In-vessel Composter

Page 1: Introduction

Page 2: Design Overview

Page 3: Design Details

Page 4: The Drive Mechanism

» Page 5: Parts and Materials List

Parts and Materials List

Here are the parts and materials we used in building our in-vessel composter. You will need to improvise based on the tank you find, your desired power source, and availability of second-hand parts.

Vessel

• One used cylindrical 500 gallon deisel tank, with support rack made of angle iron cut into lengths for drum reinforcement
• Four 5/16" x 2 1/2" snap closure pins, purchased locally (lid closure)

Frame and vessel support

• 3" x 5" x 1/8" box beam, two pieces 4' long, and two pieces 6' long
• Four vessel support casters, 6" rigid 1000 lb capacity, Northern Tool item number 189248. Note that Northern substituted the casters you see on Page 3, which work fine

Drive Mechanism (first attempt)

• Prince Heavy Duty Hydraulic Motor, Model #ADM50-4RP, Northern Tool item number 1001
• Go-kart hub, Northern Tool item number 138291
• 4" split tire rim, Northern Tool item number 1340
• 4.10/3.5 x 4 studded go-kart tire, purchased locally
• Two galvanized 1/2" street ells, purchased locally
• Two galvanized 1/2" x 3" nipples, purchased locally
• Two galvanized 1/2" x 3/4" reducers, purchased locally
• Two 3/4" x 10" hydraulic hoses with couplings to attach to skid loader, purchased locally
• One 6" x 6" x 3/8" angle iron, 1' long, purchased locally (motor mount)
• 1/2" all-thread, cut into four 8" pieces, purchased locally
• Eight 1/2" nuts, purchased locally

Outriggers

• Two 1 1/2" x 3" x 1/8" x 18" long pieces box beam, purchased locally
• Two 2" rigid casters, purchased locally
• Four 1" Tek screws, purchased locally

One box of E6011 welding rods