Alycidon

1180kg + log loader at 160kg according to their web site. I would think you could lift that but may want front weights and power steering. Wants 30kw to drive it so you have more than enough I think. A

Not so much power its lifting capacity unless you can plant it into position with a teleporter. A

I did a batch of 2 year felled Ash and Syc about a month ago,, 26% and 21% when processed into bags, checked them tonight, most are sub 10%. A

Get Warty our tame cow in there and she would just upset things a bit !. Nice stacks, I would be proud of them. A

Most firewood supplies who sell any volume use a processor, this splits the log after cutting. Far better to buy ready split. A

pm sent. A

What a great idea that is, thanks for sharing. A

I have a Japa 700 with a manual Japa pole rack. The major downside of this machine is that the timber is moved to the blade, thats fine for 1.5m lengths but any longer and they foul on the rack so need lifting or cutting with a chainsaw. I load the rack with a teleporter and log grab, it takes an hour or so to service the tractor, loader, machine etc and set it up and another hour or so to take down and clear up the sawdust. On my own on 3m lengths 50mm - 250mm (most it can take) cutting 240mm long from 9am - 5pm with a short stop for water every hour I do 8 cube a day, on shorter timber with help I have done 12-14 cube. I now am getting a decent pile of big trunks, 240mm long logs means 12 cuts per length usually, that means on an 6 way 78 logs (or 104 on an 8 way), that means a cubic meter every 6 logs roughly given a bigger machine. I have in mind persisting with the JAPA for one more season then trade up, it has been a good machine and a big step up but volumes are increasing rapidly and time spent processing is very limited due to other business constraints. Another option might be to call in a contract processor for a few days. Starting for scratch today I would spend more and have a hydraulic in feed with an option of powering a hydraulic rack. Another option is that Tajfun 400 mentioned earlier and its loader, then when you can afford it trade the loader for a proper hyd rack. A means of handling the timber mechanically is vital. Even shoving the logs into my Japa on rollers knackers me, I could not do 2 full days on the trot with it but I am quite old. A

Most of us have sawdust to dispose of, I burn mine. Others sell it to pet shops, some give to to their landowner for use as animal bedding. I would be very surprised if anyone here wants it unless they have a small scale pelleting machine. A

We need nationally to have a concentrated effort to hassle these people. Tax inspectors to start with, vans and big caravans are not cheap and usually all paid for in cash. VAT inspectors, school attendance people, etc etc etc. Confiscate anything major that cant be proved to have been paid for with tax paid funds. A

Excellent,

I deliver exclusively in bags. Load with a teleporter or similar on pallets onto a low bodied trailer with ramp. reverse up to where customer wants bag, roll it off with a pump truck. I use an 8x5 IFW GD85, 4 foot pallet on the front, europallet on the back, pump truck behind that, tight fit though, usually needs a poke with the teleporter to create enough room. Dragging a bag will convert it into a tube in double quick time, not a good idea if you want to re use the bag. Customer keeps bag and pallet until empty, yes you do loose an odd one from time to time but thats all. A

I am processing timber at the moment for firewood, delivered in during 2011 quite a bit of the Sycamore has spalted nicely. If I slice this into rings with the Japa of say 1 inch or less thick; A, Will they subsequently split? B, How do I maintain the spalted patterns? Some I put aside last spring have faded almost completely. Will probably be finished this batch next week then onto fresh felled. Thanks A

Have checked the minimum combustible clearances that stove needs. Be a shame to set light to that surround. Just looks a bit close but might be ok depending on the stove. Most are 600mm above but some are less. A

Japa do a lighter duty one that bolts together, to this can be added roller(s) to move the log to the processor but moving the logs down to the feed trough would be manual. As the rack is at an angle thats not to bad. I do have one but would not fancy putting anymore than 2 cube on it. Fuelwood usually have used ones kicking about. A

The trailer log deck that tajfun does is nice but far too expensive. What sort of cost are you talking?, hydraulic log decks that can take half an hours supply of big timber are all pretty robust and as a result pretty expensive. I do like the look of the JAPA rack with the extension on the back end, that is height adjustable. A

Is this not a lesson to all in how to handle a problem even when it was not of their making. As a result of doing the right thing fast Kilworth have done themselves more good than thousands spent advertising. All credit to them. A

Go about 80-90 cube processed so far, 2011 cord so they are superb. Got another 25-30 cube in that batch then onto recently delivered cord. Doubt that will be ready for January so will have to buy in again I expect. You lads like Elfinwood Saws who are seasoning outside with no rain cover, if you process fresh felled Ash cord in say March/April what do you expect the MC to be in September ?. Thinking of trying a few bags outside this time to see how they go. A

As a stove retailer who sells a bit of firewood I agree. Its an education thing. I was processing timber today and I have taken a lad under my wing a bit who is giving me a hand in exchange for some training. He was arguing that kiln dried can be to dry, it goes up the chimney to fast. I am explaining that the energy within the log is first used to evaporate the remaining moisture and the rest of the energy is then converted into heat. So the drier the log the more heat you get. Usually I get the point through to potential stove owners no problem but this lad was having none of it. As sellers of fuel we need to support the case for wood disappearing fast as we are the suppliers !!. Soft burns well, very well, customers like it, especially customers with no fire experience as it allows then to build a nice fire easily. Downside on soft for me is the cost of cord when compared to hard. Just not enough difference to make processing it really viable. Processed price is very similar yet the market price is £20 a cube different, thats £20 less profit. A

Depends what species it is, Sycamore and you could be 23T. plenty of Ash and you are likely to be 26-27T. You still get the same volume of wood but it weighs a bit less. Some timber trailers are equiped with self weighers. A

That sounds then a decent set up, does your processor not have slots under the splitter to get rid of the lot of the small crap?. It sounds like you were getting quite a bit of sawdust into the bag. My sawdust gets thrown out under the tractor and a good few chips fall out under the splitter chamber. Even though these slots are 25mm or so wide they still get blocked. A piece of hessian sack would perhaps be a lighter mat, untill it got wet anyway !!. Thanks for sharing., A