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$7958 for a firewood processor !

Started by genesis5521, December 21, 2009, 08:49:15 PM

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zopi

you mentioned driving to the factory to look the thing over..if they aren't selling in the US market yet, is there anything to prevent you bringing one home?
Got Wood?
LT-15G GO chassis added.
WM sharpener and setter
And lots of junk.

genesis5521

Quote from: mahonda on December 22, 2009, 06:58:14 PM
But if you hire it done you don't get to win. Ya know he who dies with the most toys wins. 8) Yeah its expensive but i like equipment and it helps me buy more sometimes it even pays for itself. don, i have a 22 ton generic wood splitter its great for oversized but is still slow. there guys here that know more about them then me but timberwolfe makes some really nice looking ones. the 14-20 is a bit cheaper. they make one for a tractor that has self loading arms on it. Call em they are really great to work with they could make you one with a loader if you decide to go that route. Most my wood is twenty foot long so i don't handle as many peices as you do. Have you looked at the small multi tec it would work great for you and has a self loading arms and built on conveyor and is built strong and works great on short stuff it was less than 20 thousand i think the only reason i didn't go that way was the length factor.

Hi Mahonda. I did check out the Multitek 1610EZ. I have their literature and price list. The 1610  with a log lift (not the live deck), and conveyor, is $24000. I really didn't want to (can't afford to) spend this much. I'd have to start a firewood business in earnest with this kind of investment. At 64, I don't think I'm ready for a second career. But ya never know.
Here's a video of the 1610 in action.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KOT6yP4QiKI

I did check out all of the Timberwolf splitters and really liked the TW-6. But they ain't cheap.
Here's a video of it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V6g8sVu6_cM

Here's a video of the Hus-Son Badger. It's $16500 with a conveyor, and doesn't require any support equipment. This is the one I was considering until I found the one for $7958. There is a review of the Badger at https://www.sawmillmag.com/reviews/58/Hud-Son+Badger
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YgftcvwMHVs

It's a good thing I have a three year supply of firewood on hand. I have plenty of time to do my homework on this stuff (and sometimes get very confused along the way).

genesis5521

Quote from: zopi on December 22, 2009, 07:34:00 PM
you mentioned driving to the factory to look the thing over..if they aren't selling in the US market yet, is there anything to prevent you bringing one home?

Hi Zopi. I emailed them and asked them that very question. I'm waiting for their response. I don't wanna get stopped at the border with something I'm not suppose to bring in to the USA.

zopi

yeah...for 24grand you buy a hydraulic sawmill and have nice square firewood...
Got Wood?
LT-15G GO chassis added.
WM sharpener and setter
And lots of junk.

mahonda

Well I'm impressed your doing what ya do I'm 28 and feel like I'm behind and beat up at the end of everyday, but i must love it cause i still get outta bed to do it all over again. last week has been slow getting up, wrenched my neck good. Had the bone cracker try his best three times so far but i think its in now, so good for awhile longer. I was looking at buying their bundling splitter but like ya said they aint cheap. so i put it toward a processor. i've had my business for seven years and cut wood since i could pull it to the house in my red wagon and i still drive myself crazy trying to figure out the best fastest easiest most profitable way to do it. so when you figure it out let me know would ya. like my old man says, "Go Fight Win!" and i want a sawmill too! :D
"If your lucky enough to be a logger your lucky enough!"
Burly aka Dad

logwalker

Genisis, I see many shortcomings on that unit. If you need it quartered like thay are doing it would be very hard on the back to bend and drag the halves back to re-split. Pulling down on that bar would also be very tiring over time. And it is slow. Why isn't it splitting while the operator is cutting the next round.

I bet I could come close to the throughput of that machine with my 6 hp standard splitter and my tractor. I split directly into 1/2 cord boxes and then stack them away till i need it. Very little handling with my system. I collect the rounds in the bucket of my tractor and then take them to the splitter. I go directly from the bucket to the splitter to the box. Almost a cord and hour. The boxes can sit in the weather of under a tarp. I forklift and set them next to my boiler. I figure I can do this till I am 80 or so. The house is about 75 degrees right now. I have to open a window.

For that much money it should at least quarter the round or power feed the saw or both.

Joe
Let's all be careful out there tomorrow. Lt40hd, 22' Kenworth Flatbed rollback dump, MM45B Mitsubishi trackhoe, Clark5000lb Forklift, Kubota L2850 tractor

motohed

Hi Don
I have been looking at processors for a long time . I really can't see the difference in this unit versus a good splitter and conveyer unit . You said you would be buying log length firewood correct . You also said you would have to buy a conveyer . I believe a good splitter and conveyer would be much more versatile than this processor . 325 pitch chain seems quite small for processing firewood in this situation , you would be sharpening all the time. Getting really clean wood in log length is almost impossible . Think long and hard on this one , you do as much work with this as you will do with a chainsaw . Don't get me wrong , it a good idea but it needs a lot of improvement from an engineering stand point . I Don't think it would be easy to sell if you were unhappy .

mahonda

Don, I was thinking, you said you can get wood from your national forest will they let you haul it out in eight foot lengths? a atv log trailer with a loader and a winch might be the first equipment you want to look into keep the cost per cord down and then move onto a processor. with the loader you could sit the logs right in front of your shed to cut and split and probably even run a splitter off the trailer hydralics. And if you end up getting a processor you would have a lot more options in what you can do. just a thought ya know, horse before the cart  :D
"If your lucky enough to be a logger your lucky enough!"
Burly aka Dad

stumper

My time estimate is pretty close for the sawing and splinting.  It is from tree length on my yard.  I can actually cut it faster if I use a big saw but with the 394 or the 3120  I am wiped out after two hours.  The splitting does sometime includes my wife or son working the lever.

I have a freind that does the same with a smaller saw and splits by hand.  But he is younger an more fit that I (46 and rides a desk).

In days gone by a man was expected to produce a cord of 4 foot wood per day with an axe and a bow saw.  Fell, limb, buck, pile and usually help the teamster load.

genesis5521

Quote from: mahonda on December 23, 2009, 09:06:14 AM
Don, I was thinking, you said you can get wood from your national forest will they let you haul it out in eight foot lengths? a atv log trailer with a loader and a winch might be the first equipment you want to look into keep the cost per cord down and then move onto a processor. with the loader you could sit the logs right in front of your shed to cut and split and probably even run a splitter off the trailer hydralics. And if you end up getting a processor you would have a lot more options in what you can do. just a thought ya know, horse before the cart  :D

Hi Mahonda. The National Forest doesn't allow any support equipment when using their firewood permit. All vehicles must stay on the fire roads. Big time fine if they catch any vehicle off the road and in the woods. But I can take my mountain bicycle anywhere in the woods. I can't take any tree larger than 18 inches in diameter, and the tree must be within 200 feet of an access road. They don't want guys cutting down a tree and then deciding it's to far from the road, so they just leave it there. Also, bucked pieces can't be greater than 4 feet long. And, any wood taken must be for self use. It can't be sold. So with these restrictions, I would be forced to buy truckloads of logs to use with a processor.

So you're 28. I have a granddaughter in college who's almost as old as you. You've got lots of time to collect more "toys". My toy collecting days are just about over. A processor, or a really nice splitter, along with a conveyor, will probably be my last major purchases. (I say that now, but we'll have to wait and see.) I've got a nice new 2008 Suzuki 750 King Quad ATV, a new 2008 Suzuki DR650 on/off road motorcycle, a really nice Gary Fisher Hoo Koo E Koo mountain bike which I ride a lot, and a couple other nice things to play with. This past summer I was doing 40 mile rides on my mountain bike as practice for a local 100 mile bike run. I live right on the ATV trails, and love to putz through the woods on the DR. The ATV has to stay on the ATV trails, but the DR can legally go anywhere a licensed vehicle can go as it licensed and street legal. I never buy a second toy until the first one is paid off. I ain't rich by a long shot. I only work 2 days a week as an instructor at our tech college and earn less than $16000 a year. So I really gotta watch (pinch) my pennies. But I really can't complain. I live on 10 acres. Got lots of room for nice big stacks of logs. I put up a new manufactured home in 2002.

Here are some facts and figures to ponder. A face cord of split firewood goes for $50 ($150 for a full cord) in these parts. Sometimes that even includes deliver and stacking. If I'm paying around $100 a cord for delivered logs, that leaves around $50 profit on a full cord. If I figure $15 in gas for equipment and delivery, that leaves $35.00 profit. If it takes me 5 hours to get from a full cord of unprocessed logs to delivered and stacked firewood at a residence, I'd be making about $6 an hour. I can make more as a greeter at Wal-Mart. But I'd rather make firewood. Another thought I had was to hire myself out to anyone who had a wood lot and wanted some of it turned in to firewood. I'd charge a fixed (rather than hourly) rate. That way I could work at my own pace. I'd cut the trees and split the wood for $25 a face cord. I'd only be selling firewood or hiring myself out until what ever I buy is paid for. Maybe 2 to 5 years. After that, maybe I'll keep going with the outside work, or maybe I'll just do my own firewood. Gotta wait and see how these old creeking bones feel then. I'm pretty conservative, so what ever I buy, I have to assume a worst case scenario. That being that I can't make any money with it. So I'd have to come up with the monthly payment on it just from my regular teaching paycheck. If I do make any money with it, that's just frosting on the cake. Realistically, what ever I buy is really just another toy. I could just keep processing my firewood with the equipment I have now. But how many people still cut grass with an old push rotary lawn mower? We all have "our toys".

So what goodies is Santa gonna bring you?

dON <><

genesis5521

Quote from: logwalker on December 23, 2009, 02:26:04 AM
Genisis, I see many shortcomings on that unit. If you need it quartered like thay are doing it would be very hard on the back to bend and drag the halves back to re-split. Pulling down on that bar would also be very tiring over time. And it is slow. Why isn't it splitting while the operator is cutting the next round.

I bet I could come close to the throughput of that machine with my 6 hp standard splitter and my tractor. I split directly into 1/2 cord boxes and then stack them away till i need it. Very little handling with my system. I collect the rounds in the bucket of my tractor and then take them to the splitter. I go directly from the bucket to the splitter to the box. Almost a cord and hour. The boxes can sit in the weather of under a tarp. I forklift and set them next to my boiler. I figure I can do this till I am 80 or so. The house is about 75 degrees right now. I have to open a window.

For that much money it should at least quarter the round or power feed the saw or both.

Joe

Hi logwalker. A 4 way splitting wedge is an option on the $7958 unit.  It seems that all of these less expensive processors only do one part of the process at a time. I'm not an engineer, but I assume it has something to do with what the hydraulics can handle. But that's why I started this post. So you guys could educate me a bit on this stuff. Did you watch the video on the Badger? That's the one I was considering until I found the $7958 unit. The Badger weighs almost twice as much as the $7958 unit, but it costs more to. I don't think pulling down on the bar would bother me much. When I think of all the muscling I have to do now with just a chain saw, "any" processor has got to be easier.

dON  <><

BcWoodWorks

As is normal for me, I had a couple points I'd like to bring up.

Aside from the obvious safety concerns of having your hand near the the bar and chain...Did you see how that log tried to kick out, and off the processor?Something just doesn't seem right about that thing to me.

Though to be fair, I know absolutely nill about firewood processors. Just doesn't look right to me though. Also, does the log lift running off the same hydraulic pump as the saw present a technical/safety problem? It looks like when he engages the chainsaw; the log lift kicks a good bit.
Alec - Woodworking rookie, and Private in the United States Army.

"Safety first, impressions last. Remember it." -Swampdonkey

genesis5521

Quote from: motohed on December 23, 2009, 08:52:19 AM
Hi Don
I have been looking at processors for a long time . I really can't see the difference in this unit versus a good splitter and conveyer unit . You said you would be buying log length firewood correct . You also said you would have to buy a conveyer . I believe a good splitter and conveyer would be much more versatile than this processor . 325 pitch chain seems quite small for processing firewood in this situation , you would be sharpening all the time. Getting really clean wood in log length is almost impossible . Think long and hard on this one , you do as much work with this as you will do with a chainsaw . Don't get me wrong , it a good idea but it needs a lot of improvement from an engineering stand point . I Don't think it would be easy to sell if you were unhappy .

Hi Motohed. See, you guys are educating me a bit. I didn't realize the chain pitch could/would necessitate more frequent chain sharpening. In fact, I know nothing about chain pitch. I currently use a little Stihl M170 with a 14 inch bar. I have 4 chains for it. When one chain starts to get dull, I just put on another one. I wait until I have 3 chains that need sharpening, and then I sharpen them all at once with one of those little electric sharpeners you hook to a car battery. This doesn't take me very long and that little gizzmo does a nice job of sharpening. After I've sharpened the chains 4 times, I take them in for professional sharpening to straighten out all of the angles. I figured no matter what process I bought, I'd get 4 chains for it and use my same sharpening routine. Or is there some fallacy in my thinking?

A lot of people have said what you said about a good splitter and a conveyor being just as fast as a processor. I don't see how that's possible if your starting with unprocessed logs. With a splitter, you'd have to first buck a log, then load the rounds on the splitter, and do the splitting. In the time it would take you to just buck the log, a processor would be finished with the log. Or am I missing something.

In terms of versatility, what does that mean? If it means the ability to do bigger rounds,  I have my old splitter to do any really big rounds and really knotty wood. But I don't really get to many big or knotty rounds. Oh, like everyone else, I get the occasional rounds that seem to take forever to process. But I'd say that 99% of my rounds are straight and under 16 inches. Or did you mean something else by "versatility?

I'm not an engineer, so I don't know what to look for from that standpoint, so I appreciate your comments about that. I to think that the design concept has merit. But I don't know what to look for if I were going to change anything about it.

The way I see it, I don't compare the $7958 unit to any other processor, because there is no other processor anywhere near this price range. (The next step up price-wise is the Hus-Son Badger) I see this little $7958 unit as a step up from a splitter. Even if it were slower than a splitter, it still eliminates a lot of the handling and lifting involved in bucking and splitting wood. I'm thinking of doing just 20 to 30 cords a year. That isn't very much. That's just 2 to 3 truckloads of logs in a whole year. I think the big question is, "will it last". Will it stand up to the punishment of log after log slaming in to it and going through it. I'm trying to find out more about the company, to see how long they've been in business, and if they offer any referrals from people who have purchased this unit.

Thanks for you comments motohed. I'm learning a lot from this thread.

dON  <><

genesis5521

Quote from: BcWoodWorks on December 23, 2009, 05:39:39 PM
As is normal for me, I had a couple points I'd like to bring up.

Aside from the obvious safety concerns of having your hand near the the bar and chain...Did you see how that log tried to kick out, and off the processor?Something just doesn't seem right about that thing to me.

Though to be fair, I know absolutely nill about firewood processors. Just doesn't look right to me though. Also, does the  present a technical/safety problem? It looks like when he engages the chainsaw; the log lift kicks a good bit.

Hi Bc. I, like you, know nothing about processors. But I've spent the last 2 months trying to educate myself before buying one. You bring up some good points. Others have mentioned the log almost falling off the conveyor. When I first watched the video, I didn't pay particular attention to that. I was just so intrigued by its operation and performance compared to the way I do things now. But many other have noticed that to, so it must be something I need to consider. I noticed that the opposite side of the conveyor has three spindles sticking up to keep the log from rolling off the far side as it's being lifted on to the conveyor. Perhaps a simple lever could be welded on the operator side of the conveyor which could be flipped up and cause a similar series of rollers to pop up on the operator side to prevent the log from falling off.

I've watched videos of other smaller processors which had no mechanism to hold the log as it's being cut. I guess they figure that these are relatively low volume units, and as such, the user won't be "racing" through the process. (How wrong they can be!) I figure any processor is going to have it's own idiosyncrasies which the operator will become accustomed to.

Concerning the log lift running off the same hydraulic pump as the saw, what about it guys. Could this present any safety or technical problems?

Thanks for your post Bc.

dON <><

genesis5521

Quote from: stumper on December 23, 2009, 05:00:02 PM
My time estimate is pretty close for the sawing and splinting.  It is from tree length on my yard.  I can actually cut it faster if I use a big saw but with the 394 or the 3120  I am wiped out after two hours.  The splitting does sometime includes my wife or son working the lever.

I have a freind that does the same with a smaller saw and splits by hand.  But he is younger an more fit that I (46 and rides a desk).

In days gone by a man was expected to produce a cord of 4 foot wood per day with an axe and a bow saw.  Fell, limb, buck, pile and usually help the teamster load.

Hi Stumper. You're pretty fast at making firewood. Having a helper is a big plus. I do "everything" alone, and probably at a more sedate pace than you, while using a smaller chain saw. I use a little Stihl M170 with a 14 inch bar. It just takes me so darn long just to find a good "legal" tree to cut. I buy the permit to take "standing dead or down trees" from the national forest. The permit is only $20 and entitles me to take up to 4 cords of wood. 3 permits a year can be purchased for a total of 12 cords. But none of this wood can be sold. It is only for self use. But finding good trees is like looking for a needle in a haystack. Luckily, I live right next to the national forest. I seldom have to travel more than 5 miles to find good trees to take. I always go out looking for "horizontal" trees after a storm. That's when some good live trees get blown over. But they're still a bear to buck and load.

Thanks for your post Stumper. And keep a-cut'n. It's good exercise for ya.

dON  <><

jpgreen

-95 Wood-Mizer LT40HD 27 Hp Kawasaki water cooled engine-

genesis5521

Quote from: jpgreen on December 25, 2009, 01:57:23 PM
Here's a $20 setup that should work as good as most.....



Hi JP. I checked this outfit out awhile back. They have a complete packaged firewood processor kit for $7900.
You can check them out at: http://www.firewoodprocessor.us/product-1.htm

dON  <><

Jasperfield

Farmi makes a processor similar to the one you first showed. It has a built-on conveyor, log lift, etc. I believe it is a much better machine. See Northeast Implement about it.

Also, as mentioned before, the Blockbuster PTO model is a really neat machine. I have one of their 15-20s and really like it.

mahonda

so jpgreen what part of that cost 20 bucks or less besides the chain loop on the saw?
"If your lucky enough to be a logger your lucky enough!"
Burly aka Dad

genesis5521

Quote from: Jasperfield on December 25, 2009, 09:00:43 PM
Farmi makes a processor similar to the one you first showed. It has a built-on conveyor, log lift, etc. I believe it is a much better machine. See Northeast Implement about it.

Also, as mentioned before, the Blockbuster PTO model is a really neat machine. I have one of their 15-20s and really like it.

Hi Jasperfield. I think I found the Farmi firewood processor you referred to. I've requested the price for a gas powered model.  They offer this unit in PTO, electric, and gas powered. Click here to download a brochure on it: http://www.payeur.com/specifications/Mastersplit_WP30CS_eng%5B1%5D.pdf Here's a video of it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KA0x8VwSgIQ

Update: The price for the WP 30CS EM (electric model) is $15,630.00 and if you need the Hydraulic log lifter it is $1210.00 and the 6-way  wedge is $570.00.

jpgreen

Quote from: mahonda on December 26, 2009, 03:14:34 AM
so jpgreen what part of that cost 20 bucks or less besides the chain loop on the saw?

Oh you went and actually added it up did ya? ... :D
-95 Wood-Mizer LT40HD 27 Hp Kawasaki water cooled engine-

bandmiller2

Welcome Don,heating with wood is a buster no matter how you do it.I would stay out of that forest its not worth it unless you can pull a trailer or truck right next to where you cut.The unit your considering will work but is very limited to the size of the logs you can handle.A good hydraulic splitter,a dead deck the same hight as the splitter so you can cut chunks and roll them on the splitter.Build a wood or steel chute so the splitter will keep pushing the chunks up it to a pile or trailer.A fair sized tractor with forks would be a good investment.Now you could get the shop classes at the tech colledge interested in designing and building a processor and just buy the material.Only a thought but you could find a local tree service or logger ,do their taxes in exchange for your wood supply delivered.Us older guys win by persistance ,a little every day not BS the whole pile at once.Frank C.
A man armed with common sense is packing a big piece

Gary_C

Quote from: jpgreen on December 25, 2009, 01:57:23 PM
Here's a $20 setup that should work as good as most.....


I wonder if that guy could operate that splitter with one hand?

Because he has the cycle set up as automatic and he has to hold the block in the center of the wedge while he reaches back and triggers the auto cycle. If he gets a thunb, finger or even his glove over the end of the block of wood, it's gone and perhaps his hand too.  ::)

And even on his cut off table, the long hydraulic lever is almost touching the saw handle. One wrong little move and that saw is jammed. And then he runs the saw with one hand sometimes too while he holds down the block with the other hand.

That guy's nuts.  :)
Never take life seriously. Nobody gets out alive anyway.

jpgreen

Yea- maybe Obama could send a health and safety inspector over there to inspect and reprimand him, then write him up for his own safety and well being, then fine him accordingly for the welfare of the state .... ::)
-95 Wood-Mizer LT40HD 27 Hp Kawasaki water cooled engine-

Gary_C

I sure as heck would not wish that on him, but he must be used to counting his fingers at the end of a day.  ;D
Never take life seriously. Nobody gets out alive anyway.

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