Hey soil screening builders

[Wayne County Hose]

I finally have all the materials to build a soil screener. Simply the kind with metal grates on an angle that you dump a load on and get the screened dirt from the other side. You guys that have built them, what angle did you put the screen/grates at? And, if you had to do it again, would you do anything different?
Thanks, Andy.

 

[chickenman]

i built a tow behind tractor mobile screener and my screen is at 35 deg

 

[MJPetersen]

Andy,
My brother built a screening plant and he said that in his experience "we adjusted the angle depending on the product, very flat when making mason sand and fairly steep for making septic rock." So the angle depends on your desired final product. http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/build-yourself/119273-screening-plant-project.html It looks like on his the angle is about 25 to 30 degrees. He was looking for topsoil without the rock. You can ask him, though to be sure.

Mike

 

[257NH]

If you can make it adjustable I would.Theres a lot of variables involved,moisture content,clay base loam as opposed to sandy loam etc.

 

[akpilot]

There are so many variables, as (257NH & Mike) have said. Mine is adjustable from just over 20 to about to about 40 degrees, it has a vibration mechanism to move the material down the slope enabling a much flatter screen. It sounds like you are not going to use a vibration unit, therefore you will have to run the screen fairly steep, maybe 35 to 50 degrees, depending on how dry your material is and what type of product your going to run through it. I would make it adjustable for sure, if at all possible. JMO
If you choose to use a commercial vibration, ther a lots of them on the net, however be careful searching the internet for a vibrator search by 12v Vibrator or pneumatic vibrator.

 

[Wayne County Hose]

Thanks akpilot, I was waiting for you to post something. Yea, I did google vibrator. I don't think anything I found will work. But there was one that was quite........aw, forget it.

I will make mine adjustable and I think I'll scrounge up an old Briggs & Scrapiron 5 horse motor and wack the blade crooked for my vibrator.

Thanks everyone for your input.
Andy

 

[SkunkWerX]

Andy,

For topsoil with no vibrator, make it pretty steep.
Since you are "Mr. Hydraulic" you could hook your 5hp motor to hydraulic vibrator!

I was semi-joking about the "Mr. Hydrualic" remark, but, just had an idea....

What about using the existing motor and pump from a log splitter (everyone has a splitter, right?) diverting the flow from the splitter ram, directing it to a small hydraulic motor with an off-center/eccentric roller to cause the vibration?

 

[Arc Angel]

I just finished my screen two days ago and it works great. It is set at 30*and has a 1/3 HP electric motor turning a shaft with large pulleys at each end with 1/2 inch plate weights welded in the pulleys. I used leaf springs and shackels to let it shake.
Mark

 

[akpilot]

I just finished my screen two days ago and it works great. It is set at 30*and has a 1/3 HP electric motor turning a shaft with large pulleys at each end with 1/2 inch plate weights welded in the pulleys. I used leaf springs and shackels to let it shake.
Mark

Sounds Great!!! We need pictures

 

[RonMar]

Sounds Great!!! We need pictures

Yes, Pictures Please...

 

[Wayne County Hose]

Andy,

For topsoil with no vibrator, make it pretty steep.
Since you are "Mr. Hydraulic" you could hook your 5hp motor to hydraulic vibrator!

I was semi-joking about the "Mr. Hydrualic" remark, but, just had an idea....

What about using the existing motor and pump from a log splitter (everyone has a splitter, right?) diverting the flow from the splitter ram, directing it to a small hydraulic motor with an off-center/eccentric roller to cause the vibration?

I thought about something like that. But, I don't want to make it too large or too heavy. I want to be able to transport it on my 5'x8' trailer, it will hold 1600 lbs. I thought about making the screen on a hydraulic cylinder to have "power tilt." I don't know how well a hydraulic motor will hold up to being a vibrator. If I use an old Briggs and Scrapiron engine, it won't need a vibrator.

 

[RonMar]

I thought about something like that. But, I don't want to make it too large or too heavy. I want to be able to transport it on my 5'x8' trailer, it will hold 1600 lbs. I thought about making the screen on a hydraulic cylinder to have "power tilt." I don't know how well a hydraulic motor will hold up to being a vibrator. If I use an old Briggs and Scrapiron engine, it won't need a vibrator.

Yea, if I was going to the trouble of plumbing a hydraulic motor on the screener, I think I would put a connecting rod from the table to an offset crank on the motor and make it an actual shaker table...

 

[chickenman]

i made a crank by welding a cutoff 3/4" bolt to the end of a 1" coldrolled round bar which gives about 1/2" total travel.

i used pillow block bearings to mount the shaft and a pillow block at both ends of the pitman arm , so far works well.

take a piece of angle and cut a notch in the botton of the angle and clamp the pieces in it, alows you to weld all around the crank and keep it straight

 

[Arc Angel]

A couple of pics.

 

[akpilot]

That's cool, Looks like it works real well.

 

[Wayne County Hose]

Arc Angel,

Neat, I like that. I have metal grates with about 2"x2" openings. I also have some smaller expanded metal grates. I was thinking of building something a lot like yours, but also placing the smaller metal grates below the top one. I would angle it away from the motor in your picture. This would allow the top grate to filter out the big stuff and the smaller grate to filter out smaller stone. Then I would have some stone about the size of #2 stone for other uses.

Now I have to get busy!

 

[StrangeRanger]

I'm working on this type of project too. But I've got two handicaps, mine will be made out of wood and I've got a mower engine w/ a vertical output shaft instead of horizontal.

I don't have the $$$, time or resources to weld up a nice frame, so wood it will be. I'll just have to brace it up real good.

The mower engine I'm hoping if I run it slow enough w/ a offset weighted pulley on the shaft will shake things up for me.

Who knows, this could be an utter disaster but I've got work w/ what I've got.
j

 

[akpilot]

I'm working on this type of project too. But I've got two handicaps, mine will be made out of wood and I've got a mower engine w/ a vertical output shaft instead of horizontal.

I don't have the $$$, time or resources to weld up a nice frame, so wood it will be. I'll just have to brace it up real good.

The mower engine I'm hoping if I run it slow enough w/ a offset weighted pulley on the shaft will shake things up for me.

Who knows, this could be an utter disaster but I've got work w/ what I've got.
j

I think it is possible!! I think you will want to run the the pulley in parallel with the direction on slope to reduce side-side motion, which would be hard on your frame. I don't think a vertical shaft is that much of a problem, run a long enough belt to put a 90 degree twist to put the pulley shaft on horizonal plane. Good Luck!!

 

[Wayne County Hose]

I'm working on this type of project too. But I've got two handicaps, mine will be made out of wood and I've got a mower engine w/ a vertical output shaft instead of horizontal.

j

My engine is a vertical shaft too. I'm going to run a 90 degree twist in the belt to a horizontal shaker. I've seen belts run like this in industrial applications with no longevity issues.

 

[SkunkWerX]

I agree with what Ronmar and ChickenMan said about making it a shaker.

A connecting rod or i was thinking of an eccentrically drilled final shaker pully/disc that is belt drive, to isolate the motor from a lot of vibration.

Mounted on coil springs seems to be the way the "big boys" do it.

Wayne County, i agree the 90 twist should be no problem.
i also liek the idea of being able to change the angle, that could be very helpful, just keep in mind belt adjustment as the angle is changed.

I built a stand up gravity fed model last wekend, with 1" x 2" fence wire.
Stood up at about a 50 degree angle it works very well.
I thought the 1" x 2" would screen a lot coarser than it really did, the soil is like potting soil consistancy. 3/4" expanded metal seems like it will yield very fine material.
I find for gardening you do want some small "turds" in the mix, if it's all sifted to talcum powder consistancy it will pack real tight, causing other problems.
Another thought is while sifting, throw in some additives, peat moss, humus, compost, etc. to give the final product some loft.

The idea of a screen under a screen is also thinking ahead, good idea!
Filter off the real big stuff , then end up with mediums and fines.

I'm on the drawing board right now, luckily have a 5HP Honda Horizontal shaft sitting in the shop, it ran when it was removed from service, so, keeping fingers crossed it's still viable.