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auto mate ?

3.3K views 18 replies 14 participants last post by  redfin1956  
#1 ·
ok so I am setting up a mec 9000 to a auto mate ,on the mec website or the auto mate book there is no mention of a heavy duty collum spring. but if you watch the videos on you tube the guy says to change the collum spring to a heavy duty one. watching the machine run, it is not going all the way up, if a give a little push it goes up another 1/8 of an inch and will index. any thoughts ?
 
#4 ·
I run 4 different 9000 presses on the same Automate. I can swap them out with no adjustment changes. I had to convert the 12 gauge press to the heavy spring from the Hydraulic 9000H.
The other three work just fine with the original spring that is used on the G/GN press.
You may be tempted to lower the point where the shell carrier is tripped to start the movement., but you may find that the deprime pin hits the mouth of the hull as it leaves the sizer/deprimer station.
 
#5 ·
I have been running a 9000 AutoMate since 2007. Anytime it does something strange, and the reason is not immediately noticeable, I go though the set-up procedures starting at station 1. I purchased my machine as a 9000 AutoMate so I cannot speak to the spring. Moving from one brand of hull to another almost always causes a problem because of the difference in basewad thickness. The powder drop tube should lift 3/16" to 1/4".
 
#7 ·
I had one of Jim Benn's first AutoMates which he later replaced with an AutoMate II. A heavier spring was never mentioned (I didn't know one existed until now) and my 9000GN conversion worked fine. I think you also could place a spacer under the standard spring however - I don't recall that it compresses fully on the downstroke.

Ed
 
#10 ·
Before you get too far ahead of yourself, check the tension on your linkage bolts. They should be snug enough to take out any lateral movement but not so tight that you're not able to turn them by hand.

I went ahead and installed heavy springs for all of my machines (5) at the time I did my conversions. Seemed to make sense to do it at that time since they were being taken apart anyhow.
 
#12 ·
I bought my automate with a 28 ga press, but the other 3 gauges worked fine with it. I never put a HD spring on any of them, even though I bought the springs.

The only real function of the spring on the 9000 is to keep the handle in the up position, and with an automate, you don't even need it to do that. If you need the spring to push the head all the way up, the automate is not tuned correctly.