Wood conveyors

[mike_belben]

Any of you ever tried using a corn conveyor off a woodsplitter?  Its a mayrath 32' pto model with chains up each side and paddles every foot or so, open centers over a steel slide.  Thoughts?  Will it work?

[BargeMonkey]

My mechanic uses a "converted" square bale conveyor, not much diff than what your describing. The only thing with chain is getting a piece bound up at the top and having to go fish it out. 

[Al_Smith]

They work great if you can find one they don't want an arm and a leg for .In addition to that is finding say a 24 foot model .32-40 and even 60's are more plentiful at least in this area .

[Pclem]

I bought a home built firewood conveyor. The guy used the flat style grain elevator chain, prolly like yours. Links would break alot for me, and I could buy them at the local farm& fleet. Easy fix. After a couple years they sold out. Couldn't find em anywhere. So I replaced it all with 60 roller chain. Could've gone heavier with the chain... Broke a couple links in maybe 3 or 4 years of use. Got a buddy who replaced his chain with rubber belt. You've got options if the chain doesn't last. Heckuva lot cheaper than the firewood conveyors As you know...

[hedgerow]

Mike
I used a corn type elevator for years it had its issues. In the beginning we used a tractor with PTO to run it didn't work well as when it jammed up it would break the chain. Installed a 5 Hp gas engine with a jack shaft to slow it down and would run the belt loose so it would slip when it jammed that kept from breaking the chain as much. After lots of looking {To find one in my price range} I found a old gravel conveyor that is Hyd ran and has a belt. It needed a engine I had one and I change the drive gearing to slow it down it works great and zero problems. The belt style is the only way to go. Conveyors for firewood need to be driven from the top and not from the bottom like the corn elevators are.   

[mike_belben]

Good info guys thank you.  My alternative option is to build it which is likely what will happen whenever i find some purlins laying in someones tall grass for the main rails.  I have a good running motor still in a snowblower chassis and some rollers, a long roll of conveyor belting.  My only real worry is slippage and belt tension, especially when wet.  I dont really have a good way to make it a cogged positive drive in mind.  Without spending money atleast.. Blehk.  Boo to that. 

Why drive them from the top instead of bottom? Does having the weight of the belt pulling down help tension them better?  gravity will put the slack down below wont it?

[Corley5]

When I first got my processor I used two different hay/grain/corn elevators.  They suck for firewood.  The best money I spent on firewood equipment was a belt conveyor.

[ButchC]

As everyone else has said they will work, however they are also easily defeated.  Wood will get caught and stop the chain, if the drive doesn't slip you break the chain. The slip clutch is easiest done via a loose drive belt.  Next problem is unless you are real careful about how you load is the steel in the sides and bottom isn't thick enough to withstand wood being tossed against it. Thus you will need to reinforce the sides and bottom up about 4' from the bottom. 1/8" thick steel recommended here and believe me it is easier to do this before it is all bent up from use.  Even with the mods they are a poor substitute for a belt conveyor in a production environment. For the homeowner or part time seller they will do.

[mike_belben]

Sounds like id be ahead of the game to skip the corn thrower and build one.

[Pclem]

You've got the belt and rollers already. If they fit in the grain elevator, you'll probably save alot of time and money if the price is right rather than building one from scratch. My chain driven one has got an electric motor driven from the bottom, with a loose belt for the jams. Never had any issues with the motor driving the bottom. (It's short though, like 12-14'). A buddy took a long grain elevator and put rubber belting and a hyd motor at the top. He too, says it's best to have motor at top. Not exactly sure why. My processor has the belt with smooth rollers. Only issue with slippage is in the winter if it gets snowed on, then the snow gets between the rollers and belt. 

[Corley5]

I've used washer fluid to melt ice and snow on the roller side of the belt in the past and now use an ice snow melt stuff called Heat. It's fast and effective.

[armechanic]

I use a hay conveyer that I have remodeled.  The reasoning behind having the motor/engine at the top is, that it works better to pull instead of push.  Like the saying you can't push a chain anywhere but can pull it where ever you want.  

[mike_belben]

You've got the belt and rollers already. If they fit in the grain elevator, you'll probably save alot of time and money if the price is right rather than building one from scratch. 

I dont own a corn conveyor to retrofit.  Saw one an hour away for $400 but its not the best layout for me, and im pretty certain i can acquire the few missing pieces in the $100 or less range.
What does the drive roll look like on these top driven conveyors?  Are they serated or smooth?  Metal to rubber or coated in something? Any features added to increase belt traction?  What diameter?  
My big worry is having it slip on the bolt heads for the paddles, or the metal end splice.  May be an issue or not, i dont know. 

[Pclem]

Rollers are smooth on mine. No special coating, just metal to rubber. I'll have to measure the diameter, and take pics and have my wife help put 'em on here. :D

[Corley5]

Rubber to smooth steel on my Built Rite.  Steel to fibers now.  After 10,000 plus face cords the rubber backing is gone.  I'll need a new belt sooner than later now.  I just cut and spliced out a tear a couple days ago. The rollers are 10 or 12" in diameter.  I'm 300 hundred miles away from it now.

[rjwoelk]

When mine slips I just use a little belt dressing on it. its kind of sticky

[mike_belben]

Brilliant!

[Crusarius]

coke a cola also works well  

[Al_Smith]

Coca Cola will also loosen  rusty bolts .I wonder what it does to your innards 

[Crusarius]

Every time I drink it my innards loosen to

[mike_belben]

 :D

[Corley5]

Ice, snow and a loose belt are the only things that will make mine slip.  Well too many big beech rounds at once will do it.  The best belt dressing was the kind that came in stick.  Kinda tar like.  You held it on the pulley side of flat belts.  Haven't seen it in years.  Probably a safety issue.  Grandpa said they used molasses as belt dressing.  A little sand thrown on with it added more traction.

[rjwoelk]

I got it in a spray can. We can still get the stick kind as well. The only thing is if you have the belt runing on a flat surface it may want to drag, we have a poly something we used as a ware surface. Has worked well for us.  The roller was groved to inprove the traction .

[mike_belben]

You guys with belt conveyors.. Is the top layer riding over tin or ribs or just floating in the air?  

Im trying to decide if belt tension alone holds the wood up or if the belt is laying over the supporting structure.  Industrially i have seen both ways done successfully but am looking at the pros and cons a little closer now.

[Corley5]

Mine runs on poly strips on the load side and rollers on the bottom.  With the uneven loading of firewood I think the support is needed on the load side especially.  The rollers spaced out on the bottom side keep the sag out the belt.