2014 Great Firewood Shootout

[deastman]

Anyone know who won the firewood processor competition out in Ohio last week?

[beenthere]

Usually no one "wins" as it is more of a demonstration without much "winning/losing". 

[deastman]

They have a competition to see which processor can produce the most cuts and splits in a certain amount of time

[CTL logger]

I didn't hear who won or lost I think it's more a time thing I was on the Wood Beaver processor  on Saturday we did a cord of wood in 14 min 35 sec in the small processor class we were finished a couple minutes  before the dyna was. I'll ask them if there's a winner, I assume the fine people who ran the event will have an article about it in Sawmill and Woodlot magazine. I had fun being in the competition one of their guys couldn't make it and I own one so they asked me to fill in for him I was glad to do it I was going to the show anyhow.

[deastman]

Maybe "won" wasn't the right word to use,  guess I was looking to find out how the different processor's rated according to time, which one was the quickest, next quickest and so on. And you are right CTL Logger,  the results are going to be in the December issue of Sawmill and Woodlot magazine, but I don't get that and i was curious about the results.

[NWP]

Do they do the firewood shoot out every year at the Paul Bunyan show?

[CTL logger]

Sawmill and Woodlot  magazine is a sponsor click the link on the left side and get a subscription then you can read about it and support a sponsor.

[deastman]

Sawmill and Woodlot  magazine is a sponsor click the link on the left side and get a subscription then you can read about it and support a sponsor.

Thanks,  just signed up to get it

[Peter Drouin]

Why try hard and think of a way to do things better if you can't WIN  : : : : :

[red]

That's when the Shooting starts

[BargeMonkey]

 We have been talking about buying a LOCO from CRD, but even then you can only push so fast. Im doing a cord in roughly 45 mins, from start to tarped and thats hustling. 15mins a cord, I believe it but ive gotta see it myself.  :D

[NWP]

I can get a cord in 15 minutes out of my Blocbuster. It takes perfect logs and a sharp chain. The logs have to be 12-13" in diameter so there aren't any oversize pieces on an 8 way split. It would be almost impossible to consistently do. I average 2 cords or so an hour typically.

[deastman]

That's about the same as what it takes me too. I'm working on a few upgrades to my processor to make it faster but some of these 5 to 6 cords an hour you hear about they must be doing something different than I am.

[BargeMonkey]

 Im running mostly logs from 5'-16' on the deck, and from small 4-5" stuff right up to 22" at the same time. We split our wood pretty fine, we rarely sent a chunk up the elevator. Yeah I can do a cord in 20+mins with "perfect" wood but thats rare. Thats the problem I see with advertising 5-6+ cord an hour, thats in the prime almost highgrade logs which we will saw before we firewood them. 45mins is pretty average, I hold just about 1 full cord on the livedeck.

[barbender]

Whenever I've watched firewood processor demos, all the wood looked like pallet/saw logs. I want to see them run some firewood!(crooked gnarly stuff you can't market any other way).

[BargeMonkey]

 ;)

Whenever I've watched firewood processor demos, all the wood looked like pallet/saw logs. I want to see them run some firewood!(crooked gnarly stuff you can't market any other way).

Exactly.  ;)

[CTL logger]

Im running mostly logs from 5'-16' on the deck, and from small 4-5" stuff right up to 22" at the same time. We split our wood pretty fine, we rarely sent a chunk up the elevator. Yeah I can do a cord in 20+mins with "perfect" wood but thats rare. Thats the problem I see with advertising 5-6+ cord an hour, thats in the prime almost highgrade logs which we will saw before we firewood them. 45mins is pretty average, I hold just about 1 full cord on the livedeck.

We didn't have real ugly wood, and I wouldn't say it was perfect round pipes either. The machine I ran cost 16k and advertises to process 2 cord per hr. I only participated in it they brought the wood and had the rules already made. I think it's mostly to see everyone running in one place and make an event out of it. We did a cord in under 15 min I wouldn't want to run that hard all day long. I use my processor for mostly my own wood and a couple friends, I sort it on the landing and bring home decent poles I can split over 2 cord an hour but someone is loading the deck and everything needs to go well. The best thing I saw was a 90k bell's processor got beat by one that cost 70k less, in the end it was fun doesn't seem like that's as easy to have anymore.

[lopet]

So  was that a Wood Beaver  or what make was it ?  I mean the one for 20 k.

[CTL logger]

Yes the machine I have and helped with in the shootout was a woodbeaver I believe the model in the shootout was a model 16 I think it around 20k good machine for the money.

[M Cook]

I have a Cord King 48 that we consistently cut 10 face core loads in about 60-75 min. Our wood is 5-16 in diameter nothing great, the way we make that kind of production is by cutting longer wood usually 16+ ft long.  We cut some old logs and were able  to cut our 10 cord load in 35 minutes.

Mike Cook

[deastman]

I have a Cord King 48 that we consistently cut 10 face core loads in about 60-75 min. Our wood is 5-16 in diameter nothing great, the way we make that kind of production is by cutting longer wood usually 16+ ft long.  We cut some old logs and were able  to cut our 10 cord load in 35 minutes.

Mike Cook

I've seen that 48 running on their website and it looks fast, have you had any problems with your machine?

[BargeMonkey]

 There is a cord king down the road and the guy did 2k+ full cords last yr and wished he had 2k+ more of wood. How do the circle saws handle the small wood ? Im pulling levers and hustling wood pretty good for a 40-45min per cord on the truck. We are a little fussy with the chips and bark, which takes some time, but to do 3+ cord an hour has to be something. Another guy I know has a 2040 multitek, 3/4 bar and hes averaging the same times I am. My machine is semi inside, the door opening is 16' 10" wide, and I try and slash for 12' because ive got 25' of bunk on the truck. Recently repowered with a deere diesel but I dont know how I can squeak anymore out of it. CRD claims they will build one to fit in our building, but then you start selling more and it turns into another monster, another truck, more men, then your  chasing wood, 500 a yr is our happy point.

[M Cook]

I haven't had any real big problems with it, it has about 4700 hrs on it, just put a new pump on it. The splitter chamber takes the greatest abuse on any processor and ours has held up well, when cutting small diameter wood you need to make sure saw teeth are in good shape, if the carbide is chipped bad or missing very many then the saw will be grabby. 

Mine has a 3.5 second cycle time, the new ones are  2.5, there running more oil and horsepower to do that.  Mine is 80 hp new ones are 120 hp.

I had a lot of different operators on it and it has held up to all there learning and abuse, it is easy to learn to run and usually if someone is a decent operator they can be cutting 10 face cords in 60-75 minutes.

Mike Cook

[BargeMonkey]

 Ive got 80hp right now, been half thinking about trying to fabricate a CRD circle saw onto mine and add a bigger 3x pump, I left the 2x pump and she is adequate but I dont think its set up to handle a huge flow rate.

[M Cook]

Cord  King has 4 pump sections, make sure you get a think enough circle saw, ours doesn't wobble any, but a friend of mine has a crd and his saw is thinner and wobbles to the point that he takes the teeth out of it sometimes when it hits his log trough.

Mike Cook