Range Road Conveyors

[Woodcutteranon]

Does anyone have experience with Range Road conveyors? They are listed @ $1650 in US dollars

According to their website...http://range-road.com/

The Range Road RR500 Stand-alone conveyor has its own 2.5Hp Engine and can be used in any application where a longer conveyor is needed, it can also be used with any Range Road Firewood Processor to increase the reach and height. The RR500 folds up for mobility and storage,

The RR500 Stand-alone Conveyor can be used with the Range Road RR20T Firewood Processor in place of the 3.2m conveyor that mounts on the processor and as an easy option the hydraulics from the processor can run the 5 Meter conveyor and the second engine (2.5HP mounted on the conveyor) is not necessary.

I am not looking for something super duty. Any opinion out there or do you see anything about this design that would concern you?

Thanks in advance for your replies

WCA

 

[cantoo]

I've never used one but have heard that the belt conveyors don't like to work well in the snow. Snow builds up on the belt and causes tracking, tightening issues. I have a used skeleton elevator with chain drive that I'm working on to attach to my splitter. Right now I use a grain elevator and have no issues with it.

 

[homemade]

There are miles of rubber conveyor belt that run in the winter. The snow doesn’t affect it as far a tracking or tension. I work at a gravel pit and a rubber troughing type conveyer (like every gravel pit used) is the only type I recommend

 

[Sandhill Crane]

I have a ten year old 28' Built-Rite conveyor I bought used.
It is hydraulic, top drum drive, 160 Honda, cleated belt.
Snow does effect the tracking on mine when it gets between the belt and bottom drum.
The compression makes an ice clump on the drum that can be hard to clear because of the location and fixed guards (not removable). Snow gets there from snow covered firewood dropping in from the splitter. That being said, I've used it a lot in the winter.

Looking at the photos you have posted.
Most hydraulic, belted conveyors have top drum drive. I'm told it is more efficient, as the drive drum is 'pulling' the belt loaded with wood vs trying to push the belt up hill (or pulling on the lower belt which has less tension on it.)
Maybe it works well, but it something to research a bit.
Also, look at how belts are tensioned on other conveyors.
Mine has adjustment independently on each side of the drum, and on both top and bottom drums. I'm not seeing anything like that. If tracking is off I can adjust it to re-center the belt on the drum. There are also six sets of three idler rollers supporting the belt on the return side. The one your showing is set up more like a chain conveyor. (When tracking is off it usually means something got between the belt and drum, and clearing it takes care of it without changing adjustment.)
A third thing to consider is where and how you will be using it. Tipping side to side, and toppling over endwise is a possibility, especially as the load moves up the belt. The narrow foot print might be a concern. And sending a hundred pounds of hardwood up an otherwise empty belt might tip it forward as the axle becomes a pivot unless the hitch is connected to something.
Another thing to consider is forward/reverse. Reverse helps clear debris on the lower drum and retrieve anything that gets past you for resplitting.

 

[Sandhill Crane]

The engine/pump/hydraulic tank are in a awkward place to service, but counterbalance the high end to some degree.
In the raised position side to side tilt is accentuated a lot.
Top and bottom drum adjustments.
I've had a few issues with this conveyor over a seven year period. The top drum hydraulic motor shaft sheared, most likely a result of tipping it over, top end down on the drive drum, the previous year. The drum shaft bent and needed replacing at that time, which I discovered by watching the hydraulic motor wobble at the end of the drum shaft. I replaced the solid coupler with a double chain coupler and modified the hydraulic motor mount. The axle framing pivots as the conveyor is raised. As the conveyor is raised the wheel arcs towards the lower end, shifting the balance point to where it will tip unless the hitch is coupled to something. The pivots are a tube in tube assembly without zerks to grease it, and it froze up. It is welded as a unit and un-servicable without a torch or saw-zall. After breaking the crank jack, I broke it free by supporting the conveyor with a forklift and jumping on the axle. I then added several grease zerks, and replaced the hand crank that failed, with a hydraulic lift cylinder. There was a failed wheel bearing seal and one wheel froze up. Disassembly showed welding splatter on the spindle where the inboard seal mounted and lead to the bearing race rusting to pieces...

 

[cantoo]

Homemade, I agree with you that there are 1000's of miles of rubber belt units out there running all winter with no issues. This one is a $1600 unit though, the ones moving gravel are a little more pricy and built for gravel everyday. I have a couple of custom built firewood conveyors that I'm told were $6000 each when they were new. I bought them at an auction sale for much less but haven't had time to do anything with them yet. Made by Feversham, mine are just the conveyor, no wheels on them, they were used to move firewood thru buildings and drop into bins.
https://www.agriculture-xprt.com/companies/feversham-manufacturing-72543/products

 

[homemade]

Snow does effect the tracking on mine when it gets between the belt and bottom drum.
The compression makes an ice clump on the drum that can be hard to clear because of the location and fixed guards (not removable). Snow gets there from snow covered firewood dropping in from the splitter.

Take a gallon sized garden sprayer and spray straight antifreeze on the inner side of the belt. We have a specific spray we put on for frost and such.

We also have a hopper in the drop zone with a rubber skirting that rides on the belt to keep bounce spilling off the return side of the belt.

 

[Wyrdman]

bottom end drive is unusual on an incline conveyor in general. Every incline conveyor I've worked on had the drive at the top. Haven't worked on any firewood or mobile conveyors but I'd see it as a sign that it will start slipping if the belt tension isn't just right.

 

[STLfirewood]

At the quarry I worked at rain would hurt us more than snow. We sent everything through the crusher Burlington included. Our conveys would run a constant 2600 tons an hour. Att hat price point I would just plan on having to replace some parts at a quicker pace.

Scott

 

[homemade]

2600 tones/hour. Holy crap. How wide were your belts. The most we see in our little three piece band is 800tph and a cruising speed of 500tph.

 

[lknchoppers]

That range road conveyor is made in china. It looks very light duty and I would bet everything on it is cheap, bends easy and is more trouble than it is worth.

 

[alderman]

Worked for 44 years in a paper mill, 30 of those in the woodyard. Cold dry weather wasn’t an issue, but wet temps right at freezing with blowing snow and/or rain would give us fits. We would run heaters under the tail drums and use antifreeze on top to keep wood from sliding (until DEQ took exception to it).
The biggest issue I would think you would see is snow and ice building on the tail drum.


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[STLfirewood]

Not that wide 4ft or so. I’m not exactly sure I didn’t work on them much mainly worked in the quarry as an operator. We could do that with 4 haul trucks and two loaders. We usually ran 3 loaders. One loader mixed in the Burlington to keep the chemistry correct. We were held back by the stacker. It couldn’t handle more than 2800tph. We were limited by DNR to 29000 tons a day. We would hit that sometimes in a 12hr day. That includes fueling and start up and shut down time.

Scott

 

[homemade]

Our belts are 30”. Our stacker is limited to 800tph. We only have one loader (a volvo 250g). Sometimes we can get a second loader to help feed the crusher, while the other digs the bank.

Btw what are you referring to as a “Burlington”?

 

[STLfirewood]

We feed the crusher by dumping the trucks in it. You can dump 2 trucks at a time(one on each side). There was always a 290 excavator with a breaker to help the really big stuff go through. We loaded our trucks with Komatsu 900 loaders. Burlington is the layer or deep red clay under the top soil. It has a very high sand content. By mixing it with the limestone we didn’t have to add sand to the cement for the proper chemistry. It can be tough to get through the crusher. It’s wet clay do it packs and plugs it up.

Scott

 

[homemade]

Here’s our little operation. It’s a mobile plant. I think our annual production in in the 150,000-200,000 tones per year. We make a 3/8 Gravel for asphalt mix for about 50% total tonnage. The rest is road gravel. 1/2” stone, recycled asphalt products. About 14 different products in total.

 

[STLfirewood]

Here’s our little operation. It’s a mobile plant. I think our annual production in in the 150,000-200,000 tones per year. We make a 3/8 Gravel for asphalt mix for about 50% total tonnage. The rest is road gravel. 1/2” stone, recycled asphalt products. About 14 different products in total.

Wish I had some pictures. We crushed around 5 million tons a year. Also removed all the trees, top soil, inter burden, over burden etc. Our costs were just under $1.00 a ton. That includes machines,repairs, labor, fuel, everything. I think it was the most efficient quarry in the nation. Based off of cost per ton. We only had to crush to 6” minus. The raw mills took it from there.