Slurry Tanker Top Trap??

Thekeencyclist

Does anyone possibly have a picture of what the inside of the Top Trap of a Belmac 1350 tanker looks like.

At slurry last week and the tanker somehow dropped both balls from the top trap into the tanker. Its never happened before and I'm not sure what the reason is for causing them to drop into the tank.

I'm guessing that possibly the inside of the trap is meant to be a closed off cage that simply holds the large bale on the bottom of the cage within the top trap and the smaller ball sits on top of that larger ball but i'm thinking that possibly the cage in this tank is starting to disintegrate.

When I looked in, it was simply 4 separate strips of metal about 8-12 inches long and each strip curved at the end as if they were going to join each other at a center point or simply just curved enough to stop the balls from falling down through the cage. I'm guessing there should be more than 4 also as the small ball actually fell in to the tank twice, and the last time I placed it back on top of the ball, it actually just fell straight down between the strips of metal. I was able to finish the last 7-8 loads of the job without putting that small ball back in. Now that its washed out etc, i'd like to address the issue before I do anything more with it. TIA for any help on this one.

Grueller

I have a Belmac and the same happened. New cage and new balls (mine went missing) was about €130 delivered. Cut out the old one and weld in the new one. Simple job.

Thekeencyclist

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119269278#Comment_119269278

A job that had to be done from the inside of the tank i assume????.......I think ill check what sort of a gap is between the large ball and the tube down to the cage and see if i can get away with welding in new strips from the top of the tube, save me having to climb into it

Grueller

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119270050#Comment_119270050

I went inside. Gave me an excuse to clean her out properly

roosterman71

Are all tankers the same? Our Abbey dropped it's ball last year. It was mental money (I forget the amount) to buy a replacement. It was a whole unit including the metal chimney type thingy sticking up where the pipe to the pump connects. We cleaned off inside and welded a good lump of steel across the hole and it's working away since. Replacing the part meant having to cut it all out with something other than a grinder. Sounded a right balls of a job

This whole thing would have to be cut out and new one welded in. Madness.

Reggie.

There's a cage in my belmac and it's 4 straps of metal and they join like a + at the bottom of it so the balls can't go anywhere. The bottom of your cage hardly rotted out

Thekeencyclist

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119284649#Comment_119284649

Indeed it must have rotted out as the 4 straps are not attached to each other!!! I'll see if i can make a new cage out of 3mm thick steel and see if the large ball can still move up and down sufficiently. I fit does, I can just weld the new cage to the top of the tube on the inside, save me having to climb into it.

roosterman71

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119284649#Comment_119284649

Honestly I don't know what was in our before. The father went to Abbey in Nenagh for the part but when he seen what he had to buy, the price of it and the work involved in getting it in he decided to just weld a bar across the bottom of the hole. Probably a 12mm bar cut and welded across.

@Thekeencyclist ya may not need a cage. Depends on how the tank is designed I suppose. All ya need is something strong enough to stop the ball falling in. Keep it simple 😉

Thekeencyclist

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119287619#Comment_119287619

I have the slurry out so I have the time now to do a similar job as to the way it should be I guess.

I'd imagine a cage is needed to allow the balls to sit down away from the tube part of the trap so as to not maybe place a restriction on the pump itself when its in operation.

roosterman71

Depends on the make. Ours has that room anyway and the ball has plenty of space to go up and down. In ours there's a small "chimney" on the top of the tank, then another higher pipe bolted on where the pipe down to the pump is connected. All in all there's probably 8/10 inches of room where the ball moves up and down from the bit we welded to the top.

Actually just remembered there was no cage in ours. Ya could see where the + shaped thing was welded in and broke off when we opened it up.