Speed Queen electric dryer drum for Model NE5513W

[Thorning]

I am currently involved with repair of this older unit. It is probably at least 25 years old and runs well considering its age.  The drum has a slight bump when it rotates  which I am sure is due to a weld joint where the drum is rolled and welded during the mfg process.  I have asked the factory for a spec on the overall variation  they allow on the drum diameter. This is commonly referred to as TIR (total indicator reading). They did not have a number and I dont know if it would mean much since I dont have a setup to measure it anyhow. My question to other techs is when you get a drum that has  slight bump during rotation what if anyting do you do about it ?  This is not the 1st time I have seen it in dryer drums that are made of thin sheet metal.

[Thorning]

Today I worked on a couple of Maytag dryers of an older vintage with model numbers LDG512 and LDG7400AAL. The drums were checked  when i removed them and it looks like these drums were made  of  slightly heavier metal than the previous model  I mentioned. With this material it appears that the factory was able to make the drum more concentric and the weld seam less likely to have a bump at the weld seam. The newer units are more likely to have the bump problem as compared to the older designs. 

[Thorning]

As of this date, the factory does not have a spec they can provide for the T.I.R. (total indicator reading) and suggest that if a drum has a significant bump to it when passing over the support rollers it should be replaced.

[waypoint]

If the drum is symmetrical, maybe rotate and reinstall to see if it runs smoother.  Front sliders have a wider contact area than the rear rollers and may tolerate the drum's bump.

[Thorning]

I have on occasion reversed the drum and it sometimes improves the bump. If i is really pronounced I have also considered using a filler material to reduce the bump but not sure if the material would stay in place due to flexing of the drum and heat.