# Spartan inner drum issue



## OpenSights (Mar 23, 2015)

Both my 300 and 100 have been having issues with the inner drum. Usually the first 15-20’ I have to take my channel locks to get the inner drum to loosen up to allow for the cable to come out. I’ve taken the 300 apart, cleaned and lubed everything. No change. The strange thing is sometimes they work just fine, some days they act up. 

My suspicion is the cable isn’t laying right in the barrel, but that should be caused by an issue, I just don’t know what.

Any advice is much appreciated!


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## Tommy plumber (Feb 19, 2010)

I'm an owner of sectional machines. I've used drum machines years ago when working for companies and I remember one in particular that different plumbers used {sewer machines were kept in the shop and when needed, we would come back to the shop and pick one up to go clear a drain} and the damn thing had a kink in the cable that made it a bear to get that cable out of the drum. You had to pull really hard to get the cable out. 

Could it be that your cable has a slight kink in it somewhere?


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## plmber (Dec 17, 2017)

OpenSights said:


> Both my 300 and 100 have been having issues with the inner drum. Usually the first 15-20’ I have to take my channel locks to get the inner drum to loosen up to allow for the cable to come out. I’ve taken the 300 apart, cleaned and lubed everything. No change. The strange thing is sometimes they work just fine, some days they act up.
> 
> My suspicion is the cable isn’t laying right in the barrel, but that should be caused by an issue, I just don’t know what.
> 
> Any advice is much appreciated!


How old are your models?


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## OpenSights (Mar 23, 2015)

Tommy plumber said:


> I'm an owner of sectional machines. I've used drum machines years ago when working for companies and I remember one in particular that different plumbers used {sewer machines were kept in the shop and when needed, we would come back to the shop and pick one up to go clear a drain} and the damn thing had a kink in the cable that made it a bear to get that cable out of the drum. You had to pull really hard to get the cable out.
> 
> Could it be that your cable has a slight kink in it somewhere?


Small one about 3’ in on the 300... sometimes you do have to yank it through. It’s worse with a leader, but not currently using one.


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## OpenSights (Mar 23, 2015)

plmber said:


> How old are your models?


That’s a very good question. Another good question is how many parts from other machines were used to make each one.

Both machines I have been using for 7+ years. I’ve replaced parts here and there under my ownership over the last 4 years.

My current 300 cable is my old one after my catastrophe with a brand new, 5 line old cable stuck in a city main completely destroyed. Well, I can make a ~45’ section out of one.

The 100 cable is a General 3/8x100’. About a year and a half to two years old in the sweet spot in it’s life. Not too stiff, not too limp.


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## Debo22 (Feb 15, 2015)

My 100 does that sometimes too. I loosen the knob on top of the auto feed and jam the cable in and out a few times and I’m good for another 10-15 feet before it jams and I have to repeat the process. Then it’s fine for another 5 drains before it acts up again. Definitely random. I am bad about maintenance though.


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## OpenSights (Mar 23, 2015)

Debo22 said:


> My 100 does that sometimes too. I loosen the knob on top of the auto feed and jam the cable in and out a few times and I’m good for another 10-15 feet before it jams and I have to repeat the process. Then it’s fine for another 5 drains before it acts up again. Definitely random. I am bad about maintenance though.


No auto feed on my 100, wouldn’t mind one, but I like the feel.

What’s your choice of cable for your 100. I chose general simply for the clogchopper. I don’t like Spartan’s bulb head! Bought one, free to anyone who wants to pick it up.


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## Toli (Nov 7, 2015)

OpenSights said:


> Both my 300 and 100 have been having issues with the inner drum. Usually the first 15-20’ I have to take my channel locks to get the inner drum to loosen up to allow for the cable to come out. I’ve taken the 300 apart, cleaned and lubed everything. No change. The strange thing is sometimes they work just fine, some days they act up.
> 
> My suspicion is the cable isn’t laying right in the barrel, but that should be caused by an issue, I just don’t know what.
> 
> Any advice is much appreciated!


I’ve had that problem in the past with my 300. It’s always been a cable issue not a inner drum issue for me. It seems like it happens when I shove a lot of cable in the drum with out it spinning. I’ll pull it all out and put it back in, spinning the drum while putting it back in. Some told me years ago to always spin the drum while loading the cable. I always try to do that but honestly don’t know if it matters.


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## Debo22 (Feb 15, 2015)

OpenSights said:


> No auto feed on my 100, wouldn’t mind one, but I like the feel.
> 
> What’s your choice of cable for your 100. I chose general simply for the clogchopper. I don’t like Spartan’s bulb head! Bought one, free to anyone who wants to pick it up.


I bought it used about 7 years ago, I don’t know what cable is in it. I don’t do many drains, I still haven’t used that 300 I bought a few months back.


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## OpenSights (Mar 23, 2015)

Toli said:


> I’ve had that problem in the past with my 300. It’s always been a cable issue not a inner drum issue for me. It seems like it happens when I shove a lot of cable in the drum with out it spinning. I’ll pull it all out and put it back in, spinning the drum while putting it back in. Some told me years ago to always spin the drum while loading the cable. I always try to do that but honestly don’t know if it matters.


Plan tomorrow is to let it whip in my driveway. Let the auto feed work. 

Kinda embarrassing when your equipment breaks and you five main lines and one laundry line and you have to reschedule three of them, refer one, and now one on ?.

Best birthday ever!


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## Debo22 (Feb 15, 2015)

OpenSights said:


> Plan tomorrow is to let it whip in my driveway. Let the auto feed work.
> 
> Kinda embarrassing when your equipment breaks and you five main lines and one laundry line and you have to reschedule three of them, refer one, and now one on ?.
> 
> Best birthday ever!


Happy birthday bro!


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## OpenSights (Mar 23, 2015)

Hey, the way I see it, the day sucked, but the prime rib was good and the vanilla chocolate stout was awesome! Stopped by the drew store, picked up a 1 gallon carboy and headed up to the distillery/brewery and had a porter. 

If your day goes bad, why not make the night great again!

Going to separate the cables this morning and feed it in this morning with it spinning. 

Seriously thinking about the k-6200! Fudge this $600 .55 magnum BS! Problem is I don’t know the machine, will I like it? Will it work as good as a 300?


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## plumberinlaw (Jan 13, 2010)

I run electric eel 5/8 in my 300 when my cable gets old it does that, I either grab the cable to stop it from spinning and run my machine in reverse until the cable frees up or run in reverse to load the cable into the drum after clearing the line. My older limber cables tighten up inside when I torque them up. my machine is old enough to have a electric foot pedal instead of the air bulb.


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## dhal22 (Jul 30, 2010)

I have 3 General Speedrooters, one is 10-12 years old and never a cable problem beyond an occasional backlash. All have the original cable as well.


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## PlungerJockey (Feb 19, 2010)

Pull the cable out
Remove the drum
Remove the snap ring in the back that holds the inner drum in place and pull it out.
Check the inner drum shaft and make sure it has not been bent. Sometimes it helps to use a square.

I've seen guys bend those shafts. It makes the inner drum set inside the outer drum off center. With the drum full of cable and the inner drum out of whack it makes it hard to turn or spool out cable. Once you pull some out it makes more room and allows it to move freely.

I've also seen guys over tighten the nose brackets or power feeds and smash or put to much stress on the inner drum bushing. This typically makes the inner drum had to turn all the time.


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## OpenSights (Mar 23, 2015)

PlungerJockey said:


> Pull the cable out
> Remove the drum
> Remove the snap ring in the back that holds the inner drum in place and pull it out.
> Check the inner drum shaft and make sure it has not been bent. Sometimes it helps to use a square.
> ...



My 300 did have a failure inside the drum. That might just be the issue! Thank you! I need to get it up and running tomorrow, backup plan is borrow a machine.


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## OpenSights (Mar 23, 2015)

dhal22 said:


> I have 3 General Speedrooters, one is 10-12 years old and never a cable problem beyond an occasional backlash. All have the original cable as well.


When I went on my own I looked into them... heavy sob’s!


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## The Dane (Feb 19, 2015)

OpenSights said:


> When I went on my own I looked into them... heavy sob’s!


My old boss has a general speedrooter and yes it's heavy but not as heavy as the gorlitz machine we have where I work now. 

Sent from my R1 HD using Tapatalk


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## dhal22 (Jul 30, 2010)

OpenSights said:


> When I went on my own I looked into them... heavy sob’s!


Seems to be a good size. There are heavier and lighter machines but the speed rooter is a great all around machine.


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## OpenSights (Mar 23, 2015)

I started out with a sled. Never again! 

Long day planned. Fix machine, science fair, 8th grade chili cook off fundraiser, making a 1 gallon peach moscato for mother’s day, brew a batch of stout and bottle a batch of apple blueberry cider.


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