STLfirewood
Addicted to ArboristSite
Here are some pictures of my conveyor. How would you guys go about converting it to a belt conveyor. The chain keeps breaking.
Scott
Scott
conveyor questions
- Thread starter STLfirewood
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wdchuck
Addicted to ArboristSite
The firwood guy I've worked for, with the multitek, also has a chain conveyor driven off the hydraulics.
Throughout the winter we went through numerous shear pins/low grade bolts when a piece would get stuck somewhere.
Sometimes, if we caught the jam-up in time, we'd stop the conveyor, back it up a little so the offending piece could be removed. Other times it was just all the little junk piling up underneath the splitter catch basin/grill area, in which case, we couldn't back it up, just had to get under and clean it out.
BUT, the chains never broke because the pin went first.
I would suggest you modify your drive shafts to shear a pin to redirect the hangup that is breaking your chains.
Another thought, an idler pulley, so an overtension on the chains will cause your drive belt to slip instead.
Just thinking out loud here....
Throughout the winter we went through numerous shear pins/low grade bolts when a piece would get stuck somewhere.
Sometimes, if we caught the jam-up in time, we'd stop the conveyor, back it up a little so the offending piece could be removed. Other times it was just all the little junk piling up underneath the splitter catch basin/grill area, in which case, we couldn't back it up, just had to get under and clean it out.
BUT, the chains never broke because the pin went first.
I would suggest you modify your drive shafts to shear a pin to redirect the hangup that is breaking your chains.
Another thought, an idler pulley, so an overtension on the chains will cause your drive belt to slip instead.
Just thinking out loud here....
Last edited:
Butch(OH)
Addicted to ArboristSite
Unless you happen to find the right stuff in salvage you will have some money in it by the time it is converted but still waaay less than any comercial elevator equipped as you need.
You could purchase belting that is an inch or so narrower than the trough and convert the top and bottom shaft/sprockets to flat pulleys. Oll of this is available from Conviber http://www.conviber.com/index.htm they are great people and will understand what you need. Shafting should be 1 1/2" or so and your pulleys should be around 12" diameter and you need the drive pulley to be lagged. The drive must also be on top. You will also need a way to tension the belt so it will pull the load, on a belt that long at least a foot of adjustment. On a belt conveyor you adjust the idler pulley, not the drive for sake of simplicity. You amay also need to line the trough with stips of something slick and tough UHMW plastic is often used. The entire bed does not need to be lined 3 or 4 strips 2" wide and 1/4" would due. Might be able to get by on the steel but I would not bet the bank on it. The slider bed on my conveyor was made from 4" wide plastic trim boards from Home Cheapo. They are slick and are holding up well so far. I didnt get any pics of the bed sorry but you can barely see the bottoms of the slider bed (white) in the photo below. If you are handy the pulleys can be shop made from pipe. My conveyor is much shorter and I used 4" pipe. here is a pic of my homemade pulley and lagging. The belting is "rough top single ply" and is also what I used to lag the pulley in the photo
<IMG SRC=http://i33.tinypic.com/2vnkndw.jpg%3Cbr>
You could purchase belting that is an inch or so narrower than the trough and convert the top and bottom shaft/sprockets to flat pulleys. Oll of this is available from Conviber http://www.conviber.com/index.htm they are great people and will understand what you need. Shafting should be 1 1/2" or so and your pulleys should be around 12" diameter and you need the drive pulley to be lagged. The drive must also be on top. You will also need a way to tension the belt so it will pull the load, on a belt that long at least a foot of adjustment. On a belt conveyor you adjust the idler pulley, not the drive for sake of simplicity. You amay also need to line the trough with stips of something slick and tough UHMW plastic is often used. The entire bed does not need to be lined 3 or 4 strips 2" wide and 1/4" would due. Might be able to get by on the steel but I would not bet the bank on it. The slider bed on my conveyor was made from 4" wide plastic trim boards from Home Cheapo. They are slick and are holding up well so far. I didnt get any pics of the bed sorry but you can barely see the bottoms of the slider bed (white) in the photo below. If you are handy the pulleys can be shop made from pipe. My conveyor is much shorter and I used 4" pipe. here is a pic of my homemade pulley and lagging. The belting is "rough top single ply" and is also what I used to lag the pulley in the photo
<IMG SRC=http://i33.tinypic.com/2vnkndw.jpg%3Cbr>
I run the v belt drive pretty loose so it just slips when a piece gets jammed. I haven broken the chain yet, just wore out links and sprockets.
wdchuck
Addicted to ArboristSite
Butch:
How is the traction on the belt when it gets below freezing out, does the wood slide to the bottom?
How is the traction on the belt when it gets below freezing out, does the wood slide to the bottom?
Butch(OH)
Addicted to ArboristSite
Kaint say as I just got er done last month. We run that lagging and belt on some plant equipment at work and it will stall the motor, slip the drive, or pull the belt in two before it slips. As for the wood slipping on top that remains to be seen. It would depnd on the angle of the thing too. My operation is pretty casual and when its too bad out I plan on being elsewhere besides running the processor, LOL.
ericjeeper
Addicted to ArboristSite
Scott. Does it really need to be that long? Maybe shortening it up a bit would help.( Less ride time for the wood)
You need to grind off any snags along the route. That conveyor was meant to haul several bales of hay at once. But hay is soft on the edges and is not crisp like the end of a log. Weight should not be an issue just the snagging parts.
You need to grind off any snags along the route. That conveyor was meant to haul several bales of hay at once. But hay is soft on the edges and is not crisp like the end of a log. Weight should not be an issue just the snagging parts.
Steve NW WI
Unwanted Riff Raff.
I mentioned in an older conveyor post about converting my old hay/grain elevator to a belt conveyor. That plan is changing, here's why:
I talked to a dairy farmer friend of mine about it. I knew he had some silage conveyors that ran from the silo to outdoor feed bunks that he no longer uses. He told me I was welcome to them, but that I'd really be better off without them. He said the day he started feeding with a mixer wagon and took them down was one of the happiest days of his life. They never worked worth a dang in wet weather, and cows gotta eat ya know. He said he kept a bucket of sawdust at all times near the drive pulley for when it started slipping, and that in accordance with Murphy's Law, it always broke in the worst possible weather.
I'm gonna take out every other slat (some of that has already been done for me by wear and tear over ?50 years?) and hook a small hyd motor to it to run it. It should stall before anything major breaks.
I'll vote for getting a shear bolt in the system, preferably on the conveyor drive end (not motor end, if I sound confusing), because that's where the torque loads will be highest.
I talked to a dairy farmer friend of mine about it. I knew he had some silage conveyors that ran from the silo to outdoor feed bunks that he no longer uses. He told me I was welcome to them, but that I'd really be better off without them. He said the day he started feeding with a mixer wagon and took them down was one of the happiest days of his life. They never worked worth a dang in wet weather, and cows gotta eat ya know. He said he kept a bucket of sawdust at all times near the drive pulley for when it started slipping, and that in accordance with Murphy's Law, it always broke in the worst possible weather.
I'm gonna take out every other slat (some of that has already been done for me by wear and tear over ?50 years?) and hook a small hyd motor to it to run it. It should stall before anything major breaks.
I'll vote for getting a shear bolt in the system, preferably on the conveyor drive end (not motor end, if I sound confusing), because that's where the torque loads will be highest.
I wouldn't change over to a belt. You may regret it. When the wood is wet it slips,slides and jams up. Same goes in the winter when the snow and ice gets on it except it is worse. I'd recommend replacing the chain possibly using a heavier duty chain. Also I agree with others with less tension on the drive belt.
Sawmill
ArboristSite Operative
Do you have a source for the chains and sprockets for old elevators? There was a post last summer with a web site address and I cannot find it now.
Steve NW WI
Unwanted Riff Raff.
I'd take a link into your local JD or CaseIH dealer. Flat chain is still used on manure spreaders quite a bit, and they ought to be able to find something for you.
Let me check a couple aftermarket parts places and see what I can find - what size and type shafts do you have (square, round, etc?)
Let me check a couple aftermarket parts places and see what I can find - what size and type shafts do you have (square, round, etc?)
greengoblin
Addicted to ArboristSite
Just a thought.....can you cut some of the slats out, drill holes in the remaining slats, attach some big truck mudflaps that would cover the sides to prevent jammming, and at the same time have enough clearance to get it through at the bottom...judging my the pics you may need to raise the bottom end a bit.... it would be the same princinple of a live bottom tractor trailer...just thinking out loud....depending on the pitch this may not work.
cmetalbend
ArboristSite Operative
From somone who uses the same setup/design. How fast are you trying to run it? Mine is powered by a slow speed hydralic motor that can be turned down to a crawl. Which is about where I prefer to run it. Is jaming causing ur problems? Try to make a funnel/diverter that will line the peices up parallel to the conveyor, against one side. You may need to remove slats to give you the room. Mine only gives real problems when I run peices wider than the unit itself. Good luck. Oh new chain can be bought at Tractor Supply, but have your wallot warm.
havsawwilltravl
ArboristSite Lurker
Looks like a great conveyer to me. In one of the pictures it looks like a grate in the middle, is that where it's catching on something when the chain breaks? If you convert it to belt but don't have something designed to give, it will usually rip apart at the hinges and that's a female dog to fix. I'd start with a sheer pin even if you go to belt but here's a little food for thought: I have a nice Timberwolf belt conveyer and I'm considering upgrading to their biggest baddest one which looks a lot like yours with shiny red paint. Check out the single drive chain, maybe that would be an easier option for yours.
http://www.timberwolfcorp.com/conveyors/default.asp?id=7
http://www.timberwolfcorp.com/conveyors/default.asp?id=7
Curlycherry1
Addicted to ArboristSite
My brother has several Timberwolf Conveyors and he has modified all of them so the edges of the belts are hidden under a 2x6 attached to the sides of the trough. He found that pieces catch along those spots and cause problems so he stuck 2x6s along the sides and now he never has a jam or a break. His main conveyor runs ~10 hrs per day for months on end because it is attached to his processor.
In the picture below of an unmodified Timberwolf you can see where stuff can get along the sides of the belt and he found that is the place the problems always started at. By keeping the wood away from the edges he has zero problems.
In the picture below of an unmodified Timberwolf you can see where stuff can get along the sides of the belt and he found that is the place the problems always started at. By keeping the wood away from the edges he has zero problems.
havsawwilltravl
ArboristSite Lurker
My brother has several Timberwolf Conveyors and he has modified all of them so the edges of the belts are hidden under a 2x6 attached to the sides of the trough. He found that pieces catch along those spots and cause problems so he stuck 2x6s along the sides and now he never has a jam or a break. His main conveyor runs ~10 hrs per day for months on end because it is attached to his processor.
In the picture below of an unmodified Timberwolf you can see where stuff can get along the sides of the belt and he found that is the place the problems always started at. By keeping the wood away from the edges he has zero problems.
Good tip, I have that problem with mine. A picture would be even better, I don't quite get it.
I also would like to see a picture using the 2X6's.
Curlycherry1
Addicted to ArboristSite
Understand.............Creeker
LEES WOODC
ArboristSite Operative
I just switched from belt to chain and will NEVER go back. Too much PHAQIN' around with centering the belt, crap under the belt, icy wood not goin up the belt,frozen belt,rips in the belt, etc. etc. etc. BLAH BLAH BLAH !!
Try finding a good used belt to fit the conveyor you have at a reasonable price. Won't happen . Used belts are just that, USED!New belts are $12/ft+ depending on width.
I've picked up NEW HEAVY duty log deck chain at auctions the last few years for less than $1/ft . Sprockets and gear reductions from surplus for cheap,
Been doin this wood thing for 21 years and will never do belt again!!!!!
Try finding a good used belt to fit the conveyor you have at a reasonable price. Won't happen . Used belts are just that, USED!New belts are $12/ft+ depending on width.
I've picked up NEW HEAVY duty log deck chain at auctions the last few years for less than $1/ft . Sprockets and gear reductions from surplus for cheap,
Been doin this wood thing for 21 years and will never do belt again!!!!!
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