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Mistress Rose

Joined: 21 Jul 2011
Posts: 15983

Posted: Thu Jan 26, 17 7:59 am Post subject:
Well that is just silly! Doesn't seem any way of stopping the thing driving off of staying upright.

RichardW

Joined: 24 Aug 2006
Posts: 8443
Location: Llyn Peninsular North Wales

Posted: Fri Jan 27, 17 7:35 pm Post subject:
Prefer mine. https://www.facebook.com/RichFirewood/photos/a.628031437355137.1073741828.628023157355965/671238269701120/?type=3&theater

Treacodactyl
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 25795
Location: Jumping on the bandwagon of opportunism

Posted: Fri Jan 27, 17 8:12 pm Post subject:

RichardW wrote:

Prefer mine.

Out of interest, could you give rough idea about how much fuel it would use to cut up a year supply of wood? Say, 10 cubic meters?

I keep wondering about using a water powered blade, as we have a stream, one day perhaps. One thing about the OP, one of the narrow kerf chains and bars would help, I've been quite impressed by the 1/4" Picco chain I'm currently using.

RichardW

Joined: 24 Aug 2006
Posts: 8443
Location: Llyn Peninsular North Wales

Posted: Fri Jan 27, 17 9:43 pm Post subject:

Treacodactyl wrote:

RichardW wrote:

Prefer mine.

It would produce 10m3 of loose tipped firewood of average size in about 3 hours with two people doing it with the right feed stock. That would use about 7-10L aprox.

Mistress Rose

Joined: 21 Jul 2011
Posts: 15983

Posted: Sat Jan 28, 17 8:48 am Post subject:

We have a firewood processor too, and that would work at a similar speed. Ours is connected to a tractor and think we are using larger and fully hardwood logs on ours. Probably no more fuel used though. I would say the main fuel use is in delivery, although to make it economic, you need to use fuel to cut, extract and process the firewood too.

When we started we used a chainsaw to cut the wood to length in a stand called a Buckingham Woodstation https://www.jocemetal.co.uk/page7.htm although I haven't seen anything of him lately, so don't know if he is still producing them. They are brilliant, and we still use ours for cutting the timber for the charcoal kiln. Splitting was by axe, and my job was to place the logs and then pick up the bits, as I am not that good at using a felling axe. Hard work, and limited to about 2 cu m a day because of the work involved.

RichardW

Joined: 24 Aug 2006
Posts: 8443
Location: Llyn Peninsular North Wales

Posted: Sun Jan 29, 17 9:49 am Post subject:

We started using a chainsaw & hand splitting. Then added a tractor powered hydraulic splitter.

After looking at running costs we added a PTO powered log saw to the tractor.

It was cheaper to run the tractor than the chainsaw. Mainly due to the cost of quality bar oil.

We looked at tractor PTO powered processors. However we thought that by spending a little extra & having one on road wheels (not all wheeled ones are road wheels) & its own engine we could then also hire it out to recoup some of the cost.
https://www.facebook.com/RichFirewood/

Once the petrol engine is worn out (should be a while its a real Honda) we will fit a diesel version. You can also add the PTO powered parts as well but to be honest the running costs on petrol are not that bad & dont really justify the cost at this stage.

Mistress Rose

Joined: 21 Jul 2011
Posts: 15983

Posted: Sun Jan 29, 17 9:56 am Post subject:

Our first firewood processor was a petrol powered one with a chainsaw, but after a good few years of cutting 110 cu. m per year of hardwood, rather than the 50 cu a year of softwood it was designed for, it is now on light duties, and we do find the conveyer quite useful if we are hand loading from the log store. We didn't want to rent ours out/let other people use it, as even having the circular saw blade retipped costs a fair bit, and a new blade is over �400, so we preferred to just use it ourselves.

RichardW

Joined: 24 Aug 2006
Posts: 8443
Location: Llyn Peninsular North Wales

Posted: Sun Jan 29, 17 1:27 pm Post subject:

Mistress Rose wrote:

We didn't want to rent ours out/let other people use it, as even having the circular saw blade retipped costs a fair bit, and a new blade is over �400, so we preferred to just use it ourselves.

Its only rented WITH an operator.

Ours is chainsaw based so that limits damage a little.

We fill 1/2 & 1m3 "bags" / trailers so the conveyor is essential to minimise handling. It also picks the lengths up so saves my back.

Mistress Rose

Joined: 21 Jul 2011
Posts: 15983

Posted: Mon Jan 30, 17 7:07 am Post subject:
Sending someone out with it certainly minimised damage. We do loose loads and log sacks, so tend not to do it into dumpy sacks unless we want to do a half load to unload fairly easily, or 2 half loads into the shorter backed truck. We can get 2 dumpy sacks in but not 2 of our half loads very easily.

RichardW

Joined: 24 Aug 2006
Posts: 8443
Location: Llyn Peninsular North Wales

Posted: Mon Jan 30, 17 11:31 am Post subject:
I guess you cut & split straight in to the vehicle? We like to cut & split then stack to let it dry some more. We buy in lengths that are already well seasoned but its still good to split them first. Using vented bags (not builders bags) make handling easy.

dpack

Joined: 02 Jul 2005
Posts: 46235
Location: yes

Posted: Mon Jan 30, 17 11:46 am Post subject:
assuming a continuous run decent chainsaw 5hp decent cyclist 0.15 hp a good cyclist can do bursts of around 1 hp what the chap needs is a great big flywheel , maybe a tractor wheel?

Mistress Rose

Joined: 21 Jul 2011
Posts: 15983

Posted: Tue Jan 31, 17 7:46 am Post subject:

You're probably right Dpack, but would be awkward stopping with a flywheel. The other problem is speed, and catches.

OMB, we frequently cut directly into the truck, and most of the timber is our own, although we have bought some in from the next wood this year. Vented sacks are a good idea, but we are set up to deliver loose loads, and having the lifting gear for the sacks would mean a larger truck etc. We always tell our customers if some of the firewood isn't fully seasoned, show them how to identify it, and advise putting it at the bottom of the woodpile.

RichardW

Joined: 24 Aug 2006
Posts: 8443
Location: Llyn Peninsular North Wales

Posted: Tue Jan 31, 17 11:03 am Post subject:
We deliver using a small 750kg trailer. Lifting via a digger. The big up side to the bags is that you can deliver at the drop of a hat & not have to limit deliveries to processing speed. Process when you have the time & then just load & go on delivery days.

Mistress Rose

Joined: 21 Jul 2011
Posts: 15983

Posted: Wed Feb 01, 17 7:40 am Post subject:
Yes, we know someone that used a similar method using a lift on the back of a small flat bed, but not the one we decided on. Apart from anything else, some people want firewood delivered to the back of the house and the alleyways can be too narrow to get a trailer or large van down.

RichardW

Joined: 24 Aug 2006
Posts: 8443
Location: Llyn Peninsular North Wales

Posted: Wed Feb 01, 17 6:21 pm Post subject:

Mistress Rose wrote:

Yes, we know someone that used a similar method using a lift on the back of a small flat bed, but not the one we decided on. Apart from anything else, some people want firewood delivered to the back of the house and the alleyways can be too narrow to get a trailer or large van down.

True but your still no worse off than if it was a loose load re taking it round the back.

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