firewood processors

karl · December 29, 2003, 05:10:38 PM

Anybody had experience with firewood shears like E-zee Cord?
how well/fast do they work?
What are they NOT telling me in their ads?
Would kinda like to find something along those lines that would use tractor hydraulics - seems like I could make something cheaper than $16,000+ they want. Maybe if it were made like stump shears ???
Been cutting up lots of (dirty)slabs and deconstruction materials(nails)and small wood for outdoor boilers. Need a better way- also would like to sell some firewood from small/crooked trees- seems like that type of machine would work better with those too.
ideas?
Thanks
karl

woodmills1 · December 29, 2003, 06:20:44 PM

I have a rainer hydraulics shear. It is called the chomper. It works. I don't know about the one you are looking at.

http://www.chomper.net/page2.html

ADfields · December 29, 2003, 08:13:51 PM

Hay that looks Neat!

I have often turned wood the other way in a splitter to shear off some or kick a knot out of it with good luck but never crossed my mind to make some thing like that. That said I think it would be slower running then a normal processor but there ain't much to go wrong with that shear. I may just add that to my list of things I need to build. :

I think if a guy knew what he was up to it would be around 2 or 3 grand in parts. The steel for that blade would run a buck or two I bet.
Andy

ScottAR · December 29, 2003, 09:44:44 PM

Woodmills:
Which model of chomper do you have?

That's the neatest machine I've ever seen!

woodmills1 · December 30, 2003, 04:24:33 AM

I bought the prototype for a model that is no longer made. It is fairly small but will shear 10". I originally bought it to reduce my slabs to firewood size pieces, but since moving I don't need to do that any more. I am about to start producing firewood from the tops of the oaks I have harvested and will post some pictures when I am up and running. This model allows the infeed to be raised so that gravity feeds the shear. It also has a conveyor to remove the finished material from the shear. An interesting note is that the shear blade has an aluminum wedge near the top so as the shearing is about finished it pops the piece into two splits. I found two pictures, one shows the conveyor raised for transport and the other shows it down for feeding with the winch.

dan-l-b · December 30, 2003, 04:38:46 AM

Hey woodsmill, When I contacted Rainer about the chomper, the owner said he didn't recommend it for dry hardwoods. I have a log pile I designate for firewood and stuff may sit there six months or more. According to Rainer the chomper won't cut it. Whats your experience? ???

woodmills1 · December 30, 2003, 04:45:51 AM

At about 6" it will struggle with dead red oak. Anything over that and the shear will get stuck in the wood. Now mind you I am talking about standing dead, the kind that is orange all the way through with no bark at all, the stuff that makes a chainsaw shudder. Mine has a small Briggs I think 9 horse. If you talked with warren aikins he is the owner and inventor of the chomper and I would trust him to give good info.

karl · December 30, 2003, 03:41:13 PM

woodmills- I have emailed Rainier a couple times-no answer.
Looks like a sturdier machine than the E-zee Cord.
Nine hp eh? How big is the ram? How thick/wide is the blade?
wish there was a dealer near here- shorewoodliketaseeone.
Andy-Thinkin' your right about cost of building one, using N. Hydraulics catalog- came up with under 2000 to power with tractor. Need a bit of help figuring flow and pressure and stuff before I commit to buying parts though. Especially if this isn't what is best for my needs.

woodmills1 · December 30, 2003, 05:00:33 PM

probably the holidays for no response. Remember I bought the prototype of my machine. I talked to them and found they only sold one of that type, that was 6 years ago. After I bought it I talked with warren and told him that the portable sawmill might help him market them and he was almost ready to stop with small ones. He advertises in many magazines now. The smallest model now has 18 horsepower.

woodmills1 · December 30, 2003, 05:13:30 PM

Just went to the e-zee cord site and it does look like a well built machine. Looks like the logs have to be lifted up on the deck. The chomper comes with a winch driven from the hydraulics, I have pulled 20 foot at a time into mine. the ez is around 16 grand with a 20 horse and the chomper is 11 something with 18 horse.

ADfields · December 30, 2003, 09:03:44 PM

Is the $16K US or Canada money?

The e-zee cord deck looks like it would be more versatile for cutting slabs and such. It would be easy to make a loader like sawmills have, or set up in one place, to build a log deck for it.

Dose the Chomper have one big ram pushing the blade like the e-zee cord? I was thinking of 2 rams, one on each side of the blade so you can rock it back and forth some and use smaller rams. What are the pro's and con's y'all see on that?
Andy

woodmills1 · December 31, 2003, 04:54:21 AM

The E-zee is over 20 thousand canadian. I would worry about 2 rams. The load on the shear is probably never even side to side and I would expect that might jam. The loader on my WM will not work right if it is weight heavy on one side. By the way the shear on my chomper is an upside down v so that the wood gets centered as the ram comes down. Another thing to remember is the throat under the ram should be made with a taper so the chips and debris don't clog it.

karl · January 02, 2004, 05:31:17 PM

today I got info on the Chomper in the mail (2 packets even)
Looks like way more machine for the buck than the E-zee
Think I would prefer logs on a deck and a roll or chain feed for the small stock I would be using most times-don't see why a fella couldn't add one...
One thing for sure- that machine looks complicated enough so I won't be trying to build one!

LMG · January 06, 2004, 06:13:03 PM

have been looking into that shear-type of wood processor for quite some years. It is the first time I am told of a commercialy availlable model made in North America though. I had been researching such a machine in the nineties and eventually found something similar from Sweden or Norway, the commercial name was " Knapclever " or close to. Wonder now if someone ever had an experience with that machine?
Anyway, I designed and made two prototypes of combined "shear and split" wood processor to experiment and see for myself if there was a market...So far I am the only customer around...
Should look after posting a picture later.

/ LMG

Tom · April 02, 2004, 03:54:23 PM

Welcome to the ForestryForum, Timber.

Do you mean that the EZ cord will split a 20 foot log or that it will take a 20 foot log and shear it into firewood?

That sounds like you were there when Bibbyman was visiting. He's from Missouri and doesn't believe half of what he sees, even if you show him. :D

He has a chomper, I think. .........Well, his wife has a chomper. She's the honcho around that place. Bibbey just pushes pencils and rides a desk most of the time. Mary lets him off-bear the mill sometimes and I hear that she allows him to drive their new tractor/forklift on occassion. :D :D

karl · April 02, 2004, 04:38:15 PM

Welcome Timber-
I am still thinking about a similar setup- won't be 28" though!

Like the idea of a beast like that on a truck - trees must tremble in their roots when he drives by :D
Kinda trying to come up with a design that can be used to cut or split and doesn't set me back that much coin.
Too many projects.....

Tom · April 02, 2004, 05:54:58 PM

Hmmmm-m--m That didn't last long. :-/

Bibbyman · April 02, 2004, 07:33:30 PM

We got a Blockbuster 1412. One of the first few made. It's the smallest machine they make and will do a cord an hour if you can feed it logs that ain't too crooked or too big or have limbs and forks, etc.

We use it mostly to cut up slabs. It does not use the shear deal like the Chomper - but has a harvester type chainsaw bar.

Tom, I don't push too many pencils but I poke a lot of keys.