Convayer

[maineshops]

I. Need to build an 8 ft conveyer to  load the fire wood  into my wood sheds.. I can still  sling the sticks in but at 80 I can see the handwriting on the wall.. been heating and cooking with wood for 60 years and darned if I'm going to stop now. Any ideas?

[Nathan4104]

Good for you to still be doing your woods at 80!  An old hay elevator chopped down to size would likely work great for you, one with 2 sets of chains with a cross bar seem to work better than the single chain types.  There’s also lots of conveyors that construction guys use to bring old material out of basements, etc, maybe a rental shop would have something to sell? Treadmill season is coming up too! A few ganged together may work too!    I bought a 16’ rubber belted conveyor to load the dump trailer from splitting/the processor.  Wasn’t cheap but it sure works good.

[brewdog]

i used a hay elev. just used some i/2 scrap 8.ft by 12 plywood on bottom and side over lap splice and wired it on .stuck a 3horse gass motor. i was in business .lots of cheep one around/ no one wants to touch a bale no more ,im 73 and used it to put wood in sugar woods.hope your having a good christmas .. :new_year: :new_year: :new_year:

[customsawyer]

Get a couple of used tread mills and put them in line. Probably some cheap ones on line. 

[ButchC]

As said an old doubke chain grain elevator works well in a non commercial application. Mine has been doing well for a number of years. Wood will get caught and wedged, plan on it. The trick to prevent damage is to keep the drive belt tension just tight enough that it doesn't slip under normal loads. 

I don't know your situation but 8 foot is pretty short. An 8 foot conveyor would hardly build a 6 foot high pile due to having to keep tbe upper end a few feet over top of the pile

[mike_belben]

Im building mine from a 6inch I beam laid flat with a regular single strand of transport chain and making the sprocket by welding rebar stubs to a lawnmower rim.

Then garage door segments someone gave me for the side vees. Some little scraps welded now and then for the flight paddles.  I think they may get wood bolted to them to be quiet, and may ride on a pair of conduit rounds to center the chain and provide cheap wear strip.  

But im gonna look for a treadmill sawdust conveyor now.  Thanks!

[SwampDonkey]

I see this.

https://www.millerswoodcutting.com/products/firewood-or-small-bale-conveyor-plans

[doc henderson]

 

 

this is mine I made with a 2 x 4 I beam.  it is 11 feet long.  uses a gear reduced truck tarp motor and ag detachable chain.  runs off a 12-volt battery.

[maineshops]

Thanks for all the great input. 8 ft maybe a little short just used that as a start point. The lower end can be 4 ft off the ground to start. Wood sheds are 8 ft square by 12 ft long. Might have to go 12 ft? Tha problem will be getting the convayer to the back of the sheds with no support. Counter weights but the that makes it harder to move around. We'll brainstorm it together? Great group. Thanks ....Dan

[mike_belben]

Dont counterweight it to the point of being cumbersome. Instead use dangle chains for swingset to the high end from the woodshed rafters.  That way a jam up top doesnt flip it over and hurt someone when the counterweight isnt enough. 

[doc henderson]

I wanted mine about balanced.  I can roll it supported with one hand when both ends are equal high.  I can tip it either end down and it stays as the center of gravity tips either side.  my battery on the conveyor swings.  is your goal to elevate the wood or just to move it under the shed?  mine is the right height to catch it off the splitter, and drop it in a pile, truck bed, or crate.  is this for one person to send, and another to receive?  is your shed open, or does it have a door?  might help us with ideas.

[doc henderson]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

it is easy to overfill a truck as it goes so fast.  :D :D :D, a crate.  my son and his friends on a rare workday.   just a few more pics I have shared before.

[mike_belben]

Hey uh... Which way to get around the scalehouse? 

[doc henderson]

I have to use that pic about once a year.   :D :D

[SwampDonkey]

 8) 8) 8) Love it!

[maineshops]

This will be a one man operation. Ma can't help anymore but I remember her splitting firewood with an ax so she more than paid her dues. The two big sheds are sliding doors, and the two little sheds are bifold. What I am doing now is throwing the wood in and when I t reaches the angle of repose I put a 2x10 across the front and repeat until the front boards are about 5 ft high. Reverse the process to unload the shed. I'm a computer dummy but I'll try to learn to post pics. Ma is better at it. 
The lower end of the convayer will be 4ft and the upper end will be 8ft? Or so. Chaining the upper end to rafters is prob/eBay not an option. I have spinal stenosis so I'm loosing mobility. Getting old is sure challenging. 
Still having fun though. Dan

[hedgerow]

maineshops   I ran a old corn elevator for years and got tired of fixing it so 10 years ago or so I bought a old hyd ran gravel belt conveyor. I didn't pay a lot for it but had to make a 1200 mile round trip to get it. Motor was shot so I put a old Wisconsin two cylinder I had laying around. We use it off my homemade firewood processor and off my homemade splitter. I have loaded trailers ,totes and cattle sheds with it. I wouldn't be with out a conveyor. I am getting too old to throw wood. 

[mike_belben]

I have spinal stenosis so I'm loosing mobility. Getting old is sure challenging.

that was my most recent MRI result.  no fun.  
hanging from a rafter helps stretch the spine and give those nerves more space to breath. 

[thecfarm]

I could use a conveyer. But I would like one about 15 feet tall. I want some high piles!!!
Now I throw the wood into the loader of my tractor and dump it into a pile. Kinda works.

[Wood Shed]

If you decide to get an old bale elevator like mine, try to find one that has been kept inside.  The one I have is easily seventy years old and still works fine, it is a thirty footer and is powered by an electric motor.  My neighbor had one but had too many problems with it and got rid of it.  The only time I have trouble is when the stack gets too high and a piece of wood gets stuck.