# Bulk firewood cleaner



## TBrown (Nov 10, 2010)

I built a firewood cleaner for a customer over the last month. It is to be used to get rid of the extra dirt, loose bark, and small slivers before the firewood is delivered to his customers. I am in the process of looking for another customer to build another one for also. I sent an email to arboristsite about being a sponsor or advertising. Just thought I would put this on here also. There are many options as far as conveyors but this is a very universal setup as it was built. It can be used to stockpile clean wood on pavement, or to load trucks. It is on youtube. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YFKHur1Y7JE
If that link doens't work search for firewood cleaner, acbrepair
Thanks
Tony


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## STLfirewood (Nov 10, 2010)

Very nice I really like it. There is a processor that has on on it also. right now we have been very dry around here. When I load my firewood with the skid steer it's hard to keep heavy dust off of it. I have actually thought about power washing it. I know some guys that do. That would be a great option to think about with that machine. Do you mind if I ask the ballpark price on that setup. Thanks Scott


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## Steve NW WI (Nov 11, 2010)

Looks good. One suggestion I have would be a trash conveyor, so it's not necessary to move the machine or risk damage rooting around under the machine with a loader. I'm thinking of it being used in a mainly stationary application here.

Like STLfirewood said, I've seen other very similar setups. Might want to make sure you're not stepping on any patented toes before ya do much marketing.


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## woodman6666 (Nov 11, 2010)

Looks good I have seen alot of tumblers like that over the years, there is a guy in southern wisconson that built one that sits 30 feet in the air and the tumbler is 40 feet long, every 8 feet the slats on the tumbler are spaced a little farther apart, it is mounted above large concrete bins so when the wood passes thru it it actually sorts the wood by size, the first bin is trash the next very small wood the next a little larger and so on, then out the very end comes whatever wouldnt fit thru any of the slats, quite a site.


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## John R (Nov 11, 2010)

That's cool, great job.


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## TBrown (Nov 11, 2010)

woodman, does it look anything like this?






This is a pic before the stairs and everything

Steve, this guy wanted it portable, we are thinking a long shallow bucket, kinda like a huge ash pan would work good for catching most of the dirt.

STL give me a pm if you want to know more
Tony


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## woodman6666 (Nov 11, 2010)

Thats the one!! nice job I heard they are no longer in business.


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## BlueRidgeMark (Nov 11, 2010)

woodman6666 said:


> Thats the one!! nice job I heard they are no longer in business.





That often happens when you invent a solution to a problem that doesn't exist.


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## TBrown (Nov 11, 2010)

Quote:
Originally Posted by woodman6666 
Thats the one!! nice job I heard they are no longer in business. 



That often happens when you invent a solution to a problem that doesn't exist. 

The guys that were doing the firewood are no longer doing business together. The cleaner was sold with the processor. I built the cleaner for them. There is a demand for clean firewood with customers in the larger cities who are not happy with deliveries containing debris.


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## STLfirewood (Nov 11, 2010)

I would need one if I did dump off deliveries. All my deliveries are stacked wood. The debris stays on the dump trailer. With a super splitter you don't really have a debris problem like you do with a processor. They make up for that problem with volume though.

Scott


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## husky455rancher (Nov 11, 2010)

looks like it works really well, nice job!


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## coog (Nov 11, 2010)

Move firewood with a skid loader and you will get dirt. I hate dirty wood, and I would pay more for clean wood (if, God help me, I had to buy wood). Surely a labor saver, but a dirty one.


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## Vitotreecare (Feb 5, 2011)

Please give me a call want to talk about price and sizes Vito 2015380386


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## Vitotreecare (Feb 6, 2011)

*Are you still around like to see one in action how does it work short thin split wood*

Like to also know how many are out there I seen many types of cleaners just trying to find the wright one :msp_blink::bang::bang:


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## Vitotreecare (Feb 8, 2011)

*Firewood cleaner*

Where's T BROWN


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## johncinco (Feb 9, 2011)

Put a big spiral ridge up through the whole thing. The wood gets pushed through like an auger. Then you can raise your out end and it works like a conveyor at the same time, one less piece of machinery you need on hand. 

Still a nice piece of machinery.


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## mga (Feb 9, 2011)

do you charge more for cleaned fire wood?


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## johnha (Feb 9, 2011)

Nice, but if I tried to put it in the backyard the wife would have my head.


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## sunfish (Feb 9, 2011)

This is a new one on me. First was complaints about dust from burning wood 
in the house. Now clean firewood! Dang city folks :msp_rolleyes:

Guess I have lived out in the woods too long. 

PS, I almost forgot about the welding gloves to tend the fire. Learn that here too


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## Vitotreecare (Feb 11, 2011)

*Firewood cleaner*

Still looking to hear from T BROWN the guy that built the fire wood cleaner looking to buy one thanks


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## blackdogon57 (Feb 11, 2011)

Interesting thread. Guys like me who process wood think this is a good idea and want one, while the guys who cut small amounts of wood for personal use think it is a novelty item. Trust me if you move a lot of wood and want to sell it for profit you need to sell clean wood that is free of debris. This looks to me like a great way to do it.


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## Vitotreecare (Feb 12, 2011)

Yes it looks like it would help a lot i have to do some thing a lot of garbage
In my wood this year starting to have customers complain


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## MattB (Dec 24, 2014)

TBrown, if you're still on the site...I've tried to make a youtube list of all of the firewood cleaners out there and yours is one of my favorites. Most of them out there are stationary I really dig the way you set this up on the trailer. 

I think there are two times that you'd want to clean wood. 1. right out of the processor so you only need to handle 6-20 pieces every 5-10 seconds or 2. Pulling buckets out of a pile right before hauling where you need to handle yards/minute. 

I think this design is a good middle ground and I'm pretty sure I've looked at everything out there.


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## LegDeLimber (Dec 25, 2014)

Anyone else find it interesting how closely these things resemble a topsoil sifter (Trommel Screen) ?
Mostly the perspective of what you're looking to keep and its ideal mesh size.
edit: look around for some disillusioned gold panner and you might find something adaptable.
Just be wary of dirt eaten bearings and gears and such.


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## ChoppyChoppy (Dec 25, 2014)

Right out the processor?

I shovel the junk out after stacking. Don't get all that much, maybe a small wheelbarrow worth in a cord.

Would work if you don't stack I guess but it's too hard to measure loose wood.


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## MattB (Dec 25, 2014)

ValleyFirewood said:


> Right out the processor?
> 
> I shovel the junk out after stacking. Don't get all that much, maybe a small wheelbarrow worth in a cord.
> 
> Would work if you don't stack I guess but it's too hard to measure loose wood.


There is no point in measuring wet wood since it shrinks anyways. 

Better to figure out how much volume a hand tossed cord takes up and NEVER stack wood unless the client is paying you to do it.


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## ChoppyChoppy (Dec 25, 2014)

It is not repeatable. I've tried. A cord ended being anywhere from .75 to 1.25 cords.
Also I can't fit 2 cords in the little truck or 5.5 in the big one without stacking.


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## jcl (Dec 26, 2014)

It's a real problem. I use a rock bucket to load my dump trucks and I have wood on the ground. with a every scoop there's always some dirt in with the wood no matter how much I shake the bucket. 
but a machine that big just wount be cost effective for me I only sell 110 cords a year
This is what I want to copy to clean my wood. And make taller and longer so the wood slides into my truck


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## ChoppyChoppy (Dec 26, 2014)

Would be cheaper to keep your wood on a slab.


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## 066blaster (Dec 26, 2014)

I thought it was gonna be spraying water like a gold trommel. I think a little prevention would be better than the expense of this machine. But I suppose it may be cheaper than a huge cement slab. I don't get any complaints about a little bark or saw dust but if I gave em a wheel barrow worth of dirt with their wood they would complain.


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## MattB (Dec 26, 2014)

Slabs are spendy. I'm renting a 1/5 acre yard for $650/month and I'm haggling with the owner to pay for truck loads of gravel, much less pave it. Paved space with the right zoning is more than $ .10/sq/ft/month, that's $4,300/acre a month in Sonoma County, Ca. Damn vineyards and wineries drive up the price of everything. Good thing is the retired folks who move to wine country can afford firewood and good tree work.  Plus my custom splitter makes lots of slivers.


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