Gasoline Powered Worm Harvesler

Transcription

1 Owner's Manual for lhe VEkMICO Gasoline Powered Worm Harvesler VermiCo 5849 N Talbot Dr Prescott Valley, AZ vermico@vermico.com Website:

2 Table of Contents 1. Welcome Page 1 2. Safety Page 1 3. Parts list Page 1 4. Operation Page 3 5. Maintenance Page 5 6. Honda Motor Manual Page 7 1. WELCOME: Thanks for purchasing the VermiCo gasoline powered worm harvester. The Model G100 harvester is designed to provide years of trouble free service. Please take a few minutes to read through all the directions and familiarize yourself with the harvester before operating it. 2. SAFETY: Because we have no control overthe care and skill with which a harvester is operated, we do not assume any responsibility for your safety during the operation of the harvester. The operation of the harvester involves risk of injury 'from rotating machinery, hot engine parts, hydraulic fluid under pressure and risk of injury should the machine fall on you. Safety is strictly your responsibility. We neither imply nor assume any responsibility for your health or safety. Never wear ties, scarves or other loose clothing when operating the harvester. Always stop the motor before putting your hand or a tool into the harvester drum. Never allow children to play on or around the harvester. Be alert and cautious while shoveling material into the harvester. Do not allow the shovel or your arm to become entangled in the rotating drum of the machine. Serious injury or even death could result from such entanglement. 3. PARTS LIST: The following parts are not an "all-inclusive" list, but are the parts that are most likely to wear out over time, and 1or the ones that come from a special source or vendor. The remainder of the harvester is constructed from materials that would commonly be found at a lumber yard, hardware store or steel supply house. Part Description Qty Vendor Part No. 1/4" X 30" (or wider) Hardware Cloth, galvanized 20' Hardware Plumber's Tape, galvanized, 10' roll 4 Hardware Automatic Transmission Fluid, Dextron III, Qts 7 Automotive Motor Oil, 10W-30, SF, Qt. 1 Automotive Page 1 of 6

3 Shaft Coupler Insert, Lovejoy Series AL070, Buna N Spider 1 Grainger 1X408 Mounted ball bearing, 3/4" bore 1 Grainger 2X899 Motor, Honda, 4 HP, Model GC135 1 Northern %" Geroter 6 Cu. In. Hydraulic Motor, 1" shaft 1 Northern 1003 Hydraulic Pump, Cu. In., %" shaft 1 Northern Hydraulic Pump Mounting Bracket 1 Northern 3030 Bolt Kit for Mounting Bracket 1 Northern 3210 %" X %" 90 degree Hydraulic swivel connectors 1 Northern 50ARC008 %" X %" Straight Hydraulic Swivel Connectors 2 Northern 50ASC008 3/4" X %" Reducer bushing 2 Northern 50CSC Degree elbow, 3/8" Male JIC37 Flare X 3/8" O-Ring (STOR) Hose, Hydraulic, 18" overall X %" with one end %" N.P.T. Male, other end 3/8"..IIC37 Female Flare Hose, Hydraulic, 107" overall X %" with one end %" N.P.T. Male, other end 3/8"..IIC37 Female Flare Hose, Hydraulic, 109" overall, X %" with both ends %" N.P.T. Male 2 Northern 50GRM006 1 Local Hyd. Supplier 1 Local Hyd. Supplier 1 Local Hyd. Supplier Casters, 12" Pneumatic Swivel 2 Northern Casters, 12" Pneumatic, Rigid 2 Northern Vendor Information: Northern Tool & Equipment Co. P. O. Box 1499 Burnsville, MN Phone: Web Site: Page 2 of 6

4 W. W. Grainger Co. 350 Locations Nationwide See your commercial white pages, and look under Grainger, Div of W. W. Grainger Co. Web Site: 4. OPERATION: The VermiCo Harvester should be operated on level ground. If the ground is not level, it will be necessary to put wooden blocks or spacers under the wheels to make the unit level. The downward angle of the drum has been fixed to optimize the quality of the harvesting process. If the harvester is operated on a slope, the material will either proceed through the drum too fast, and separation of worms from dirt will be incomplete, or else, material will linger too long in the drum and the through-put of worms will be much lower than it should be. Operate the harvester as follows: a. Before starting, check the level of oil in the gasoline engine and replenish if necessary with a good quality motor oil as specified by the manufacturer. Check the level of hydraulic oil in the reservoir and replenish if necessary with DEXTRON III Automatic Transmission Fluid. Check for any loose parts, missing screws and hydraulic leaks. Top off the fuel tank while the engine is cold. b. Advance the throttle, pull out the choke and pull the rope start handle until the motor starts. Refer to the engine manufacturer's literature for more information on the operation of the engine. Push the choke in, and set the throttle to obtain a drum speed of 20 Revolutions Per Minute (20 RPM). This setting should be just a notch above idle speed. c. Begin to feed in a few shovels full of worm laden dirt and observe as it feeds through the drum. d. As the dirt is sifted through the hardware cloth screen mesh, the worms and unbroken dirt clods will proceed to the low end of the machine and exit via the funnel. You will observe that the funnel acts to separate the dirt clods from the worms. The clods, being heavy, tend to slide straight down the funnel and exit roughly on the centerline of the machine, while the worms, which are sticky, tend to ride along the surface of the funnel until they are carried slightly up the right side, whereupon they tumble down and out of the harvester. e. Adjust the "worm splitter" (the pipe with the "V" shaped metal at the bottom) so that it tends to intercept the dirt clods and bounce them to the left, while the worms proceed to the right. This adjustment is critical to the quality of the worm harvest. When set properly, almost all of the dirt clods will be rejected, while a very pure harvest of worms will drop out of the machine on Page 3 of 6

5 the right side. f. The speed of the drum can also be regulated, but it will be found that too high a speed will cause the worms to carry clear around the funnel and be deposited on the left side of the harvester, while too Iowa speed will reduce the through put of the machine. g. If soft moist dirt accumulates in the screen section of the drum and blocks the screens, it may be necessary to brush off the screen from the outside with a stiff bristle brush while the drum is rotating. Use extreme caution while doing this so as not to become entangled in the moving parts of the machine. h. If soft dirt becomes packed around the paddles or holes in the inlet end of the drum, it will be necessary to stop the motor so that the dirt can be loosened with a wooden stick or scraper. DO NOT ATTEMPT TO DO THIS WHILE THE MACHINE IS RUNNING! The mechanical advantage between the gasoline motor and the drum is about 100 : 1, which means that the drum turns with enormous torque. If a shovel, or wooden stick, or your arm becomes entangled in the rotating parts of the drum, the drum will continue to rotate, possibly damaging the machine, and probably damaging your arm. i. Experience will show you how much dirt should be put into the machine at one time to optimize the separation and harvesting of worms. Remember, it is not the quantity of dirt that goes in that is important, it is the quantity and quality of separated worms. j. When shutting down the machine, allow the motor to run at idle for a few moments to cool down before shutting it off. Brush or hose away any remaining material in the drum and on the plywood casting catcher, so that it will not dry into a hard residue that will impede subsequent operation. 5. MAINTENANCE: The VermiCo Harvester is built to give years of trouble free service, but as with any other piece of industrial machinery, it will benefit from some care and periodic attention. a. Follow the engine manufacturer's recommendations for oil changes, airfilter, spark plug and valve adjustment requirements. Remember that clean air, clean oil and clean fuel are vital to the life of an engine. b. Once a year, it is a good idea to drain the hydraulic oil reservoir (there is a drain plug provided on the bottom of the tank) and replenish it with a good quality of DEXTRON III ATF. Fill the tank until about 1" of oil shows on the dip stick, run the unit for a few minutes, stop it and check the level again. c. At the same time, check the condition of the hydraulic hoses and the flexible Page 4 of 6

6 coupling between the engine and the hydraulic pump. The rubber coupling insert can be replaced for a few dollars if it is worn. A cracked, kinked or leaking hose should be replaced. A new hose can be fabricated by any hydraulic supplier (see your yellow pages). When replacing a hose, or adding hydraulic fluid, every attempt should be made to keep dirt and foreign material from entering the hydraulic fluid. d. Eventually, the hardware cloth may become damaged or rusted out. It should be replaced as follows: Measure the circumference of the drum, and add 2". Cut a piece of hardware cloth to this length, and trim it's width to about 4" wider than the gap between the sheet metal sections of the drum. At each end of the hardware cloth, fold over about %" and pound it flat with a mallet to form a smooth edge without wires sticking out. Wrap the hardware cloth around the drum opening and hold it in place with a couple of bungee cords or ratchet tie down straps. Unroll a roll of plumber's tape and flatten it out with a mallet to eliminate any waviness. Fold one end back on itself and flatten it out (make it so that the holes line up through both layers). Bend this double thickness over at a 90 degree angle, about 1/4" past the first set of holes. Now, wrap the plumber's tape around the drum, over the hardware cloth and mark a spot about 1" short of having the two ends meet. Add about 1-1/2" inches to that and cut the tape here. Two holes past your mark, bend the tape over double and flatten it out, again so that corresponding holes in both thicknesses line up. Bend up a tab with one hole showing and put the tape in place. A 2" #10-32 screw should be able to pass through the tabs in both ends of the tape, with a nut started on the opposite tab. While the tape is still loose, position it about %" in from the edge of the hardware cloth, and parallel to the edge all the way around. Tighten the screw firmly. Repeat the above process until both pieces of hardware cloth are covering their respective openings. The hardware cloth should have a uniform curvature with no kinks or flat spots and should be uniformly tight around the drum. Next, you will need some light galvanized or stainless steel tie wire and a pair of needle nose pliers or a crochet hook. Bend the end of a 4 foot piece of wire into a hook with a diameter of about 1" and feed this hook down through the hardware cloth and back up again, starting at one side of the hardware cloth and working towards the other. Stitch up the joint where the two ends of the hardware cloth meet, using 45 degree stitches about 1-1/4" apart and drawing each stitch as tight as you can without deforming the hardware cloth. The end result should be a seam without gaps or distortion. Tie off the ends Page 5 of 6

7 of the wire by wrapping it around a stitch a few times and feeding the loose end into the drum where it will not snag clothing. HARDWARE CLOTH AND PLUMBER'S TAPE STRAPS. NOTE THE STITCHING OF THE HARDWARE CLOTH e. When not in use, the harvester should be covered with a tarp to protect it from the elements. If any part of the harvester begins to rust, touch it up with a little paint. f. If the harvester will be unused for a considerable amount of time, it is a good idea to lay up the gasoline engine according to the manufacturer's instructions. Page 6 of 6