Hamilton Hopper Problem/Problems

I know there is probably a post for this but I could not find it in the 13 pages of Hamilton Hopper posts. Anyway... I have a hamilton hopper that keeps getting jammed with a quarter or quarters in the bottom of the hopper getting stuck between the body of the hopper and the disc that spins it. This seizes the motor. It is the older style hopper that slides out and loads on the right. I tried replacing it with a hopper I had laying around from an upgrade I did to the newer hopper style and this one was giving one extra quarter when a $5 was deposited and one extra $1 when a $10 was deposited. I know these are two separate problems but if I could make one good one of out of two bad ones I could probably save a few $$$.

I had the same problem about two years ago....I think Randy from this site sold me the black plastic tray and it fixed the problem.

The black plastic bowl gets a groove worn in the bottom right next to the daisy wheel. Usual fix for this is replacemtn of the black plastic hopper bowl. You can get these from Randy who used to post here all the time. On a few of mine I have gone to the hardware store and purchased a thin sheet of metal. I cut the metal in a triangle shape to fit in the bottom of the bowl and then I rivet it in. This fix will never wear out and cures the problem forever.

I think you guys are not reading his post thoroughly. The way I interpret it, he has the old Game Plan hopper from the 80's and prior. They have been long since out of production and are no longer supported. I think used parts or possibly someone with NOS stuff is his only avenue here.

Are both hoppers that are giving you problems the "old" hoppers from the mid to late eighties that are ALL metal and slide in?

If so, you would be better off buying a refurbished "new" style hopper that has the black plastic bowl. I replaced all of my "old" metal hoppers with the new style years ago.

You only have to do two things to make them work.

First, cut out part of the "slide" that is welded to the base cabinet where the bar from the "new" hopper will sit. If you don't, the hopper will obviously teeter in the cabinet.

Second, there is a dip switch in the controller that has to be turned on or off, I can't remember for the two metal plates at the bottom of the "new" hopper bowl to detect the coins (full or empty) as the "old" hopper was spring loaded with a micro switch for (full or empty). Call Hamilton, and they can walk you through the switch settings if you decide to use the "new" hopper.

Thanks all! Yes, they are the older all metal slide in hoppers. I am going to try a few tips that Randy gave me to see if I can salvage. If not, I already upgraded one changer a while back to a new hopper. I will need to do it again if all else fails. Randy, let me know if you sell these?
Thanks,
Buzzie