Possible new idea for cheap ball lifter?

[daverob]

If the tube was angled it might take some of the load off the gear too. Like if the setup was more Z shaped, angled up, then return tube to top hopper was angled back towards the center.

Remember that if you angle the tube, you will also lengthen it. So there will be more balls in the tube being lifted at any given moment, and the load on the motor/gear won't be significantly reduced from what you would have had if you had used a straight tube.

Given the choice between an auger or a gear based lift, I'd go for the gear every time. It's a lot less complicated, as you don't need to make/source a 4ft long auger and suitable rails/tube for the balls to run up against, and then have to support the auger at both ends with associated bearings and a rigid support structure.

With a gear based lift, you find a suitable pitch chain sprocket. Fix it directly to the output shaft of your motor/gearbox, and you only have to worry about designing the housing around the gear that directs the balls into the lift tube (which is just standard plumbing pipe).

As far as ball lifter projects go, I think the Balldozer has got it pretty much spot on. I've got two of them and they do everything I want from a ball lifter. I even prefer them to the orange Japanese ball lifter that I imported a few years earlier.

BTW. The parlour systems are usually belt driven. The belt runs the entire height of the lift and is about 6" wide with about a dozen channels in it that roll the balls up against stationary channels. I was planning to attempt a cut down version of this with a long automotive accessory belt, just to see how effective it might be, but gave up on the idea once I got my Balldozers. If I ever find the time I might still give it a go, just to satisfy my engineering curiosity, but I've got plenty of other projects that are more interesting to do first.

[Steve Cebu]

As far as ball lifter projects go, I think the Balldozer has got it pretty much spot on. I've got two of them and they do everything I want from a ball lifter. I even prefer them to the orange Japanese ball lifter that I imported a few years earlier.

Hi Dave, whatever happened to the Balldozer? Did he just stop making them, or were they too expensive? I might be interested in buying one if he still has them depending on price. I have no idea what they cost.

I do agree that a gear based system is easier and cheaper to build. However the new systems in Japan that I posted pics of one of those systems does in fact use an auger/worm gear.
The very first pic uses a worm gear to move the balls to the other side of the aisle. Supposedly the ball control is all computerized as well at least according to the translation I read.

If you want to hear a really crazy idea, my father suggested that a system should be pnuematic and not gear, auger or belt driven. I think my dads age is showing because no way could you make something like that work in the home, compressors are loud. I guess he figures almost no moving parts to break. He'll be visiting in June so maybe he and I can brainstorm it then.