Portable rock soil recycler for tractors

[lanet]

Glad to see you are up and running material! I tried the clamps and really didn't like them. While I don't seem to have the same issue with the standard New Holland bucket, I found it to be a pain to grab the clamps and hook them on... I know it takes a minute or two, but I can swap my bucket and forks in that same time. And my forks weigh a couple hundred pounds less making it easier to move the unit.

When I originally looked at the unit last year, they were selling a tire setup so you could pull the unit with a truck. I don't see the photos on their website, but they hooked in the big holes on the side panels. Might be an option. One other thought that I've considered is welding a quick attach plate to the lower box.

I'm surprised you are having issues with grass catching. I don't have the rubber mat and wondering if that's causing the unit to clog up. I've run material with weeds and wild grass and never had a problem... I normally have to tap the screen a few times to cause it to bounce the material down... Is your dirt/grass wet? In any event, I'd talk to Brad at OMH and see what they can do to fix that problem...

 

[BGigHarbor]

It does seem the mat makes grassy material plug much worse, the stuff gets trapped under the mat and there is not enough downward force (gravity) to pull it through. It ends up so jammed I have to pull it out manually from below.

The mat is nice on the straight dirt and rocks stuff. I may try taking it off and running that same grassy material through it just to see the difference. I am guessing it is easier than changing a screen. The stuff I am screening is all bone dry.

Not that big a deal to swap in the forks, that is probably what I'll do most of the time.

I was thinking the same thing about how a quick attach mount on the outside would be great, although it would tend to get covered in dirt.


When you pick up the unit with forks from the outside, do your tines angle up all the way to the inside crosspiece when you lift?

Does your tractor lift the unit easily from the outside with the bucket clamps?

How hard is it to swap screens?

Bottom line is I think I'll have to work some issues out, but I think the thing will be very handy. I expect it will get used a lot over the first couple years esp at our new place. And it's nice I can just leave it outside, so storage space is not an issue.

 

[lanet]

It does seem the mat makes grassy material plug much worse, the stuff gets trapped under the mat and there is not enough downward force (gravity) to pull it through. It ends up so jammed I have to pull it out manually from below.

The mat is nice on the straight dirt and rocks stuff. I may try taking it off and running that same grassy material through it just to see the difference. I am guessing it is easier than changing a screen. The stuff I am screening is all bone dry.

Not that big a deal to swap in the forks, that is probably what I'll do most of the time.

I was thinking the same thing about how a quick attach mount on the outside would be great, although it would tend to get covered in dirt.


When you pick up the unit with forks from the outside, do your tines angle up all the way to the inside crosspiece when you lift?

Does your tractor lift the unit easily from the outside with the bucket clamps?

How hard is it to swap screens?

Bottom line is I think I'll have to work some issues out, but I think the thing will be very handy. I expect it will get used a lot over the first couple years esp at our new place. And it's nice I can just leave it outside, so storage space is not an issue.

It sounds like the mat keeps the material from springing up and down when bouncing the deck... I'm not sure if I'd like that.

With the clamps and my bucket, I had a hard time lifting the unit. First, the New Holland loader has curved arms and it extends a ways from the front. So to put the unit on the end of that is pretty hard to lift. Plus I did t like having that much weight out in the front. When I'm using the forks, mine angle up maybe 15 degrees, but they don't touch the center bar... Maybe mine are a little thicker?

I've switched out screens a couple times. It may just be me, but it takes longer than they say. Switching it out with a partner takes me about 15 to 20 minutes. Doing it by myself is tricky but takes about 30 minutes... But it's hard holding the screen on until you get a couple bolts on. I wish they had made something to temporarily hold the screen until you could bolt it down.

 

[BGigHarbor]

txs.

I hadn't thought about the mat keeping stuff from being bounced. I think you are right.

With just dirt and rocks I think it seems to hold stuff onto the top a little longer for the vibrator to drop the fines though. So I still like the idea in principle for some uses.

Something I am going to have to work out is the sequence of which screen to use - which order. I think it will depend on the material and what my goal is.

For example I want to gather some round rocks 1 1/2 inches to 3 inches for a drywell (I have lots of round rock).

 

[BGigHarbor]

After about about 3 hrs using the screener I noticed both coil springs were broken into two pieces. I don't remember it being like that before but I can't imagine what I've done that is unusually hard on it.

 

[breadtrk]

Hate to say it but it looks like the machine BGigHarbor is using needs some more design work, I hope the Manufacturer works with him to improve this machine. I'm dealing with tons and tons of rocks too, it is starting to look like I'm in the market for a dedicated rock picking machine.

 

[DeSite ASM]

Hello There
This is Brad with OMH. A customer who owns one of our machines passed along this conversation to me in hopes that I could offer some insite.
In regards to the grass and clumps. My suggestion is to remove the rubber flap from the feed deflector for now. When feeding the screener with this type of material, just pour the dirt from your bucket onto the feed deflector. Try to keep your bucket about 6 inches from the deflector mesh so that you can have some control over the flow of the material from your bucket onto the screen deck..
You should be able to process a bucket full in about 15 to 20 seconds. This may vary in some cases depending upon conditions.
The coil spring have been designed to be our weak link in the chain. They are hardened spring steel so if the are compressed quickly to the point that the rings hit each other they may break. I have design the machine to do this to make the operator conscious of put to much down pressure on the screen deck with the bucket and damaging the screen deck.
If you can our 877-254-7903 number and talk with Peter we can send you out a new set to get you up and running. Let Peter know that I said that I would cover the cost of the springs.
The springs are about 40.00. Some customer keep a spare set on hand to eliminate down time.
From your pictures that you have posted I would think that you should get 20 plus yards each hour with your kubota.
You are correct about the side of your bucket being more straight up and down that a skid steer bucket. Do you have a 3 point hitch on your tractor? I am working on a lifting system that fits on a 3 point that allows you to back up to the lifting pockets and pick up the screener with your 3 point..
You are welcome to call me directly. I am happy to discuss in more detail your needs.

 

[BGigHarbor]

Hello There
This is Brad with OMH. A customer who owns one of our machines passed along this conversation to me in hopes that I could offer some insite.
In regards to the grass and clumps. My suggestion is to remove the rubber flap from the feed deflector for now. When feeding the screener with this type of material, just pour the dirt from your bucket onto the feed deflector. Try to keep your bucket about 6 inches from the deflector mesh so that you can have some control over the flow of the material from your bucket onto the screen deck..
You should be able to process a bucket full in about 15 to 20 seconds. This may vary in some cases depending upon conditions.
The coil spring have been designed to be our weak link in the chain. They are hardened spring steel so if the are compressed quickly to the point that the rings hit each other they may break. I have design the machine to do this to make the operator conscious of put to much down pressure on the screen deck with the bucket and damaging the screen deck.
If you can our 877-254-7903 number and talk with Peter we can send you out a new set to get you up and running. Let Peter know that I said that I would cover the cost of the springs.
The springs are about 40.00. Some customer keep a spare set on hand to eliminate down time.
From your pictures that you have posted I would think that you should get 20 plus yards each hour with your kubota.
You are correct about the side of your bucket being more straight up and down that a skid steer bucket. Do you have a 3 point hitch on your tractor? I am working on a lifting system that fits on a 3 point that allows you to back up to the lifting pockets and pick up the screener with your 3 point..
You are welcome to call me directly. I am happy to discuss in more detail your needs.

Brad, Thanks for the posting. When the unit is repaired if I try to screen material with grass, etc in it I'll remove the mat. Haven't tried that yet as it looks to be a bit of a wrestling match to take it off and on solo.

This is the first I am hearing about the coil issue.

Kind of disappointing given I was trying to be careful and they were broken the very first session, but if I had been warned about it I would have had second thoughts about laying out the bucks so I can understand not telling me and risking the $7k sale.

But at a minimum I would have had extra springs delivered at the same time as my unit and extra meshes, to save shipping costs.

I'll try to be even more careful with the springs, but if they keep breaking I confess I won't be very happy about it. Was not my expectation to be having mechanical failures so easily/early.

But again, I appreciate you posting.

Thanks, Bill

 

[DeSite ASM]

Hello Bill
Brad with OMH again.
Screeners are unique in so far as they have the challenge of working with many different types of materials. Wet, dry, big rocks, little rocks, sticks , grass etc. We have people screening everything from sand, soil, compost, rock, concrete, asphalt, even things like coal and firewood. Their is a learning curve associated with screening all different type of products while using different mesh sizes.

Bob Wolfe of Woodbury Tractor, a dealer of ours in CT called about two weeks ago to tell me that our SLG screeners were one of the only products that he sold were customers actually called back after the sale to let him know the machine actually exceeded their expectations. We always try to give the customer as much information as possible so that they can make an informed decision. Our goal is not to mislead you, simply to make a sale.

If your SLG is not of the quality that was represented to you, that is not good. If the screener is still in new condition with the only damage being the broken springs, you are welcome to return the machine to me for a refund. I am happy to spend some time talking with you one on one if you would like. I have learned a few tricks over time while feeding different materials through our SLG machines.
Thanks
Brad

 

[BGigHarbor]

Brad, Not looking to return the machine. That would be a major hassle, and with practice I think the screen will be very useful. Just need new springs and figure out how to get more than 3 hrs out of a set.

Will try to get Peter to throw an extra set into the box on my nickel to prevent future downtime.

Naturally any tips on technique are welcome.

And thanks again for the postings.

Thanks Bill

 

[DeSite ASM]

Hi Bill
I am out of the country on business at the moment so probably Peter will assist you. I will replace the two spring at no charge to you if you are going to buy a couple more. Just let him know.

I am probably bias, but I am always amazed at what they will screen. These machines cost half of any comparable screener in its size. I have worked in and around dirt most of my life. I used to be in the logging business and always wanted my own small machine to be able to screen bank gravel to rock my roads. A static grizzly screen worked ok but plugged up to easily.
I always wanted to build a compact screener to work in confined areas. I knew that I wanted the screen deck to vibrate and to be able to manipulate the deck slope for different screening conditions.
My first production design was the PVG 12v series screener. They worked ok but I could see room for improvement.
It was kind of funny, I spent about 2 years just thinking about making a new design but when I finally put the pen to paper it only took me about 2 hours to draw the machine. I fact I was on an airplane when I drew the conceptual design.

The unit you bought weighs about 2100 lbs. It is a simple but strong design.

As I mentioned before, I am making an adapter that will go onto a three point hitch on the back of a tractor for moving the SLG-78 machines.
This will allow tractors to move the screener quickly and efficiently without having to change the bucket to forks.
When I get it done I will post some pictures.

Thanks
Brad

 

[BGigHarbor]

Brad,

I can tell there is a lot of experience and thought that goes into the machine. That is why I bought it. I only buy tools that grab me.

I showed the pics to a friend that spent years in the heavy equipment industry and he immediately related to alot of the ideas (and had some of his own). He was used to fabbing dirt equipment of a much larger scale, but appreciated how little and cute the slg-78 was.

In terms of the 3 pt hitch adapter, I am sure for some it would be handy. For me when I am working aggressively with my fel I prefer to have my 1100 lb boxblade on the back for counter weight. I don't have a quick hitch, so swapping the BB in and out would not be ideal for me.

What I think would be interesting (except for the dirt that would get on it) is if it had a standard FEL quick release style mounting system on it. I could drop the bucket in seconds and pick up the screener very securely.

I'll see if Peter will send me some springs. I am hoping you are saying $40 a pair rather than each.

Thanks, Bill

 

[BGigHarbor]

That would be each.

 

[DavesTractor]

I just bought one of these Desite 78" vibratory screeners. I am quite impressed with the way it works, and the way it is built. We assembled it ourselves and every hole lined up, everything went as designed with no hammers or reamers. It is heavy.

I was sorting through an old mulch pile with a bunch of sticks and crud in it. Other than the occasional stick that caught in the screen, this worked great. If I go through such nasty stuff again I may try the finer screen with the idea that less sticks might get trapped in the screen, but even with that issue I made 15 yards of perfect mulch out of a messy pile in an hour. I tried it with the vibrator function off and then on. For this application, it made a huge difference. I'll try to post some pics.

 

[DavesTractor]

The first picture is the end result. This is what came through the screen.

Here is the cast off that rolled off the screen. I'll let it mulch and sort it again next year. This is the ugliest "mulch" pile I had. I never really intended to sort this out, it was just a pile of clippings and trimmings on the back of the property. My new mulch piles are chipped, so I'm starting with a better product. To sort this by hand never would have happened. Although I am leaning on a pitch fork in the first picture, I have no idea how to use it.

Here is the tool I used to get it done.


The next job is a gravel drive behind our shop. The forklifts have ground it down to too many fines and it is really dusty. We will sort this through a 3/8" screen and get rid of some of the fines. Then reuse the rest right back in place. Makes more sense than to haul it off and buy new.

 

[SSweet9c1]

Hey I realize this is an old thread, but I am interested in hearing more from people who have owned these for multiple years...

I have a small composting business in upstate NY and am looking to purchase a screener. The Desite dealer is about 2.5 hours from me and is willing to rent one to me, which is the plant to try it out.. I just downgraded from an 84" bucket to a 78" for my Kubota M9540 so I can go with the 78" instead of the 108"

Has anyone had any experience running compost through one of these?
Thanks
Jonathan

 

[shaeff]

No shame in bumping an old thread, I'd personally prefer to have all the info in one thread rather than scattered across many!

How small of a business are you running? (You don't actually have to answer this, but answer for yourself), is it worth the expense to buy a commercial unit if you can weld/build one?

I'm planning to build one this summer if I can find the time (ha!). The plan is to use two sheets of expanded steel mesh or heavy duty screen like the above unit supported by angle iron. There really isn't much to these things. Throw a small gas motor on it, get the screen angle right (make it adjustable?) and sift away. Commercial units are expensive. Might be worth it to build one cheaply for now to see the demand?

For my use, I have large piles of whatever it is that the local town could drop off for me. It's got chunks of blacktop, rocks, road debris, all sorts of nasty stuff. It's great fill for now, but I can't use it as top in any area without using a steel rake on it. For every 4 buckets I dump, I have to rake off 1 bucket of oversized junk lol.

Anyway, just at thought!

 

[SSweet9c1]

Shaeff, Trust me I am the king of "let me try and reinvent the wheel myself on a shoestring budget..."
This is my side business in addition to working for my family's farm and my wife's full time job which has the health insurance/pension etc..
Also we have 2 kids that are currently being home schooled due to the schools being closed....
So to say the metrics of my "jon's projects" time has changed dramatically is an understatement... lol my spare time is currently at an all-time premium and spending a week building my own screener that probably won't work nearly as quickly and effortlessly is a definite deal breaker....

I probably wouldn't be looking to purchase till this fall, or even next spring.. But I'd like to have it in time for spring garden planting season... I can sell un-screened compost but it is much to chunky and non-uniform to claim top dollar, which I need to do at my scale...

I am most interested in hearing about he guy with the broken springs on the screener... Is he still breaking them? Is it a frequent problem? Thanks
Jonathan

 

[TractorGuy]

I built a simple one a couple of weeks ago. Knocked it out in a couple of days including going to town for materials. Made mine 8'x8' so my 84" bucket fits under it if I want to use my backhoe. Not near as heavy duty as that but it works for me.

https://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/build-yourself/425831-soil-screener.html

 

[shaeff]

Shaeff, Trust me I am the king of "let me try and reinvent the wheel myself on a shoestring budget..."
This is my side business in addition to working for my family's farm and my wife's full time job which has the health insurance/pension etc..
Also we have 2 kids that are currently being home schooled due to the schools being closed....
So to say the metrics of my "jon's projects" time has changed dramatically is an understatement... lol my spare time is currently at an all-time premium and spending a week building my own screener that probably won't work nearly as quickly and effortlessly is a definite deal breaker....

I probably wouldn't be looking to purchase till this fall, or even next spring.. But I'd like to have it in time for spring garden planting season... I can sell un-screened compost but it is much to chunky and non-uniform to claim top dollar, which I need to do at my scale...

I am most interested in hearing about he guy with the broken springs on the screener... Is he still breaking them? Is it a frequent problem? Thanks
Jonathan

Jon, I gotcha! Just figured I'd make a suggestion is all!

Stay safe and healthy, these are crazy times we're living through right now!