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New Sawdust Removal Bin

Started by YellowHammer, January 19, 2016, 11:57:35 PM

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YellowHammer

As some folks know, my old sawdust removal system wasn't very optimized as it consisted of blowing some of the sawdust into an old grain wagon and the rest everywhere else.  I fill this thing up about once a week, and emptying is always a time consuming chore, basically lifting it off the ground and shaking with my tractor. 



 



 

So here's the new sawdust bin, version 2.0. Its an old 1981 F600 beat up grain truck, with a decent engine and good dump bed.  It only was run a couple trips a year in the fall to sell harvested grain, and the farmer I bought it from told me it had a "new" clutch, installed only 10 years ago. ;D.  It also has a broom stick for a gas gauge, nothing in the dash works except the tach and the oil pressure gauge, and I could go ice fishing through the rust holes in the floor board. :D.  The hydraulics are strong, and it cranks right up, whether it's in gear or not. ;D I got it for less than the price of a load of logs, so figured, what the heck.  It even had a half a tank of fuel.  What a deal!



 

Anyway, I was faced with the expense of having to buy many thousands of dollars of dirt and gravel for the pad of the new HHAWH, (Hobby Hardwood Alabama World Headquarters)  8) and seeing as I have a gravel pit on the farm, as well as a lot of dirt, I figured if I could get the truck to last long enough to haul and dump a few loads, I could make it break even, or just break :D, pretty fast.  Then I would retire it and park it under the sawdust chute, and have a self dumping sawdust hopper. 8)

So with nothing further invested in it than a can of WD40 to loosen things up a bit, I was able to haul dump several loads of dirt yesterday.



 

Most of the blue smoke stopped coming out of the exhaust pipe on the third load, and pretty soon, I was gear jamming and having fun with the non synchronous gears.  Who knew I couldn't down shift to first without coming to a stop?  I was able to figure out the two speed rear end, in large part, by reading the bouncing, blurry instructions printed on the sun visor as I was creeping up the hills in low gear. 
All in all, a lot of fun, and hopefully a quicker way to get rid of my sawdust. 



YellowHammerisms:

Take steps to save steps.

If it won't roll, its not a log; it's still a tree.  Sawmills cut logs, not trees.

Kiln drying wood: When the cookies are burned, they're burned, and you can't fix them.

Sawing is fun for the first couple million boards.

Be smarter than the sawdust

customsawyer

She will serve you well for years.
Two LT70s, Nyle L200 kiln, 4 head Pinheiro planer, 30" double surface Cantek planer, Lucas dedicated slabber, Slabmizer, and enough rolling stock and chainsaws to keep it all running.
www.thecustomsawyer.com

Peter Drouin

A&P saw Mill LLC.
45' of Wood Mizer, cutting since 1987.
License NH softwood grader.

Kipper

Very cool! Be careful, I watched dump truck fails on YouTube after I bought mine and they just about scared the death out of me. A lot of people working with wet dirt seem to get in trouble with them.
LT40HD, Cat Diesel
New Holland L783
Kubota BX23
Metavic 1400XL
2016 Dodge 3500
2007 Dodge 3500 (Dump)
Belsaw 802 Edger
Too many trailers to count and all Stihl Saws!!

WDH

Hobby Hardwood Alabama World Headquarters?  Build it and they will come  ;D. 
Woodmizer LT40HDD35, John Deere 2155, Kubota M5-111, Kubota L2501, Nyle L53 Dehumidification Kiln, and a passion for all things with leafs, twigs, and bark.  hamsleyhardwood.com

justallan1

That's a Cadillac compared to a few I've had to drive. ;D
I'd bet a dollar it gets used for more than your sawdust.

sandsawmill14

best thing is all you have to do is just dump it to change from sawdust to whatever you need to haul :)
hudson 228, lucky knuckleboom,stihl 038 064 441 magnum

WV Sawmiller

YH,

   Congrats on the "new" truck (and a certain recent football game we won't mention here). I am sure it will serve you well and when finally worn out you can always convert it into a pulpwood truck.
Howard Green
WM LT35HDG25(2015) , 2011 4WD F150 Ford Lariat PU, Kawasaki 650 ATV, Stihl 440 Chainsaw, homemade logging arch (w/custom built rear log dolly), JD 750 w/4' wide Bushhog brand FEL

Dad always said "You can shear a sheep a bunch of times but you can only skin him once

drobertson

Thats a dandy!  not just a one show pony there, 
only have a few chain saws I'm not suppose to use, but will at times, one dog Dolly, pretty good dog, just not sure what for yet,  working on getting the gardening back in order, and kinda thinking on maybe a small bbq bizz,  thinking about it,

Magicman

That is multi-tasking in the truest form.   smiley_thumbsup

Someone asked me if my (old) sawmill engine always smoked like that?  I replied; "only when it is running".   ;D
Knothole Sawmill, LLC     '98 Wood-Mizer LT40SuperHydraulic   WM Million BF Club Member   WM Pro Sawyer Network

It's Weird being the Same Age as Old People

Never allow your "need" to make money to exceed your "desire" to provide quality service.....The Magicman

woodweasel

   HECK YEA ON THE DUMP TRUCK !! 8)

larrydown60

Up north here in the salt country we us old stop and street signs for new floor boards. they will out last the truck LOL :D Nice truck Should make life easier

Ljohnsaw

Quote from: YellowHammer on January 19, 2016, 11:57:35 PM
<<snip>>
Most of the blue smoke stopped coming out of the exhaust pipe on the third load, and pretty soon, I was gear jamming and having fun with the non synchronous gears.  Who knew I couldn't down shift to first without coming to a stop?  I was able to figure out the two speed rear end, in large part, by reading the bouncing, blurry instructions printed on the sun visor as I was creeping up the hills in low gear. 
All in all, a lot of fun, and hopefully a quicker way to get rid of my sawdust.

Did you check the oil after the smoke stopped? :D  Nice truck - I could use one about now...
John Sawicky

Just North-East of Sacramento...

SkyTrak 9038, Ford 545D FEL, Davis Little Monster backhoe, Case 16+4 Trencher, Home Built 42" capacity/36" cut Bandmill up to 54' long - using it all to build a timber frame cabin.

YellowHammer

Quote from: ljohnsaw on January 20, 2016, 11:26:01 PM
Quote from: YellowHammer on January 19, 2016, 11:57:35 PM
<<snip>>
Most of the blue smoke stopped coming out of the exhaust pipe on the third load, and pretty soon, I was gear jamming and having fun with the non synchronous gears.  Who knew I couldn't down shift to first without coming to a stop?  I was able to figure out the two speed rear end, in large part, by reading the bouncing, blurry instructions printed on the sun visor as I was creeping up the hills in low gear. 
All in all, a lot of fun, and hopefully a quicker way to get rid of my sawdust.

Did you check the oil after the smoke stopped? :D  Nice truck - I could use one about now...

:D :D I remember looking out the window, at the big blue cloud coming out of the pipe, and saying, "Oh well, trashed that one..." but I climbed down, cracked the hood, pulled out the duct taped handled dipstick, and was mildly surprised to actually see oil on the mark.  So, I just kept keeping on, checked it again later and no problems and no smoke.   
YellowHammerisms:

Take steps to save steps.

If it won't roll, its not a log; it's still a tree.  Sawmills cut logs, not trees.

Kiln drying wood: When the cookies are burned, they're burned, and you can't fix them.

Sawing is fun for the first couple million boards.

Be smarter than the sawdust

Brucer

Quote from: YellowHammer on January 19, 2016, 11:57:35 PM
...  Who knew I couldn't down shift to first without coming to a stop?  ...

To downshift -- push in the clutch, shift into neutral, release the clutch, rev the engine, push in the clutch, shift into first, release the clutch.

It'll work perfectly the first time you try it ... because by the time you've done all that you'll have rolled to a stop by the time you get to the "shift into first" bit :D :D.

As you get better at the sequence, you will continue to grind the gears. The trick is to figure out (from the engine noise) what speed the engine should be running when it's in first. Then rev the engine to that speed when you're in neutral with the clutch released. That gets the gears moving to the speed they'll be at when you shift.

It takes a bit of practice, but after a while you'll have no trouble downshifting into first "on the fly".

Once you've mastered that little art, the next challenge is to shift without using the clutch at all. Seriously.
Bruce    LT40HDG28 bandsaw
"Complex problems have simple, easy to understand wrong answers."

beenthere

What Brucer says, and called "double clutching" in my day.  Even helps when going up in the gears..
south central Wisconsin
It may be that my sole purpose in life is simply to serve as a warning to others

pineywoods

YH, that 2 speed rear axle may have a gotcha that can bite you. The later models have a small electric actuator which works fine. The older models used a vacuum pot to shift to high range and a spring to return to low range. These can bite if you roll to a stop, leave the rear axle in high range and shut the engine down. After a bit, the vacuum will leak down, allowing the spring to try to shift to low range. There's a spot between where the gears will drop into neutral, hope you didn't stop on a hill.  ;D I saw one pulpwood hauler who pulled into a service station, left it in high range and went inside the building.  Came back out to find his truck (loaded) in a creek at the bottom of the hill.  :o
1995 Wood Mizer LT 40, Liquid cooled kawasaki,homebuilt hydraulics. Homebuilt solar dry kiln.  Woodmaster 718 planner, Kubota M4700 with homemade forks and winch, stihl  028, 029, Ms390
100k bd ft club.Charter member of The Grumpy old Men

xlogger

drove trucks all my life, maybe not one like that but never used the clutch except stopping and  taking off.
Timberking 2000, Turbo slabber Mill, 584 Case, Bobcat 773, solar kiln, Nyle L-53 DH kiln

beenthere

xlogger
Know what you mean.. been there, done that too.  ;D
south central Wisconsin
It may be that my sole purpose in life is simply to serve as a warning to others

rooster 58

Ice fishing in Alabama?  I'll bet that would be interesting  ;D

Coffee_Creek

That will be handier then shirt pocket

YellowHammer

Some great tips, you guys, for sure, thanks.  Brucer, I laughed when I read your post, because when I tried the double clutch thing a few days ago, that's exactly what happened, I rolled to a stop before I knew it.  So you guys who did this for real, what is the advantage of clutchless shifting?  Better control, faster, easier, etc?

Piney, I would consider that an "IMPORTANT SAFETY TIP" so thanks for that.  Mine has an electric actuator, but either way I've got a lot to learn about the old girl.

Today, I bought a couple $50 used steer tires as one of mine is a retread that I just noticed was starting to separate.  I believe its illegal to run them on the fronts, anyway.  I also splurged and bought 8 brand new spark plugs, and a new air filter, as the old one was black with mold.

After I got all the luxury items installed except the tires, I took it out for a spin on our gravel road and tried a little clutch less shifting.  Lets just say, I've got a little practicing to do. 
       
YellowHammerisms:

Take steps to save steps.

If it won't roll, its not a log; it's still a tree.  Sawmills cut logs, not trees.

Kiln drying wood: When the cookies are burned, they're burned, and you can't fix them.

Sawing is fun for the first couple million boards.

Be smarter than the sawdust

plowboyswr

I spent many a summer driving a '73 F-600 with a 4spd tranny and 2spd rear end from the age of 12 on up. my job to keep it under the combine auger to unload on the fly. Once ya get the hang of those gears you can float em in your sleep.  ;D
Just an ole farm boy takin one day at a time.
Steve

never finished

 After you get use to the gears. Try going down a hill in gear, turn your key off for a few seconds then turn it  back on. Then go back and pick up your muffler out of the road, if it is still worth having. You'll get a bang out of it!

Brucer

Double clutching is simply a way to match the speed of the gears that are about to mesh. You can do it shifting up or down, but it isn't necessary with "synchronized" gear sets. A lot of manual transmissions in the 50's and 60's didn't have synchronized 1st gear or reverse gear.

Don't try the clutchless shifting until you've mastered double clutching.

I learned to drive an 8000 lb homemade forklift when I was 12. Four speeds forward, four speeds in reverse, none of the gears synchronized. You had to pump the brake pedal 8 times before the brakes would grab. That's how I learned to double clutch. (passing my drivers test 4 years later was a breeze ;D).

The only reason I did clutchless shifting was to show off (when I was in my teens).

I did use it on one occasion when our next door neighbour was trying to get his car to the repair shop after the clutch linkage broke. I had to start the car in first gear and kill the engine at the stop lights. I probably wrecked his starter but was pleased as anything.
Bruce    LT40HDG28 bandsaw
"Complex problems have simple, easy to understand wrong answers."

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