Rethink required, billet bundles are too heavy

[renewablejohn]

Just get one of these trailers then you will be able to bring back 10 bundles at a time

 

[Woodworks]

Love that John.

 

Marcus

the trailer idea is not for transport just a platform to build a deck for cutting lengths into billets. I have a very basic one for ringing up larger wood and it takes the backache out of it. No reason I can see why it would not work for cutting billets to length. I will nip out and take picture. Don't laugh too much as it is pretty rustic but does the job.

[difflock]

RNj

I was aware of these simple ingenious bale systems, BUT

(i) Not cutting in a nice large level dry stubble field. Am "up the Moss"

(ii) billet bundles will NOT slide(and I realize they sholud NOT really need to, but??), strapping ud possibly be more likely tear or break as billets "snagged", either during loading or unloading.

But a wonderful simple system for the job it was designed to do.

 

WW

Yes I realized as a basis for a log rack:thumbup1:

cheers

M

Edited September 24, 2014 by difflock

[Woodworks]

A few pics of the trailer log deck with fence post for illustration. Ends but up to front of trailer so measurement can be permanently marked onto front edge for cutting reference.

[Ashes_Firewood]

Cool idea

[rowan lee]

Nice one Beau. I like rustic.

 

Marcus - Trade/sell the crawler, bench saw, splitter and invest in a decent SH processor and use IBC crates. No more triple handling wood. No more sore back, no more gizmos, contraptions etctetcetc

 

Tractor winch trailer/grab combo in the moss (winch stays in the bog)

Tractor to processor with trailer/grab combo at side loading your infeed at the yard, to IBC crates. DONE! You only touch the wood ONCE when you unload the seasoned timber from the crates.

 

Too simple though......right?!!

[Logan]

yeah, far to simple! If you're in billets, it's hard to walk away from it!

 

One day, I might do as you say. But I can't get my head round it. If you process say 500 tonnes a season, how many crates do you have to buy to get it all seasoning? We let our billets dry for about a yr on average, that's a lot of crates to buy. Are they cheap?

 

Was planning on vented bags but put off by the yeah cost.

 

I guess it gets made up on the time saving.

[difflock]

Nice one Beau. I like rustic.

 

Marcus - Trade/sell the crawler, bench saw, splitter and invest in a decent SH processor and use IBC crates. No more triple handling wood. No more sore back, no more gizmos, contraptions etctetcetc

 

Tractor winch trailer/grab combo in the moss (winch stays in the bog)

Tractor to processor with trailer/grab combo at side loading your infeed at the yard, to IBC crates. DONE! You only touch the wood ONCE when you unload the seasoned timber from the crates.

 

Too simple though......right?!!

 

probably:lol::lol:

[rowan lee]

yeah, far to simple! If you're in billets, it's hard to walk away from it!

 

One day, I might do as you say. But I can't get my head round it. If you process say 500 tonnes a season, how many crates do you have to buy to get it all seasoning? We let our billets dry for about a yr on average, that's a lot of crates to buy. Are they cheap?

 

Was planning on vented bags but put off by the yeah cost.

 

I guess it gets made up on the time saving.

 

I love doing billets as well. But one day my back will say enough is enough. If you are a one man operation like myself/Marcus/poss. yourself and you do billets, there is no escaping constant heavy lifting at some stage or another. If you can be mechanical all the way to the end stage i.e lifting 9inch seasoned logs out of a crate, then you are doing your back a justice. Unfortunately this can never be achieved on your own in the billeting process.

 

Do you reckon there are many 500t(+) guys doing billets? Only one springs to mind. And its intimate twice with the 1mtr lengths, once whilst unseasoned and once seasoned. Using crates for this amount of billets would not be feasible or economic.

[Woodworks]

yeah, far to simple! If you're in billets, it's hard to walk away from it!

 

One day, I might do as you say. But I can't get my head round it. If you process say 500 tonnes a season, how many crates do you have to buy to get it all seasoning? We let our billets dry for about a yr on average, that's a lot of crates to buy. Are they cheap?

 

Was planning on vented bags but put off by the yeah cost.

 

I guess it gets made up on the time saving.

 

A crate holds around half a ton of wet logs. Turnaround from wet to dry is approximately 1 1/2 crates per year if you can sell all year around. So 666 crates . We pay £20 per crate so £13333 for all the crates.

I presume billets need pallets at least they do the way we do them. Still £5 for a good pallet and slower drying but still much cheaper in material terms than crates.