well, I guess mine will stay at 12in wide. Dont know how high the 18ft'er will reachm maybe 10ft, but I dont plan on loading any triaxle dumps. I'll just have to wait and adapt once everything is up and running.
Show Me Your DIY Wood Conveyor !
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fordf150
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Will take pics of mine when I get a chance. 12" belt conveyor with 1" angle iron bolted to the belt. Jams up constantly from the splits turning sideways. Can't have it at much of an angle and if it's wet/snowing the splits don't travel up it very well even with the angle iron cleats added. I want to build a new one that is chain drive with closer to 2" tall cleats and 18" or so wide
Mine is an old 20" wide by 35' hay elevator. It works pretty well most of the time. If I'm splitting for my owb, I get a jam once in a while. But my splits are up to 24" long. When I'm doing 16" splits it never jams.
My buddy has a 14" wide by 50' hay elevator. That thing sucks! It jams more then it doesn't. You have to make sure every split is sitting on there just right. If it slides at all it jams.
I would think in this case 6" or 8" wide would be better. The split would be more likely to stay straight and wouldn't be able to jam as much.
My buddy has a 14" wide by 50' hay elevator. That thing sucks! It jams more then it doesn't. You have to make sure every split is sitting on there just right. If it slides at all it jams.
I would think in this case 6" or 8" wide would be better. The split would be more likely to stay straight and wouldn't be able to jam as much.
Ford150, you just hurt my feelings. 12" wide belt with angle iron cleats is exactly what I had planned. Joesell, Your description hurt too. I plan on 20" splits for my stove, but will be able to do 30" long splits. Just when I thought I had it figured out, you two folks come along and burst my bubble. I guess its better to find out now than to find out after all the welding is done.
Ford150, post a picture of your conveyor when you can, I would like to see it.
Ford150, post a picture of your conveyor when you can, I would like to see it.
Joe, I think I have a plan that might work. The conveyors are what they are, and I dont want to start cutting them down to make them more narrow. What I think will work, maybe, is since I have to make sides for it anyways, I will just make the sides adjustable and vee shaped like a trough. I will add the angle iron to the belt just wide enough to clear the sides. Once I have used it for a bit, Depending on how well it works, I can then decide what changes need to be made. I prefer to do this one time, but I can see now that it might take a little trial and error before I get it just right. Making the trough capable of being adjustable in width might just save me some fabrication time if I have to start over. Maybe once I get over my shoulder surgery, I can get back to completing this build.
fordf150
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i did you one better. about half way through the video is the conveyor. mine is hydraulic motor with belt drive and we use belt speed to load the truck from front to back without ever moving the truck or conveyor. at full speed i can throw 16" splits about 15' off the end of it and slow it down to the point that it becomes overloaded with wood and just the weight of the wood on the belt will stall it.
Looking good. It looked to me that your wood was piling up right off the wedge though. Make me wonder how mine will work out. Your processor has what looked like a 4way wedge???. I am planning a 12way, thats a lot of spits hitting the conveyor at one time. I am starting to think I might run into more wood than the conveyor can handle. I guess it will still be trail and error until I get it right.
fordf150
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4 way. Mine needs a wider conveyor with a funnel. I added 2 feet of grating after the wedge to help get rid of the trash before it goes into the wood pile. When I build my new conveyor that grating will be moved to the output end of the conveyor. The grating right after the wedge let's the wood pile up and turn sideways before it ever hits the conveyor.
All the added hydraulics to the processor work great and made it so much les labor intensive and faster than it was from the factory but the modified conveyor was a failure along with my idea to get rid of the trash.
All the added hydraulics to the processor work great and made it so much les labor intensive and faster than it was from the factory but the modified conveyor was a failure along with my idea to get rid of the trash.
Note to self, No grate after wedge. I havent been thinking much about the accumulated trash and chips. I know i need to come up with a plan. The 6way wedge on my current splitter leaves lots of splinters. These make great kindling, and I use them in my firepit as well as my shop stove. Thats just off about 4 cord a year, Dont know what I am going to do with all of it once the processor starts throwing out big piles.
fordf150
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I will take pictures. There is a small section of grating after the wedge that works ok. I just wanted more of the trash to fall out so I added another 2' section of grating and that is where the problems come from
msmith
ArboristSite Operative
Subbed for info. I have been looking at building a conveyor and need some ideas.
I got my belt conveyor from a closing Kmart. It was just stationary so I made up the undercarraige. No paddles yet as I don't need to go way high. I use it to go into building and into trucks. Belt is a textured type so it grips pretty well.
I use it as a level table as well. It'll adjust to different heights as I fill that building for instance from a truck. That's about 9 ft high there.
Scissor jack puts table up to 56 inches which is great for loading/unloading off the side of a truck.
Axle is a box in a box so you can slide it flush for putting a truck next to it.
Also made knuckles on the end that allow 90 degree lockable position. Wheels have 3/4 squares in them so you can move it all easily with a 3/4" drive ratchet. Think swing move into a truck/trailer/pile or storing it by yourself.
Made up a removable pivot hitch if moving while up is needed when attached to pull vehicle. Nice to have options with stuff.
Below is a link to the whole build. It may give you some ideas. The nice thing about this conveyor is that since it's electric, I have forward and reverse with switches at both ends. Pretty handy.
http://imageevent.com/kevininohio/conveyor?n=0&z=2&c=4&x=0&m=24&w=0&p=0
I use it as a level table as well. It'll adjust to different heights as I fill that building for instance from a truck. That's about 9 ft high there.
Scissor jack puts table up to 56 inches which is great for loading/unloading off the side of a truck.
Axle is a box in a box so you can slide it flush for putting a truck next to it.
Also made knuckles on the end that allow 90 degree lockable position. Wheels have 3/4 squares in them so you can move it all easily with a 3/4" drive ratchet. Think swing move into a truck/trailer/pile or storing it by yourself.
Made up a removable pivot hitch if moving while up is needed when attached to pull vehicle. Nice to have options with stuff.
Below is a link to the whole build. It may give you some ideas. The nice thing about this conveyor is that since it's electric, I have forward and reverse with switches at both ends. Pretty handy.
http://imageevent.com/kevininohio/conveyor?n=0&z=2&c=4&x=0&m=24&w=0&p=0
Let us be real here. It doesn't matter what it looks like if it saves you work and gets the job done.
fordf150
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here is the grating i was talking about. I guess its only about 18" long. Does a great job at letting the trash drop out. I clean out about a wheel barrow load of bark and splinters every 2 cord of wood or so. Several ways i could have made the grating/funnel work better but none of them would really fit my space. having the grating stay full width and dropping the wood into a funnel that was made onto the conveyor might solve my issues but i didnt have the height/space to do that. the conveyor at the angle pictured works great but much steeper and the pieces will sometimes flip over backwards. Taller angle iron would cure that but because of the design of it i could only add 1" angle without major modifications to the underside of the conveyor. This was my first attempt and it works ok but lots of little things i would change and do different. 
fordf150
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this is what i want to add to the new conveyor if i ever get to build it. getting rid of my grating and letting the wood fall directly off the factory grating onto the conveyor and getting rid of the trash with this style grating would probably eliminate 75% of the trouble i have with my setup.
After looking at the grate, I can see how the angled sides would cause a choke point. I have to admit, Your design is sort of what I had in mind also, so glad you posted the pics. My spitter wedge box frame will be 30in wide which means for a 12in conveyor, I would really have to cut the grate area in half where it enters the conveyor. I'm seeing a major problem in this area now. Off the top of my head, I am now thinking to place the conveyor all the way up under the wedges and let the wood drop straight down on the conveyor. Not sure how the belt material might hold up if the splitter ram was to push a piece of wood into it. Well anyways, my project is on hold until after the surgery and I dont have the processor even half built yet, I guess i have time to figure out a solution.
We posted at the same time, yep, I think the grate at the end of the conveyor might be the best bet.
We posted at the same time, yep, I think the grate at the end of the conveyor might be the best bet.
fordf150
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for all the complaining about my conveyor it does work reasonably well. Here is what has came off the end of it in just the last couple weeks of evenings. The lean to part of the building is roughly 13' high and 21' deep. The pile is the length of the building and 30' or so wide.
Thats just wrong, You should have put all that wood inside the shed. LOL. Actually I have a smaller portable carport, 14ft wide and 20ft long. I laid down pallets to stack my wood under. Never have had it completely full, usually about 4 cords to start the winter. I think it would hold a easy 7 cords, maybe 8 if I stack to the top.
