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splitter, processor or hybrid (wallenstein type)

Started by bigblue12v, August 04, 2015, 08:45:51 AM

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bigblue12v

I need some help and ideas to speed up my process and make it easier on my back. I've got ability to build about whatever I need. Been wanting to build a processor but I get everything from straight nice logs 6" diameter and up, all the way to knotty annoying maple that's grown in a lawn until it is 3' diameter and far too big and inconsistent to go through a processor. For a while I was thinking processor but one that would split a large enough majority of my wood, would be mammoth and I can't afford or justify building anything that epic huge. I also really like the design of the tempest splitters. Really really like them. Seems that resplits are something I'll never get away from and they're designed to resplit until it's perfect size. I'd still be bucking on the ground and bending over a lot to maneuver them onto the log lift though. Had thought of a bucking platform rack where the logs would be cut at a comfortable height, but I have no way to load it. There's no good way out it seems. I'm not lazy but have back problems and also just trying to make the job more comfortable and handle the wood less. A Wallenstein style processor might fit the bill, using a tempest style wedge. I could foresee lots of idle time for the saw though. For real big rounds I have a big homemade splitter with a 5.5" cylinder, very tall wedge and a log lift crane. I don't mind using this for overly big stuff as needed but trying to get away from using it a lot as it's slow. My fast splitter is 4" cylinder but I'm still picking everything up off the ground and it's not really enough tonnage to push a multiway wedge through anything but ideal wood, the wedge is on the cylinder on that one.

And neither one has an out feed tray or conveyor. I could get an old elevator to use but trying to eliminate having several different pieces of equipment to move around to various staging areas to follow the wood pile(s).
I've got 2.5 acres and bring logs home on my one ton flatbed truck, while tops are often bucked and thrown in the trailer ready to split.
I work a full time job and usually when I go get a load of wood I only have time to unload it at night. Bucking and splitting occurs whenever I can get spare time often on weekends but I'm always behind on splitting and almost never have help.
Any ideas?
Lots of junk not enough time.. full time mechanic part time logger, firewood junkie, outside boiler owner, meat smoker enthusiast, fabricator, dad, husband

beenthere

You have much the same dilemma that most everyone has when it comes to splitting wood small enough to dry well, to handle well when firing the burner, harvest, move, lift, split, stack, etc. etc.

I've gone to a very workable pallet system where I stack split wood on pallets and the wood stays on a pallet until two-three years later when I move that pallet close to where I burn the wood.

Getting trees down and logs moved from the woods to the splitting area is the majority of the hard work. Drop the trees, limb them, buck the logs (90" length), skid them out or carry on FEL forks, then buck to 18" length blocks in log pile, roll blocks onto pallet, raise pallet to splitting height with FEL forks, stack splits on pallets, move pallets to drying area.
Not a lot of back-breaking work as I employ the tractor's hydraulics to do the lifting. Split at waist height.

Take the back-breaking steps out one at a time, and big stuff that doesn't work for you, leave it.
south central Wisconsin
It may be that my sole purpose in life is simply to serve as a warning to others

North River Energy

Going off the info provided:
A conveyor, a dump hoist for your flatbed, and a mechanized means of moving/sorting logs.
Probably in that order.




bigblue12v

Beenthere,
If I had a tractor with forks that's what I'd be doing. I have a good size garden tractor with forks for the three point but doesn't pick up very high and not enough weight to help really.

North river,
I use ramps and winch to parbuckle logs onto truck bed. To unload I simply give them a kick. Works well. Tonight I'm getting a tandem axle trailer frame which I'll probably set up just like my truck bed, able to parbuckle logs onto it and have sides to hold rounds or splits. The configuration of my flatbed and side racks offers much versatility. I've got a dump hoist for my bed I need to install it and get a pump. Really want a dump trailer too. If either truck or trailer was dump I would put cut pieces in it and logs on the other. Truck bed is so high I would prefer it be dump and use trailer for logs.

I've got an old Vermeer trencher I'm converting to a mini skidder for firewood logging. I get a lot of trees out of people's yards also where I'm able to get truck and trailer close enough to load. I'm a lot heavier equipped for firewood than any other homeowner I know, and I'm hoping to sell some wood to help offset my costs and get rid of my overstock of wood but don't have time to do it full time and sell enough to justify a lot of additional equipment. I'm 28 and trying to be as debt free as possible. House is my only debt but just bought it a year ago so I have a long way to go before it's paid off. Hard to save enough to buy a tractor with cash. I feel like I have a decent method to bring wood in, just need to get splitting time down. A conveyor or elevator would help a lot. Or at least a off load chute for the splitter where it could push them up enough to get them into a truck or wagon or pile on ground. Thinking I might build a tempest style splitter this winter. I don't have time to split before bringing it home. Often it's all I can do to get a load cut and loaded, go home and unload before calling it a night. I decided dragging splitting equipment with me and wasting time on the job is too much hassle for me. Ability to load whole logs was a nice upgrade for me! Just trying to up productivity and improve ergonomics for splitting process.
Lots of junk not enough time.. full time mechanic part time logger, firewood junkie, outside boiler owner, meat smoker enthusiast, fabricator, dad, husband

beenthere

blue
You posted
QuoteI'd still be bucking on the ground and bending over a lot to maneuver them onto the log lift though. Had thought of a bucking platform rack where the logs would be cut at a comfortable height, but I have no way to load it. There's no good way out it seems. I'm not lazy but have back problems and also just trying to make the job more comfortable and handle the wood less.

When you parbuckle logs to the truck bed, don't then let them fall back to the ground where the bad back comes into play again. Roll those logs off onto your bucking platform which should/could be next to your splitter. Start high and let gravity work the wood down to lower processing points, is my only point.

I had bad back problems when I was 28, but changed things slowly to where the back no longer bothers me. Mostly a matter of how I avoid bending over for any period of time.
south central Wisconsin
It may be that my sole purpose in life is simply to serve as a warning to others

bigblue12v

That was the plan however only one problem, I tend to get really busy and would need many log racks to do this as I don't have time to buck and split when I get home. I'm picking up a trailer frame tonight that I'm thinking I'll turn into a log trailer load same way as truck. Won't have any more weight capacity than truck but lower loading height will be safer and easier. Truck bed is tall. I'll put rails on it for logs to sit above a slightly sloped floor so I can buck them on the trailer and the rounds mostly roll to one side. At least I can unhook it at home and be alleviated of the load to drive an empty truck to work the next morning. If I need trailer again after work next day I guess I can unload the logs and just load them again as I buck them and split them at a later date. Parbuckling isn't the fastest way to load but best I've got given my very low budget lol Hoping I can make trailer help me improve my process.
Lots of junk not enough time.. full time mechanic part time logger, firewood junkie, outside boiler owner, meat smoker enthusiast, fabricator, dad, husband

brendonv

Although I have lifting equipment, a cutting table made firewood for us from a choir to something we do at the end of the day no sweat. Sounds like for you obviously getting the logs on the table would be the issue. Possibly something like logrites firewoodinator to get the logs up might solve ur issue. Simply a hydro motor plumbed into your splitter on a selector valve. Put a capstan head on it, pull the log up, cut, then flip the selector back over to the splitter and done.

I'm betting you can put something together for 5-600$ on the high side.
"Trees live a secret life only revealed to those that climb them"

www.VorioTree.com

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Vorio-Tree-Experts-LLC/598083593556636

North River Energy

Respectfully submitted:
If you have actual back problems at 28, you might want to reconsider getting further into the firewood thing until you can justify the 'right' equipment:  Those few key pieces that seem expensive/elusive at present, but in hindsight would be obvious.  Machines which allow you to get more done in less time with less physical effort.
If you don't have a lot of capital, you need both time (patience) and creativity to get to the point where producing quality cordwood is a simple matter of pushing buttons and pulling levers.

That little Vermeer would look some sharp with a 3pt type grapple loader attached.  Either build your own, or keep a keen eye on Craigslist.  Your body will thank you, and you'll be able to extract more value from both your materials and your time.





bigblue12v

Quote from: brendonv on August 05, 2015, 03:01:37 PM
Although I have lifting equipment, a cutting table made firewood for us from a choir to something we do at the end of the day no sweat. Sounds like for you obviously getting the logs on the table would be the issue. Possibly something like logrites firewoodinator to get the logs up might solve ur issue. Simply a hydro motor plumbed into your splitter on a selector valve. Put a capstan head on it, pull the log up, cut, then flip the selector back over to the splitter and done.

I'm betting you can put something together for 5-600$ on the high side.

That's essentially what I'm hoping to accomplish with this trailer I just acquired. But using an electric winch I have laying around. I can use it to haul them home as well as be a bucking table. Kind of hard to explain how I hope to set it up but when I get it done I'll take pics. I should have less than 500 in it. I can use it to move logs from a storage location across the yard wherever I'm wanting to split without tearing up my grass or getting the logs more dirty. Great minds think alike!
Lots of junk not enough time.. full time mechanic part time logger, firewood junkie, outside boiler owner, meat smoker enthusiast, fabricator, dad, husband

bigblue12v

Quote from: North River Energy on August 05, 2015, 09:07:08 PM
Respectfully submitted:
If you have actual back problems at 28, you might want to reconsider getting further into the firewood thing until you can justify the 'right' equipment:  Those few key pieces that seem expensive/elusive at present, but in hindsight would be obvious.  Machines which allow you to get more done in less time with less physical effort.
If you don't have a lot of capital, you need both time (patience) and creativity to get to the point where producing quality cordwood is a simple matter of pushing buttons and pulling levers.

That little Vermeer would look some sharp with a 3pt type grapple loader attached.  Either build your own, or keep a keen eye on Craigslist.  Your body will thank you, and you'll be able to extract more value from both your materials and your time.

I hear you! I don't have constant back pain but I do have to watch I don't overdo it. I feel better when I get a good workout in as long as I don't overdo it. I don't strain myself picking stuff up or bending over too much and I'm perfectly fine. I have realized the worst thing is constantly bending over picking pieces up off the ground to split them.

I'm not trying to produce gobs of wood to sell. I burn 8 maybe as much as 10 cords a year myself. I already have around twice that much that I've cut and split in the last couple months. I'd like to sell my overstock wood simply to help get some fiscal return on my equipment investments and eventually help cover my costs. If it helps justify and afford more toys I'm all about that! I never turn down wood whether it's tree removal job or just free wood or whatever. Wanting to expand into some small time logging as I know several people with some acreage of timber that like to have maintained trails or new trails cut for atv's jeeps or hunting. Others yet that just like their woods maintained and dead or storm damaged stuff cleaned up. This is where the Vermeer should be quite handy. I've considered a grapple for it just unsure of how much weight it could pick up. I think it would do better at its size as a cable skidder and yes a grapple would still be extremely helpful anyway for loading and moving things and bucking etc. Just not sure how effective it would be on a machine this light. I don't think it's going to be more than about 4500# after I get blade on, a skidding hitch setup, more cage added and tires filled. It had a backhoe attachment on front but as part of the deal I had to let seller keep it. That with a thumb would have been sweet though. Hoping I can acquire a tractor or skid loader in the future to help. For now I do pretty good with what I've got.
Lots of junk not enough time.. full time mechanic part time logger, firewood junkie, outside boiler owner, meat smoker enthusiast, fabricator, dad, husband

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