Tumbler Died

My Lyman tumble died after ten years, now time for a new one, any suggestions and help? Thanks,

Joe

I just bought a 2500 turbo Lyman from Brownells to replace the one I'll be returning. Mine died after about 5 years but I put some pretty heavy demands on the old one.

Both Lyman and Dillon make excellent tumblers and either one will do the job for you. Just pick out the one that you feel offers the best features. I have used both over the many years I've been reloading and both have been more than satisfactory. I currently have a Dillon and am still pleased with it.

I've used a Dillon CV 500 for more years than I can remember and it's served me well. It's the smaller Dillon unit that's now called the CV 750 @ $144.95.

Check to see if the wires are still attached , may be a qwik fix .

If the motor bearings are gone contact Lyman ???

If you are not too invested in tumblers, think about some of the sonic cleaners. I got a Hornady for a present from the family a couple years ago and it really made life easier.

Mine stop shaking also. Called Lyman and was given a price of $300 + to ship a new one. Will not send a new motor. Got to looking at it and the unit can not be taken apart, it's all glued together.

I was able to get some oil on the bearing and it looks like it may live again.

I did however pick up a Franklin unit with a media separator included for $79.00.

Mine quit a few years ago. A friend and I did get it apart with a solder gun to melt the glew on the springs that holds it together. We fixed it and re-glewed it with hot glew. It worked great for a while longer then quit again. I had to replace it. It isn't easy to get apart and reassemble, but it can be done. No guarantee what you find when you get it apart. Steve

I wore-out a Frank Arse in about two years. I now have a Lyman but I had to replace the sifter top with a solid top made from a plastic plate to keep the dust inside it. The Lyman also walked until I put it on a rubber mat.

wvjoetc said:

My Lyman tumble died after ten years, now time for a new one, any suggestions and help? Thanks,

Joe

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I would replace it with a RCBS they are much better quality, mine has the date 1987 stamped on the front and still runs as good as the first day I bought it.

Jimbo357mag said:

I wore-out a Frank Arse in about two years. I now have a Lyman but I had to replace the sifter top with a solid top made from a plastic plate to keep the dust inside it. The Lyman also walked until I put it on a rubber mat.

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Another reason not to buy the Lyman the walking problem I have heard that from lots of people, means the motor is out of balance and could explain the short life, my RCBS sits on the edge of my reloading bench never moves when running.

Another vote for Dillon. I have the CV-750.
It is an amazing tumbler. It is quiet, for a tumbler.
It does not "walk" at all. Not an inch and I keep it on an old coffee table that has a smooth top.

I checked them all before I bought one and it seems far better built than the others.
I also buy Dillon equipment because of the company's service and reputation.
They have helped me out a number of times. I am new to reloading and they received a few calls from me...... :mrgreen:

I have a Dillon Magnum FL-2000, looks like what they call the CV-2001 now. I bet this tumbler is older than I am. I got it from my father-in-law and it still works great. I also have one of the Lyman turbo 600s and a 1200 bowl to go on it as well. I have to use the 1200 outside because of the dust problem mentioned earlier. The 600 bowl works well for small batches. They don't get used nearly as much as the Dillon.

Put brassand tumbler media in large plastic jar with lid.Sit in front of TV with coffee/tea/beer and shake vigerously while watching favorite show.Try to have plenty of media in jar so as not to make too much noise to drown out TV sound.Wife does not like that.You will wear out before the jar.Probably last a life time.LOL

6gun said:

Jimbo357mag said:

I wore-out a Frank Arse in about two years. I now have a Lyman but I had to replace the sifter top with a solid top made from a plastic plate to keep the dust inside it. The Lyman also walked until I put it on a rubber mat.

Click to expand...

Another reason not to buy the Lyman the walking problem I have heard that from lots of people, means the motor is out of balance and could explain the short life, my RCBS sits on the edge of my reloading bench never moves when running.

Click to expand...

Wow, of course the motors out of balance. That's how tumblers work. The motor spins a shaft with offset weights on it which creates the vibrating motion. Tumblers "walk" when the little rubber feet get dirty and lose their grip on the floor. More weight in the tumbler bowl usually corrects this.

My Lymans are each over 20 years old. 20 hard years at that. If/when they die, it'll be time to buy another Lyman. An interesting old story on Dillon tumblers. It was rumored that when Dillon first wanted to offer tumblers, they contacted Lyman about building them for them. Apparently the negotiations didn't go well, and Dillon went elsewhere to have tumblers made. The "FL" prefix on some tumbler models reflect their displeasure. The "L" stands for Lyman, and I'm pretty sure you can guess what the other letter stood for! I don't know exactly how accurate this tale was, but it was given to me at the time by somebody pretty close to Mike Dillon.

Harbor Freight no. 67617 5 Lb. Metal Vibrator/Tumbler on sale now for 54.99. I have used this for a few years and it does a fine job. They also have an 18lb. model no. 96923 for 149.99. Most of these tumblers are made by the same guy in China. The only differences are the labels and the prices.

Midway has Lyman 1200s for almost the same price, plus shipping. Grafs has the Dillons in stock, starting at about 3 times that.

The original Model B Thumler's tumblers are still available. These are actually "tumblers" using a metal drum that rotates about a horizontal axis, belt-driven, with a rubber liner to help keep the noise down and protect the drum itself. They are not cheap, but they are quite efficient if not as fast as the vibrators and sonic cleaners. They also have other models with rubber drums, large and small.

http://thumlerstumbler.com/

http://rocktumbler.com/rotary.shtml

Mine was bought very used over forty years ago, and the only maintenance it has required is a couple of drops of oil to the motor and the replacement of a couple of belts.

JMHO