Rotary Soil Sifter Compost Sieve Garden Potting Sifting Mesh Rock Sand Dirt Sieve, 13" Sifting Filter with 1/5 Inch Mesh Sifting

I have composted for years, and always sifted by hand before, but this thing actually makes it quite a bit cleaner and easier! Instead of trying to balance a big screen over the top of an angled wheelbarrow, this thing fits nicely over a 5 gallon bucket from Home Depot or Lowes. The agitator that spins is spring mounted, so it normally spins about a half inch above the screen, which is fine for the majority of the sifting, but if you get clumps that you need to break up, you can push down on the handle as you're turning it, which pushes the agitator down flush with the screen, to help push bits through the screen. Note: After watching a video of another customer sifting into a bucket, when they fought with getting it off of the bucket, because the legs have little 90 degree "feet" at the end that catch on the rim of the bucket, I decided to mount the legs on mine backwards with the feet facing outward. (see photo). The legs actually have a little rounded bend to them so that they conform to the edge of the round sifter, but you can still mount them backwards and just tighten the bolts enough to make them secure. This way, it just slides right on and off the bucket! So assembly only took about 10 minutes. With fairly dry compost, it takes maybe 5 minutes to fill a 5 gallon bucket with perfectly sifted compost! If your compost is too wet, it takes longer because it clogs up the screen with mud. But then I find it much easier to haul the 5 gallon bucket of compost around to my garden beds, instead of trying to navigate an unsteady wheelbarrow up some steps. So this is now a valued tool in my arsenal!

It works great on normal dirt but struggles with clay , in fairness the clay was a little damp . All in all , it’s very helpful .

I was super excited to try this and threw it together as soon as it arrived. Unfortunately it was a humid misty day and I tried to use it on moist-ish horse apples and wood chips. Things did not go well and I was super annoyed and disappointed. A week later on a much drier day I gave it a go again and it worked like I had hoped it would. I'm grinding through my dried food waste, weeds, compost and composted manure. I was getting frustrated when hay bits were winding around the axle...and I noticed a bunch of weed seed heads in the mix. Winter is coming and despite being ground up, I don't expect that I will be able to turn the pile...so my compost will probably not reach the temperature needed to kill the seeds. I grabbed my blow torch* and used it to burn off the seed heads and burn/break up the stalks, making it much easier to grind and burning up the weed seeds. I find it much easier to use this way. *But, obviously be sensible. It's like when you use a propane weed burner.... do this far from your home, away from stretches of dry plant material that can catch. Rake away leaves and keep an eye on any embers. I do it in my driveway where there are no overhead tree branches. I keep a bucket full of water beside me and the hose with the spray nozzle. If an ember pops up, spray it. Spray water around the area you are working to prevent brush fires. I keep my fire extinguisher on hand just in case, but haven't needed it. Also, if you try this don't forget to keep your hair pulled back, don't wear loose clothes, stay upwind, don't do it if the wind direction is changing constantly, etc.. I am developing a bit of tennis elbow doing this, but am going to try to find a way to automate it. Happy grinding!

I love this thing. Making compost got a little more fun.

This sifter is exactly what I was looking for. You rotate the lever on the top and it sifts compost through the grate beneath. If you assemble it with the lips on the legs facing outward (opposite of what the directions say), then you can place this on any standard bucket. The bar that sifts doesn't go all the way down to the grate, so I do have to sometimes use my hand to help sift the lowest layer if things are clogged or clumping below the sifter bar. For this reason, I highly suggest drying out your compost before running it through the sifter. I left mine on trash bags in a thin layer in the sun for a day and it worked great. Overall super happy with this! I used to push my compost through a great and it took forever. This is so much faster, and my kids enjoy helping me with it!

Easy assembly although you will need a small wrench or some pliers for one small nut at the bottom of the handle piece that goes into the middle of the sieve. You know it when you see it, aside from that super easy assembly and very durable.

It works. I like that it fits on a 5 gallon bucket. I hate that the handle is a screw on part, and if you rotate this clockwise, it works its way off very quickly. My main issue is the quality. I used this for a weekend and by Sunday it was garbage. The screen welds broke and this made the thing bind up and allowed debris from the soil to escape. For the money I expected it to last longer and be more durable.

I am returning my compost sifter. The “sieve “ metal openings are too small. I would like my compost to have a bit of body to it. The metal openings are so small I find what comes thru is more like the consistency of peat moss.