I used to sift my compost, but I have found all the little wood bits, clods, and rocks are great homes for the microbiology that makes no till bio-dynamic gardening so great. Chunky is my style, and the roots love it!!!
I like the way the outer wheels form a rotatable container for the big cylindrical screen. That is a pretty creative solution to that mechanical puzzle.
Hi! Nice build. I recently built my own version of a Trommel after watching a few of these Trommel builds on RUclips. I used two 22" and 0ne 24" rim (wich had to be cut 2" smaller then brased back together),4' X 1/4" hardware mesh, a cross bar on output end to stop end travel ,three pulleys and two belts to drive it while cut final RPM to 30-39 RPM. Used sheet aluminum to stop dirt from being thrown out on lift side. works great with a very fine soil texture. Still have a 12' x 52' x ~4" deep decorative river rock to go (thats about 3-4 Ton of stone). I carved my idlers down mounted in my drill while using a ceramic file on both sides so they would fit inside both end rims. Already finished 2 Ton already.
I also copied your design to make my own, it works quite well. I found a 2 HP motor at a pawn shop that has plenty of power. For people who are going to build one and aren't savvy about such things, you can find sheaves, belts, axles and bearings at bearing shops, although getting used parts will definitely be cheaper if you can find them. The significant difference in mine is small fixed casters which ride inside the bike wheels to prevent the drum from drifting, instead of large wheels.
Brillant ! I made a similar device on a smaller scale for cleaning seeds using an old washing-machine's drum - very sturdy thing. It gets connected directly to my tractor's PTO which can turn as slow as 120 rpm and I can blow a pressure washer in it at the same time. Actually that's goot for washing quite a lot of different things.
This is fabulous! Our gardening effort was delayed last year due to rocks. We built a sifter to fit over our dump cart but we still had to sift by hand. I think I am getting one of these for my birthday present! This will definitely help us make quick work of rock sifting this year!
looks great! really like the small compact size so it can be moved around. i'm building one from an old cement mixer, but it doesn't look nearly as nice and clean as yours.
My mesh and some of my reducer wheels arrived today. I had already secured some bicycle wheels that I had found dumped. I have my belts on order and should expect them to arrive any day now, along with my 2 inch wheels. I've started construction of my framework and my trommel screen is completed, having taken around two and a half hours. I attached the mesh to the wheels using cable ties through the spoke holes. I might make a video when the project is done.
Great design. I don't know if they already told you, but to avoid the friction problem you mentioned, you could replace that flat guard (that prevents the tumbler from sliding forward) with something round and spinning. Kind of like a rolling pin, you know?
That sifter is so clever! In the words of Black Addar: "It is so clever you could stick a tail on it and call it a weasel!" I have GOT to make one of these. Nice fall project! Thanks for sharing your ideas with all of us.
I'm sorry I'm commenting from a phone, it's a great idea. And job I did 100 yard at my brothers on a stand that I had to rattle with a shovel if I knew then what I know now I would have built one like yours. Good job
It's a good thing she's got you to film while she does all the shoveling. :) Also, I see you've provided yourself with a glass of iced tea in case the filming gets too strenuous. :)
Yep...because clearly shoveling for 3 mins of a 5 minute video represents the division of labor for a project that took several days....and because what, women should not use shovels?
I built this and decided to put the wheels on my lathe and turned a groove in the middle then had only one side of the rim in the groove. That settled the tremble moving back and forth and smoothed out the ride.
I should respond to comments more often, I know. Apparently there is a Popular Mechanics article which came out in 2014 (I built this in 2010) which explains everything that I explain in the video. There are links to it below in the comments from other people. I am amazed how many people have copied this. This was a hasty job, and a lot of people have made various improvements. This version is just three bike rims wired to some 1" chicken wired, with regular belts from the auto parts store. The pulleys are from Hardwick's in Seattle, but they are readily available online. The motor was one that was laying around the shop. Wheels are from Lowe's. I got the idea driving by a big dirt and bark yard in Snohomish, WA, where they had one of these that was about 40 feet long and 12 feet high...a little big for my raised beds, but same idea.
@SpookyRain You need to operate the motor at its speed (3450rpm) and use pulleys to reduce the final RPM of the drum. If you try and slow the motor down you will move it out of its operational range and prematurely burn it out. In the above example he is using a 1725rpm motor with a 2" pulley going to a 10" pulley. This 1st reduction is 1725 rpm / (10" / 2") = 345 rpm. The 2nd reduction is the 2" pulley connected to the 25" drum which is 345 rpm / (25" / 2") = 27.6 rpm.
A perfect item to use on the end rims instead of a metal bracket would be training wheels/stabilisers, as they come with an angled bracket with holes included.
That is very SWEET!... The Basic setup you have definitely proves the concept. Like the others that have posted I am very interested to know how you made the screen. Please let us know how you attached the wire cloth to the bicycle rims). :)
LOL, I love it! You got the wife out there shoveling while you shoot the video then sound as if you've done all the work!! Nice job on the tumbler though, oh BTW, I would really consider a patent!
this is very cool I can see where it would come in a handy for a few things like sifting rabbit manure, material to go into a pellet mill, sifting rock out if clay (water might need to be added) what is cool about this is when using natural material nothing goes to waste clay can be use to build many things the rocks can be use for concrete same with the material for a pellet mill the stuff that does not go threw can be ran threw a hammer mill again and nothing goes to waste. good job
I like your brace. I love how you put that dust guard on. One question: How did you size it to fit the drum & casters properly. Any advice is helpful. Thanks.
Thanks for posting this trommel build. I've built and have been using a manual trommel to screen compost for a few years and it's time to motorize. What's the horsepower on your motor or what do you recommend? Thanks!
@DCVU2 I'd say you can find electrical motors that would work in lots of household appliances (sewing machine, washing machines, dishwashers, power tools, etc.) Ought to be able to find em cheap on Craigslist and then simply disassemble them. Might even be able to use a drill or box fan. For the belt, you might try the auto parts store or the lawn n garden section.
I more-or-less copied your design. Belts and pulleys came from a local supply house, which also had a 1/3 HP motor lying around (returned/used) for $30. I found a baby stroller with 4 pairs of double wheels for $5 at a thrift shop, so there were my 8 wheels, which were big enough to ride smoothly on the outside of the rims. A couple of caster wheels on each end of the thing ride on the rims and keep the cage aligned on the wheels.
Great Idea !!! Put this on Wheels a bit bigger than your Garden Bed... Slide that down as you go, that way it's filled on its own. Next year, use the same concept and use it to Clean all the stuff in your Garden Bed aka, roots, grass etc..., so that way you don't have to clean or pick by hand. I see a Multi-Usage if you just added the Wheels :))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))
I'm in the final stages of building one very similar to yours but with dual screens - 1/4" and 3/4" so mine is 6' long and powered by a B/S 4hp gas motor. Also mine has a hopper so I can load it with my small tractor. Thanks for the ideas and excellent video
I just used 1/4" and 3/4" expanded metal and rolled them into tubes. Bolted the joints to gether...kind of a pain to get even but it works good. Now I'm working on an auger system to pull the material in. The hopper ended up being too high for my tractor
You form the hardware cloth into a cylinder and fasten it to the rims. I used #8 pan head screws, washers, and stop nuts. Some thread the mesh onto the rims using wire through the spoke holes -- Google "instructable compost trommel". My screw method created a bumpy rim (screw heads), so my wheels had to ride on the outer diameter. FH screws might work better. Mine passed the dirt test today, so I'm happy!
I'm Making one now will post a video when done, I used roller blade wheels inside the bike rims instead of the 8 black wheels you used. they fit into the rims perfect. i also used 6mm galvanised aviary mesh as it filters the soil finer. INSPIRATION IS FROM THIS VIDEO!!! THANKS ;o)
A very clever contraption. I'm wondering if you really need to sort the dirt or can you just use regular soil ... within reason ... obviously not the plastic!? I'm always impressed by those who can just whip up a contraption like that out of spare parts ... nice work. By the way, a master gardener on another channel chided me for calling it "dirt" .... he said you should call it soil. I agree with him, dirt sounds "dirty".
Do you have a parts list and directions for build for this setup? I also watched Geoff Babcock's version and am very interested in building this thing but need a parts list and measurements and such. Thanks for a great video.
very nice ! is there a reason you dont use unsifted material in the bottom of the beds and just sift the top 6" or so? most veggies are only using top few inches to grow in,aside from taproots like carrots etc.
my suggestion is turn the whole thing 90 degrees and throw the dirt in from the side. then as u fill the raised bed you can slide the whole thing down the the length of the bed.
I think I might have a solution to your drum walk Guard, friction problem. I don't know if you have ever taken a clothes dryer apart, but on the front of the drum is a felt strip running around the front edge of the drum. and in the back of the door panel is a slot that the drum runs in. thus reducing friction, while keeping the drum from walking forward. If you could set up something that would work to this effect I think this could solve your problem.
In this video you mention a number of features which were still under development such as the motor platform, the guard to keep the drum from running forward and the copper axle locking yoke. Did you resolve these issues and if so - what was the final outcome? Do you have a video of the final result? I am very keen to replicate this Susanna
I am very impressed in your creation. But couldn't you find soil that was already screened? Where I live the city makes compost from leaves, grass and yard waste all free. The huge piles are steaming and hot from the decaying organic matter. The heat kills weed seeds. Very nice job building your screener. Thanks for sharing.
I like, make it so it can easily be mounted to the cart, and make a cheap belt system that moves the good dirt INTO the garden bed. And let the clumps and stuff do the same as in here maybe a 80 degree piece of removable sheet metal the make the clumps fall under the trommel.
to attach the hardware cloth to the bike rims, use metal wire that is weaved in and out of the spoke holes. If you search the n e t for c o m p o s t trommel, there is a instructable that shows how people did this.
Fifty years ago, a driveway's worth of aggregate was piled in the back corner of my yard, right where I'd like to put a shed. It's subsided to several inches below the surface and I fear that it will keep sinking, taking my little building with it. If only there was some way to easily sift the gravel from the soil so that it could be placed on top of a layer of landscape fabric and used as a base for a concrete pad... Video of my machine to follow.
![[Off Grid Build] DIY Rotary Sieve (Trommel) For Separating Stone from Earth (Making Gravel)](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/rtGHgE-Q5YE/mqdefault.jpg)
I used to sift my compost, but I have found all the little wood bits, clods, and rocks are great homes for the microbiology that makes no till bio-dynamic gardening so great. Chunky is my style, and the roots love it!!!
I like the way the outer wheels form a rotatable container for the big cylindrical screen. That is a pretty creative solution to that mechanical puzzle.
Hi! Nice build. I recently built my own version of a Trommel after watching a few of these Trommel builds on RUclips. I used two 22" and 0ne 24" rim (wich had to be cut 2" smaller then brased back together),4' X 1/4" hardware mesh, a cross bar on output end to stop end travel ,three pulleys and two belts to drive it while cut final RPM to 30-39 RPM. Used sheet aluminum to stop dirt from being thrown out on lift side. works great with a very fine soil texture. Still have a 12' x 52' x ~4" deep decorative river rock to go (thats about 3-4 Ton of stone). I carved my idlers down mounted in my drill while using a ceramic file on both sides so they would fit inside both end rims. Already finished 2 Ton already.
I also copied your design to make my own, it works quite well. I found a 2 HP motor at a pawn shop that has plenty of power. For people who are going to build one and aren't savvy about such things, you can find sheaves, belts, axles and bearings at bearing shops, although getting used parts will definitely be cheaper if you can find them. The significant difference in mine is small fixed casters which ride inside the bike wheels to prevent the drum from drifting, instead of large wheels.
Truly amazing. A lot of hard work careful planning and thinking went into this project without any doubt. Much praise for the end result.
Great invention. Thanks for telling us what you used to make it. I am seriously considering it, and bookmarked you. BTW really nice raised bed frame.
What a great accomplishment! Thank you for sharing it with us.
Brillant !
I made a similar device on a smaller scale for cleaning seeds using an old washing-machine's drum - very sturdy thing. It gets connected directly to my tractor's PTO which can turn as slow as 120 rpm and I can blow a pressure washer in it at the same time. Actually that's goot for washing quite a lot of different things.
This is fabulous! Our gardening effort was delayed last year due to rocks. We built a sifter to fit over our dump cart but we still had to sift by hand. I think I am getting one of these for my birthday present! This will definitely help us make quick work of rock sifting this year!
Watch this video again
If you wants to be a good knowledge-monger and disperses happiness to the people stands by you.
Well Done!! I would have never thought of it. Thanks for the inspiration.
Awesome trommel, great job.
looks great! really like the small compact size so it can be moved around. i'm building one from an old cement mixer, but it doesn't look nearly as nice and clean as yours.
Awesome,simple but very efficient!!!! Good job!!!!
My mesh and some of my reducer wheels arrived today. I had already secured some bicycle wheels that I had found dumped. I have my belts on order and should expect them to arrive any day now, along with my 2 inch wheels. I've started construction of my framework and my trommel screen is completed, having taken around two and a half hours. I attached the mesh to the wheels using cable ties through the spoke holes. I might make a video when the project is done.
Great design. I don't know if they already told you, but to avoid the friction problem you mentioned, you could replace that flat guard (that prevents the tumbler from sliding forward) with something round and spinning. Kind of like a rolling pin, you know?
Wow! That is so very cool! Great job.
Thank you for the video. It is just what I need to clean the gravel for my aquaponics system. :)
This is amazing. Well done.
Love how it looks and works. Is there anyway to get a list of materials and maybe some plans for your design.
This thing is friggin' GENIUS
Thanks, I've been considering how to make an item to sift compost and soil. Nice feasible design. Hope I can follow the basis of your concept. Thanks
I use the Fred Flintstone method seriously I admire engineering minds like this.
Nice man, good work!
That sifter is so clever!
In the words of Black Addar: "It is so clever you could stick a tail on it and call it a weasel!"
I have GOT to make one of these. Nice fall project! Thanks for sharing your ideas with all of us.
nice! sure beats manually sifting... love it. i just might have to make one of these that reduces from a 540 PTO ...
very cool machine. great work!
I'm sorry I'm commenting from a phone, it's a great idea. And job I did 100 yard at my brothers on a stand that I had to rattle with a shovel if I knew then what I know now I would have built one like yours. Good job
It's a good thing she's got you to film while she does all the shoveling. :) Also, I see you've provided yourself with a glass of iced tea in case the filming gets too strenuous. :)
Yep...because clearly shoveling for 3 mins of a 5 minute video represents the division of labor for a project that took several days....and because what, women should not use shovels?
I built this and decided to put the wheels on my lathe and turned a groove in the middle then had only one side of the rim in the groove. That settled the tremble moving back and forth and smoothed out the ride.
This video talks about trommel and it’s content is great
I just love this machine the more I watch it run.
I should respond to comments more often, I know. Apparently there is a Popular Mechanics article which came out in 2014 (I built this in 2010) which explains everything that I explain in the video. There are links to it below in the comments from other people. I am amazed how many people have copied this. This was a hasty job, and a lot of people have made various improvements. This version is just three bike rims wired to some 1" chicken wired, with regular belts from the auto parts store. The pulleys are from Hardwick's in Seattle, but they are readily available online. The motor was one that was laying around the shop. Wheels are from Lowe's. I got the idea driving by a big dirt and bark yard in Snohomish, WA, where they had one of these that was about 40 feet long and 12 feet high...a little big for my raised beds, but same idea.
@SpookyRain You need to operate the motor at its speed (3450rpm) and use pulleys to reduce the final RPM of the drum. If you try and slow the motor down you will move it out of its operational range and prematurely burn it out. In the above example he is using a 1725rpm motor with a 2" pulley going to a 10" pulley. This 1st reduction is 1725 rpm / (10" / 2") = 345 rpm. The 2nd reduction is the 2" pulley connected to the 25" drum which is 345 rpm / (25" / 2") = 27.6 rpm.
amazing design great job
A perfect item to use on the end rims instead of a metal bracket would be training wheels/stabilisers, as they come with an angled bracket with holes included.
Interesting, David... Thanks!
That is very SWEET!... The Basic setup you have definitely proves the concept. Like the others that have posted I am very interested to know how you made the screen. Please let us know how you attached the wire cloth to the bicycle rims). :)
Why are you all out of breath, she was doing the real work .
Because I was doing it for an hour before filming this..
You sound like you are out of wind, dang did she work so hard that you are out of wind. She is definitely a keeper. Lol
Colour me IMPRESSED!!!! Great another Project before the giant pumpkins HA HA great job!
inline skate wheels in the grooves will stop lateral movement
Nice work!
This is pretty damn cool
LOL, I love it! You got the wife out there shoveling while you shoot the video then sound as if you've done all the work!! Nice job on the tumbler though, oh BTW, I would really consider a patent!
this is very cool I can see where it would come in a handy for a few things like sifting rabbit manure, material to go into a pellet mill, sifting rock out if clay (water might need to be added) what is cool about this is when using natural material nothing goes to waste clay can be use to build many things the rocks can be use for concrete same with the material for a pellet mill the stuff that does not go threw can be ran threw a hammer mill again and nothing goes to waste. good job
very nice! thanks for the idea!
I like your brace. I love how you put that dust guard on. One question: How did you size it to fit the drum & casters properly. Any advice is helpful. Thanks.
@ThePangeafarm It's made out of bike rims and 1/2 wire mesh. I have a roller for it, I was just in a hurry to get it going :)
Looks great! What type of belt are you using to spin the trommel?
I like the idea of the wife shoveling and you doing the video
Thanks a lot!! inspiring thank you. This.. is life!
Great idea!
Thanks for posting this trommel build. I've built and have been using a manual trommel to screen compost for a few years and it's time to motorize. What's the horsepower on your motor or what do you recommend? Thanks!
I am such a big fan of homemade gardening doodads.
Good project i like it .. thanks from Saudi Arabia
@DCVU2
I'd say you can find electrical motors that would work in lots of household appliances (sewing machine, washing machines, dishwashers, power tools, etc.) Ought to be able to find em cheap on Craigslist and then simply disassemble them. Might even be able to use a drill or box fan.
For the belt, you might try the auto parts store or the lawn n garden section.
Great idea, I'm looking to make a portable horse stall cleaner.
I more-or-less copied your design. Belts and pulleys came from a local supply house, which also had a 1/3 HP motor lying around (returned/used) for $30. I found a baby stroller with 4 pairs of double wheels for $5 at a thrift shop, so there were my 8 wheels, which were big enough to ride smoothly on the outside of the rims. A couple of caster wheels on each end of the thing ride on the rims and keep the cage aligned on the wheels.
I must say it is a great design! Thanks for share your ideas. Any links to the parts?
Great Idea !!! Put this on Wheels a bit bigger than your Garden Bed... Slide that down as you go, that way it's filled on its own. Next year, use the same concept and use it to Clean all the stuff in your Garden Bed aka, roots, grass etc..., so that way you don't have to clean or pick by hand. I see a Multi-Usage if you just added the Wheels :))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))
I'm in the final stages of building one very similar to yours but with dual screens - 1/4" and 3/4" so mine is 6' long and powered by a B/S 4hp gas motor. Also mine has a hopper so I can load it with my small tractor. Thanks for the ideas and excellent video
Mark, what did you use to build the screens, I need one to separate ground up material that consists of paper and solids, want to sift the paper out
I just used 1/4" and 3/4" expanded metal and rolled them into tubes. Bolted the joints to gether...kind of a pain to get even but it works good. Now I'm working on an auger system to pull the material in. The hopper ended up being too high for my tractor
Oh...I also used a 55 gal drum cut up for the ends of the screens. Thats what the wheels ride on
You form the hardware cloth into a cylinder and fasten it to the rims. I used #8 pan head screws, washers, and stop nuts. Some thread the mesh onto the rims using wire through the spoke holes -- Google "instructable compost trommel". My screw method created a bumpy rim (screw heads), so my wheels had to ride on the outer diameter. FH screws might work better. Mine passed the dirt test today, so I'm happy!
how do you build the trommel itself. i like your setup very cool!
I'm Making one now will post a video when done, I used roller blade wheels inside the bike rims instead of the 8 black wheels you used. they fit into the rims perfect. i also used 6mm galvanised aviary mesh as it filters the soil finer. INSPIRATION IS FROM THIS VIDEO!!! THANKS ;o)
A home made power screen very nice
A very clever contraption. I'm wondering if you really need to sort the dirt or can you just use regular soil ... within reason ... obviously not the plastic!? I'm always impressed by those who can just whip up a contraption like that out of spare parts ... nice work.
By the way, a master gardener on another channel chided me for calling it "dirt" .... he said you should call it soil. I agree with him, dirt sounds "dirty".
Do you have a parts list and directions for build for this setup? I also watched Geoff Babcock's version and am very interested in building this thing but need a parts list and measurements and such. Thanks for a great video.
Did you ever manage to make one?
very nice !
is there a reason you dont use unsifted material in the bottom of the beds and just sift the top 6" or so? most veggies are only using top few inches to grow in,aside from taproots like carrots etc.
great Idea. Could you explain how the screen is attached to the rims?
Thanks
No use when the compost is wet!! Nice construction
my suggestion is turn the whole thing 90 degrees and throw the dirt in from the side. then as u fill the raised bed you can slide the whole thing down the the length of the bed.
Excellent idea.
@WiresAnSteel Actually it turns out it's easier to stage the whole thing elsewhere, then dump the processed dirt into the bed with the tractor.
you could put a little block of teflon on the metal guard where it meets the drum.
Nice design.
lol man , cool job :o)
looks like the drum is 28" bike rims and 1/2" hardware cloth.
Nice, Thanks!
NICE JOB
did you make the hoops yourself?or did you have them made for you. I noticed the wheels and belt are in groves
This is super nice. Where did you find/buy the drum?
I think I might have a solution to your drum walk Guard, friction problem.
I don't know if you have ever taken a clothes dryer apart, but on the front of the drum is a felt strip running around the front edge of the drum. and in the back of the door panel is a slot that the drum runs in. thus reducing friction, while keeping the drum from walking forward.
If you could set up something that would work to this effect I think this could solve your problem.
In this video you mention a number of features which were still under development such as the motor platform, the guard to keep the drum from running forward and the copper axle locking yoke.
Did you resolve these issues and if so - what was the final outcome? Do you have a video of the final result?
I am very keen to replicate this
Susanna
Any plans for this anywhere? Thanks - great job
good stuff
Did you ever make a "scoop loader" so you can use the tractor with it? I would like to see an image of it if you did. Thanks!
I need to build this for my school and I've had zero experience with stuff like this
Awesome.
I am very impressed in your creation. But couldn't you find soil that was already screened?
Where I live the city makes compost from leaves, grass and yard waste all free. The huge piles are steaming and hot from the decaying organic matter. The heat kills weed seeds. Very nice job building your screener. Thanks for sharing.
Nice Idea, I would like to see a video on making the wire drum if you have one. Is that an AC or DC Motor?
I like, make it so it can easily be mounted to the cart, and make a cheap belt system that moves the good dirt INTO the garden bed. And let the clumps and stuff do the same as in here maybe a 80 degree piece of removable sheet metal the make the clumps fall under the trommel.
Can you use a washing/drying machine chamber instead?
to attach the hardware cloth to the bike rims, use metal wire that is weaved in and out of the spoke holes. If you search the n e t for c o m p o s t trommel, there is a instructable that shows how people did this.
What pulley is used at the top portion there that has the small pulley with it?
need pulley wheels on each end where the friction is. just put the grooves of the wheel on the edge of the rim
Nice after, what size are your pully’s and is that a mandrel holding the big pully?
wow great job guys, i need one and a my wife to run the shovel, lol
Where did you find motors and pulleys?
What HP for the motor and shaft size?
See this is 3 years ago, so how did the final design come out
how long is the mesh drum of the tremmol?
Hi dont suppose u have some plans for this or a step by step guide, would love to build one of these for my allotment. Tony
Fifty years ago, a driveway's worth of aggregate was piled in the back corner of my yard, right where I'd like to put a shed. It's subsided to several inches below the surface and I fear that it will keep sinking, taking my little building with it. If only there was some way to easily sift the gravel from the soil so that it could be placed on top of a layer of landscape fabric and used as a base for a concrete pad...
Video of my machine to follow.