Need an auto feeder for a 20" wide jointer

[Glenn1]

I will be getting a new 20" wide jointer next week. I now realize that my 3 wheel, 1 hp is not heavy duty enough to function properly.  I will be jointing up to 2.5" thick boards that can be 15" +- and 10' long. 

I have seen an auto feeder that uses some sort of chain drive to pull the board thru.  I'm not worried if it nicks the top of the board as it will proceed thru the planer.  I'm fairly certain that a 1hp will be overworked and die.  I learned this from an Italian company who wouldn't sell me a 1 hp unit even though it had 6 rollers.  I'll even fabricate it myself if I can get some direction.

[SlowJoeCrow]

20" wide jointer , we need pictures when you get it!!

[MikeON]

Maybe you could use two feeders, if you could keep their speed synchronized.

[muggs]

They used to make power feeders for large jointers. I have one on a 20 inch Oliver jointer. It looks like a tank tread with sharpened spikes to feed to the wood without flattening it. It has a 3/4 horse DC motor on it. It has never stalled. The brand name is Billstrum. I am going to sell them both.    Muggs

[tule peak timber]

Co-Matic makes one. I helped develop and test it a few years back. Shopgearinc.com   now sells Co-matic in the U.S and you can find them on line. Cheers  Rob

 

[YellowHammer]

I've looked at the Comatic, but never was convinced to buy, partly because the only video I could find was an animation and it's hard to spend $1600 on a piece of equipment based on a computer animation. 
Do you know of any videos?  What's you experience wth it? 

[tule peak timber]

I don't know of any videos. I own about a half dozen each of CoMatic and Maggi  feeders that push wood on different machines. My experiences have been good over the years with two motor losses. Is it worth the money?-yes- if you can't afford a Weinig.....Rob

[Don P]

We had a 16" facer in one shop, years ago. It ran a feed like the one in this old ad;
http://www.northfieldwoodworking.com/discontinued/360DoubleSurfacer.pdf

I have an old 1920's push feed 6x12 Vonnegut molder you're welcome to scavenge if it is of any use, but hard heavy feed, not sure if it would help or not. I'm a half hour west of 77/58 just over the state line.

[tule peak timber]

Some pics...