skip to main content

Soil, Compost & Mulch

Homemade power sifter

13 years ago

Here is a skid loader mounted power sifter I made to sort some really nice compost from under my wood piles but has lots of chunks of wood in it

Works pretty nice to sift for potting soil and mix material also

{{gwi:285654}}

I used 1/4 inch hardware cloth for the screen with a slight downward angle in the front the heavy chunks fall out that way and the sifted dirt into the wheelbarrow as fast as you can shovel

It used hydraulic drive off the loader but could also be electric or hand cranked too

{{gwi:285655}}

Here is a link that might be useful: video

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (7)

jonhughes
13 years ago
That is way cool ;-)

Can you get us better pics as to how you made it,and what actually makes it tick ;-)
curt_grow
13 years ago
Red Green would be proud. That is duck tape is it not? What Jon said. I like the inside batter boards they look like good clump breakers.

Curt#
Related Discussions
Motorized small soil sifter?
Q
Comments (14)
For years I used a home made sifter of about four square feet with a handle on each end and with a lot of hip motion it screened through half inch mesh pretty good. At a garage sale I bought a foot bath vibrator for five dollars and mounted the vibrator motor on top of the sifter. The sifter I them mounted of four springs that would allow the sifter to vibrate. The whole thing is then set on top of a wheel barrow and plugged in to electricity. It never gets tired and all I do is shovel on the compost and throw away what won't go through the screen. Al
...See More
sifter for the construction-challenged
Q
Comments (4)
I don't usually do much sifting, but when I do I use a kitty litter box that we replaced. It has a tray in a tray. The top tray has a mesh bottom so that you can sift the cat waste from the litter quickly and easily. The problem is that you work harder because the wet litter sticks to the sifter and you have to wash it every time if you don't want it staying in it. So when we replaced it with a regular box with dome, I felt obligated to find a use for the sifter box and voila! It's perfect. The one linked below is more expensive than what I paid at a local pet shop, but it's the same one. You can build your own, of course, but if your consider the value of your time you might find purchasing $12 to $15 litter box actually costs you less. Bird netting? I would think that would be hard to do by yourself given that netting is so pliable and breaks easily. Also, the holes are awfully big and kind of defeat the purpose of sifting. Maybe they make some with smaller holes than my netting. Here is a link that might be useful: Litter sifter
...See More
homemade LED plant-light for wintertime
Q
Comments (5)
Not light sockets; they're these: http://www.ebay.com/itm/261410217923?_trksid=p2060778.m2749.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT 10 watt LED's. Not an actual bulb but an actual LED chip.
...See More
An NPR Story About Homemade Vegetable Broth
Q
Comments (6)
I'd like to suggest the book, "Nourishing Broth", by Sally Fallon Morell and Kaayla T. Daniel, PhD,CCN --- for anyone interested in making all kinds of broth. Especially when it comes to treating different ailments and conditions. I always consider vegetable broth an opportunity to clean-out the vegetable drawer in my refrigerator, as well as my collection of peelings and cuttings during the week, not a specific combination or ingredients. When I was following the Macrobiotic Diet, vegetable broth was made every few days as vegetable peelings and cuttings quickly gathered in the covered container I kept them in in the refrigerator. It is a practice I follow to this day, and make vegetable broth at least once or twice a week. Cruciferous vegetables - cabbage, broccoli, and Brussels sprouts - can give a strong flavor, so keep in mind what you are going to use the vegetable broth for if it's a base ingredient. I'm not fond of peppers in my veg. broth, either. -Grainlady
...See More
Lloyd
13 years ago
Jonas, dude, love your unit! ;-)

The portability is awesome but methinks you're gonna a bigger 'barrow.

Lloyd

P.S. I hate all you guys with skid steers and mini-excavators. ;-)
jonas302
Original Author
13 years ago
Thanks guys I used it today to make a couple yards of sandbox sand for my nephew

Basic construction was junk laying around the rings are Dayton style semi truck wheels I cut off a car rear axle and welded the spindle bearing and tire assembly to the skid loader plate the car tire was slid inside the rear ring and aired up until tight the front ring runs on little wheels like you would find on a toolbox

The hydraulic drive motor is attached to a small tire off an old tiller and friction drives against the rear ring

And a little duct tape for good measure and to keep the rain off(:

The wheelbarrow fills up fast but I just couldn't show Lloyd it sifting over a pay loader bucket(;
Lloyd
13 years ago
Pay Loader!!! Aaaacckkkk!

;-)
sheaviance1
13 years ago
Great job, I have tool envy!
toxcrusadr
13 years ago
Nice.

I was thinking of something similar only hand powered, using old bike wheels with the spokes removed to stiffen the screen. Make a base for it with some old skate wheels pointing up for it to ride on. Add a couple handles in the middle to turn it with. Maybe set it at an angle (legs at one end longer than the other), feed from one end and let the stuff work its way through by gravity.

Related Stories

OUTDOOR PROJECTS Bring In the Birds With a Homemade Bubble Rock

By Mary Jo Bowling

An avian expert from Southern Indiana shows how to make a burbling fountain that migrating birds will love

LIFE How to Prepare for and Live With a Power Outage

By Lisa Frederick

When electricity loss puts food, water and heat in jeopardy, don't be in the dark about how to stay as safe and comfortable as possible

KITCHEN STORAGE Pulling Power: Clever Drawer Tactics for a Kitchen

It’s not how many drawers you have in your kitchen; it’s how they work for you

FEEL-GOOD HOME What Really Makes Us Happy at Home? Find Out From a New Houzz Survey

By Mitchell Parker

Great design has a powerful impact on our happiness in our homes. So do good cooking smells, family conversations and, yes, big-screen TVs

FIREPLACES Ribbons of Fire: 10 Artfully Minimalist Fireplaces

By Mary Jo Bowling

Long and lean and sleek to the core, these gas-burning fireplaces make a powerful contemporary statement

DECORATING GUIDES Spell It Out: Words of Inspiration for Your House

By Jess McBride

A favorite quote can enhance a room the way an inspiring idea engages your mind. Here’s how to add word power to your interiors

DECORATING GUIDES 8 Reasons to Jump Off the DIY Bandwagon

By Laura Gaskill

You heard right. Stop beating yourself up for not making stuff yourself, and start seeing the bright side of buying from others

GARDENING AND LANDSCAPING See a Family Greenhouse Grown From Scraps

By Annie Thornton

Can-do resourcefulness and less than $400 lead to a new 8- by 8-foot home for plants on a Tennessee family's property

LIFE Simple Pleasures: The Joy of Baking

By Laura Gaskill

Fill your house with a heavenly scent and your heart with cheer by making time to bake

HOLIDAYS How to Have a Just-Simple-Enough Holiday

By Laura Gaskill

Make this the year you say no to holiday stress and yes to joy and meaning

Sponsored

Fresh Pointe Studio

4 Reviews

Industry Leading Interior Designers & Decorators | Delaware County, OH

More Discussions

It's so awkward to bring this up, apropos of nothing,

16

Pine Bark - Break Down

1

Question About Wood Chip Mulch

7

Worms in compact clay soil

1

Need advice - got into some ‘DIRT’

13