Nice looking compost @WannaBeHillBilly. I don't have the sliding compost sifter; does it significantly speed up your sifting process over just a compost frame with hardware cloth?
Nice looking compost @WannaBeHillBilly. I don't have the sliding compost sifter; does it significantly speed up your sifting process over just a compost frame with hardware cloth?
Absolutely it does! - I can sift a wheelbarrow full of compost soil within two to three minutes. Two shovels of compost, shake for 20 seconds, repeat.
Depending on the quality of the compost it is necessary to empty the large stuff from the chute every three to five rounds.
However: The sliding sifter is only the second best solution. A couple of bicycle-rims with sheet of hardware cloth inside forming a cylinder. That cylinder can rotate on a frame, equipped with some coasters. Mount the frame at an angle and use a motor to rotate the cylinder and you can shovel raw compost into the higher end. The soil falls out on the side and the gung leaves the machine on the lower end.
My issues were: I could not get any usable bicycle rims and there are no coasters available that fit the rims.
Absolutely it does! - I can sift a wheelbarrow full of compost soil within two to three minutes. Two shovels of compost, shake for 20 seconds, repeat. Depending on the quality of the compost it is necessary to empty the large stuff from the chute every three to five rounds.
Yeah, I liked the looks of your setup. I used a manual compost frame with hardware cloth for many years. It worked fine, but it did take a lot of time and work. I like your upgrade.
However: The sliding sifter is only the second best solution. A couple of bicycle-rims with sheet of hardware cloth inside forming a cylinder. That cylinder can rotate on a frame, equipped with some coasters. Mount the frame at an angle and use a motor to rotate the cylinder and you can shovel raw compost into the higher end. The soil falls out on the side and the gung leaves the machine on the lower end.
I looked into building a similar type of rotating sifting machine with old bicycle wheels. I had some old bicycles that I could have used the rims, but I did not have a motor. Well, that, and I was not sure if I could make the reduction gears to slow down the cylinders and I am not so good with metal welding that I would feel confident in making a frame.
I never got far enough to look into coasters that would fit my bicycle rims. But it looks like you found coasters for your sliding compost sifter system. Great job.
