(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/51041/1BB3FD21-4EAB-4487-8F42-70CC20CD5BC4.jpeg?easyrotate_cache=1548635918)
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/51041/81C91ED6-1CED-4817-A287-35EE20EA2C0D.jpeg?easyrotate_cache=1548635277)
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/51041/E9FFCE8A-9898-46D2-9B72-70F5AF8ED939.jpeg?easyrotate_cache=1548635337)
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/51041/A0235F44-1941-4D3D-B7BB-AF5A035FCBD9.jpeg?easyrotate_cache=1547313897)
A few more pics of my log splitter conveyor. 12 volt tarp motor at bottom, detachable chain, 10 for I beam 2 x 3, battery between the wheels.
reomote toggle with volt and amp meter, 50 amp resettable breaker, on off switch with key, snow plow style reversible solenoid the reote battery charges by jumper cables to the splitter, will eventually connect to fleet wire connector like I have on my truck.
Pretty slick Doc. I don't know any physicians that have the time to do anything outside of work, except relax and get ready for work. But then, there was a guy that told me once "we all have the same amount of hours in a day, it just matters what you choose to do with those hours". I have found that to be true for all people. Good on ya.
thx. Emergency medicine allows for some time to do my thing. Work hard when you work, and play hard when you play.
Doc
Nice looking conveyor. Chain looks like some I had on a portable square bale conveyor we used in the barn years ago. I have a old gravel belt conveyor I use for firewood. Its hyd drive and I geared it down for firewood. It's a little big for what I needed but the price was right at the time. I actually hauled it out of Wichita KS years ago.
So you just run it on battery and plug it in to a charger as needed?
That rig would be very helpful in my setup.
I built my splitter first. I could add power beyond plug, but the conveyor would have stopped when I was splitting. I put the motor at the bottom so it would not be top heavy, but in retrospect, I could have just moved the axle back. The problem at the bottom is "pushing" the chain up hill. It is short enough and with enough tension, not really a problem. I can push it around the yard by hand, even up and down some hills, I put a tongue on it, but would never tow outside the yard or on a highway. The battery is nice since it is freestanding and can be used anywhere. It will go hours and still work without a charge. I never like to let the voltage drop, since that increases amp draw and can be hard on the system. I will add a few more detailed shots later
More pictures with some explanation.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/51041/4A3742C8-D223-4859-80E3-665C9E20E118.jpeg?easyrotate_cache=1548714473)
So starting on the right side of the pic. is the neg. batt. terminal. Then you see a flat piece of metal that is the bridge for measuring amp. draw. That then hooks onto the neg side of the solenoid reversible switch. Then there is a 50 amp resettable breaker that hooks onto the keyed red switch, that then hooks to the positive term. The two wires at the bottom of the pic go to the gear reduced dc truck tarp motor at the bottom of the conveyor. The little wires on the bridge go to the amp meter. the other little wires to the remote low amp. toggle switch. I used some trailer cable with 7 wires. There is also a volt meter. The volts/amps meter is a cheap Chinese made deal and it fails on a regular basis. Not prob. designed for outside use but compact. Also the red key on off switch has failed twice, but cheap to replace. If there is a jam, the breaker kicks off the juice. running it pulls about 23 amps but jumps to over 50 if a piece of wood catches in the chain. ( usually a tiny piece that lays on the side),
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/51041/591D7FF9-DFAE-4F90-949D-6D97055110A4.jpeg?easyrotate_cache=1548714484)
Lower end of the conveyor. The detachable chain and gear on the shaft of the 12 volt gear reduced tarp motor.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/51041/5A868150-1B60-4132-A09F-0B60A326CE81.jpeg?easyrotate_cache=1548714485)
close up
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/51041/CCD71AFF-B385-4F5A-BB33-CF3B421EAEF4.jpeg?easyrotate_cache=1548715504)
underneath view of lower portion
Upper end pics.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/51041/4A319641-CD36-4F03-975C-772FC401FF83.jpeg?easyrotate_cache=1548715745)
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/51041/14F255F7-9A32-4127-A62D-B0E02613F621.jpeg?easyrotate_cache=1548715830)
Adjusters on both sides of the idler gear at the top.
another pic of the battery and axle. Is it ok to say axle? lol.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/51041/1C7EC5A8-3586-4317-8CCC-31C36F6CD86E.jpeg?easyrotate_cache=1548715939)
You can see jumper cable coming from splitter. The red painted 1/4 inch rod with turnbuckles are to stabilize the axle and offer warning of the moving chain, not operated around young children.
Mike b. Yes it has its own deep cycle batt. I charge it off the splitter. Plan to adapt it to fleet wire connectors, so it can easily charge off front or back of my truck. currently use jumper cables. It runs for hours without a charge. Thought about adding a low watt solar maintainer.
Never used to get anything caught, until I added the larger paddles to the detachable ag. chain. now occ. a small peice will catch as the paddle spins around the cog at the upper end. I plan to trim the end sides back so this does not happen. The links with the paddles came with 2 uprights that looked weak.(bendable)
Overall length just over 11 feet, center 4 feet off ground. can tip either way and due to pendulum design (center of gravity moves a foot to either side of center as it is tipped, and balanced when both ends equally off the ground), will set either way. I.E. with motor end on the ground, the wood never tries to lift bottom off the ground as it moves up the conveyor. When level (parallel to ground) it feels feather light to roll around. It is not adjustable for height, excpt for blocking under motor end. If the crate gets too full, a piece can stack up and catch the paddles on the chain. It can try to climb which gets your attention or trip the breaker
Here is a side pic of the rig. Hopefully not to wordy in my attempt to be complete
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/51041/A0235F44-1941-4D3D-B7BB-AF5A035FCBD9.jpeg?easyrotate_cache=1547313897)
I was at sale and they had a Cardial 16 foot alum conveyor on wheels with out the motor. I bought it for 100.00 and I added a hyd motor on the top end where the electric motor went. I just used a bushing from 5/8 to 4 inch and mounted the motor on the end of the top shaft. It had about a 6 inch wide flat with a chain like yours running down the metal. It has rubber paddles on the chain and when they come around they go thru the enclosed frame of the conveyor so there is no safety hazard. Mine can be adjusted for height by releasing a lock on a cog gear and turning the handle
some of the old small square bale conveyors used to be at auction for about 20 dollars. Most use big round or square bales now. As soon as I thought I might want one, now you cannot find them.
That is what I was looking for a bale elevator but this one came up and it was used for corn or grain. I was surprised that it did not go for more
Thanks for posting doc, great build
aluminum is high dollar, I think you did great.
You bet mike. sorry it took so long. If anyone want more details please let me know!
Looks like exactly what I need. That bets loading it in a front loader bucket by hand. Good enginerring Doc. :)
update: I did round the bottom of the top rails and no longer have the problem of stuff wedging on the side and stalling the chain.
My dad had one of those frame type bale conveyors, had no wheels, you had to drag it up to the opening and set the bottom on a stack of bales. I could not wait to get rid of that thing. Now thinking I will watch the auction sites for one.
Quote from: farmfromkansas on February 23, 2021, 09:39:21 AM
My dad had one of those frame type bale conveyors, had no wheels, you had to drag it up to the opening and set the bottom on a stack of bales. I could not wait to get rid of that thing. Now thinking I will watch the auction sites for one.
Its funny years ago you could buy them around here for next to nothing when the switch over to round bales came in the mid 80's in my area. Now days the acreage folks are looking for them to stack hay square bale hay in pole sheds. A guy in my area that does a lot of small squares for the horse people has a couple of them and throws them on top of the load and takes them to the unload site to help unload and stack.
Thanks Doc for digging this up. My gears are turning for sure! Brian
I do not remember the number but it uses detachable chain with 4 inch cogs top and bottom. the bottom one is just keyed onto the shaft from the gear reduced tarp motor. 90 amp If I recall. It is short enough the driving from the bottom has not been much of a problem. Idler cog at the top, with a tensioner.