Rick's Firewood Processor, homemade 

Thanks Jason.

yeah and a nice good reliable kubota wich cant beat those beast

Thanks Jason, most of it was trial and error. Just lucked out on some components that worked well first try.

thanks, kj inohio

the log deck is a bit longer and there is also a 4 foot extension on the elevator to accommodate the larger trailer I purchased. The 14k trailer easily holds 1 1/2 cords without having to stack any by hand

I feel there also be a end support while logs are cut, a splitter bypass (to bin) for logs not needing splitting and a return to the splitter for log sections still too large. ;-) (less motion, more safety).

+Sam Little Thanks. It's a work in progress. I add a few updates to it each year.

+urgentcareguy3, the firewood conveyor is built from scratch. The bottom eight feet is made from a single sheet of 1/16" steel cut lengthwise and bent to form the top and bottom sections. The ends are supported with angle iron for reinforcement. I have the processor build documented on arboristsite.com at www.arboristsite.com/community/threads/archertwos-processor.113857/ If you want more info just ask.

I would probably need a much bigger engine to run a hydraulic saw motor and it would be much more expensive to set up. As of now I have a couple of spare saws it that one lets go.

+USNVA , I don't smoke. The "Smoke Stack" is my brother in law who was only there for that load and neither of us drink any more.

archertwo Awww darn :-( Not real timber men. :-(

+archertwo Wise choice. Wobbling around with all that powerful sharp stuff is a bad combination. I'm goofy enough without it!

The way I have it set up it will do one cord per hour quite easily. I'm not in that much of a hurry. I only do two loads of one and a half cords per day on the weekends. I now have a different, wider and longer trailer so pretty well no need to stack any by hand. Just smooth out the top a bit and roll out the tarp to cover the load. The live feed log deck eliminates the need to roll logs by hand to the feed belt and the extended conveyor helps on the other end

55HP Kubota engine would be great to have but I'm only using a 15HP engine. Though it may be a bit under power it works fine for me. The handle of the saw is actually pulled up and if you notice on some cuts I actually only use finger pressure to depress the trigger on the saw. The saw's weight is actually applying most of the pressure to cut the blocks. A sharp chain is the key.

pete, we're in Nova Scotia, Canada. It's not a year long operation. Just cut 60-70 cords per year mostly in the spring when it's too wet do do anything else. For hardwood we have sugar maple, silver or soft maple, beech, yellow birch, ash, etc. I have a bit over 300 acres myself of which almost half is hardwood. I also get some on other lots where we cut softwood and some hardwood now and then. Both tractors are 85 hp Kubotas with Kesla 203T loaders and 9Ton wagons.

archertwo Thanks I like that set up for sure ! and I really like the tractor setup's.

+Rain Coast I'm in the boonies here and we get $200 to$240/cord split and delivered depending where you are but in or near the city they are getting around $300/cord.

archertwo Wow. Mind you, the firewood here is mainly fir or pine, some cedar, are the common types. The best is cured arbutus. Have to split it when its green. Hard as rock after curing, but is expensive. Hard to find.

When you described Arbutus I knew it had to be Madrone. Sure enough! There's a lot of it in northern california. I had a tree on my property two people couldn't reach around. It was so far down a steep ravine into a creek there was no way anyone could drag it out for firewood lol so it has been safe forever. I had one old lady that would only order Madrone and nothing else. "because it's the only wood that doesn't have splinters" But you're right. Cuts well when green, hard as a rock and hard on your equipment when dry. Dang near worthless really at that point.

No need for a hydraulic saw when I still have a few spare saws left. I'd much rather cut in the rain without a cab than cut in the sun with a cab. No need for a cab with the amount of wood I split. I just pick my days as I need the wood.

Greg, I don't know what you mean by "arm" unless you mean the log loader boom which is not part of the firewood processor. It was built by Kesla as was the log wagon which is attached to the Kubota tractor. The only marks on the manufacturer marks on the firewood processor are my initials welded on in a few spots. The firewood processor was built and assembled by me in my garage behind my house so I assure you it is homemade.

Smoking will do that to you.LOL He actually forgot his helmet in his tractor where he was working. He only came out to see how the processor was working and stayed to help out.

C'est tout du bois franc. Il y as pas de sapin dans ce bois.