arboriculturist

100% this - buy the fastest cycle time conventional splitter you can find - or buy a larger processor as a decent roundwood splitter is a large investment and as others say - sell oversize as sawlogs. Over 10K to split a few oversize isn't viable - think about it.

I liked that post a lot - straight from the heart telling it as it is. I think a lot of us feel like that who have been toiling for a fair few years but don't like to admit it!

I know exactly what you mean, we get mountains of the stuff. If I recall you have gasification boilers that you feed with waste and split log lengths, Ergo or something like. I think there are several retailers about that like the idea of drying but due to the initial investment combined nosey neighbours and the planning issues as this is an industrial process, they are finished at the starting line. LPA's like to kill off any show of enterprise.

By my calculations the actual cost of the raw material i.e. split 20" softwood logs to dry your logs is £ 15 approx. per m3 - that is factoring everything: processing the 20", drying the 20", handling labour for the drying process of all fuel and finished product, installation cost and maintainance over a 10 year period drying 1000m3 +/annum. This is more applicable to those who have nothing at present. You probably have another 17 years or so to run on your current RHI of course.

Yes, I can appreciate the weaker exchange rate and rising timber prices have affected your margins but as you have you have increased your turnover during these times this has mainly negated the increased overheads. Did you manage to get the RHI on the tiny one or are you just running it as a stand alone. Do you know if new RHI applications are now over for people wishing to start drying firewood?

That's mega volume Ash! How much stock do you hold to sustain those figures if you don't mind me asking? I think you said you we using a 40ft container with 36 in each batch. You must be around 1500m3/year by now. The joys of being able to dry I suppose.

That's a familiar tale to many on here for sure. Like a lot of us working from base camp at least you can spend some quality time on Arbtalk, which can make you feel less isolated. I find its always good to have things to look forward to, if your a shooting person you will know exactly what I mean. Children coming home even etc etc. You have to be pro active and even take up something new. I once read a major tidy up can do wonders to lift the spirit ( can't say I've tried that yet looking around here!) Maybe think back to things you really enjoyed in the past, which could give you new ideas. Lots worse off than all of us put together remember. Chin up, Christmas is coming!

I think I mentioned when you arrived here that Valtra was one tool to get the job done, which is why they have always been popular down here. All the small scale boys use them and with 90hp on hand that is a usefull tool. 9t trailer a bonus although not sure you would want to max it out many places in Devon, but on occasion nice to have the capacity especially when the bendy crooked timber we have plenty of in the South shows up, giving a load consisting of 50% air! Others will give you a better insight than myself.

Same - with 7,5 tonne machine. A decent grapple saw on an Endcon tiltrotator and there would be no going back! that's a hefty investment though.Waste of time on anything less than 5 tonne machine. preferably 7.5.

Field Maple can be just the same. I don't think you will ever look back once you set up a screener that you can just run the logs through before dropping into your bagging system. A credit to you how dry your timber is though 👍

A lot of retailers wish their Firewood was that dry ! 😂

A decent size rotary drum trommel will give you the perfect product. There are quite a few advertised second hand or you could convert something, however this usually costs more that expected unless you have the time, skills and energy to do it yourself. A large infeed hopper you could load with the loader is what you have in mind of course. Good luck.

Thanks for the info - Black Friday this week, so a good time to buy one!

RH how long does the battery last in the MSA 200? We have 2 MS 200 saws and they are one of the best ground saws we have ever had for breaking down the crowns of felled mature trees - until these arrived it was a struggle to stop people using 201 climbing saws for the job.

Has the RHI gone completely now on new installations now do you know G ?