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Great write up on how to use a trimming machine

H

humboldtlocal

I though this deserved it's own thread because it seems to be the only good write up online on how to use a trimming machine and get the best results. It is pasted from the Twister trimming machines blog but this info could be applied to any reel style trimming machine. Maybe we could all add some info from our experiences with our trimming machines and make a really complete guide. I know a lot of people have big harvests coming up and maybe we can get people more educated and comfortable with the idea of using a trimming machine. :) Not trying to be rude, but this is not a thread for any one who would not need a trimming machine either because of size of grow or self-righteous snootyness. So keep those comments to yourself please.



We have noticed there is lack of information regarding expectations and procedures for running a leaf trimming machine. Best practices are outlined in detail in documentation packaged with every Twister, but we thought it was time to share some of that info with others.
There are two things you should do before running your product through your machine. First, you need to prune all the big fan leaves off. Experienced gardeners usually already do this days or sometimes weeks before, but it can just as easily be done during the bucking process. This really helps with trimmer speed and, more importantly, it removes the leaf stem that can ruin the final appearance. Second, you need to make sure the plants have been given a good drink of water within the last day. This will ensure they are perky and happy and will keep the leaves from curling or wilting quickly.
Now it’s time to start bucking. Proper bucking is important because it is what really helps determine the end result. Yet this is where a lot of new users can get frustrated because, as with anything new, there is a learning curve. But don’t worry, you’ll get the hang of it. Most people who use scissors to trim get progressively faster from their days as a rookie, and bucking is the same. One problem many scissor ninjas encounter is that they’re so accustomed to using scissors in a particularly gentle way that they have trouble converting to the more aggressive looking method of bucking. These scissor ninjas can still be very effective using their scissors to buck (and quite honestly it can be better in some situations, yet still slower) but it’s also very common to find them reverting back to old habits of manicuring (which is the machine’s job).
The plants should be cut down, bucked, and run through the machine from start to finish in as short a time as possible. Cutting down multiple plants that aren’t run through the machine for hours will greatly reduce efficiency. Another tip when bucking is to remove very large top flowers and do them by hand. Yes, the machine can handle those, but very large flowers are quick and easy to trim by hand, and the machine can plow through the smaller stuff 10-20 times faster than by hand (The smaller the flowers, the faster by machine. A 5 gallon pail of popcorn would take hours to trim by hand but only a couple minutes by machine). Once a plant is bucked it should be put into the hopper as soon as possible. Sitting in bins for long periods, especially in warm or hot air, will reduce efficiency (That’s another tip: the cooler the air/environment the better).
In the beginning, a crew of 10 people may be needed to keep the machine constantly full. But with some experience, 4-5 good buckers is usually adequate to stay ahead of the machine. The machine should be turned on and left on until either it needs to be cleaned or the work is done. Every minute the machine isn’t running is a minute longer the job will take. Ensuring the machine is constantly being fed is the top priority. This job requires a small deal of concentration. Depending on the product and if you have a second machine inline, a rate of one handful every 5 seconds is average. Every time the operator day dreams, gets on a cell phone or does something other than feed the machine, the length of the job increases. If the operator has something to do, get a new operator to replace him/her so you’re not wasting any time. The hopper not being constantly fed is one of the primary reasons for slower than expected results.
A perfect situation would look like this: A cool environment with 4 experienced people bucking, one person feeding the hopper, and another person doing quality control at the machine’s output. The person doing QC can send any deficient flowers back to the hopper or quickly touch them up by hand if needed. We should point out that the latest generation of Twister leaf trimming machines do not have an adjustment for tumbler angle, whereas early models did. It has been repeatedly shown that putting the tumbler on an angle reduces quality of the final output. The reason is that gravity tends to pull the material out of the machine too fast and so it doesn’t get sufficient time in the tumbler. When the tumbler is flat, you control how long the flowers get trimmed because the flowers remain in the tumbler until another handful from the hopper pushes them out. Because the tumbler sits level, it will hold a lot more material. This ensures there is never a wasted inch of blade surface not making contact with leaf (It also helps vacuum efficiency, but that’s another topic for another day…).
Sometimes a second pass is beneficial for those who really want the pig-shaved look. This can also be achieved by slowing down the rate the machine is fed (or by having two machines running inline, or even two sets of two inline machines. Both setups have become popular with some of our customers – but that’s another topic for another day



I am getting a Twister hopefully next week. I have some experience with a Tumbleweed and will be using them both this fall so I can give some reports. Anyone use the Twister yet? Please tell about your experiences with reel style trimmers. Twister,Tumbleweed/Samurai,Rolling Thunder, Reelpro, Centurion, any others. I think we can leave out trimpros as they are completely different.
 
C

cellardweller

Finally!
a good idea for a thread..

I'm not against em, but I have never used a trimmer.
:joint:
 
H

humboldtlocal

Well I didn't get my Twister in time so we trimmed some early outdoor plants with the Tumbleweed. Two small plants. It looks close to two lbs. It took four of us about an hour but we were messing around and taking our time. We did it just like the Twister blog instructs. First I cut half of one of the plants so we could big leaf it and run it through the machine as fast as possible. I found that bucking by just pulling the leaves off and then pulling the buds of by hand was much faster than doing it with scissors. I would use the scissors to cut the top colas off to get that nice bottom stem cut on those buds. We had a few colas that were about eight inches long and we threw them in just to see how it would do. They definitely came out a little shaggier than we would like but they were much larger than I would normally leave them anyways. So then we cut those colas down to normal size because we also wanted it to all dry uniformly. When we were almost done with that first half I brought in the second half of that plant. The people helping me had never run the machine before so it took some time to show them what needed to be big leafed off. After we finished that first plant I took out the barell and cleaned the blades by wiping along them with a shop towel. Because we had coated them with pam the resin came right off. I re-sprayed the bed knife and reel blades before putting the barrel back in and it was onto the next plant. I realized we could have trimmed a lot more before cleaning the blades but I wanted to show the friends helping me as much about the machine as possible because they will be running it this fall.The second plant had a lot of mold because it was a lot leafier strain so it took us a lot longer to buck. I made the mistake of spraying too much pam on the second time and even though I let the blades spin for a couple minutes beforehand some of the first buds we ran through first looked like they got some oil on them. They smelled fine but they looked a little darker. It probably wouldn't show up on purple but this was green bud. They buds looked great after just one run but because we had time we ran them through a second time just to see if it would improve. It was not necessary but we were having fun. We put the buds on the collapsible nylon dry racks and with no heat or fans they were dry in three days. I bagged them up while there was still some moisture in them so I can bag cure them for a few days. The weather was in the 90's here all week that is why they dried so fast. But they smelled great when I bagged them. I found that you can dry them fast as long as you still bag them up with a little moisture in them. After they are totally dry we will go through and do any final clean up that they need. There were some dead almost moldy pieces in the bud from the second plant but that is all that needed to be cleaned up. I saw my friend who gave me the plants today. He had a very cute girl trimming his but ours trimmed by the machine looked better. She sure was cute though. My friends who ran the machine with me are pretty excited about harvest now. We will run the Tumbleweed at one spot and the Twister at another. Originally I thought I could use just one machine and drive the weed from one garden to the other, about a hour drive, but I think you really want to run the weed through the machine within an hour of harvest to get best results. Hope my experience helps you.
 
H

humboldtlocal

Bucking is big-leafing and cutting or pulling the buds off the stem. It must be a Canadian term because I have never heard anyone use it in Cali. You want to pull any leaf off that would leave any "crows feet" or leaf stem. The kind of leaf and stem that cuts down on "bag appeal". I found that I could buck much faster just pulling the leaves off by hand than with scissors. Most of the smaller buds could also be pulled off the stem and I would use the scissors just to cut off the top buds to get that clean cut look. If you leave the bottom of a bud stem too long when you throw it in the machine it can get chewed up a bit. I t looks like someone cut it off with dull scissors. But the ones with the stems that were cut perfectly short right up against the bottom of the bud looked fine. After it is dry We go over all of it looking for anything that would stand out in a bag.
There is a video on youtube of a guy bucking and he does most of it by hand also.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=64qFeqTgDyc
 
H

humboldtlocal

I was at my buddy's shop yesterday and he was unpacking two Twisters he had just got in. Unfortunately mine won't be coming till next week. Both the ones he got in were sold. I have some early Mr. Nice clone that is about 10 days away and hopefully I will have it by then. He also had a Tumbleweed/Samurai in there and we lined them up end to end like in the video of the two Twisters. The Tumbleweed barrel was about an inch higher but it looked like if I put a 4x4 under the Twister frame it would line up perfect. If I get done at one of my gardens early I can put the two machines together and rip through the final harvest.
To see the video of the two machines you have to sign in at youtube and search for medical marijuana power trimming. Somebody flagged it so you have to sign in which is stupid because there is so much weed stuff on there. I would post the link but I cant without it taking you there with me signed in.
Because he has two machines check out how he is just stuffing the hopper as fast as he can. The weed looks great at the other end but some better close ups would have been nice. My buddy also told me that there will be some new Twister videos posted around the end of the month that should show some really detailed footage of the finished product for those non believers.
 

pico

Active member
Veteran
Yeah, they seem to be having problems keeping up with demand on the twister. They said it takes them about a week to build 1 unit. I have one on order and I guess they are about 4 weeks out right now. I will try to post some pictures and give feedback once I get it.
 
H

humboldtlocal

My buddy told me that actually they build 4-8 machines a week but because there are 4 main dealers they have to split them up equally. My buddy gets at least one a week some times 2. I was down the waiting list when I ordered mine but I have been assured that I should have it by the end of next week. Just in time for a little party with my friend Mr Nice. I am gonna slice and dice that bitch up real good.
 
H

humboldtlocal

Twister Trimming Machine.......14,000 dollars.
50 collapsible nylon drying racks.........1,750 dollars.
Not spending two months with a bunch of bitchey trimmers.........Priceless!
 

fisher15

classy grass
Veteran
shit now I want those racks, too...can hear the trimmers bitching now...

Hum, you're teaching me to do it right. Big thanks.
 
H

humboldtlocal

If you have to ask how much it costs........ you probably can't afford it.
 

pico

Active member
Veteran
My buddy told me that actually they build 4-8 machines a week but because there are 4 main dealers they have to split them up equally. My buddy gets at least one a week some times 2. I was down the waiting list when I ordered mine but I have been assured that I should have it by the end of next week. Just in time for a little party with my friend Mr Nice. I am gonna slice and dice that bitch up real good.

Yeah, when they told us it takes them a week to make one, I assumed that the process took a week, but they were building more than 1 at a time.

Where/who are the main dealers? I need that thing before too long.

Do you pay 14? I thought you said earlier you could get them for 12.8? What are you paying out the door, all included. I am still waiting to hear the exact number, but it sounded like the shop here wants 14 plus some money for shipping.
 

pico

Active member
Veteran
Nevermind, I see the 4 retailers on the website.

Trimscene is the closest to me, you know anything about them. They didn't answer their phone today, I will try them next week. Any better deal going direct to them you think?
 
H

humboldtlocal

I paid $15,155 with tax out the door. They can ship them to you. http://trimscene.com/ If you pick it up from my buddy at Trim Scene he told me he usually spends 1-2 hours going over everything with the customers. I have already heard most of it from him and I already have learned a lot from using the Tumbleweed. I would pick it up from him versus getting it shipped to you so he can go over everything with you. There is a lot to these machines and to have someone describe the ins and outs to you over the phone is not going to be as affective as seeing it in person. I can't wait to get my machine.
Before he got any machines in he told me they would be selling for cheaper than the Tumbleweed. But when you see this thing in person you can tell that you are getting a lot more machine for the money. He told me that after this fall they are raising the price on them because they have already made a lot of improvements to them without raising it. He said they are using a bigger 3/4hp motor to drive the blades and they have redesigned the bedknife. On my Tumbleweed they use a 1/2hp. It will probably go up another grand but it is still worth it.
 

Bulldog11

Active member
Veteran
15,155 US dollars? That is outragous. I can buy a car with power door locks, windows, A/C, seats, doors, fiberglass, a 180 horse power motor and the list goes on for 15,000. Who ever priced that is an ass hole.
 

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