questions/discussion on firewood conveyors

[owbguy]

who has them and uses them? Let's see some photos of your setup.

Also, what is the best bang for the buck with respect to conveyors manufactured for sale? Which company has the best for the money?

What is better, belt or chain driven? Why?

I know a lot of people make their own conveyor or modify agricultural units to firewood use. For the purpose of this thread, however, I am only interested in commercially manufactured firewood conveyors. Let's get some discussion on this topic. Thanks in advance.

 

[blackdogon57]

i have a 20' Built Rite. V belt driven rubber belt with rollers. Powered with Honda GX 120. Close to 2000 hours on the motor and going strong. Fuel cost is about $1.00 per cord. Very simple design - not much to break. The original belt was replaced at around 1700 hours ($500). I can stack around six cords before moving. I wish I had something bigger. Moving the whole setup is a pain in the butt !

 

[owbguy]

hey blackdog, is 20' long enough? do you wish you had a different length? if so, what length do you think would be ideal?

 

[blackdogon57]

hey blackdog, is 20' long enough? do you wish you had a different length? if so, what length do you think would be ideal?

I definitely wish i had something bigger. It would require more power to lift the wood but I think it would be worth it. I waste a lot of time and effort moving.

 

[Iska3]

A few years ago someone ( I think) was in S. Minnesota had one mounted to a truck. Looked like a nice set up. Maybe he is still around and will post a picture.

 

[woodman6666]

A few years ago someone ( I think) was in S. Minnesota had one mounted to a truck. Looked like a nice set up. Maybe he is still around and will post a picture.

This one? We built every bit of it.

 

[Gavman]

This one? We built every bit of it.

Awesome, love how you even made the truck too

J/K but that is a great set up:cool2:

 

[woodman6666]

We built every bit of the conveyor not the truck its mounted on.:bang:

 

[Iska3]

This one? We built every bit of it.

That kind'a looks like it. It might be my old age or something but I think the windows on the truck were a lot cleaner.

That has to be one of the best all around set ups.

Thanks!!

 

[owbguy]

very cool woodman!

 

[Sandhill Crane]

I am using a 28' Built-Rite that I picked up used. First, it is not an essential piece if equipment. Upgrading to a better splitter would have probably been more productive. It becomes a matter of how, or where, can you save the most effort. That being said, there are two basic types: belts and chain. Within each of those there is a choice of pulley/belt driven or hydraulic motor driven. Mine is a hydraulic driven belt. The plus is the hydraulic part. You can temporarily stall the hydraulic motor and not damage anything. This happened when the pile gets high (maxed out) and the splits have no where to fall and catch the belt paddles. Also the hydraulic driven units can vary the belt speed and reverse easily. The con , in pro/con, is that in the winter snow gets between the belt and the lower roller. This throws off the belt tracking and is difficult to get at to clear. Not a huge problem but it comes up several times. Blackdogon57 mentions being hard to move. They are, because you have to move everything else, and have some room, to move it. I moved mine last week and considered buying two automotive wheel dollies and some planks to build a runway to move it horizontally. In the end I didn't, but it is a thought. Some conveyors have wheels that turn 90 degrees for that purpose and swing in an arch when hooked to a processor. Another option is a hydraulic lift. Mine has a crank, and I only drop it to grease the zurks. When at the maximum height it can tip if not hooked to something. This is because the wheels move rearward as one side of the support triangle being cranked lengthens. If you want to check out a Built-Rite your welcome, and not too far away. I'm three miles off I-196, Exit 41. Once you get one you will love it. It will run most of the day on a gallon of gas, but I too wish it were longer/taller.

 

[owbguy]

sandhill, what length would be ideal?

 

[Sandhill Crane]

It is hard making choices on equipment when you don't get a chance to use it first. As with any piece of equipment get the best you can afford, keeping in mind it is only one piece of the puzzle. And not the most important one at that. Having owned a conveyor for two years now I would get, at a minimum length, a hydraulic motor driven unit. That puts you in the longer conveyors. I believe the Built-Rite 28' specs 14' height. It will pile 12' or so, before having to move it a bit. A 12' pile with a 45 degree angle of repose is about 10 cord + or -. Volume of a cone increases dramatically with each foot increase in height. Without doing the math a 35' conveyor might go say 35/2, or 17.5' minus a foot equals 16.5'. Volume might be close to double the 14' height, just saying. Pocket REF. volume in cu. ft. equals o.2618 x D x D x h D = dia. So... 12'h o.2618 x 24 x 24 x 12 = 1810 cu. ft. 17.5' 0.2618 x35 x 35 x17.5 = 5612 cu. ft. Wow... 3X volume. I don't know how high a 35' conveyor will go, I'm just saying it multiplies quickly the higher you go. I should have used the 16.5' number to multiply. Ah, you get the idea. Maybe you don't need a conveyor and could use a loader instead and get multiple uses out of it. Lots of ways to go. Good luck...

 

[ClementeCa]

I wish I had something bigger. Moving the whole setup is a pain in the butt

 

[Ptsiteworx]

do any of you guys run rakes at the end of the conveyors to filter out the scrap?

 

[CentaurG2]

MultiTech used to make a bar screen (rake) that went onto the end of a conveyer to filter debris. Beneath the screen was a simple sluice that would shoot the debris down underneath the conveyor belt so the debris landed at the wheels of the conveyor. It does help keep some of the debris out of the pile but the variability of the wood/junk eventually plugs up the gaps between the bars and the unit as a whole, limits how high you can pile wood with the conveyor. If you want to filter junk, think trommel.

 

[ChoppyChoppy]

25-30ft would be about perfect. I have a 20ft and it's a bit short to load trucks.