Your thoughts on this firewood processor..

[genesis5521]

Back in 2011 I posted a thread asking for opinions on the Hud-Son Wolverine Model M firewood processor ($8195). Here's a link to that post: http://www.arboristsite.com/communi...n-the-hud-son-wolverine-model-m-10-13.183625/

Well its 3 years later, and I'm still looking at firewood processors. Found this one, and the price seems reasonable (starting at $5995 US dollars). Watch the videos. http://www.range-road.ca/index.html

This is just for personal (not commercial) use. I burn around 10 cords a year. I'm pushing 70. While I thoroughly enjoy making firewood, this ol bod can't do what it once could. So I'm looking for a way to prolong my passion.


Your thoughts??????

Thanks Guys,

Don <><

 

[ChoppyChoppy]

light duty. Yes it's a processor but it's not much better than a chainsaw and splitter.

commercial use I would plan on spending a minimum of 40k for something that will hold up.

home use, it's probably ok. I'm guessing that's your area, judging by your signature.

How much wood are you cutting?

Wrapping the winch cable around logs.... no no NO! Why doesn't he have tongs or a choker?

 

[blackdogon57]

If you were a homeowner wanting a machine to process a few cords a year and had money to waste maybe. If you are looking for a commercial unit I would suggest you keep looking. That machine is way to light duty, underpowered and does not have a live deck. If you want to take advantage of our weak dollar right now look at a company called Bells or just buy American made from a dealer up here and tow it back.

 

[blades]

Don there is a processor mfg in Harford , WI. Wood beaver firewood processors. I have no affiliation with them just remembered that they are a local builder. 1-800-569-6813

 

[PLAYINWOOD]

for a homeowner it will be fine

 

[zogger]

I think just a nice new decent splitter with a log lift. Cutting isn't hard, it's dealing with what comes next that is. Save the extra money you would have spent on the processor and just buy in logs in the offseason, whenever the local loggers have the best deals. Have em dropped right where they will be stacked and where the splitter lives. Buy twice as much as you need for yourself, sell half every year once seasoned, try to make enough $$$ for the next load.

 

[blades]

Been a tough road log load wise here in WI this year.

 

[CRThomas]

Back in 2011 I posted a thread asking for opinions on the Hud-Son Wolverine Model M firewood processor ($8195). Here's a link to that post: http://www.arboristsite.com/communi...n-the-hud-son-wolverine-model-m-10-13.183625/

Well its 3 years later, and I'm still looking at firewood processors. Found this one, and the price seems reasonable (starting at $5995 US dollars). Watch the videos. http://www.range-road.ca/index.html

This is just for personal (not commercial) use. I burn around 10 cords a year.

Your thoughts??????

Thanks Guys,

Don <><

I have a Processer paid dearly for it it sets out back maybe used once every 2 months 99 percent of the time I use the chain saw and single splitter and I am a firewood sell so I have a high dollar piece of equipment setting behind the shop taking up space. Only use it in emergencys I go out run a couple logs thru it and I'm back on time. For your personnel wood a prcesser would be a waste of money I think. If I had the logs cut to length and ready one day from day light to dark I could split enough firewood for 10 family house holds. I went down to help my friend chunk and split a semi load in one day his is half as big as mine processer. The lady north of us she has $80.000.00 in her processer and she does 2 semi loads a day every 4 hours. You buy a processer you really need to do a lot of wood to come out a head I think.

 

[blades]

Unless you have upgraded the splitter in your equipment list - that's your bottle neck. Those 4-7 ton electrics are S L O W even compared to a standard 15 or so ton box store rig. I do close to 20 cord a year with my single wedge splitter and it is twice as fast as the little 4 ton electric I have gathering dust.

 

[genesis5521]

OP here. The splitting part isn't my problem. I buy the permit to recover standing dead and downed trees in the national forest. It's the gathering part that is so time consuming and exhausting. I'm pushing 70 and I work alone. Carrying round after round from the forest back to my truck is a killer ~ at least for me. No mechanized equipment is allowed in the Forrest, so I can't drive my truck in to recover the tree I just bucked out. It takes me about 3 hours to split 1 full cord with my little Ryobi electric splitter which has an 8 second cycle time. But it's all the work required to get to the splitting that I'm trying to minimize. Us old farts just need a little help. For the cost of a firewood processor, I could buy a neck of a lot of already split firewood. But where's the fun in that! I might try to build some kind of manually operated log feed table to efficiently process purchased logs with my chain saw, and have the rounds fall in to my splitter. I've seen some setups like this on youtube.

 

[blades]

I here ya on the getting rounds out manually part.

 

[zogger]

OP here. The splitting part isn't my problem. I buy the permit to recover standing dead and downed trees in the national forest. It's the gathering part that is so time consuming and exhausting. I'm pushing 70 and I work alone. Carrying round after round from the forest back to my truck is a killer ~ at least for me. No mechanized equipment is allowed in the Forrest, so I can't drive my truck in to recover the tree I just bucked out. It takes me about 3 hours to split 1 full cord with my little Ryobi electric splitter which has an 8 second cycle time. But it's all the work required to get to the splitting that I'm trying to minimize. Us old farts just need a little help. For the cost of a firewood processor, I could buy a neck of a lot of already split firewood. But where's the fun in that! I might try to build some kind of manually operated log feed table to efficiently process purchased logs with my chain saw, and have the rounds fall in to my splitter. I've seen some setups like this on youtube.

Yep, carrying the rounds out some distance sucks. We have had discussions on this in the past. I remember one option was one of those deer cart rigs, that's what they are designed for, going in and wheeling out stuff. There's a lot of human powered ones, I know you said no mechanized, so don't know what your badged authorities would consider mechanized though.

 

[cantoo]

Why buy a processor at all then? The cheapest wood I have ever bought was a 3 full cord load of logs. $3oo cash and dumped in my yard. Only truck the guy had but if you bought several loads he gave a bit of a discount. Only needed a chainsaw and a splitter for a day each to process it. Now I have so much invested I have to have a pretty big pile at the end of the day to make it worth it to me. Some day I'm going to have to sell some to pay for crap.
For me I'm trying to keep the wood all at a working height instead of having to bend over to pick stuff up. I cut in the bush, buck into 12' lengths, load onto a wagon with the tractor, haul home, stack in a pile, then use loader forks to pick 3 or 4 logs, drive over to bucking area and buck to length. Push into a pile with the bucket to get ready to split. This is the 1st time I ready have to do any lifting or hand work to get the rounds up on the splitter. This is where I need to "improve" I want to load the rounds onto a wagon that is sloped toward the splitter so I just have to roll them onto the splitter table, no lifting. I did it using my dump truck and it worked great.
Dragging or hauling wood by hand isn't something I would do on a regular basis. I don't even like to stack it.

 

[muddstopper]

After watching the videos in both threads, I saw a couple of things I liked about each model. The hudson had a winch setup to pull logs onto the deck of the processor, which I think is a must if your going to process log lengths. I didnt see any method other than lifting by hand on the Range Road. A strike against the rangeroad in my opinion. I liked the hydraulic saw on the Rangeroad, even tho it is manually operated. I think not having to lift a chain saw for every cut is a plus. Neither processor is more than a home owner unit and and both are limited in the size of round they can process. If those where my only choices, I would probably go with the Hudson simply because I can winch a log on the machine and use the winch to feed the log for each cut. Still dont like the whole gas powered chainsaw part of it. If one is handy with fabricating, I would probably save the money and buy the RangeRoad and simply add my own winch system to load the logs. Neither machine, even with modifications, would fill my needs simply because of the limits placed on round dia. For a 70yr old homeowner. I would want to eliminate as much lifting and manual work as possible and the rangeroader with a winch modification would be a better choice than the hudson with the gas powered chainsaw.

Those two machines are not the only options out there, Wallstein comes to mind. Altho I havent researched them, I think you might want to expand your list to at least include them in your options.

 

[KindredSpiritzz]

boy i didnt like that hudson processor at all. You'd spend more time picking up and setting your saw down than you would working, not to mention working levers and messing with cable. Bet i could process more with just my saw and hydraulic splitter.

 

[CRThomas]

Unless you have upgraded the splitter in your equipment list - that's your bottle neck. Those 4-7 ton electrics are S L O W even compared to a standard 15 or so ton box store rig. I do close to 20 cord a year with my single wedge splitter and it is twice as fast as the little 4 ton electric I have gathering dust.

Unless you have upgraded the splitter in your equipment list - that's your bottle neck. Those 4-7 ton electrics are S L O W even compared to a standard 15 or so ton box store rig. I do close to 20 cord a year with my single wedge splitter and it is twice as fast as the little 4 ton electric I have gathering dust.

 

[FLRA_Dave]

I have the Wallenstein WP830 with the 6 way wedge and pivoting holder (though can't use it with my wrap style handle). I really like the winch to bring up the logs. I think it's rated around 22" max diameter. With the 6 way you can drop it all the way down for a 4 way and the 4 way will drop to a single wedge. The auto cycling action is great. The 22 gpm pump with the 4.5" cylinder moves fast enough. The out feed helps fill a truck or trailer.

 

[tawilson]

Maybe a dump trailer would be a better investment. I load mine up with rounds and back it up to the splitter. No bending over. Keep raising the bed and the rounds keep coming to you.

 

[TIMberbear]

Hud-Son also has a Wolverine model with a Hyd. operated saw. Ive been eyeballing that thing for a while. The Wallenstein has a saw pivot but your still having to use a gas saw to buck it up. I think the Hud-Son wolverine model you are looking for is the A model. The one where you run your saw is the M model. I have no affiliation to them, Like I sais ive just been looking around myself. Good luck in your search because the market is full of em.

 

[lknchoppers]

OP here. The splitting part isn't my problem. I buy the permit to recover standing dead and downed trees in the national forest. It's the gathering part that is so time consuming and exhausting. I'm pushing 70 and I work alone. Carrying round after round from the forest back to my truck is a killer ~ at least for me. No mechanized equipment is allowed in the Forrest, so I can't drive my truck in to recover the tree I just bucked out. It takes me about 3 hours to split 1 full cord with my little Ryobi electric splitter which has an 8 second cycle time. But it's all the work required to get to the splitting that I'm trying to minimize. Us old farts just need a little help. For the cost of a firewood processor, I could buy a neck of a lot of already split firewood. But where's the fun in that! I might try to build some kind of manually operated log feed table to efficiently process purchased logs with my chain saw, and have the rounds fall in to my splitter. I've seen some setups like this on youtube.

You are working way too hard for your wood. Spend your time finding easy access wood. I personally would think you would benefit from a nice splitter with a log lift and an adjustable 4 way that adjusts on the fly. Save the money you pay for that permit. If you can't use power equipment to haul it or drive right up, to it forget about the National Forest. Work smarter not harder.