Chipy

I'm currently looking at an Alvan Blanch batch dryer to dry chip and peat. It will obviously take a while to dry logs but it might be OK to finish them.

Have a rough price?

I'm considering putting an Anaerobic Digester in and I need ways of using the heat up. I currently use envirobed (waste paper) to bed my cows with which has been kiln dried. I also have a 200kw log boiler which already heats houses etc so not much spare heat with that. I can buy the envirobed not kiln dried for a quarter of the price and get paid to dry it. I can also dry my logs for my biomass boiler. My question is is there such a drier that will dry logs and envirobed which is like sawdust?

Someone's suggested a sequence valve like this one Hydraulic sequence valves, 1/2" | Relief & Sequence Valves | Hydraulic Valves

Would this help with trying to run saw motor and saw ram on same valve?

Hired a cone splitter for a day before we decided to build this machine and I wasn't a fan. It was very fiddly trying to split a log into 4 pieces. Would have been worse to put them into 6 pieces which is my plan with my machine eventually. I felt we were handling the wood too much when we chain sawing them all then splitting them then lifting them into the bundler. Was extremely fiddly trying to put them in bundler with cone splitter

Just out of interest, how much is this homemade log processor costing? With the parts you have used AND your time charged at minimum wage?!

When you can buy a towable/petrol processor from someone like farmi for £10k or a second hand Posch 350 for £12k i don't really see the point in making one. In my opinion it's never going to be as good.

Simply because no one makes one that does what mine does which is cut a 10 foot length into a 5 foot length and then split it and bundle it. The reason I want them so long is my boiler has 6 foot chamber in it so the bigger my bundle is the less I need to load it. Im fairly sure no one in the world even makes one. Yes you get bundlers for 3 foot lengths but not 5 feet. Yes you get processors that do what mine does but largest stuff they split is around 55cm and yes you get just splitters that do meter lengths but that's all they do. Also this machine has made the whole process a 1 man job although it's faster with 2 because 1 of us can constantly load the bundler but were sometimes too busy for 2 of us to do it.

Cumbria, close to Kendal

 

Someone who hasn't got a clue

No one has suggested a better way of controlling the ram so no wonder im coming up with some weird ideas. Il have to try Approved Hydraulics again on tuesday. Id love to know how all these processors work because you push one lever on them and the saw runs and the ram pushes it down and the saw never stalls!

If an electric ram is the answer then can someone show me an example of what I'd need

I doubt many farmers have heard of PUWER lol

Also when the saw is fully up, I can't push it with my hand but when the saw is half way down I can push it 6 inch up or down which makes me think there's air in the line but we have bled it various times and can't stop the ram from having this movement in it. I'm presuming the ram shouldn't be able to be pushed by hand what ever position it's in but maybe I'm wrong?

Finally I have an update for you all. Fitted a motor spool for the saw so it comes to a gradual stop now instead of stopping dead which I was told would do damage in the long run. We also gave the saw motor its own spool valve and the saw ram its own spool. Saw seems to have bit more power now BUT the saw ram is far too sensitive on the lever that controls it. You only have to push it a bit to move it up or down and on our first attempt we snapped the end of the ram off because it flew back up to its park position so we have since learnt from that. This machine needs to be idiot proof because various people use it and someone's bound to do damage unless I can slow the ram down. We tried a needle control valve but ram was still too fast so I'm out of ideas! Someone suggested an electric ram? Could slow it down and wouldn't have too much power that would bend the bar if pushed too hard?

Yes it is a double acting ram but I've used all 6 of my spool valves.

I'm going to turn it into a double acting ram and just try it and see if it's the solution. If it is il have to think of a way of extending my block of spools

Now I'm really confused! Guy at Caledonian forestry has told me a solution which no one else has said so far. He said I should have saw piped up like a harvester head is, which is to have the saw ram T'eed into the return pipe not the flow pipe like I have. Straight after the T there should be a needle control valuable which will control the speed at which the ram drops. Would this work?

That sounds interesting. Anyone know if this valve can be bought off the shelf anywhere?

Thanks for all the advice I'm gong to spend next week trying to sort it!

That work?

http://vid29.photobucket.com/albums/c251/adamchippy/Mobile%20Uploads/trim.5E94B123-FB6D-43AA-A655-C428BFE2DCED.mp4

http://vid29.photobucket.com/albums/c251/adamchippy/Mobile%20Uploads/trim.25B14BFE-8F04-497A-A4E6-3EA07CF536E1.mp4

Works when I click on it. Am I sharing the right link off photo bucket? It's the "direct" one that I'm copying the link from

Here's a couple of vids to show you what it's doing. Short vid shows it working fine but it was just one of those really light weight logs that's easy to cut anyway. 2nd vid shows it sticking. Whilst it's sawing I'm twisting the needle control valve which controls speed that the ram drops. I have to have it set at about 1 for it to finally chop the log but that's far too slow. Hoping to try giving the ram its own feed this weekend and see if it's better.

trim.5E94B123-FB6D-43AA-A655-C428BFE2DCED.mp4 Video by adamchippy | Photobucket

trim.25B14BFE-8F04-497A-A4E6-3EA07CF536E1.mp4 Video by adamchippy | Photobucket

The above is what I would do.

 

Trying to have the speed of the bar lowering fixed will be a compromise if you do get it working. Too slow on small logs slowing you down and to fast for big ones causing it to stall.

How do proper processors manage? They don't stall and always seem to go same speed. Do they just have a lot more power?

forgot to mention I've already got one of these 161820637252 to control the downwards speed of the saw ram and I've another one to fit to the bar oiler. We had it at every single setting and it didn't affect performance of the saw or smoothness of ram dropping. Spoke to approved hydraulics and there recommending I try disconnecting one of the other functions such as the log deck feed and try plumbing that to the saw ram so the saw motor and saw ram are on seperate spool valves and see if it's still jerky etc then. Also try turning down the pressure release valve I think. What ever part it is that determines at what point the digger would stall. They said digger might be running at its limit and they didn't think I would need all 2000psi so could reduce that a bit. I don't think the latter will do much but might be worth a try

Finally got the new saw plumbed up and the flipping thing still not working right. The attached picture is to give you an idea of how we did it. The motor that approved hydraulics supplied me is a 22cc motor as apposed to the 8cc M Large would normally supply with this saw. This was so that I wouldn't have to dump most of the 70lpm of oil coming from the diggers pump. The pressure coming from the digger is 2000psi which should be enough for the saw. The issue I'm having is the ram pushing the saw down isn't very smooth. Its bit jerky. The saw also stalls in the log which would make me think its a pressure issue. I think the flow is plenty because the saw spins very fast. The thing I'm not sure about is whether its ok to T off the ram pipe from the main flow pipe and then to T off the ram pipe to the bar oiler? It set up so that 1 spool valve will work the saw, the saw ram and the bar oiler all at the same time.

Can anyone show me a video of how to tie a know that would secure my log bundles. Ideally a slip knot but with something extra so that once pulled tight I can cut it and it will stay tight. There will be a lot tension on the rope so all knots need to be tied before I pull it tight with the hydraulics

I have the saw now. After speaking to approved hydraulics, it appeares my digger was going to have too much flow (70 lpm) for the small 8cc motor that would have come with the saw and would have destroyed it eventually so approved hydraulics are selling my a 25cc motor for £100 less than M Larges 8cc motor. This way I don't have to dump as much oil back to the tank. According to approved hydraulics I also need a Priority Flow Control Valve to only allow the 30-40 litres the motor needs to get to it and then dump the other 30-40 back in the tank. I'm probably also going to need a case drain back to the tank off the motor just to be safe. Does all this sound correct?