Compost tumbler problem

[Tonyz]

Have a Osborne brand compost tumbler that gets too heavy to turn. Mine is earlier version than pic and does not have the ribs on the body.

so suggestions please on how I can improve this.

* cogs bolted onto body and winding handle?
* some type of rubber fixed (rivited/tex screwed) to body where small wheels are?
8 ???

[rwbuild]

Get an old bicycle from your local tip and bolt large pedal sprocket to drum chain down to small sprocket with pedal arm mounted to small sprocket wheel hub

[Skew ChiDAMN!!]

Are the wheels fixed to the shaft - and the shaft rotates - or are they free-wheeling?

If the shaft rotates I'd replace it with something longer, extending it through the end-cap. That would give you something to either attach a crank to, if you don't mind cranking away for a while to see appreciable movement, or a sprocket/gear set up to give you a better ratio, (Heck, you could even motorise it! )

I'd try to avoid mechanisms 'inside' the frame for clearance issues and unless you have a tame engineer on call I doubt you'd be happy with the cogs on shaft & bin body approach.

[Tonyz]

sometimes it pays to look closely at pics one posts.. On my one the shaft extends out the front left side and has a crank handle that rotates the fixed wheels, and the body is supposed to roll on the wheels, how that one turns I dont know?

I like the idea of bike sprockets and yes if I can find another couple at respectable price, Id love to have them all on one shaft and run by a small motor for 10 minutes each hour.