ROCKHOUND TREASUREHUNT - TUMBLER TRAGEDY - HOW TO REPAIR YOUR ROCK TUMBLER

ONE DAY WHILE GOING INTO MY GARAGE I FIND THAT ONE OF MY ROCK TUMBLERS HAVE STOPPED. DUE TO MOTOR ISSUES MY TUMBLER WAS NOW DEAD HALFWAY THROUGH ITS 3RD WEEK. I DECIDED TO TURN APPLES INTO ORANGES AND MAKE A " HOW TO REPAIR YOUR TUMBLER " VIDEO. I SHOW YOU FROM BEGINING TO END HOW TO DO THIS SIMPLE REPAIR TO GET YOUR TUMBLER ROLLING ONCE AHAIN

[@RockhoundTreasurehunt]

Sorry, Nat Geo canceled that phone # They can now be reached via email at [e-mail] They respond pretty quickly, and their customer service is great!

[@mollyv8b705]

The email you provided was helpful however the customer service no longer is. Here is their response when I asked for motor info to replace mine. Thank you for reaching out in regards to your rock tumbler(s). Our tumblers include a 1-2 implied limited warranty. Unfortunately, we do not sell parts for this unit nor do I have schematics available for the motors at this time. However, you might consider visiting a local hobby shop or specialized store. They may have expertise in motors and could assist you in finding a suitable replacement for your tumbler's motor. If this avenue does not yield a solution, it may be necessary to consider purchasing a new tumbler. Best regards, Candi Customer Support

[@RockhoundTreasurehunt]

@mollyv8b705 This is why I will never buy another National Geographic product. It's made so cheaply, and they kept changing their customer service #. That's never a good sign. The real problem is that they put the cheapest materials into their product. It's literally designed to fail. Sad to say the least. If the motors were easy to get even, then maybe I'd be OK with their tumbler, but the motor is going to fail, and they offer no replacement anymore. Sorry, my video couldn't be more help. Should I remove the video, or is it still helpful??

[@mollyv8b705]

@@RockhoundTreasurehunt I think your video is helpful. I didn't realize that I could change the motor. I have a few dead NG tumblers on the shelf so I am willing to try 😊 If I hadn't watched your video I wouldn't have known what was wrong with my tumbler or that I could possibly fix it myself. 👍

[@RockhoundTreasurehunt]

@mollyv8b705 Right on, thanks!!

[@MattWalks233]

Hmm, interesting. I have two NG Hobby tumblers, two NG Professional tumblers and I even started out with a NG Starter tumbler a few months back that I also still use and I haven’t had a single problem with ANY of them and they’ve been running practically nonstop for a few months now. It’s a bummer to see that there are some out there that just don’t seem to last long! Great video, very informative.

[@RockhoundTreasurehunt]

It's nice to know that they do put out product that lasts. I have 2 of the ones in the video. I've had to replace the motors in both of them after just a couple of runs. I made sure they weren't overfilled and everything was as it should be. Needless to say those replaced motors have failed after just a few batches as well. It just seems like they are made to fail. I refuse to buy more motors at this point so I'm using the more reliable Harbor Freight cheaper double barrel tumblers. I'm definitely going to build my own professional quality tumbler soon. Something big but not too big, simple and durable. Thanks for watching! I'm glad you liked it

[@jessmorthiele]

Thank you! I could not figure out how to take the pully off! 😅 I cleaned it up and now gonna oil it. Hopefully it will work. Do you have a link for the motor? Thank you!

[@RockhoundTreasurehunt]

You're welcome, but I'm sorry, I do not have a link for the motor. They have changed their email address and phone number for some reason.

[@MichaelJohnson-ux7pe]

Nicely done video. I was wondering when you had the bottom off it looks like that there's a lot of room inside, do you think a small mounted fan like in a computer would work to keep the motor cooler or not? Just a thought?

[@RockhoundTreasurehunt]

You're right about the extra room and a CPU fan would fit but unfortunately cooler wouldn't fix this issue. The problem is 100% China's fault. Lol.. National Geo gets the motors from China and unfortunately the brushes on the motor are wearing so thin that they fall apart. My second Nat Geo tumbler quit on me shortly after this video. When I took it apart it was the exact same issue. I'm highly disappointed in their product and would never buy another. It doesn't seem like they are built to last. Be lucky to get over a year of constant use. The sad part is that they are tumblers. Tumblers are supposed to be running all the time. Therefore they should be built to last. These are not. Thank you for your comment and kind words! I appreciate it

[@jackpoole1277]

Good job and with only one hand to

[@Ken_G.]

I got a NG tumbler and hated it. Ran too fast & that belt started to erode super fast so I returned it after the first batch. I will say that when it came to returning it, they had absolutely fantastic customer service, they were absolutely great (I wrote that before I got to the part with you praising them too). Amazing that Harbor Freight has a superior product than Nat. Geo. Have you seen this? Building a Rock Tumbler - KZbin. You could do it even cheaper since you probably already have all the barrels you need and other parts too. I bet that sump pump motor would easily turn more than one wheel. Good long term plan for the future. And a note to his viewers, if you have to glue pads back on to something like that and may have to take them off again in the future, do NOT use Superglue, or Gorilla or anything like that. Basically, nothing you wouldn't use as a hair product.

[@Ken_G.]

Well crap, that was supposed to be a link. 99 rockhounding is the KZbinr, it looks like a super simple build that a 3rd grade science class could build with help with the tools and a box of scrap. I'm seriously thinking about it myself. kzbin.info/www/bejne/eV6ThndmirV7has

[@Ken_G.]

Hey, it worked the second time!!!

[@RockhoundTreasurehunt]

Right on!!

[@catseyecrafts9181]

I was looking for videos on the Nat Geo tumblers because the motor on one of mine went out. I was happy to have found your video. However when I called that phone number it was not a working number.

[@RockhoundTreasurehunt]

I'm so sorry about that. They changed their number after the video was out. Someone put a comment on here with their new phone #. Check the comments and try that number. Hopefully they didn't change it again. Thanks for watching and I hope this helps

[@catseyecrafts9181]

@@RockhoundTreasurehunt I just looked through all the comments and their replies but did not see anything about another phone number. The video did help and I now know how to replace the motor as soon as I figure out how to contact National Geographic's customer service.

[@RockhoundTreasurehunt]

Let me look into it for you as well. I'll get back to you, and hopefully, I can come up with their new number

[@RockhoundTreasurehunt]

OK Catseye, I foundvhowvyou can contact them and get your problem resolved. I hear they have great customer service, so this should help. Email them what your issue is at [e-mail] and they will get right back to you. Everything I'm seeing says they respond pretty quick and have great customer service. Good luck and RockOn!!!

[@catseyecrafts9181]

As soon as the site is back up I will get in touch with them about a replacement motor

[@tlk13ns]

Same problem I gave up I couldn't get a motor even from natgeo where did u get yrs

[@RockhoundTreasurehunt]

I called Amazon where i made the purchase and filed a complaint. Amazon gave me that Natgeo #. Then I called the # and they sent me a new motor right away. I'm not one to complain but sometimes you must

[@SquirrelPartl]

I left mine outside sadly and now it turns on sometimes and then dies out of nowhere😢😢😢 got left in the rain sadly didn't have any place to put it till now

[@RockhoundTreasurehunt]

Ahhh, that sucks! If you haven't yet, maybe take it apart and clean all the terminals and connections. Maybe use a little WD40 in certain spots like the bearings. The electrical connections may be just corroded a bit and just need to be cleaned up. If nothing works, then you know what that means.. New toys!! RockOn!!!

[@tlk13ns]

Well that sucked I called that number an got automatic response that it disconnected or changed so much fr that

[@RockhoundTreasurehunt]

Im sorry! Another subscriber had told me that they changed their # too. Im not surprised. I'll see if i can find it

[@wilbondcajunrockhound5758]

good info , to bad you had to do it so soon

[@RockhoundTreasurehunt]

And unfortunately my 2nd National Geographic Tumbler had the exact same thing happen to it. Im a lil upset about it. These things are supposed to be durable. Tumblers are supposed to be made to run constantly because well, thats what they do. The National Geographic Tumblers are made to fail! They fail due to cheap Chinese electric motors. They have cheap thin brushes on the motor that wear thru and fall apart after a few Tumbled batches. Highly dissapointed in their product.

[@wilbondcajunrockhound5758]

@@RockhoundTreasurehunt ​ @Rockhound Treasurehunt wow sorry to hear that , im not a motor expert but those motors look way to small , when you opened it up and i saw the motor i was thinking no way thats the motor , i just got a 12 lb lortone and the motor is so hot you cant even touch it , they say thats normal i hope so

[@RockhoundTreasurehunt]

Yeah, way small motor. You get what you pay for i guess. Definately doesnt seem like 100.00 worth of product. Let me know how yours works out. I'll be getting some new ones soon. They'll send me a free replacement motor but its still garbage being replaced with garbage

[@wilbondcajunrockhound5758]

@@RockhoundTreasurehunt ​ @Rockhound Treasurehunt i think the lortone (but hard to find right now back ordered everywhere ) , or the mjr tumblers the main two i like , maybe a few extra bucks but they are built a lot better . mine has been running for a month and its so quite , but its motor is hot i checked the reviews and a electrician said his ran hot but it been running hot for 10 + years with no problems so hopefully i get same results

[@MAGOO95340]

That email address is no good.

[@RockhoundTreasurehunt]

My email or the Nat Geo email?

[@MAGOO95340]

@@RockhoundTreasurehunt The NatGeo one. But I sent an email to help@natgeotoys and I'm waiting for a reply. Thanks for your reply!