More ramblings this morning from Crane.
First, my production rate does not warrant the cost of the Posch. It does save me an enormous amount of physical effort and allows potential growth with the proper support equipment to feed it. The more you do, the less per cord cost, due to initial equipment cost.
Overlaying graphs of cost per cord curves for bags, totes and netting would show what is most cost efficient in varying ranges of production. There are other factors too, but a graph would show cost.
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Bags: from post #14...35" x 41" x 54" = 77,490 cu. in. divid by 1,728 cu. in./1 cu. ft. =
approx. 45 cu. ft.
-Posch product catalogue (on-line, lots of info), under Billet handling, PackFix page 88. Page 89 indicates
the fill drum holds (1) cubic meter, and "refer to page 145 onward" for technical details. Page 146: Special equipment for PackFix Hydro. Article no. "TH" Tilting table, second fill drum etc. If I remember right, again ball park, the TH option was about $6,000. Then under Accessory equipment is the "z9900501" pallet of netting. There is a taller fill drum available, Special equipment Article no. X but is only an option for the Stationary model.
Again under Accessory equipment, "F0002579" says
1.6 loose m. cubed. I'm guessing from page 89 that's (1) stacked cubic meter.
-Okay so that's a bit of jumping around but the numbers are there to work with, and the catalog spells out the different configurations for Stationary, Mobile, and Universal applications, and accessories.
Conversion: (1) cubic meter = 35.31 cu. ft.
1.6 loose cu. meters x (4) pallets = 6.40 cu. meters
6.40 cu. meters x 35.31 cu. ft./1 cu. meters
= 226 loose cu. ft.
1.6 loose cu. meters x (3) pallets = 4.80 cu. meters
4.80 cu. meters x 35.31 cu. ft./1 cu. meter =
169.48 loose cu. ft.
1 stacked cu. meter x (4) pallets = 4.0 cu. meters
4.0 cu meters x 35.31 cu. ft./1 cu. meter
= 141.24 stacked cu. ft. (+13.24 cu. ft over 128/cord) or 1/10, or 10% over.
1 stacked cu. meter x (3) pallets = 3.0 cu. meters
3.0 cu. meters x 35.31 cu. ft./1 cu. meter
= 105.93 stacked cu. ft. (-22.07 cu. ft under 128/cord) or .17, or 17% under.
Edit:
226 cu. ft. loose is 10% over, so
2o3.4 cu. ft. loose should stack out to 128 cu. ft.
45 cu. ft. per bag
(3) bags = 135 cu. ft. loose fill; from above... (3) pallets loose 169.48 cu. ft.
(4) bags =180 cu. ft. loose fill; from above... (4) pallets loose 226 cu. ft.
Edit:
*Without bag stretch, 4 bags is 11.5% short of 203.4 cu. ft.
However, the fill drum is cylindrical and the bags are rectangular, which may effect a loose fill volume. Stacking is required to know for sure.
Personally I've never tried bags.
I've heard they stretch and therefor hold one third cord. At 135 cu. ft it would have to stretch a lot, 1/3 it's volume.
Someone that uses bags text me that they had problems with bags falling over on pallets when moving them. If they stretch that might very well be a problem unless hung by forks. If not using pallets then how do you pick them up again? I see Mainus uses pallets.
My thought was if I used bags I still needed pallets to put under them. Posch or bags, both need pallets.
So pallet cost is the same for both.
Bags x 3...$45./cord. (reusable)
Netting x 4...$8./cord. (not reusable, but recyclable)
Also, I season Oak one year.
Say I have 100 cord in bags, or 300 bags, sitting in the spring waiting to sell. I need more bags to start processing because the 300 are full. Using the 250 count bag price posted above + shipping = $15./bag. Say 400 bags are needed. That's $6,000. Say your optimistic and replace only 25% per year = $1,500. 50% a year = $3,000.
Now remember you may need need 400 pallets as well. Totes in these numbers take up room, full or empty. Stacked wood/4 totes, loose fill even more. Cost. No longer a consideration.
What if you do 200 cord a year, or 600 bags? That bumps you to $9,000. + 25% ($2,250.)annual replacement.
With the PackFix 100 cord, or 400 pallets wrapped, at $2.00 each. plus pallets.
200 cord, 800 pallets, at $2.00 ea. plus pallets.
Now factor in the initial cost and amortize it over say eight years = $2,000./year.
However, you can do 100 cord or 400 cord, it doesn't matter, it is a fixed price.
It should also retain some resale if maintained. Example:If 50% that's $8,000, making equipment cost for eight years, $1,000./year. Remember if you did 200 cord/year with bags, 25% annual bag replacement cost $2,250.
Comparing:
The PackFix equipment cost of $2,000/year without resale.
50% resale, equipment cost $1,000/year).
If 50% bag replacement, bag cost alone would pay the entire machine and netting cost of 200 cord, or $1,600 for netting the 800 pallets wrapped, and less costly base models are available.
Note: The netting is not reusable. It is a number 4 recyclable plastic.
Note: I am comparing three bags to four pallets. If in fact you need four bags to equal a cord....yikkes!
$60./cord... divided by the times reused.
100 cord is $6,000. for bags
200 cord is $12,000. for bags.
It all depends on the volume you do.
As for building something, I keep the fill drums waxed on the outside so the netting doesn't ride up with the drum as it is lifted.
Again, check out the Posch online catalog as the 'bases' are not interchangeable with one another from what I'm seeing/reading. I went with the Hydro base because it seemed the most efficient, with fewer forklift startups and screwing around. You could opt with a different base and get multiple fill drums also, say six or so to keep filling, and then wrap. The Hydro base is designed to work ideally with two people for continuous filling. Posh also offers other billet handling equipment.
Northeast Implement in Spencer, NY is the sole US importer. There is also a Canadian importer.
