After dealing with one Hazelnut shelling plant for 27 years...the old guard are retiring and new folks are taking over the operation.
The new operators are not at all interested in taking care of small buyers (We buy around 8000# of shells each year to burn in the pellet stoves)
So with this revelation we had to find a new supplier.
Good luck was quickly achieved and a new supplier acquired.....
Farther away, and slightly higher cost....but great folks...
Thursday we loaded up the rig and headed out for our first load of the season.
A full load at 1600# and great weather to deal with getting the materials barreled up and stored.
The new supply is great.....only down side is the amount of STICKS in the shells.
Seems that this company does not have anything in the processing line to clear out the twigs.
TWIGS ARE A SIN THAT CAN NOT BE TOLERATED ...
In a stove they can and will jam an auger and break things...
We have to crush the shells to make them usable in the stoves (Old plant had nicely crushed shells up until last season)....so I built a "MUNCHY" to crush the stuff to just the right size.
New plant we are using also has 1/2 shells...... so the Munch was not a wasted build.....
We unloaded the new product and got it barreled up THUR/FRI
Yesterday we rolled out the "Munchy" and ran some of the new materials.
Had to set up a 1 inch screen to get a handle on the large amount of sticks.
The Munch is set up with the Roller and anvil at distance of .150" (APPROX. 5/32")
The shells are hard and round/rounded ....going through the machine between the roller and the anvil they break up nicely.
Sticks will jam the machine.....no damage...just have to stop and open the anvil to allow the crap to fall through...
Time consuming is all.
Here are some pics....Video...
NOTE....We actually feed the shells through Munchy much faster...did it slowly for the video...so folks could see wasssssup.
Large stove operating
One piccy shows the shells as we get them
The new operators are not at all interested in taking care of small buyers (We buy around 8000# of shells each year to burn in the pellet stoves)
So with this revelation we had to find a new supplier.
Good luck was quickly achieved and a new supplier acquired.....
Farther away, and slightly higher cost....but great folks...
Thursday we loaded up the rig and headed out for our first load of the season.
A full load at 1600# and great weather to deal with getting the materials barreled up and stored.
The new supply is great.....only down side is the amount of STICKS in the shells.
Seems that this company does not have anything in the processing line to clear out the twigs.
TWIGS ARE A SIN THAT CAN NOT BE TOLERATED ...
In a stove they can and will jam an auger and break things...
We have to crush the shells to make them usable in the stoves (Old plant had nicely crushed shells up until last season)....so I built a "MUNCHY" to crush the stuff to just the right size.
New plant we are using also has 1/2 shells...... so the Munch was not a wasted build.....
We unloaded the new product and got it barreled up THUR/FRI
Yesterday we rolled out the "Munchy" and ran some of the new materials.
Had to set up a 1 inch screen to get a handle on the large amount of sticks.
The Munch is set up with the Roller and anvil at distance of .150" (APPROX. 5/32")
The shells are hard and round/rounded ....going through the machine between the roller and the anvil they break up nicely.
Sticks will jam the machine.....no damage...just have to stop and open the anvil to allow the crap to fall through...
Time consuming is all.
Here are some pics....Video...
NOTE....We actually feed the shells through Munchy much faster...did it slowly for the video...so folks could see wasssssup.
Large stove operating
One piccy shows the shells as we get them
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