Small billiet bundler

[Pinkfoot]

Der Guinness were reet good.

Hic!

We have almost the same crawler.

Ours gas Massey Ferguson written on it , but looks the same.

 

sent from my phone but never in work time.

[difflock]

MF crawlers of the 1970's through to 1990's were rebadged Landini, to my knowledge.

Mine is a wee 60 hp Fiat, with same bonnet tinwork as the legendary(imho) 640.

cheers

mth

[Woodworks]

Been out with the splitter today and to demonstrate you can have control with the basic winch got a picture of a fair sized ring being hauled into place. Also a picture of the extra pulley to give more modulation when pulling the clutch engagement rope.

[difflock]

Woodworks,

"I see what you did there  .  .  ."

but one cannot let the winch control rope go, and continue to  hold the log or ring stationary "in limbo" to then manhandle it into position for splitting.

Which one could with any hydraulic winch.

*****

Anyway, I revisited my 17 tonne pretensioner.

And See photos below.

A few comments,

I might need a better/heavier wire rope, this bit was a very old cutting.

I forgot to buy a thimble to protect the wire rope going through the eye at the wedge, this was then the weak point.

I might fit a pully to the inside of the 90 deg pipe bend, the only location the rope changes direction under load.

Again I deliberately tested to destruction, and as I surmised, the rope broke at the eye without a thimble.

BUT

the creaks and groans of the bundle of billets was impressive, plus the tractor had started to feel the load, immediately prior to the failure of the wire rope.

Which failed with very little fuss being contained inside the steel tube.

Note, I had previously put 3 No polyester straps round the bundle, tightened them up alternately, while bashing the billets in with a light sledge, until they were absolutely "pinging" and could not be got any tighter.

I then put the wire rope around the bundle and tightened it with the hydraulic ram, the polyester straps were then very loose again.(note photo of fingers behind)

And the wire rope cut into the log beside my fingers, tight or wot!

So pretension with the hyd ram, then strap up with the polyester.

No more saggy loose bundles.

The wee Kioti will easily stack them 4 high, possibly 5, but 5 high could start to get unstable=unsafe.

So well pleased with my afternoons work.

Edited January 27, 2018 by difflock

[difflock]

Bish, Bash, Bosh, 

And with the  thimble fitted, 100% job,

I re-tensioned the bundle until the timber creaked, strapped up, then wondered if the bale spike would be able to penetrate the much-tightened bundle, without toppling the wooden bundling stand?.

But, hurrah!, still surprisingly loose-ish in the middle, certainly sufficient to allow for easy penetration of the bale spike, this despite the outer layers/skin being drum tight, the bundle did not sag or distort in the slightest, which was/is good.

On reflection, the outer "ring" of billets compresses radially and in so doing form a circular "arch", which once compressed,  limits the inward reach of the compressive force.

From my perspective a very neat effect.

P.S.

Despite the bundles being "tight", I have absolutely zero concerns about passage of the drying wind being in any significent way restricted,

since my timber is far from straight there are plenty of unavoidable voids throughout the bundle.

PPS

too bloody cold to be out so otherwise productively occupied in my shed

cheers

mth

[difflock]

making slow progress, too bloody hot, anyway after faffing about pre-tensioning the bundles with the splitter ram.

Ye know what?

A third strap does more good, starting with the middle strap.

 

 

 

Edited June 28, 2018 by difflock