HertsWood

They aren't cheap, but compared to the cost of buying a unimog they are a lot less. Plus you keep your Land Rover axles standard as they bolt onto the end of the axles.

The wheels are beadlock rims - approx £300 euro each with CTIS ability.

Hornbeam coppice

Splitting into billets for my charcoal retort.

I'm toying with the idea of installing Tibus Portal Hubs to my 2004 130....

Hornbeam coppice

They certainly are.

With the operator being up to 200m from the machine if required. No risk.

High productivity.

I metracs are great up to 45 degrees.

After that you need an Irus Deltrak.

Dangerous on a slope with a clearing saw.

Consider this option - available to hire with operator (me).

Can work on slopes up to 60 degrees depending on ground conditions.

Yeah love my Antonio Carraro. It does what it says on the tin.

Has I get busier and go into bigger woods, keep toying with the idea of finding a used WF-trac1100..

When I started a decade ago, first thing I did was to get a a waste carriers licence, permit to burn & exemption to store up to 100 tonnes of chip/ wood waste on the farm where I'm based, even though the farm already had a permit to burn, I got my own. Paperwork & time consuming but both free and just renewed every 3 years.

Saved a lot of grief.

I love my Defender 130 tipper, made more drivable by the JE Engineering Stage 2 remap done a few years ago - more torque, as well as power that gives golf GTR drivers a fright now and then!

Only thing I'm looking at now are the Tibus Portal Hubs - the amount of woodland work we do where I need all the clearance I can get make it a no brainer, while still being cheaper than a unimog! (Sorry for swearing on the forum!)

Or, even better than a spider that needs a winch on steep slopes - get an Irus Deltrak like mine.....

There is a top vent on the Retort

I try not to go above 550 degrees. Normally cap off at 520.

My 3rd burn when to 570 degrees and I just vented and lit the wood gasses to bring the temp back down to just below 500 degrees. Then left it to carry on cooking.

More info here:

http://tinyurl.com/mm4u8ho

Hi Richard,

Just graded batch 2 (the photo) and got approx 40x 3kg bags and about 30 kg of graded (20mm fragments) of BioChar.

Grading Single species (6kg) Ash Charcoal this morning.

Steep uneven slopes is not a place for a ride-on mower.

This is what you need....

3rd batch....

Oak, Alder & Cherry

Hi Richard,

I had about 25 brown ends from the second batch but they've just been put back in to cook with the 3rd batch

I suspect volume of charcoal will go up the more burns I do and the better the production process evolves.

The Haith grader arrived on Saturday...

Regarding what goes into the retort; I source the majority of my timber for either WoodFuel or charcoal from the woodland management operations we carry out for clients.

I try and use as much of the tree as possible with only smaller branch wood being left as habitat piles.

I'm working in woods at the moment, where we are coppicing lots of Alder, clearing Sycamore and thinning Ash. With the odd patch of Oak and hornbeam thrown in for good measure.

Hi Woodworks,

The bulk bag of ash was the first I lifted with the 520.

I've got a lot of ash, alder and oak dry at the moment - I don't preselect what firewood be get, so the same is true for selecting bags for firewood.

It took 1.25x 1.2m3 bags to fill the Retort. And I've 3/4 filled a1m3 cooling bin with Ash and nearly brimmed the 2nd one with the second batch.

Probably getting 4:1 maybe 3.5:1

It's early days - only 3rd burn....

Charcoal ad promised

This was the 1st burn last Tuesday.

After 2 1/4 hrs Retort temp at 475 degrees C

Temp probe is fitted through a 7.5mm hole at the top of the door. I've fitted a stainless steel K-probe this morning which was threaded, so it's permanently attached to the door - just need to plug it into the reader as and when required.

Temperature got to 475 in 2 1/4 hrs with just 3 old clean pallets.

Got up to 525 degrees and was then controlled using the top vent and lighting off the wood gases.

When I went home last night at 6.30pm if was all but over and the temp was starting to drop. Kept the firebox open slightly to ensure there was pull.

This morning at 8am the temp was just over 100 and it was opened & the charcoal emptied into a 1m3 cooling bin with airtight lid.

First burn of the new retort yesterday - used English Ash with a m/c of 14%