firewood processor ?s

[mjp]

I'm putting some thought into investing in a firewood processor.  I'm looking at one that can process up to 1.5 cords/hour.  Really not looking into getting into the firewood selling business but rather hiring it out like folks do with the portable saw mills.  I'm wondering if anybody here does this or has ever heard of such a thing.  I'm thinking that I can pick away at paying for the thing while I'm working at the 9-5 then by the time I retire, supplement my retirement income while keeping busy at something other than working at Walmart. ANY advice, comments or information you guys can or are willing to share is greatly appreciated.

Thanks

[DonE911]

Welcome to the forum....

Firewood processor??  Thats a teenager with a maul right??   If the teenager is yours, you'll be lucky if your not paying for after you retire

Someone will be along with some information for you soon.

[Ed_K]

 You'll want to check into insurance, if someone else is running it.
 Our co-op has one, the only way they could rent it out was to have a class to learn to operate, then everyone signed a release.

[Sawyerfortyish]

mjp I took the big plung 15yrs ago bought a Multitek it's one of the more expensive makes of processors. I have always run it myself except for once I went deer hunting for a week and let the guy working at our sawmill run it. We closed the mill for deer season. I spent a few nights fixing it after hunting the end result was the 12 cords of wood he got split didn't quite cover the parts he broke. So from now on I run my own equipment and nobody else runs it. If your making the payments you take better care of something that your paying for. Someone that doesn't have the investment will just run it into the ground. Word from the wiser Don't do it.

[Timberwerks]

Check out http://www.timberwolfcorp.com/ I have a TW-5 splitter and I can split a cord in about 60- 90 min. This is just splitting no sawing. A processor would not work for me because very rarely do I get long straight logs here to split. Most all my wood comes from tree services and the wood range from large Elm that is 40" in dia to Maple and Ash branches that crook in all directions. What it comes down to is I need to buck and or quater my logs before I split.
I also provide a log splitting service to people in my area. This has worked out very well. I send out fliers or run adds in the local paper. A couple tree services I get my wood from will tell people about me and give them the option of leaving the wood on sight for me to come split. Homeowners are happy because they save the labor of renting a splitter and splitting it them selves.
Would a processor be suitible for the type of wood in your area?

Dale

[karl]

I have a Hakki 1x pto processor- takes up to 12'' relatively straight stock. I am the ONLY person running it. ( for the above reasons)  I have been asked to provide the service of processing for others and so far have declined after looking at the dirty, crooked stuff that never seems to be staged in an accessable spot. I much prefer processing my own stock that we pull in the winter so it is clean and where we can load with the forklift. I used to rent out my splitter and was amazed at how people could abuse a realatively rugged piece of machinery- no way any one else runs my mill or processor.

[beenthere]

mjp
Did you get the bid for wood from MDNR that you were asking about earlier this year?  Don't have to say the $$ if too personal, and I will understand.
Just curious how it worked out for you, and if you are finished cutting it yet?

http://www.forestryforum.com/board/index.php?topic=9805.msg133424#msg133424

Have you thought about going in with several others on shares of a firewood processor?

I did that several years ago (20 to be exact) on a wood splitter (not a processor) and it has worked out real well, with a good policy for repair and maintenance laid out in advance by the five of us.

[Bibbyman]

We have one of the small Blockbuster models 1214 (or 1412?).  It'll do a cord an hour if you can keep the right size logs on it.  

We thought we were going to do firewood business in the winter months when sawing slowed down. We got started late in the frist fall we got it and did quite a bit of business through the worst of the winter.  But about everyone wanted it delivered.  It just took too much time.

Our sawmill business has picked up to where we just don't have the time.  We still use it to cut up slabs and cull logs, etc. We do sale some fire wood in the worst of the winter when nobody can get out and cut their own.

[mjp]

Thanks for the info thus far!  These things are way to expensive to let somebody else run the thing!!!!!

beenthere-When the sale came out they told me about it ended up being more than I was interested in.  I'm still watching the sales, if a smaller one comes along I'll take a look for sure.  Don't really care to go in with somebody else, for something like this I really want to go it myself if I do it, I've heard too many stories about things going bad on those deals. 

The thought of spending 25kish on one of these things makes me nervous as heck.  Most of the folks I assume would use the service buy 5-10 cord then spend most of the summer cutting and splitting.  I think that the ability to get it done on a Saturday or 2-3 evenings would be appealing.

[SwampDonkey]

A couple of brothers here bought a firewood processor together at an auction in Maine for $60,000 USD used.  I've never seen the machine but I did buy some of their wood this year $180/cord delivered.

[mike_van]

Some years ago [15?]  I went to the N.E. Loggers Expo. in Springfield Mass. They had a lot of these up & running for demos.  Also some bandmills, a Prentice loader, etc.  It was a good place to spend a day.   MJP, I would recomend seeing something similar -  It  really showed which worked well, [if I remember the Multitek was the smoothest one there, the others seemed to jam up a lot]   One other thing is a machine to load the deck, they really eat logs, this could be a significant investment also. 

[Frank_Pender]

Mine quit when I refused to build her a shower at wood camp 23 years ago.

[Furby]

I'm thinking I woulda built the shower..................

[Corley5]

I'm going to the Logging Congress in Marquette this weekend and plan to make my final decision on purchasing one there where I can see them all.  I've pretty much got it narrowed down to the Hakki 1X or the Blockbuster 14-12.  They're both in my price range of around 15K.  The smallest Multi-Tek is just short of 30K.  I'd like it but not now.  I'll see how this experiment plays out first   The Hakki has a built in conveyor which I like but I'm skeptical about the rubber belting it uses.  Looks kinda flimsy in the videos   The Blockbuster needs a conveyor and I'm not about to spend the bucks they want for one but I have a hay elevator that can be shortened and will work fine for the time being.  I wanna see them in person before I make up my mind.  Too much money to throw around and not be happy with the new toy   I've thought about the possibility of custom processing but that's a lot of equipment to haul around.  The processor and elevator plus a machine to load the logs on to the processor.  The Hakki would eliminate hauling the processor but you'd need the tractor to power it and load logs.  Looking forward to the Logging Congress

[Haytrader]

http://www.enlow66.com/auction.html



There is a firewood processor and related equipment selling.

[Sawyerfortyish]

Watch out for the rubber belt conveyors a little snow and about one turn of the belt if it makes it that far and it's all over til it thaws. Chain elevators are the way to go. Snow and ice build up don;t stop em smack the paddels wath a hammer or something and your in bussiness.
 Corley I know what you mean about the Multitek mine cost me 5 years of working every night all winter long with very little left after payments and working all summer the get wood stock piled for winter. My last payment was ten years ago and now it's paying me back for all those late nights

[ANMAN]

I'd suggest a http://www.built-rite.com/ (aka Hud-Son) processor strictly becasue you can save big money on not buying the powerplant, they have PTO driven processors.  So your imagination is the limit for what you could use that has atleast 40 horse..

We don't have a processor, our logs are just too big.  We use a home-made pto driven 2 way splitter for the big stuff and cords go pretty quick with a 100 horse tracter turning it (though i do have to pick up the chunk)  we prefer it casue it splits at belt hight rather than your ankles!   Timberwolf has 3pt hitch models that look good.