Originally Posted by mshelton

We are currently trying to design an auger that we can power using a carpet drying fan. This auger needs to be able to sit in a 5 gallon bucket and move the play sand to an adjacent bucket in 3 minutes. Any thoughts? We are completely lost.

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let me guess a bored professor or instructor with an idea for busy work or a sand and plaster mixing arrangement for plasterers

why design an auger when you can buy them? you ned to buy a gear box with spur gear turning a bull gear at a low enough rpm to power the auger and deliver the sand.

you failed to mention ( or were unaware for) the need for a tube to sheild the suger and allow conveying of the sand ..........................

You also neglected to mention the flight size as it will effect the delivery rate and the big one an auger will not remove all the sand unless the bucket is held or restrained at an angle.

for all that aggravation a sand piper mud pump will work better!!!!!!!

go to wwgrainger or Globalspec for a gear box and search for bulb augers or small diameter augers sellers such as american auger or christensen which are very expensive augers for core and gross dirt sampling methods

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solving your problem

purchase a number of bulb planting augers

cut the augers off the shafts and weld the augers together using a piece of angle iron as a jig for straightness

buy a piece of PVC pipe slightly larger than the auger to act as a conduit for the sand

buy an inexpensive plastic kitchen sink tub to act as as the sand hopper from the bucket

first cut a hole in the sand bucket to allow the sand to fall into it by gravity

second place the auger in the tub to carry away the sand to the second bucket

weld a crank handle to the end of the auger you welded together

or place the auger and tube in the bucket prior to the sand or if the sand is already there simply use

the auger and tube shell to drill its way to the bottom of the sand and twist away and fill the other bucket

A fan motor set up would entail the use of a very very very large V belt pulley driving a very very small v belt pulley is possible I suppose

also look at grain auger s to see how it is done very quickly etc. ■