Need an engine for a topsoil screener

I am looking into buying a screener. The one I'm looking at is a double deck 4x10 with an Allis Chalmbers shaker. The only problem is that there is no motor or bottom stand/suspension with it. I was wondering if I put a 3cylinder 50hp Deutz on the screener, could the engine stand the vibrations? I plan on building a stand and suspension if I buy it, but the only way I can see to mount the motor would be on the top of the screener with belts driving the vibrator.

Welcome to the Forums johndeere123!:drinkup

I moved your first post to it's own thread, normally you have to have 3 posts under your belt in order to start your own thread (it's to help keep the spammers out). Obviously you are not a spammer and you have an interesting project.

I started this thread in Shop Talk so our resident gear heads here on HEF can help you out.

Good Luck!

I have several screenes and you would be better off puting a electric or hydraulic motor on the screen and use diesel to power that. The farther away the diesel is the better it will be for the dust. Also if you run a generator then you can powen conveyors to pile the dirt useing the same powre sorce. For topsoil I have found a trommel screen to work beter than a shaker it just mixes beter and can handle wetter material. Good luck with your project!

In the future i would like to switch to all electric and run 4 conveyors with it. but for the time being I just want to run it as is for this season. My only concern is if the motor will self destruct from all the vibrations. I figured an air cooled motor would be best because then there is no radiator to worry about.

You probably don't need 50 HP I am only guessing but think it should take about 7 electric so that would be like 11 or 12 gas or diesel. It would much cheeper to destroy a brigs or a honda than your Deutz diesel. Not only the viberation but the dust will also be hard on it. I know what you mean about trying it before you spend too much $ on it. How much production are you looking for? What are your soil types and what are you feeding with?

This season I would like to screen about 5000 yards of clear stone, maybe 1000 yards of topsoil, and a small amount of rock.
I would like to feed it with a 5 ton machine to start out.

That sounds like a full time job feeding with a 5 ton machine but that is a good way to avoid over feeding. I think your hopes are high for it without conveyors as it will take atleast 2 machines the 5 ton feeding and a loader stock pileing with the loader helping move the material to the excavator as a 5 toner has litle reach. If you have use for the material do yourself a favor and either set it up like you want and buy/rent one setup. I have been down that road before with trucks waiting on you. That has been my experence with screening topsoil I screen about 3000-4000 yds a year and if I don't use a machine capable of 100 yds a hour I can't keep up as the demand is in the spring and fall for about 2 weeks each and then factor weather in and you need to move fast. It also plays in how much trash is in your dirt as it takes a lot less un-screened with 5% trash as 25% trash. I don't have much experence with gravel just topsoil but I think gravel will plug less and be easer and more forgiveing of moisture than topsoil. Also a steady feed is key to not geting to many fines in the trash the main problem with a Thomas screener I would think the 10 foot deck will be a litle more forgiveing than the 6 foot of the Thomas. Good luck and keep the pictures comeing I always wanted to build a complete screen plant but have not found the time yet and found a good deal on one that works.

Maybe you need to work with what you have? But as 06Pete says your plan is going to involve a lot of work for little productivity unless you have a plan and equipment to convey and stack at least the product and hopefully the waste.

I only want to feed with the 5 ton for this season, and take away with a loader. By next season I plan to feed with a 150 sized machine. Conveyors will come eventually. I was thinking I would use a dozer to feed the excavator for now. I am also looking at a crusher for next season, and would crush and screen using a 150 excavator and take away with a loader/conveyor. I would also like to have the crusher/screener set up with electric motors. But for this season I just want to screen a small amount to pay for the screener. I am only concerned about getting it shaking for now I am thinking about putting a small gas motor on it since 06Pete mentioned that it should only require 11 or 12hp.

Thanks for all the replies!

That shaker looks big for a 4x10 screen I would try to find out what HP elect. it took and gas will be 1/3 more. I know the Thomas runs a 20HP diesel running a hyd pump and motor thus losing some hp and that is about a 6x6 screen and I have never lost power I hopes this helps. Feeding with the 5 ton machine wont over feed but when you go to a 150 you probably will need a feeder to maintain a steady feed and not over load the screen. What kind of gravel are you processinng and to what size. I wish you were closer as I have a Jeffry hammermill set up with a detroit 471 and stock conveyor that would work good to be feed with that screen. I set it up for asphalt broke what I had and don't get much any more. I realy liked messing with this kind of stuff but don't have the time or the work for it now.

The person who owned the screener bought it somewhere in the states at an auction and never got around to setting it up. He doesn't know what it took for horsepower, It looks like it would take a lot of power because the shaker has a pulley that takes 3 one inch belts. the material I want to screen this year is mostly sand. I would like to put a 3/4" screen on top and a 3/8" screen on the bottom and make pea gravel with the rock. Next year I would like to get into more rock and crushing. I would then have a conveyor feeding and at least one taking away. I also want to screen some topsoil this year, what size screen is normally used for topsoil?

Around my part of the world we screen to 1/2'' minus.I have an older Royer so I adjust my fingers[the adjustment device] accordingly.

What would you use for the isolator or suspension between the screen box and frame? I was thinking something like coils out of a half ton truck front end. Would these have too much travel and make the screen bounce too much?

The ones like this I have seen have been solid mounted as the springs would absorb the vibration and stop the flow of material. Idealy I would make it adjustable pitch as you want to screen different material and the sticker it is the more slope you need. I screen topsoil through a 3/4 screen and have very few complaints and this leaves more organtic matter in the soil.

johndeere123 said:

What would you use for the isolator or suspension between the screen box and frame? I was thinking something like coils out of a half ton truck front end. Would these have too much travel and make the screen bounce too much?

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Airbags sonny, use air bags,,, then you can adjust the pressure's to accoma
date your screen throw.

the shaker seems like it is too big for the screener because the other day i was looking at it and i tried to turn the shaker, but i couldn't turn it. It wasn't seized or anything, it was just too much weight to turn. I wasn't expecting it to be that hard to turn. Is this normal?

Yes that would be normal.... any screen worth its salt can't be turned by hand.