[Alan Brooker. Aqualink Carpet Care]

Just took a couple of hours out to modify a kirby brushroll. One good quality thick leather belt from second hand shop and a handful of round head screws and eyelets. I cut the belt into 16 one  inch squares and pilot holed / double screwed four in a row following the slanted line of the existing brush fibres.
The result? Er... WOW! A few seconds on the back of my bukhari compared to a few minutes with the normal brushroll.
At around 200 times less than a Rug Badger I really don't care that it's not quite a quick.
Well chuffed
Alan

[Mike Osbourne]

Alan

I think I know what you mean. Could you post a pic?

[PaulKing]

I'll challenge you to a duel, a dust off my badger vs your Badgerette!

[Straker Cleaning]

Sound more like a Mole than a big badger ............ let's see a picture then 

[*paul_moss]

 

A good idea though Alan, i might do that with mine.

[Mike Osbourne]

'Those of you who like scrap heap challenge.

Imagine adapting the beater bar with small leather paddles and you have a mini rugbadger  for a tenth of the cost if that.

I bet Dusty's worried about his profits now'


Glad someone took up the challenge Alan 

[carpet guy]

Tried this a while ago with an electric lawnmower, having used a scarifier on golf courses for years. My effort was crap although it did work, but a bit too much needed to make it viable and my lack of workshop facilities or time resulted in it going nowhere

I think it needs the right speed, the right length of straps, decent enclosure and ideally vacuumed, I'd have thought it would be better to have the straps attached to a "spindle " rather than the beater bar.

Good that someones having a go at this and could lead to customising machines

[Alan Brooker. Aqualink Carpet Care]

Paul, don't know where you are in the country. If you're local to Croydon area then I'd like to compare results. It's not going to be as good as a Rug Badger as that has 40 odd long straps but I do know that for a tenner it's way more effective than a normal brushroll.

Initially I tried it with 2.5 inch long straps and managed to melt the drive belt. The leather that I've used is really thick and it was jamming up within the housing.
Maybe longer, thinner grade leather could work here altough the friction of those straps bashing against the housing will probably make the motor run slower.

The leather has come from a woolsafe approved sheep that was raised organically and taught in the ways of the NCCA. The Brass screws and eyelets are inserted at a specific angle so as to allow the leather to not fall off while allowing for good airflow across the screwdriver slot and the specially calculated slapping process ensures that the rug behaves itself.

Alan

[PaulKing]

I'd be worried that a stray thread might get caught up in the screws as it's going to be very near the back, also rug badger "pushes " the rug forward so you act as a weight keeping it steady does the beater bar try and ruck up the rug ?

still I appreciate it a lot cheaper, but they do say you get what you pay for, and are you sure about the sheep? I thought there was only two of them one at ncca hq and the other was in the temple of woolsafe?

[Alan Brooker. Aqualink Carpet Care]

I think that was a rumour put out by IICRC - they wern't getting a cut :

I think I'll probably get a Rug Badger in the end or have a bash at making one (Reckon you could build a replica for under £700 and save on the capital gains tax 'cause you're not buying a machine you're buying serviceable components).
I take it the rug badger isn't that loud - this sounds like tin cans full of ball bearings on a fast spin . 16 stiff leather paddles just clipping the edge of the metal base plate. Might trim them when I can be bothered the undo all the screws.

Alan

[*paul_moss]

Alan when im not so busy im going to have a play at this.
I think if the strips of leather were thinner and narrower it would work better.

Paul can you put on a pic of the rug badger straps.

[Alan Brooker. Aqualink Carpet Care]

Do you think Dusty will pay us hush money?

[*paul_moss]

No but he might Badger you a bit if it catches on