On Mon, 14 Sep 2009 21:26:02 -0700, stevethompson wrote:

Hi,

Here's a motorized compost trommel sifter I built:

http://steveandlizthompson.shutterfly.com/

It works great, but after loading two yards through it with a shovel, I
looked at my tractor with a FEL, and thought that there must be an
easier way!

But I'm stuck. How to create a system that is loaded by the FEL to feed
the sifter? Conveyor belt, corkscrew in a trough, modified small grain
silo? I'm a hobby welder with no industrial experience, and I don't
know where to look for ideas.

I've got a pvc pipe, 6 feet long, 18 inches in diameter, 1/2 inch walls,
that I could rip to create a trough. I even thought of modifying a post
hole auger, but it's not long enough. Any ideas feasible for a DIYer
would be appreciated.

Thanks,
Steve

My trommel! You designed it for me! Thanks, man!

To start, I'd make a bin large enough to hit with your front-end loader,
with a trough that extends into the end of the trommel. Dump compost
into the bin and push it through the trough by hand -- you won't be
lifting it, so it won't be nearly as much work as shoveling.

When you get tired of that, someone suggested an auger, which is probably
an excellent second step.

--
www.wescottdesign.com