permaculture

["Lawrence F. London, Jr." <lfl@intrex.net>]

John Schinnerer wrote:

> > What about using a hose pump for this. Easy to drive, slow but reliable 
> > and few moving parts to wear out.
> > This is a pump that utilizes a rotor that compresses a flex hose to move 
> > fluids. A cheap model for plant watering should be available somewhere.
>
>
> Yeah, was thinking of that sort - I've seen ones you can attach your 
> electric drill to, for example.  That's in the same realm as one PP or 
> less (PersonPower - could be HumanPower, but we already gave HP to the 
> Horses... :-)
> Assuming you could get enough RPM off the bike that is - to what extent 
> do these kind of pumps depend on high RPM?

Its about how much volume and flow rate you want to move given the torque 
available from the power source.
Hose pumps could be any size I imagine. Shouldn't be difficult making one 
from scratch designed to attach to
the drive train of a bicycle.

> > What about using a roller system to compress biomass for pre-drying, 
> > pre-shredding treatment, something like a cane mill or sorghum press.

> Thanks for mentioning - reminds me, crushing/mashing could be very 
> effective.  John Jeavons points out that when adding veggie 
> chunks/scraps etc. to compost, slicing them up doesn't help much but 
> mashing/crushing them makes a significant difference in speed of 
> composting (exposes more surface area, same as with shredding woody 
> debris along the grain instead of chopping across the grain).

Except that with cutting cross grain in very small segments you expose end 
grain that can quickly absorb moisture
to deliver to the cell structure within, quicker than the more impervious 
layer along the grain.

> Issue of power available from one human still remains however...rollers 
> big enough to crush woody debristhat big need more power than that.

As with a cane mill you get enough leverage with a long drive pole rotating about the axis of the mill's drive train 
(ball bearings and hardened steel rollers on hardened steel track. Mayb use a garden hose to flush the works to keep 
things clear and rolling easily.

> > Just got another idea. Hook a rider and bicycle up to a shredder that 
> > works like a sorghum press
> > (usually powered by a mule at the end of a long pole).
>
>
> Again...one PP is only a fraction of one MP (or HP), so they wouldn't be 

Again, increase the veverage to make 1 MP = 1 HP. Make the drive lever/pole 
out of aluminum,
use hardened steel roller parts and figure a way to clear the crushed biomass 
out of the works
to keep the rollers unobstucted. Also add gearing to the drive roller 
mechanism for HP operated units.
How about 2 or 3 or 4 HP roller mills? An exercise machine? Hook up the IPods 
and trot along while listening to
some olde time bluegrass.

> able to power the device.  If they could indeed turn it, it would take 
> ten+ times as long to do the same work.

No so with gearing and aluminum pole/lever.

> Trouble with horses and mules is, they're picky eaters.  We need 
> something with more possible inputs.
> Now, if we could power something like this with pigs, with goats...with 
> chickens...! ;-)

Most people need exercise and while they are macerating the biomass visions 
of glorious black gold compost
enriching their spinach patch will dance a newage jig in ther heads.

LL