Homemade Firewood Processor - Got One?

[windfall]

From what i understand about processors a large part of it is the hydraulics, so although i am not making a processor i am building a hydraulic pump to run my splitter when its in the yard. I have a diesel JCB beaver powering it at the mo as its too expensive running it with the tractor!

 

You can find small Diesel engines kicking about, i have just found a super quiet electric start jobbie thats in a generator. The generator parts knackered, its in a perfect sized cage with sides etc. I am going to use this to power a twin speed hydraulic pump for my splitter. I still need to find a hydraulic fluid radiator to cool the fluid as it gets hot when its working and a fluid tank.

 

A honda GX motor can be converted to run on LPG but even LPG prices are rocketing, so recon you should look at poweing your contraption on red diesel.

 

There are a few videos on youtube of guys who have built their own processors, some work better than others!

 

I saw one from a thread here i think, where a guy just used a pipe cut in half as the elevator, the action of the splitter forcing the logs through made the logs rise up the elevator. It was ingenious!

[dylan]

you might have a problem connecting a pump to an ex generator engine as they usually have a tapered crank

there was a post on here about a home made processor(by fergusson i think)which looked well made

the simplist way is a chainsaw sawbench mounted over a horizontal splitter

[Joy Yeomans]

weve just fabricated/changed an old grain elevator to move sawdust from the bottom of our firewood processor straight into bulk bags, we used the top swivel part off a large corn elevator and took off the electric motor and plumbed in a hydraulic motor to run off the back of the tractor as the pto runs the processor, Rohan instead of welding the motor direct to the elevator fabricated a collar from the motor to the elevator. this could be used for part of your fabricated machine? - i would recommend tractor red derv route, as i know when filling up our little petrol chipper one jerry can a day at about £20 quid lasts no time, but one fil up on red derv at £8 quid lasts a few days processing - just a thought joy.

Edited October 20, 2011 by Joy Yeomans
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[gensetsteve]

No although I have good engineering skills from 20 years in the job I think you need that experience to realise how much time and development goes into a hard worked piece of machinery like a processor. Save yourself alot of time and money and buy something of the shelf. We run our processor of a 1000 pto with tractor ticking over. Red diesel is half the price and goes alot further than petrol as joy said. I dont think you are going to get a big processor on a trailer running on petrol. The Hakki pilki x42 is a huge piece of kit.

[ferguson]

Did you see my homemade firewood processor? you could modify it a bit and add an elavator

[windfall]

Love your beast Ferguson

[Michael C]

I find you need to have your wits about you when using a factory built processor with the proper guards and safety features built in.

Personally I wouldnt use a homemade one, never mind ask somebody else to..

[renewablejohn]

I really do like this for recycling it just needs a pair of 45 degree plates on either side and rotate the ram through 45 degrees and you would have a quick reasonably "safe" machine.

 

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zh5a0a6b9JM]wood splitter log splitter John Deere 14T hay baler splitting fast - YouTube[/ame]

[windfall]

Has anyone watched it till the end where the ram fails?! he proper poops himself.. understandable really.

 

I use some failry dodgy stuff but that puts me to shame!

[Alycidon]

Looks like the remains of a hay baler to me, designed for shoving grass along a tube maybe 18 inches square not splitting wood. If the operators hands survive intact to lunchtime ( which I doubt !!) then I cant see even a JD lasting that long.

 

I wonder what the H&S would say !!.

 

A