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How to Determine What Drum Roller is Right for Your Company

How to Determine What Drum Roller is Right for Your CompanyIf you want to get the most out of your drum contents, then you’re going to need a drum roller.

Drums are often used for the storage of liquids – oils, chemicals, paints – any type of substance that is in a liquid state when at room temperature. Some liquids separate while they are in storage, or at least lose a small amount in the way of consistency. That why it’s usually important to thoroughly mix the contents of a drum before decanting.

Doing so manually is backbreaking and dangerous. This is where the useful device of a drum roller comes into play. The question though is how a company determines what drum roller is right for their unique application.

Here we will take you through a few drum models that we have available at Douglas Equipment.

Drum Rollers from Morse Manufacturing

  • CE-Marked Drum Roller

This is an enclosed drum roller that makes the process of rolling the contents of a drum completely safe. The drum rolling equipment is enclosed within a metal cage, and cannot be set into motion until the cage has been vacated and secured. All important aspects of this device have been tested to be compliant with major safety directives.

The drum roller is easy to load – simply load the drum upright at floor level and the powered hydraulic lift will ease the drum down into a horizontal position suitable for mixing. The drum can then be set to rotate at any speed between 4 – 16 RPM, up to a maximum period of 16 hours.

The capacity of this device is 1,000 lbs. of liquid, or 400 lbs. of dry load. It can handle steel drums up to 40” tall, and between 6” – 26” in diameter. This drum roller can also be supplied with an option to make it capable of rolling plastic drums.

  • Portable Drum Roller

This device is a compact, industrial drum contents mixer. It will roll a closed drum that’s been positioned horizontally in order the thoroughly mix the contents inside the drum. It is also a portable device, so it can be moved to anywhere within your facility where drum rolling is required.

This drum rolleroffers two main options – one with a fixed speed of 20 RPM, and another with a variable speed of between 15 – 24 RPM. The device is capable of mixing the standard drum size of 55 gallons.

The portable drum roller from Morse Manufacturing has a liquid capacity of 500 lbs., and a dry contents capacity of 300 lbs. The maximum drum length allowed is 40”.

  • Stationary Drum Roller

If your drum decanting usually takes place within a certain area of your facility, then it’s definitely a worthwhile investment to purchase a stationery drum roller. This will allow you to easily mix the contents of your drum without decanting into a separate receptacle, hence saving on spillage, mess and clean-up. It’s also the safest way to mix the contents of your drum if you use hazardous materials.

The drums are positioned onto the drum with a drum lifter (not supplied, but available for purchase from Douglas Equipment). You can choose from two models – one that has 3 set drum speeds of 10, 20 or 30 RPM, or another where you can set the speed you wish from 0 – 40 RPM. The rotation of the drum is powered by 4 drive wheels, with another 4 idler wheels added for stability.

Both models are suitable for rolling drums between 6” – 28” inches in diameter.  There is a single maximum liquid load of 1,000 lbs. for all speeds, but variable maximum dry loads for various speeds (for example 400 lbs. up to 10 RPM). For the sake of safety, it is imperative that these limits are not exceeded.

  • Hydra-Lift Drum Roller

One of the issues with using any drum roller is actually getting your drum onto the roller in the first place. Typically, drums are stored upright but when it comes to agitating their contents, you will need to set them up in a horizontal position.

You can reduce the backbreaking effort required to do this by purchasing a Hydra-Lift drum roller. This device contains a plate on the front that you simply load your drum onto. When the drum is then secured in position the hydraulics come into play and the drum is lifted and moved into a horizontal position onto the rollers. Once the desired agitation is complete, the process is reversed, and the drum returned to a vertical position where it can then be removed from the device.

The device has a variety of speeds from 5 – 20 RPM, and can rotate any steel drum that has a diameter between 6” – 26” and a maximum height of 40”. Modifications can be made to the drum roller so that it is capable of rolling plastic drums as well.

The maximum capacity of the drum roller is 1,000 lbs. for a liquid load, and 400 lbs. for a dry load.

Reach Out to Douglas Equipment for the Right Drum Roller

The selection of the right drum roller for your business depends upon your needs and capacity. If you only have occasional needs to mix a drum, then a stationary or portable drum roller is probably best for you. If you mix drums on a regular basis then the Hydra-lift drum roller would probably be a better choice. If you work in an extremely busy facility, then an enclosed drum roller is probably your best bet.

Don’t forget you can always talk to the expert team here at Douglas Equipment before making a drum roller purchase. You can call us at 1-800-451-0030 or use our online contact form.