Firewood processor build thread

[kiotiken]

Man, nice job. Hope all goes well under load.

It did! I was very happy with my first test. My wife took a good video, I'll try and upload it when I get home tonight.

 

[kiotiken]

Here's video from the first logs. I cut the 16' logs in half for the test, but i think it'll handle the full 16' log, even without my extension in place. I was very happy with the results. There's a little learning curve though since using the rollers stop the pusher plate from retracting. Sometimes it just pauses and continues back when I'm done with the rollers, sometimes it kicks off the logsplitter valve. As long as the pusher plate isn't in the way, the rounds fall into the lower trough nicely.

I have two small hydraulic leaks to take care of and I need to build the out shoot ramp. Almost there...

 

[Todd727]

Keep this in mind: Even with some small issues having to reposition logs occasionally and having a slower than expected cycle time, this is considerably faster and less work than using a normal splitter and having to handle each and every piece by hand. Very nice job. It took a lot of effort, but you learned a lot and can be very proud of your handiwork!

 

[Tags]

I've been following this build from the start and shared your frustration (probably not the same amount you were having) when things didn't go smoothly but I'm happy to see that your determination has really paid off with a very professional looking, good working processor!

 

[muddstopper]

I suspect the rollers stopping while splitter is retracting is because of one pump running thru all the valves. I forgot which engine you used to power the processor, but they do make a stub shaft that mounts to the flywheel side of the engine. you can rig up a small 2-3gpm pump on the front of the engine and plumb it to your rollers and that would allow you to do two functions at the same time.

 

[mikefromnh]

I suspect the rollers stopping while splitter is retracting is because of one pump running thru all the valves. I forgot which engine you used to power the processor, but they do make a stub shaft that mounts to the flywheel side of the engine. you can rig up a small 2-3gpm pump on the front of the engine and plumb it to your rollers and that would allow you to do two functions at the same time.

It could just be a bit of air needs to work its way out of the system. I know my auto cycle valve didn't work 100% right until 15-20 minutes of run time.

Or maybe turn the detent in on the splitter valve?

 

[kiotiken]

Keep this in mind: Even with some small issues having to reposition logs occasionally and having a slower than expected cycle time, this is considerably faster and less work than using a normal splitter and having to handle each and every piece by hand. Very nice job. It took a lot of effort, but you learned a lot and can be very proud of your handiwork!

I've learned a lot, especially about hydraulics. The cycle time is slower than I hoped, but I still find the machine incredibly quick when you see the pile of wood after only a couple minutes. I'm not (really) in the firewood business, so this is more than adequate for my purposes.

There is another processor recently put on YouTube that has a belt driven saw blade, I'm not sure how big an engine he's using. I originally wondered if that set up would work and I was very impressed with his set up. I was thinking of adding that as a feature next year, but now that I have mine running, I don't think I'd see enough benefit because my cycle time is too slow. To improve my cycle time, I'd need to take my hydraulic components to the next level and go from spending lots of money to really really big money for hydraulics.

I've been following this build from the start and shared your frustration (probably not the same amount you were having) when things didn't go smoothly but I'm happy to see that your determination has really paid off with a very professional looking, good working processor!

Thanks for sticking with the thread, I'm sure I lost lots of people along the way! It was a long process and the rebuild part was very difficult to stay motivated, but I'm very happy and proud of the end result. Thanks for the kind words.

I suspect the rollers stopping while splitter is retracting is because of one pump running thru all the valves. I forgot which engine you used to power the processor, but they do make a stub shaft that mounts to the flywheel side of the engine. you can rig up a small 2-3gpm pump on the front of the engine and plumb it to your rollers and that would allow you to do two functions at the same time.

Yes, this is exactly the problem. The power beyond valve obviously shuts down all flow to the power beyond circuit as soon as you open one of the 3 valves. I'm using a 15hp, Princess Auto branded engine. The 28/7 gpm pump is rated for a 16hp engine as a minimum and I seriously doubt my Chinese "Chonda" is putting out the full 15 hp to begin with.

I need to use this for a while to see how it performs, but a full hydraulic re-build may happen in a few years, especially if the engine doesn't last. A 30-40 hp engine with multi segment pumps, larger hydraulic reservoir, valves that will accommodate a higher flow... it all just takes $$$$

It could just be a bit of air needs to work its way out of the system. I know my auto cycle valve didn't work 100% right until 15-20 minutes of run time.

Or maybe turn the detent in on the splitter valve?

Because I'm using a 15hp engine and the pump calls for at least a 16hp engine, Hydraulic Surplus Center told me I may need to dial back the relief valve a little. So far so good, but I haven't tried any nasty stuff yet. I'm hoping the auto return works itself out. I don't mind if it pauses while I'm advancing the log, but when I don't notice that the valve kicks off without retracting fully, I end up dropping the next round on the pusher plate. It's also just a learning curve.

 

[kiotiken]

So I converted my old garden tractor dump trailer into an out shoot for the wood. I built a diverter flap and center divider so I could have it fill two bags without having to stop. I think I'll have to add a little extension to the end of it to really be able to fill two bags without stopping, but for now, I only have one frame and I just don't feel like building a second one right now.









Don't know if I'd posted how I store firewood in this thread.

 

[ajmaxham]

kiotiken;4070048]So I converted my old garden tractor dump trailer into an out shoot for the wood. I built a diverter flap and center divider so I could have it fill two bags without having to stop. I think I'll have to add a little extension to the end of it to really be able to fill two bags without stopping, but for now, I only have one frame and I just don't feel like building a second one right now.

I question the divider and diverting flap. Will the split wood log jam at the diverting flap then the next split start to destroy the diverting flap - center divider and out feed shoot???

Good job on the firewood processor build.

 

[kiotiken]

LOL, this whole project has been a bit of try it out and see! I made the flap as long as I can, with as gentle an angle as possible, but it may well do exactly what you say, we'll have to see. I don't think it would work if I used the full width of the old dump trailer, it's too wide and don't think wood would have been pushed up the full length and into the bag.