I know it's no piece of cake but..... Build your own mill. Here's why....

My apologies for hijacking the treadmill thread as well.

It was a long time ago. I pass that spot a couple three times per week in my commute. It is a lot different now. It was not like it was a hundred years ago but I could not imagine tying out 20-30 bulldogs along side a major US highway like that. Then to think it was some of the deadliest snakes in the world were inside that little trailer. We use to say one storm could knock down a tree and they would all be free. Can you imagine the panic if the public were to find out? The gaboon Viper is on the loose, along with a Cobra and also keep a look out for a four foot Nile Crocodile. It would have been a mess.

Back t the mills. I know a guy who has one from maybe 95-96-97 time frame. Still works today as well as it did back then. We replaced a couple of the slats but other than that, just as it was sold. Tons of dogs have been worked on the mill. Still kicking.

And back to the hijack part- the swastikas kind of thru me as well. He had some flags hanging around with all kinds of hate and white power stuff. Like I said he was a weird dude, an excellent craftsman, but a weird dude nonetheless. EWO

LOL...This is all funny now, but it was OUT OF CONTROL! He was bulldogs Steve Irwin, so unless you saw him put them into a suitcase, assume NC has some new residents.

As far as the mills, I wonder if 95-97 are stage 1 mills. I have no idea what changed, I only worked with him on the stage 3 mills. They should last a lifetime, the fact that he replaced the a few slats says a whole lot about the use. I think he worked on tanks when he was in the service, for real. That is where the idea for his mill came from, but I have never heard of anyone being unhappy with one. He wouldn't send one out the door if it wasn't the same as the last, void of compromise. When other builders were trying to figure out how to cut corners with cheaper materials, we were talking about different gauge tubing to make them more ridged and removing cross members. He even planned, beveled, and finished the slats himself. I'll go as far as to say, the only thing that was a direct bold on were to roller bed wheels and the belts. People would leave the mills out like they were furniture or works of art.

I'm going to guess they were between Stage I or Stage II. The one I was paying for was a Stage III. They were as nice as anything out there. I would be willing to bet one of his mills from the late 90's would stand up against anything being made now. He was definitely ahead of his time.

The quality was beyond reproach. That cat could flat lay down a bead too. His welds were superb. He was quite the craftsman. He had tremendous skill. Far superior to mine.

As far as the snakes go, I felt like he was a real nut job. To have something that deadly is beyond me, but to each his own.

His mills were a work of art. EWO

On the engineering side the lighter slats will help. Going from oak to pine will make them lighter but planing them to a lesser thickness is a better option. Going from a 6" wheel to an 8" wheel will not be that much difference other than lengthening the belt to match the extra surface area of the larger wheel. The right length belt matched to the right diameter wheel is really the same thing.

This is some Randy C. Stage III info he gave me a number of years ago. Take a permanent marker and mark the slat as soon as it touches the end roller. Make a mark on the wheel. Slowly roll the belt and mark the wheel just when the slat comes away from the wheel. If the belt comes off the wheel more than half way, wraps, the belt is too short. Add a slat or so. The slat should start to make the turn on the wheel when it comes off. If it drops off the end of the wheel and does not start to make the turn it will have to make a hard 90 degree turn when it goes back over the other wheel, which is drag. Remove a slat. The smaller the slat the easier it is to make this fine tuning adjustment. 2.5" would be a big increase or decrease depending on the length needed.

Or like Randy said, do what everyone else does. Find someone else's mill that is working, measure it from axle to axle, count their slats and allow for the slat spacing and all the math is done for you.

Best of luck. I enjoy the build as much as seeing the end product working a dog. Good luck. EWO

In this drawing the belt is too short for the particular combination of axle to axle length and the diameter of the end wheel. This is called wrap and provides a lot of friction/drag. Using your drawing if the belt comes off Point A on the top and separates from the wheel on the second Point A (middle of the wheel) that will be just about a 90 degree turn. That is very little friction and would be perfect except it then has to make another 90 degree turn to get back on top of the other wheel to get back to the running surface. That second 90 degree turn will be a lot drag and the mill will not be as smooth as it should. On the back end there will be some hop as it comes to the top of the mill. Almost like a ramp.

Ideally, counting from the top of your drawing the belt should leave the wheel around the 7th arrow. That will be the using slightly less than half the wheel on both ends. That is ball park.

If there is a mill you have access too measure from axel to axle, check the diameter of the end wheels, measure the belt length, and/or count the slats taking into account the spacing. Then build from there. With the really nice mills all these measurements are really close. The frames, the slat materials, the belt material and the bed wheels bring uniqueness to the mill from the individual builder. EWO

Good luck. I look forward to seeing it. I will try to do the same. EWO

Were you successful in building your mill?

The frames on the Dog Trotter mills are made from 80/20 extruded aluminum. I've worked with it for years, it's meant for industrial use. A lot of secondary equipment in factories has their frames made out of 80/20. It's EXTREMELY STRONG, DURABLE, and light weight. If GM, Ford, Chrysler and a million other factories use it for their machines then why shouldn't someone making mills? Good luck making your own mill. It's a slippery slope offering a critique on something that you've already stated you cannot afford. Some people do weird things when involved with these dogs. Example, spend $1000 or $1500 on a puppy then buy a HUGE naval ship anchor chain to secure them but use a bullsnap at the end, or a CHOKER COLLAR! Set aside a couple hundred bucks a month and guess what? By the time the puppy is old enough to use the mill, you'll have enough saved to buy a high quality, proven, trusted mill. As far as the Trotters "plastic slats" bowing in the middle? Nothing could be further from the truth. Last time I talked to Bob they were made out of Delrin. That is some of the toughest, most durable stuff on Earth and at the thickness he uses you could drive a car over it and it wouldn't bow in the middle. I agree they are pricey, but they're still selling, so why should he lower the price? I heard Red River Curley is back in business? I guess Greg's daughter and husband are following his old plans. At around $1000 that ain't bad. Good luck with your mill, I hope it works out for you, candy paint and all. But use it cautiously at first, your design and fabrication aren't proven like the ones you mentioned. As with any tool if used improperly or it's mechanically bad you can cause a plethora of damage to yourself and your prized animal.

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Originally Posted by prairiedog

Were you successful in building your mill?

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did you finish yours?

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Originally Posted by Doc Ellis

did you finish yours?

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Yeah, what ya think Doc?

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