor O/A setupMakita chop saw
Reply:google or ebay "vibco" I think it would simplify what you're trying to do
Reply:if you go for a screen deck affair you will need several stage with a rock grizzly on top.   An alternative is using a trommel design.  Around here they are popular for topsoil.  They can handle large volumes and are self clearing since they rotate rather than vibrate.  Screen decks are more for separating sand and gravel or placer mining.  Do a google for trommel screens.
Reply:This is a screen design we use for compost. The screen hangs and is driven by a chain driven arm. The screen is round bar spaced at your desired width. Large items like stones come off the lower bottom edge. You may need a splash board on the bottom edge to pile the stones outside your screened pile (not shown in render). The screen can hang from arms or chains. You adjust the flow by the angle of the screen. Conveyor fed is ideal. A box above would work but will likely limit your pile heights. These are much easier/cheaper to build and maintain then trommel screens. Hope this helps.  Attached ImagesLast edited by forhire; 02-06-2012 at 06:27 AM.
Reply:Thanks Forhire. That's similar to the home made one we used years ago on one job. I hadn't been able to find a pict of one with an arm and wheel arrangement. There was a slat rack above the screen to remove large rocks / sticks etc 1st..No government ever voluntarily reduces itself in size. Government programs, once launched, never disappear. Actually, a government bureau is the nearest thing to eternal life we'll ever see on this earth! Ronald Reagan
Reply:Just had a thought... along the trommel and bobcat lines. This was in Farm Show a while back. http://www.farmshow.com/view_articles.php?a_id=32http://www.roborockpicker.com/[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0wcjB1YK-88[/ame]
Reply:Originally Posted by forhireJust had a thought... along the trommel and bobcat lines. This was in Farm Show a while back.
Reply:I built one for a nursery to shake the dirt and needles out of pine cones,  it was similar to the one forhire had shown in his drawing, I started out with 5/8s round bar with 3/8s spacing it was way too heavy for its purpose in the first place but i do what im told, the pine cones were getting stuck, so i had to redo the bars to 1/4 round bar. also i had the screen boxed in with a chute so the pine cones could be collected into a bag. Another differnce was the eccentric was only  maybe an inch and a half max and it vibrated fast enough, i think i started with a 2 1/2" eccentric but that was too much.Nothing Ever Got Done By Quitting, Never Give Up.
Reply:IMO any vibrating screen/grizzly has to have some vertical motion while moving material forward in order to get the fine material to pass thru the deck. A circular oscillation is the esiest way to get this motion on a sloping deck. A rod deck like Forhire pictured would be best for dealing w/ vegetation mixed in the dirt. I think the engineering required to accomplish the ideal slope, stroke dia. and RPM will require a lot of thought. When I lived in Idaho the state trans. dept. had small vibrating screens( I'll guess 3' x 5') that hung on the end of a conveyor to screen oversize out of sanding material.                                              MikeOl' Stonebreaker  "Experience is the name everyone gives to their mistakes"Hobart G-213 portableMiller 175 migMiller thunderbolt ac/dc stick Victor O/A setupMakita chop saw
Reply:WOW so many idea's which way to go ? I thought this would be a somewhat simple build trammel design, screens, bars. vibrating  or eccentric I guess I will have to put more thought in to the build thank you for all the idea's.