Using and maintaining a hammermill? There are two important things to keep in mind. First, you need to know what brand of hammermill you are using. Second, you need to which model of a particular brand of hammermill you are using. Since every manufacturer has their own design, you do not want to use the wrong information and damage your machine.

Drotsky hammermills have been in operation for years. In fact, Drotsky has been building their specialised equipment since 1962! Let us find out how you can tell if your hammermill is a Drotsky.

1. Know you have a Drotsky hammermill

Drotsky hammermills can be identified in a number of reliable ways, other than looking at the signature yellow-and-red design colour. The Drotsky name will be clearly visible on the side of newer models and the model’s name is usually added to the side.

What becomes tricky is that there are old generations and new generation machines. The main difference between them is that the old versions have a protruding rear end plate.

(Link to video that shows the edges of the machine.)

If your machine is still working well after many years, it is most likely a Drotsky!

Drotsky has a wide range of hammermills available, but in this article we focus only on the M-range.

2. Know which model in the M-range

Within the M-range, there are four models available, namely the M8, M16, M24, and M 36.

All the machines in this range have blowers on the outside of the screen. The screen is also a full 360 degrees. They can either be powered by electric or diesel motors. The different machines require different screen sizes, which you can measure to help determine which machine you have.

M 8

The smallest in the M-range, the M8 has a motor speed of 2 900 rpm and requires between 11 and 15 kW power from the electric or diesel motor. The rotor has a total of eight hammers. The screen diameter is 1 500 x 190 mm.

M 16

The second model has a motor speed of 1 450 rpm which is obtained from the 22 kW input. This hammermill has 12 hammers and the screen is 2 100 x 190 mm in diameter.

M 24

Needing a motor speed of 1 450 rpm, the M24 works on a 37 kW motor. This model has 16 hammers in total and a screen diameter of 3 000 x 190 mm.

M 36

The biggest hammermill in the M-range is the M36. Its motor runs at 1 450 rpm, providing 45 kW power. The screen diameter is 3 000 x 265 mm and it needs 24 hammers.

Now that you know which models you have, you can focus on other tasks such as replacing the screen.

3. Screen

The screen is the part of a hammer mill that determines how fine or how large material needs to be cut before it flows out of the machine. You can use multiple screens to obtain various cutting sizes for your feed. To replace the screen, follow the steps below:

  • You will need the following tools: Two 30c cm spanners. You will use one to keep the bolt steady as you use the other to unscrew the nut.
  • Unscrew the outer rim that is keeping the screen in place. Remove it from the machine.
  • Unscrew the inner rim that is keeping the screen in place. Remove this rim as well.
  • You can now take out the screen to clean it or replace it with a different size.
  • Simply screw the rims back in order to fasten the screen.

Watch the video on replacing screens to see how to do this.

Visit the Drotsky website for more information or find our products on www.Agri4all.com.