I have a lortone too. Really like it have it going right now.
My H.F. burned up in just under a year.
I guess if you can find a Lortone you like buy it and stash it.
I would like to buy now but spent too much this month on food and woodcutting equipment. So maybe in a month or two I can come up with something.
There is a lot of good ideas out there making your own tumbler that will run several barrels at a time with different sized barrels. More heavy duty built. Just need to have the barrels on hand.

Michigan Rocks has a good Youtube video on a home made tumbler with several barrels going at one time.

Yes, Rob, it gets expensive quick!
That is all great advice from ID. The best tumblers I know use homemade equipment. But still, parts are going to wear out and you have to find or make replacements. I long ago stopped thinking about making any 'extra' money doing 'rock work' and what I do make goes right back into keeping me able to enjoy the hobby.
Lortone started going out of business several years ago. They stopped making cab machines and their larger saws and just kept selling tumblers and 10" saws. Now they're out of business. I have three Lortone saws, 2 18" and a 12". Supposedly I can still order parts from them but they are made in China, ie; made by our competition. A few years ago when Lortone first discontinued selling the larger saws I ordered 4 bearings for the two 18" saws. Two bearings in each saw and I needed to replace the ones in one of the saws, and got a couple extras while at it. One of the new bearings came with defects that made it unusable and one of the bearings I installed went bad in less than 2 months. So much for having any extras.
I have a real question about buying parts from the competition?

I want to avoid a rant about the "market" but I can't. China and India have flooded the market. Selling carved agate Angels and Dolphins for $1.00 each that I would have to charge $100.00 or more for if I made them myself. And cabochons 2 for $1.00! We can compete with them on everything but labor. End rant.

There are still equipment suppliers out there. Diamond Pacific, Covington, Kingsley North, and Canada, but yes it is an investment.

Well, Rob, I'd say typically speaking you got the demographic down, although there are a lot of women collectors, too. But, yes, the collectors at those shows do seem to be the older generation.

Maybe a lot of younger collectors are just purchasing their rocks online? Maybe there aren't that many younger collectors? Maybe they're just waiting to inherit Grandpa's collection? And a lot of folks these days just don't have room for a rock collection. Seems the biggest group buying specimens these days are for metaphysical benefits, whatever that is?
I feel another rant coming on so I better sign off now. 

Metaphysical benefits...... magical thinking.....woo...... B.S. Could that be the direction you were heading, Joe?

OH! Dropped my peacock stone.....

Joe's not into that metaphysical stuff, he's too down to earth. Just ignore the palm stones & incense scattered around his house. Means nothing.. 

If a quartz crystal or peacock stone or anything else actually worked I'd look like a walking fancy chandelier clinking and tinking away. Alas, it takes prescriptions derived from various fungi, snake venom, dopaminergics, and opium just to get by. All legally prescribed, of course.

Collecting rocks is a great BP medication. Good for depression and anxiety too.

ID, I have seen those and they do look really nice. I like the idea of a direct drive motor, too. I'm definitely thinking about those in near future and staying far away from the Nat.Geo and other tumblers of that ilk.

I look at the Salvation Army auction site and I'd say a good 80%of the tumblers they have are the Nat.Geo hobby and   professional tumblers.