Firewood Processor Recommendations

[Case1030]

@chiefs584ever it seems that the finished size of the wood, from that video, is about 2x the size, that I would want. Do you have any complaints about that?
Thanks!
N

Thoes logs could definitely use an 8 way split wedge for use in a woodstove or furnace. If he is using them in a boiler the large splits would be fine.

 

[Woodcutteranon]

A few observations.

A brand new Dyna SC 14 lists for $35k. It will take about an 18" log if it's perfectly straight. Dyna's are VERY good machines, somewhat on the slow side but they are well built and will last forever.

I am wrapping up my 2nd year with a small Dyna and it seems the "estimated cords per hour" by any manufacturer is certainly under optimal conditions that rarely, if ever exist. I usually process by myself and I am nowhere near 1 cord per hour. My benefit of running a processor is more about saving my back, knees, shoulders, and elbows vs running my saws and Super Splitter. I don't put as big a value on speed as I do on simple progress but that is what's important to me. YMMV.

Running a processor requires a "process"' in order to take full advantage of the machine's capabilities. By process I mean having your logs staged to be put onto the live deck...and that is a HUGE process in, and of, itself. Also with a processor you will be up to your earlobes in splits in no time and you should have an efficient method to move them to their final resting place...you want to keep your work area clear so the logging truck can drive in, unload, replenish. If you are measuring your cords per hour I think you must include your prep time into the equation. Rolling, halving, scarfing logs onto runners that can be forked to your live deck, IMO should count towards your CPH. Never underestimate this prep work because it is A LOT more intensive than you think.

I wish you the best with your purchase and if I were you I wouldn't be gun-shy to purchase a used machine...just check it over good...its welds, systems etc. Also good luck with your firewood business. It is a great industry and has a lot of positive elements to it.

 

[Sandhill Crane]

The neighbors logged off a section of their property last summer/fall, 2018. I got a few cull logs from them, which once home I cut in rounds on the ground. Then rolled a couple at a time onto pallets and placed them on the cutting bench to noodle into small enough pieces to move to the splitter. I used an ms 661 and 25" bar. Noodling, cutting a round on its side, goes fairly fast, although there is lots of clean up. A few of the Beech were large enough that I climbed on the deck to cut them in half. Then quartered them after I jumped down. All of the timber from the neighbors went into our own wood shed. In one of the photos the splitter is turned around, away from the conveyor, and the splits are going into a trailer. Few of the logs I buy require noodling.

 

[Natster]

Well, it seems to me that we need a mechanism, (besides noodling) to take apart the big uns, for splitting on the (less than 3000 $ splitters).
The 2 ideas I've come up with (and I'm sure I'm not the first) is a post hole digger, with anger, converted to stickler, and gas powered jack hammer, with big wedge. This last idea would maybe require a bigger heavier gas hammer.
I've noodled, but in a way, it's not really good for bar and chain.
Nate

 

[nathan4104]

^ sawmill? Make boards and live edge planks!! Worth more than firewood!!

sorry, I’m just jealous, as here is is -30 and mostly what we have here to burn is 3-5” round spruce and birch!!!

 

[Sandhill Crane]

I've noodled, but in a way, it's not really good for bar and chain.

I've heard other say the same thing. I don't really get it. Maybe a skip tooth chain would be better at clearing chips but I don't see the harm to the bar or chain. They're tools to be used. Bars need dressing up once in a while to take the burr off.
The ms661 sits a lot the way I cut on a bench, no need. So getting it out and using it is a good thing. Used it most of one summer until I could find someone to trouble shoot the 357xp. The 357 is a delight to run.
The first time I tried noodling I had trouble, because I was cutting with the round sitting on end. The teeth want to jump. I asked on here why I was having trouble. Once I tried laying rounds on their side it goes pretty smooth. Just have to stop and clear noodles from the side cover once in a while. If it doesn't pull itself into the wood then it's way past time to sharpen. Noodling goes pretty smooth for me.

 

[cantoo]

Sandhill, I've heard that some of the guys buy a spare side cover and cut out part of it so that they don't have to clear noodles out. Would save you some time I bet. VW guy on the 2nd page has pics of his.
https://www.arboristsite.com/commun...n-on-noodling-splitting-da-tuff-stuff.266070/

 

[Case1030]

Cutting on a logs side sure does go quicker than cutting from the end down... but still its alot of extra work just for firewood. I would much rather put them through a saw mill. Obviously species of wood comes into play when deciding what's worth it.

 

[Sandhill Crane]

I have a very small wood lot, or work area, and have to keep it cleaned up. I don't have room to set the big stuff or junk aside for later. I cut/split the junk, and the shorts, as it comes along but it gets culled out at the splitter into row-pack crates. This sorting is included in the time to cut/split a cord for sale which is about (4) hours per cord total. When the four row-pack boxes I have are full I run the pieces up the conveyor and bundle them on pallets. A year later we burn it for our selves. Previously, prior to being able to bundle it, I put the boxes out by the road with a free sign just to get rid of it, as it does not stack. Weekend camp fires and all, the junk always disappeared in a day or two, and I could reuse the boxes.
So far, since the beginning of Nov. we have been burning junk wood. Some of it is great stuff, just too short to sell, as it does not stack. Most of it is somewhat punky.
The orange box is a foldable plastic crate known around here as a row-pack, shown behind the cutting bench. Behind that is a pile of shorts. If I get an end cut 12" long or so I cut it
in half and split it. It burns like huge chunks of coal. But it does increase the time it takes me to do a cord of wood.
This photo from the conveyor shows the row-pack boxes and pallets of junk wood. It adds up, but now I'm no longer giving it away.

 

[babybart]

Sandhill, I'm always impressed with pics of your area. I don't know how long it took you to get it layed out but it just seems like a smooth one-man operation. You usually have snow in your pics as well!

 

[Sandhill Crane]

Thanks. The photo vary over two or three years or more. I added the container last December, so those photos are more recent.
To sell in this area firewood must be seasoned and fairly clean as people tend to store it on porches and garages. I sell oak and season for one year. Two would be optimal but who does that. I simply don't have the room.
I'm done bundling for the season. Snow builds up on the bottom of pallets and the industrial tread on the lift tires don't help. I dropped the mast and stored the PackFix.

 

[Case1030]

I have a very small wood lot, or work area, and have to keep it cleaned up. I don't have room to set the big stuff or junk aside for later. I cut/split the junk, and the shorts, as it comes along but it gets culled out at the splitter into row-pack crates. This sorting is included in the time to cut/split a cord for sale which is about (4) hours per cord total. When the four row-pack boxes I have are full I run the pieces up the conveyor and bundle them on pallets. A year later we burn it for our selves. Previously, prior to being able to bundle it, I put the boxes out by the road with a free sign just to get rid of it, as it does not stack. Weekend camp fires and all, the junk always disappeared in a day or two, and I could reuse the boxes.
So far, since the beginning of Nov. we have been burning junk wood. Some of it is great stuff, just too short to sell, as it does not stack. Most of it is somewhat punky.
The orange box is a foldable plastic crate known around here as a row-pack, shown behind the cutting bench. Behind that is a pile of shorts. If I get an end cut 12" long or so I cut it
in half and split it. It burns like huge chunks of coal. But it does increase the time it takes me to do a cord of wood.
This photo from the conveyor shows the row-pack boxes and pallets of junk wood. It adds up, but now I'm no longer giving it away.

View attachment 781535View attachment 781537

I'm curious what type of netting/ firewood tote you use on the pallet?

Looks like a good idea and awsome airflow for seasoning.

 

[muddstopper]

I did the math once on how many cords per hr I could produce. my splitter is more than capable of doing a lot more than I can. I had 5 men, feeding, splitting and stacking. We did one cord in right at 15 min. The wood was already bucked to length. That would of been 4 cord per hr. but 5 man hrs of work. That's just over 3/4 cord per man hr. I can about do 3/4 cord in a hr by myself if the wood is already bucked, but I cant keep that pace for more than a hr or two. One thing I have also discovered is that big wood produces a lot of firewood, but a 20 in dia round still produces 10in wide splits whether you use a 4 way, 6 way, 8 way wedge, and every one of those splits has to be resplit. Simply throwing a big round thru a multi wedge machine doesn't produce usable firewood. If you have to resplit a large majority of the wood that comes thru a processor, what kind of time have you actually saved even if the processor can split 3 or 4 cord per hr.
Most of the manufacturers build really good machines, but everything needs to be taken with a grain of salt. They can build a machine that can produce 10 crd per hr. provided you have the crew and support equipment to keep it fed, and deep enough pockets to pay for it. But in all honesty, how many folks here are going to process and sell 10 cord per day. Any size processor that can produce more than you can sell, is a waste of money

 

[Case1030]

After a few days of running my "new to me" Cordking 1820, I believe made the right choice.

I'm going to make a few improvements down the road, but so far have easily 3x production by myself. Slowly picking up tricks along the way. With hard oak 14"-16" can average 1 cord per hour. I can't believe how powerfull the splitting cylinder are! Even knots are cut like butter.

With soft wood I can realistically see myself doing 1.5 cords steady.

 

[cantoo]

Come on Case1030, you are going to have to show us pictures of your setup so far. Start a thread and then you can update as you revise things over the years. Great that your purchase is working out.

 

[Case1030]

Come on Case1030, you are going to have to show us pictures of your setup so far. Start a thread and then you can update as you revise things over the years. Great that your purchase is working out.

I sure will, before I do that the wood elevator will have to be finished... I'll take some photos soon as it comes along and get back to processing some wood. Shouldn't take long to get up and running. Already have a small hydrolic motor to drive the elevator.

The other thing that would increase loading efficiency is a grapple. That I already planned for, didn't realize how much messing around forks are untill I tried.

 

[rancher2]

Case1030
Glad to here the new processor is working good. If you have a lot of wood in the 14"-16" diameter range that's some nice processor running wood. We do need pictures of that new to you unit.

 

[cantoo]

I've had 5 or 6 different types of grapple and wasn't happy with any of them. Make sure you try out before you buy if you can. Only one I never tried was one with round bars instead of rectangular bars. I think the round might be better. I have a round tine manure fork and it works good to pick up splits. I use my forks to load but I have 3 prongs on it instead of normal 2, works much better.

 

[Case1030]

I've had 5 or 6 different types of grapple and wasn't happy with any of them. Make sure you try out before you buy if you can. Only one I never tried was one with round bars instead of rectangular bars. I think the round might be better. I have a round tine manure fork and it works good to pick up splits. I use my forks to load but I have 3 prongs on it instead of normal 2, works much better.

Good to know thank you. I'll try to get some photos tomorrow of the unit. I stacked a few cords to run through it. Currently I'm just using my kubota with bale forks to load the live deck.

 

[cantoo]

Here's my set of forks with 3 forks on it for wood working. I have them offset so that I can lift my firewood bins without having to take the 3rd one off. I also have a 2 arm grapple that goes on it but I only use it for moving brush. There is also a pic of my stone fork style bucket too. The same 2 arm grapple goes on it. I've lost count of how many buckets/ front attachments I have.