With the price of a cord around $250 here already I am thinking of getting serious about selling it,been looking at processors,anyone out there running one,or any ideas?
FIREWOOD PROCESSORS
- Thread starter loggie
- Start date
-
Active since 1995, Hearth.com is THE place on the internet for free information and advice about wood stoves, pellet stoves and other energy saving equipment.
We strive to provide opinions, articles, discussions and history related to Hearth Products and in a more general sense, energy issues.
We promote the EFFICIENT, RESPONSIBLE, CLEAN and SAFE use of all fuels, whether renewable or fossil.
- Status
If I had the money to buy a wood processor, there is only one kind I would purchase. I've looked at many and this is so much better than the others and the price is no more than the others. Watch the videos and see how good this machine works. The smaller units are being used by many to run fire wood business's without trouble. Basically a stand alone machine that doesn't need a tractor to bring you the logs or set them up so a lift can put them on the processor. Just put it by a log load a go to town.
http://www.chomper.net/
http://www.chomper.net/
I too am looking at firewood processors. The orboristsite is better for heavy equipment like this, there are more proffessional users there. I liked the chomper but it is limited in size. The best no holds barred seems to be the cord king. Top of the line they run $100,000 but have the least compromise, can cut 28" logs, split them 12 ways w/72 ton ram, and can move 7 cord an hour. I have a friend who has one and loves it. The people I have spoke to who had chompers wish they had a cord king and many have upgraded to it without regrets. The biggest problem is finding the wood to feed these beasts. They easily produce 50 cord/day so selling radius needs to be factored in as well as wood supply.
savageactor7
Minister of Fire
savageactor7 said:
I too was impressed with the chomper especially the one man opration and claimed lowered maintenance. After speaking to owners I have some reservations. The biggest complaint seems to be that it doesn't always cut very cleanly producing lots of slash, also I have heard lots of complaints about the speed. The machine is rated at 4 cord/hour owners say they are lucky to get two. The cord king my friend has runs an easy 5/cord hour, it's rated for 7. Also it can take a much bigger diameter stick.
savageactor7
Minister of Fire
One of my neighbors has a feller buncher with the blade cutter like the chomper...much better than the chain saw....very low maintainance.
I have been looking hard at the blockbuster models,even the largest model 24" dia is less than half the cost of a cord king,I think the biggest problem with any of them is feeding them,going thru a log truck load in less than a day is alot of sticks to move around.
The cost about half as much but also produce about half the wood/hr and will cost a lot more in maintenance (both time and money)loggie said:
Hansson
Feeling the Heat
I dont now if Japa have a seller in the US but they are making good processors.
You can have it behind the car for short transports.
I have the electric motor
Found a video..
http://www.dataratas.fi/japa/images/stories/flash/japa300/VTS_03_1.htm
You can have it behind the car for short transports.
I have the electric motor
Found a video..
http://www.dataratas.fi/japa/images/stories/flash/japa300/VTS_03_1.htm
Anyone familiar with the Hud-Son line of processors? We were up at the Woodsman Days in Booneville, NY this summer and they had a smaller (I call it a home-owner) version called the Badger. It was a pretty slick processor. Can take up to 16" diameter wood, is easily towed to any location, and the best part is all the parts are standard off-the shelf items! Price is around $13k so that seems reasonable as well. Hud-Son Badger
That is an interesting little unit,I like the cable feed I was considering building my own processor with that design,nice and simple can take the whole tree and does not need another machine to feed once you have the sticks lined up. Needs to be bigger for me though.
kenny chaos
Minister of Fire
Getting enough logs, especialloy now with all the mills closing, is impossible, unless... My bud has been in the biz 15yrs. and buys from loggers all over the northeast. Because he just landed a source for 20,000 facecord of firewood, he'll upgrade to the cordking. Cord king is top of the line but can you keep it busy? Hud-son comes up with something cute every year. I'd expect problems with any processor used regularly. Are you up on your hydraulics and mechanics?
I'm not extremely handy but I wanted one, so I spent a couple years mulling over the idea, studying all the videos, pictures, and spec sheets I could find (which is a lot) and then did my trip to Boonville. Went into the barn at the beginning of winter and in the spring I rolled out "THE ANGRY BEAVER." I won't be going in the firewood business full time with it but I could make a little extra helping guys around town cutting and splitting their log piles.
I'm not extremely handy but I wanted one, so I spent a couple years mulling over the idea, studying all the videos, pictures, and spec sheets I could find (which is a lot) and then did my trip to Boonville. Went into the barn at the beginning of winter and in the spring I rolled out "THE ANGRY BEAVER." I won't be going in the firewood business full time with it but I could make a little extra helping guys around town cutting and splitting their log piles.
For me, the mechanical and hydraulic side of maintaining a processor is no big deal. I work in the maintenance department at a large aluminum plant in Oswego and we deal with everything from simple plumbing to fully hydraulic gauge control using servo and proportional valving. The Hud-Son Badger was actually priced at $10,900 in August during the Woodsman Days show. It now is $12,900. Seems to me I could build it for half anyway.
I have to buy my wood either way and the last couple of years I have been getting a really good deal on wood that is cut and split already. All I have to do is haul it home and stack it. Next spring I will probably have to get a couple loads of logs and figured a processor would be the easy way to get it processed. Our summers are just too short with all the camping we do.
I have to buy my wood either way and the last couple of years I have been getting a really good deal on wood that is cut and split already. All I have to do is haul it home and stack it. Next spring I will probably have to get a couple loads of logs and figured a processor would be the easy way to get it processed. Our summers are just too short with all the camping we do.
Congrats on on your "ANGRY BEAVER" you are someone I could talk to a while.What did you use for your cutoff saw motor?I am pretty handy and a fairly good welder need to brush up on the hydo a bit but every project is a learning experience.I am basically thinking of building it over a modified 3 point splitter with a 6way wedge with the tractor running a pto 21 gpm pump with a hydraulic winch to feed.I can only find one cutoff saw set up to take a .404 bar and chain.I wanted to go to boonesville this year to see all the processors but I couldn't make it,I do have all the videos though.
kenny chaos
Minister of Fire
loggie- the saw motor was and remains the problem. I burned up too much $$$ experimenting and now I have to wait. I got a shop that can get me the "right" one. They did most the plumbing also. A smart move for me. In the interim, I use a Stihl. I like your idea but would strongly consider a saw blade like the cord king uses. Those saws are really fast and will cut hundreds of cords with NO maintenance
! They're scary but sweet scary.
! They're scary but sweet scary.I like the blade Idea,but I don't think it is practical for a small operation.The cost of the blade and the inserts must be more than a hundreds of bars and chains and the cord king uses an 80 to 100hp hydraulic motor to turn it depending on blade size from a 125hp diesel with 100gpm pump.It is simply off the scale for a home built unit and you will probably burn at least 30 gal of diesel a day with that monster.I don't think I could produce,sell and deliver more than 100 cds a year myself considering few people buy wood in spring and summer on a part time basis.I think a cutoff saw motor around 10 hp would be about be about right for a 21gpm pump which should cut alot faster than say my 066 with 7hp.what do you power the ANGRY BEAVER with?
kenny chaos
Minister of Fire
What I couldn't scrounge I got off of e-bay. I found a 16hp water cooled industrial Kawasaki engine (brand new $600!) and hooked it to a 22gpm pump. I got an old five way bank valve out of an old Steiger tractor. This operates the log lift, log conveyor, the hold down, the saw, and the splitter. I'm almost tempted to keep using a chainsaw and use the extra hydraulic valve for a conveyor for the split wood. Warning: it will pile up fast. Mine isn't too quick, about one full cord every two hours, but that's a whole lot better than I can do by hand and it does all the grunt work.
You could certainly scale down the cord king but I understand all the design thought that is involved.
I like mine a lot!
Good-luck and have a ball.
You could certainly scale down the cord king but I understand all the design thought that is involved.
I like mine a lot!
Good-luck and have a ball.
I currently am using a hud-son lil joe hydraulic processor. But am unable to keep up with the volume of firewood orders, so I am comptemplating going to a larger capacity processor. Not that it will cure all the problems as getting logs has been a problem or if you can find logs they want an arm and a leg for a load.
A client of mine ordered a mini processor from Finland (or possibly Norway) the brand name escapes me. But its PTO powered behind a 40hp tractor. It has a table with a cordwood saw and then the pieces drop down for a screw type splitter. I haven't seen it in action yet but it could be an interesting rig for pretty cheap.
kenny chaos
Minister of Fire
Dill said:
It seems like there are more than plenty of mini-processors over seas and I wonder if it has something to do with their available timber. The videos and pictures always show long, straight, small diameter, pine.
I would be very curious to know how it works out for your client.
- Status
