Hello all,
I have owned my hummel since I went out on my own 2 years ago. It has been great with minor issues. My business is expanding so I need another big machine. I was trained on a clarke floor crafter so i am familiar with the machine but my distributor keeps mentioning that floorcrafters are prone to leave chatter. My thought is- how is clarke still in business if they dont make a nice machine? And i never had problems with the ones i ran for previous bosses for 8 years.
So my question is how do i prevent my machine from leaving chatter or having other issues? I blow out all my machines after each use and i have them looked over twice a year by my distributor mechanic just to have a 2nd set of eyes on it.

Any thoughts would be appreciated. This site has helped me alot

First step is to properly transport any belt sander. Too many contractors are rough on them and throw them out of balance .For my hummel, I made my own travel base for it . I also made my own for the Bona Sander I used to own. I mean, I have seen guys that just slide their sander sideways into a van or pick up truck and try to wedge things against it to keep it from sliding around when they drive.

As far as Clarke/American drum sanders, I find them hard to set up so that they don't leave chatter.But it is possible to do a nice job with them. You also have to seat the sand paper just right so that the drum doesn't skip around on the floor as it spins.

Having run pretty much all the pro machines out there, my vote is for the Hummel.A properly set up Clarke is a second choice and Galaxy sanders in my opinion are a distant third.

Thanks Paul,
i understand how easy it is to throw a machine out of tune. I just dont understand why everyone i get an opinion from is for hummel. For 8 years i ran a floorcrafter for 2 different companies and never had a problem. And my thought is that there were 10 different guys sharing 2 big machines so you know how careless employees can be. Its not like im getting rid of my hummel. That thing has made me a lot of money. Im just getting busy enough to leave my 2 guys to rough off a floor while i start another, and as a backup.

I have run a Kunzle Tasin NT8 for 8 years and the only problem with it is the factory rubber wheels develop flat spots quickly. US Sander sells aftermarket wheels for it, and the machine runs like a champ. The upper roller assembly on it automatically centers the paper. So, there is no need to constantly adjust the paper centering when changing paper or brands.

I believe many guys will give opinions only based on what is popular or what they are familiar with .And the hummel is fairly popular. So a guy that has only run a hummel will likely call it the best machine. I know guys that only run Clarke/American drum sanders and think they are the best .

From my experience, the only machine that doesn't have a down side is the hummel. It cuts reasonably fast , is the least likely machine to leave side cuts and has the most flexible tension settings . Aside from that , the machine is super ergonomic and streamlined . And I like to work meticulously so those qualities are important to me . Also, my Hummel has never once left chatter.

Some guys work like gorillas and are chasing the money and will only do enough work to get paid. So they might see a hummel as a slower cutting machine and opt for a galaxy.So it comes down to choosing the machine that suits your individual needs

Clarke has been bought out a few different times. They just recently have been bought out by a janitorial supply business in NC who is now selling their equipment. Their machines currently are nice. When the florocrafter came it it did have a few design problems that would cause the belt not to track properly. Thats has been resolved and no longer should be a problem. Chatter isnt by design normally its poor maintence or poor technique. As said before the hummel tends to meet most peoples needs but isnt the most aggressive machine out there, if you do a lot of old crappy floors then the clarke may be a better option, I think it weighs 30 or more lbs than a hummel and defiantly will cut harder.

Thanks guys,
I asked my distributor about purchasing a new floorcrafter and they said the machines are made to order and it takes 2-4 weeks to receive it.
Does that sound right? I only ask cause a few other guys mentioned they've ordered machines and it took well over a month. One guy said he never got his and after 3 months they had no answer for him so he went somewhere else. I am going thru these guys based on the $600 price difference with they're competition.