DIY Conveyors

Bucket-and-Rope Conveyor

• 1

  Detach one end of the bucket handle from a bucket. Use pliers to do this. The handle is bent in a "U" shape to pass it through the guide on the bucket. Unbend this "U" shape and straighten the handle where it was bent. Pull that end of the handle out of the guide on the bucket.

• 2

  Feed the loosened handle hand through the center hole on a v-guide roller. The roller has a hole in the center, which is where you want to poke the bucket handle through. After passing the handle through the hole in the v-guide roller, reattach the handle to the bucket by feeding the handle through the guide on the bucket and forming the "U" on the end again by bending it with the pliers.

• 3

  Drive two metal stakes in the ground using a mallet. These stakes should be at least 4 feet tall. Drive one close to where you will be digging, and drive the other at the dumping point. Place the stake at the dumping site lower than the one at the loading site. This will allow gravity to pull the bucket down to the dumping site.

• 4

  Stretch a length of rope across the distance you need to convey the bucket. Pull it as tight as possible and secure it to the top of one metal stake by tying a knot in the rope. Make sure that some of the loops in the knot go over the top of the stake. This will keep the rope from sliding down the stake. The rope should be far enough from the ground so that your bucket should clear and not catch on rocks.

• 5

  Place the v-guide roller on the rope so that the groove in the roller fits around the rope. Because the bucket handle passes through the roller center, the bucket will swing underneath the roller, but it won't dump over. Note that the rope passes through the handle. Secure the other end of the rope to a stake.

• 6

  Attach a second rope to the handle. This rope should be as long as the space the bucket needs to travel. Let it hang loose on the unattached end, and keep it near where you are digging.

• 7

  Fill the bucket with dirt and rock. Lower the bucket to the dump site by letting gravity pull it down. After your coworker dumps the bucket, use your rope that is tied to the handle to pull the bucket back up to you.

Dowel-Rod Conveyor

• 8

  Cut dowel rods to 2 feet in length. These will be the rollers for your conveyor system. Determine how many you need according to the length of the conveyor. You should have enough dowels to place them 2 inches apart.

• 9

  Lay your 2-by-2-inch lumber on the ground parallel to each other and approximately 2 feet apart. These will be the side rails for your conveyor. Lay your dowels between and perpendicular to your side rails, approximately 2 inches apart. Your layout should look like a ladder lying on the ground.

• 10

  Hammer a 16-penny nail through the 2-by 4-inch lumber and into the end of each dowel rod. Do not drive the nail all the way in. Leave the head sticking out far enough so that you can pull it out with the claw end of your hammer.

• 11

  Pull the 16-penny nail out of the dowel and the side rail. Push a 12-penny nail through the hole left by the larger nail. Push it through the side rail and into the dowel rod. The second nail will not fit tightly. This will allow the dowel to roll. Repeat the process for the length of your conveyor. All of your dowels will be mounted on loose-fitting nails, which will allow you to roll a bucket down your conveyor. Cover the nail heads with pieces of duct tape to keep them from backing out of the hole.

• 12

  Strap together additional side rails to lengthen your conveyor. Use metal strap ties to tie the rails together once you butt the ends together. Nail the strap ties on.

• 13

  Roll your filled bucket down the conveyor. If you slant the conveyor downhill, gravity will pull your bucket down to your coworker, who can dump the bucket. If you can't slant the conveyor, have your coworker tie a piece of rope to the bucket handle so he can pull it to the dump site.

• 14

  Attach a rope to the bucket handle so that you can pull it back up to your excavation location.