Whizbang Picker Almost Done! - Finished! It Works Great!

[bigredfeather]

Tonight should be the night I finish up my Whizbang. I went and got the belt and a few needed electrical supplies at lunch, so after they are installed this evening, it will be complete. After today's purchases, I am up to $475 invested, which I don't feel is too bad. That seems to be a lot of $, but when you figure this should last many years and pluck many a chicken, I think it will be worth it. After I finish it I know I will be tempted to invite the first unwilling participant to try it out. I have 50 of them that I need to do Saturday, so it would likely be best to do a trial run. I'm hoping this plucker will dramatically decrease the processing time of 50 birds. In the past, my wife has been able to keep up with the gutting when using a smaller, hand held plucker. I doubt this will be the case now.

I'll post the results and a pick tomorrow. All in all it has been a lot of fun building this thing. I hope it works.

 

[Dogfish]

Here's to hoping for a pile of naked birds!

Would love to see your pictures, and where you got your supplies from.

 

[WV_Hillbilly70]

Definitely post some pics..been thinking of building one myself. I hate pulling pin feathers!!!!

 

[bigredfeather]

The hardest thing to find was the big pulley. I ended up finding a used one for $37 at a little Mom/Pop electrical motor place. I used a 16" driven. Kimbell now says a 16" slows the featherplate down a little, which improves the end results. I bought the motor from them as well. It would have been a little cheaper elsewhere, but I like to support small businesses like that. I also bought the small pulley, bearings, and belt from another small business in the areaa. They tried to order the big pulley, but it wasn't going to come in until August. They actually recommended calling the place where I ended up finding it. I will get a pic tonight, may an in-action shot.

 

[bigredfeather]

Quote:
This thing better take care of those or I going to be jacked. I have been using another type of homemade plucker that did a good job for the bulk of the feathers, but left the majority of the pins. I'm hoping that is a thing of the past now.

 

[WV_Hillbilly70]

Quote:
This thing better take care of those or I going to be jacked. I have been using another type of homemade plucker that did a good job for the bulk of the feathers, but left the majority of the pins. I'm hoping that is a thing of the past now.

From what I've seen on the vids on youtube the whizbang does a hellava job on the pins...good luck!!

 

[danschicks]

I just finished my Whizbang about an hour ago. Its maiden voyage is Saturday with 50 birds. It was easier than I thought it would be.

 

[WV_Hillbilly70]

So how'd the new whizbang work????

 

[bigredfeather]

Quote:
It worked GREAT! I didn't get it finished until late Friday night, which was cutting it a little closer than I wanted. I ended up having to run to the hardware store right before closing to get a tighter spring for the tensioner. The anticipation of the first bird going in Saturday was gut wrenching. I had the biggest smile on my face my wife had ever seen when I pulled the first plucked bird out of the tub. I worked my way up to 3 birds at a time. The belt slipped a little at that point. I just need to shorten the length of the wire between the spring and the tensioner. This thing works better than i could have imagined. It plucked and polished 3 birds in about a minute. I found a few birds that had a few pin feathers under the wings and in the wing joint, but other than that, completely plucked and very clean. I was really proud when customers came to pick up their birds and commented on how nice they looked.

Building this was a worthwhile and rewarding expirience. I ended up with about $470 in material. I didn't track my time, but I would guess I had 15-20 hours of labor, and it was worth every minute. I stumbled thru the electrical part, as I am in no way and expireienced electrician(they would call me Sparky) LOL There are a few things I would change, but overall the directions where very complete and easy to follow. I did require some tools and drill bits some folks may not have, but could be bought for a minimal amount. It would be nice if Kimbell included a "needed tool list." I may do a thread on things I would change, things I added, and things that were missing from the instructions. We will see how well it holds up over time. I can foresee many birds being plucked in its future. Next I am going to make one about half size one to pluck my quail.

I encourage anyone in need of one and able to afford it, to build one. It is well worth it.

 

[WV_Hillbilly70]

Awesome!!! Glad it worked out. Got any pics???


I've been tossing the idea around for a while but after spending 800 bones on building a new coop and run the 'ole lady would rather me wait awhile...lol!!