Air Blocking Under Kiln Cart & Other Questions

[DR Buck]

I finally built my cart and installed tracks for my kiln.  Today I loaded the 1st load into it using the cart.  Now I have some questions.

First,  How are you guys baffling/blocking air from under the cart?   It seems to me with the 3x3 blocks on top of the cart that big gap will let a lot of air get through and not push as much between the stacked wood layers.    

The second question is what other methods are you using to push the loaded cart into the kiln.   I used my tractor today but it was very difficult and the 2 foot track center spacing is not friendly to my Kubota wheel spacing.   I need to do something else.    I'm leaning toward driving 3" steel posts into the ground on either side of the kiln and anchor it fast so I can use a block and cable to "pull" the cart in.


Any suggestions for supporting the bridge sections between the fixed track outside and the track on the kiln floor?   I have a 6 foot span.   The bridge sections are 1 1/2" angle welded onto 3" channel and I'm not sure of the load capacity with causing it to bend.  For the load I put in today, I stacked a piece of railroad tie and some 2x scraps up to where it was snug under the mid span of the bridge sections




 

 



 

 


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[farmfromkansas]

  Looks very good.  I added a tie between the fixed rail and the box, just set it low enough for the door to shut, and added a piece of steel under the bridge piece.  Put it crosswise so it would not tip over.

[scsmith42]

My kiln carts are a little different than yours.  In my instance, there are 4' c channels welded to the cart on 18" centers.

The way that we block the air flow under the cart is to lay a long length of 24" wide landscape fabric on top of the c-channels, so that it extends 18" or so beyond the edge of the cart.  We then lay stickers on top of the c-channels, pinching 6-8" of landscape fabric between the sticker and the channel.

Once the cart is loaded, we lift the edge of the landscape fabric up and tuck it in-between some of the boards so that it does not drag when we roll the carts into the kiln. Once the carts are in place, we fold the landscape fabric back down to the floor and lay a board over it.  This effectively blocks off the air flow under the cart, but still leaves a 3/4" gap between the landscape fabric and the bottom layer of lumber - ensuring consistent air flow on both faces of the board.

[Stephen1]

I am curious of what you are drying. Pine timbers? How long will they take and what moisture will you bring them down to ?
Regards