I am brand new to this forum and love it. I did a search for any threads on fur tumblers and came up short. Maybe i didnt use the right lingo. Does any body have any plans or decent photos to get a person on their way? I have over 20 plastic food grade plastic barrels (55 gallon) on hand. Need help with drive motor and drum speed suggestions and the important stuff like how many paddles(ribs) and how tall those should be. Thanks for any help that may be offered or links to previous threads that may be of benefit.

I’ve not built one so take this with a grain of salt. If you took the motor and belt off a dryer couldn’t you make that work ?

Wait ! Couldn’t you use an old dryer with the heating element taken out or disconnected ? It wouldn’t be as big as a 55 gallon drum but would have a timer on it !

I did that back when I did taxidermy, it worked pretty good. You have to find a better way to seal up all the holes in the drum than the duct tape method I used.....

i use an old dryer. duct tape worked so far for me

i got a PM from a member on here and he got me off to a great start, I get the impression he keeps to himself so i am reluctant to post what he sent me, out of respect. That fella has a great set-up, not just the tumbler either.
I will post picks of the one i do when done with it. I figured out the door seal and found an app to help with figuring out rpm's and pulley dia. etc.

Any updates on this?

I don't do pictures but If It were me I'd get one of those 55gallon plastic barrels. Then I would go out and buy 2 of those threaded floor flanges. Bolt one on each end.
I would go with the 3/4" size. Then build 2 standards so the pipe would lay In a grove or you could buy 2 pillow blocks and mount the pipe In them. Then On one end place a gear and attach another gear to your motor shaft. Bicycle chain would work. You will just have to figure out what size gears to use so you can get the right revolutions. Then you could place some hard wood slats Inside so you would get more of a tumbling action.
I haven't built one since when I ship my fur through NAFA they tumble It any way.

55 Gallon drums and dryers work to dry wet stuff and put a little fluff on one or two coons at a time.
If you want to deal with coyotes, cats, or coons in quantity you need a large unit.
This one is 30"wide 4' tall



and this is 60"wide 4' tall

Front panel comes off to expose the screen for clean out.

I went the dryer route...

Unplugged the heating element



Removed the fan



Taped off these areas



Picked up the dryer cheap at a garage sale($30-$40???), roll of Gorilla tape, had some electric tape laying around... It comes in handy!

hvac foil faced tape will hold up considerabley longer than regular duct tape

So is the purpose of tumbling to create a better appearance before sending to the auction house?

tumbling,
coats the fat, pre fleshing.
absorbs grease, post fleshing
dries fur after washing
cleans fur of blood and grease
fluffs fur prior to sale

I have not had any trouble with duct tape in my converted dryer.

What type of material are you running. I find it difficult to find clean hardwood sawdust. Any alternatives?

check you local cabinet shop for saw dust. Or try Corn cob media, aspen shavings (rodent bedding at the feed store)

I use corncob horse bedding like this... https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/best-cob-premium-horse-bedding?cm_vc=-10005

Any info on how to convert my dryer from 220v to 110v ? I have some time to tinker cause I can't walk much but I can crutch outside and sit in a chair with my leg up and work on it. Lol been in the house on the couch since Thursday afternoon due to knee surgery so I'm getting a little stir crazy.

Everyone seems leary to share that info. I'm sure due to possible liability issues. I would be interested in that info as well though.

ok, now im thinking of building one. Let me get this straight first. I normaly like to wash all my pelts. So if i were to wash them, instead of hanging them to dry, i would put them in the Fur tumbler? or no washing, put them in the tumbler right after skinning the critter?