Hog Spinner Finished

December 21st, 2011

Stunning

The Hoginator II pork lathe is now fully armed and operational. I finished machining the hubs, and I mounted them on the spit.

The bearing on the motor end is almost certainly unnecessary, and it added a day to the job, because I had to work very hard to get it aligned with the shaft. I also had to get the hub diameter just right, so it would mate with the bearing without being impossible to insert or wobbling due to excess slop.

I still like the bearing, because it takes the load off the tinier-but-supposedly-more-than-adequate bearing in the motor itself. And it looks cool. It could be important if I roasted a big pig. My first effort will be between 40 and 50 pounds. This machine shouldn’t even notice that.

If I were doing this again, AND I were not so determined to use crap I already had, I would get a longer pole to put the bearings and motor farther from the fire. I might still break down and do that. Machining the hubs is work. Drilling the pole is pretty easy.

I sprayed the upright tubes with Eezox. They were so pretty after I brushed the rust off with a grinder. I had to protect them.

I still have to make a charcoal pan.

Anyway, this thing works great, it breaks down for storage, and it should last forever. I’m happy.

4 Responses to “Hog Spinner Finished”

  1. Jeff Says:

    Question: Will there be any sort of cross bar with sliding or adjustable weights near the end to balance the porker? Just wondering if the torque of the motor might cause some swaying or shimmy in the setup (from the tire rim on the motor side trying to move in the oppisite direction). I suppose you’ve thought all this through, but is there enough rigidity throughout the system to preclude say, having to sandbag the tire rims to steady it? Or perhaps your’re planning to drive rebar down through the lug nut holes and into the ground? Hope this helps, so far it looks great.

    Jeff

  2. Jeff Says:

    “You’re” not “your’re” – danged fat fingers!

    J

  3. Steve H. Says:

    I don’t think it’s going anywhere. The hubs attach to the bearings with setscrews. There will be some kids at the event, so if necessary, we can drape them over the rims and order them not to move until the pig is done.

  4. Mike James Says:

    “The bearing on the motor end is almost certainly unnecessary…”

    I hope that late commenting isn’t too annoying to you, but it looks to me as if that bearing would provide support, and help keep too much stress from possibly doing something undesirable to the gearbox.