Great video Jeff lots of good points about the time bandits. They always seem to be magnified especially when making RU-vid videos as well. Take care, Ben.
Great realistic views on processing times and expectations. I've been at it for 10yrs and totally agree with your time bandits but I still get caught once in a while. Ha ha
Great video, so many great points.. I bought a multitek processor this spring, watched a lot of videos to educate myself, and most of them I’ve learned are misleading. Real world logs u get from a logger will give you problems, hang ups ext that eat time. And most definitely all the math you do on expectations of 1 1/2 cords per hour are useless. Size of wood , species and limb nots can drive u crazy. Like my wife says, chill out have fun and remember you started doing this for fun.
There’s way more to making firewood than running straight poles through a machine! Your wife is right- keep it fun and enjoy what you do! Thanks for watching! All the best, Jeff.
There is a new design in development that will process 10 CD /hr. It's a relatively compact design that can be pulled by a pickup. Has an integral loader so no tractor required. Has dual saws and splitters with out feed conveyor. Log feed, sawing and splitting are automated. Only one operator is required to feed the logs into the processor as needed😊
We have a firewood buisness That we run while logging in the summer and switch to plowing in the winter. After logging season I fill 2 semi trailers and a storage container. We use a processor attachment on the bobcats, it does 20 footers and of a diameter twice of anything in that pile ya got there (not knocking just sayin). Drawbacks of it is the fuel for the bobcat and the amount of bar oil it uses and finding the hidden nail which we all know what that does to a chain. Plus side, well you are splitting mobile, you just pull up where ever you want the pile to be or even split wright over your trailer filling it at the same time. Not touching any wood till stackin time. You pick up the log with the spltter, it rolls into the tray cut/split/drop next.
How's she goin'? I think we all run into 'time bandits' no matter what we do eh!!! Even with your processor and table, you still have delays due to the product and that's a hard thing to control. Thanks for sharing. Take care!!!
hi there just ran into your channel and found the talk very interesting and truthful . been doing firewood sense the early 70s but mostly for my use . i used a dana presser for a week for a friend and later rented one for my personal use . the machine was a real good well made piece but just didnt fit my needs . didn't seam to speed things up for me . i did a few reviews on both times . i feel your review was more realistic . going to keep watching thanks john
Hi John, I’ve been watching your videos for a while! I love your mill, I grew up with a circle mill of my dads, very similar to yours. That’s the mill I learned about safety! I heard of your channel from Mark Galichi(?) bus motor production channel! Thanks for watching! Cheers, Jeff and Leslie.
Good Video, just have to tell the truth about the machine, sometimes people exaggerate on what the machine can really do. Cheers from John and Audrey keep up the good work
Just need to be realistic. I knew what to expect when I bought this little machine. Still better than standing with a chainsaw! Thanks for watching! Jeff and Leslie.
@@thelogfather5002 yep we used to stand with the sawchain and saw the wood on a sawhorse then pick it up and split it on a splitter for us it is a big difference
@@purecanadianlifestyle I reached the 30 cord mark and I knew my old body wouldn't sustain much more than that for very long. I still have to buck up and split the old way with the bigger wood. Thanks for dropping by! All the best, Jeff and Leslie.
@@jakebredthauer5100 I did make one with a chainsaw the live deck- I still had to pick up the rounds and split them. I stop short of actually calling it a processor- more like a process. Thanks for watching! Jeff
My average size log is 12 in diameter, and I'm doing it the old way box splitter and saw. Spend the 11k on what you got there or spend the 30k on something bigger. Is 100 cord a year being the one man show worth it,or not. To me smaller is better Your opinion matters thanks enjoy the years to come
I heard a guy make a good argument , not to split the 2-4 inch rounds just cut them and push them out , they make great over night wood , This wood speed up the process . Free advice , its free for a reason ,, also I think the RCA400 or RCA 480 are the best processors out there and not that expensive . also like the look of the Palex and regons R3 units , but like you Ive brought the China special although mines slightly flasher than yours , its still on the boat.( has infeed to the saw and a hydrolic clamp and in theory can cut 50 cm log .
Yeah, I couldn't understand the need to split that diameter wood, I mean even for a pot belly stove the length 8 inch , your processing for people with wood boilers right.
It’s more of a profitable hobby than a commercial set up. I only process and sell a little more than 100 cord a year. I also cut a little and I won’t leave the little wood behind! :) I completely agree with you though. Thanks for watching! All the best, Jeff
I once belonged to Canada’s weights and measures for selling wood. You can see wood in any quantities as long as it’s measured. But a cord is always 128 cubic feet. A face cord is subjective to how much wood you get depending on the length of the stick.
Right down here it's all 16 inch face cords. Three 16 inch face cord equals 1 full cord. I still can't keep straight what you guys up north call a bush cord.
@@thelogfather5002 I am south from you but I read that in Europe the standard measure of firewood is the M3 (cubic meter) loose stacked, random, jumbled, machine fill.
I know who you are talking about in regards to production numbers on firewood processors. A great Ontario, Canada maker of commercial splitters and processors. One cannot beat geometry when it comes processing firewood. The volume of a cylinder increases based on the radius squared. So going from a 4 inch diameter log to 8 inch log increases your output by a factor of 4. Even with a slow cycle time on your processor the main bottle necks are getting the logs to the machine and taking the firewood away from the machine. I heard you say that the splitter on your processor is 27 tons. The Made in Finland processors have splitting force well under 10 tons. Perhaps you could find a way to reduce that so you could speed up your cycle time.
I’m not so sure I’d want to sacrifice a little speed for power, most of my bottle neck comes from handling the logs… I’ll work on my system some then blame the machine. :) like a bicycle, the best upgrade is to its engine!
@@thelogfather5002 I also am interested in the European processors. You are an engineering type so why is the big discrepancy in tonnage between yours and the European's? I am not sure they have the same difficult wood that we do here. I don't know if that is a factor. Maybe they have learned how to be more efficient with tonnage. Maybe they are not trying to split the big rounds. Maybe they want to save money on strength and power. I don't know. Have you seen the Posch Vario splitter? It is highly automated and is infinitely adjustable for various sized splits. Looks really good.
@@jakebredthauer5100 as far as I know it’s a trade off from being able to cut and split at the same time. This machine sends all its hydraulic fluid to the splitter and stops everything else, where a European made unit splits the flow to both the saw and the splitter. The cycle time is greatly improved, but there is a local of splitting power at a cost.
@@thelogfather5002 I'm no expert but I believe some designs have multiple pumps lined up in a row so the power goes to whichever pump needs power. The Posch Vario splits multiple rounds simultaneously and splits each round more than once. An ordinary processor does only one round with only one push. The woods stays in place while the knife does the moving.
I guess it is about speed if you're making money off of it. But for saving the body how would you rate it? also how is it holding up? The machine that is
The machine has been holding up great- even with the bigger engine I installed. A few minor things, I had to add lock-tight to the set screws on the conveyor drum, I also stiffened up the saw motor carrier by welding an additional brace to the frame. Thanks for watching! Jeff
I run 2 processors (built in Finland) Your cycle time is very very slow. We fill our truck directly from the conveyor. We do not handle the wood. Just move the truck along as each part of the body is getting full. By the time our splitter has completed its 3 second cycle we are already half way through the next piece with the saw. All these figures from the manufacturers are based on perfect conditions. There is a huge difference in output from running 12" through a 6 way or even 8" through a 4 way to cutting and splitting 4" on a single knife. We could be going through 8-12" and laughing at it and then..... a deck of small 2-4" comes from the stack. You would almost lose the will to live 🤣🤣
I’m going to upgrade in 2 years to a proper Finish made unit. But right now, this one costs 25% of one of those and is doing the job for me. One of my downfalls is getting a reliable supplier for the bulk logs to process. I don’t handle the finished product, I process it directly into my dump trailer and deliver it the same day. I let my customers season it at their place. Thanks for watching! All the best, Jeff and Leslie.
Is there a reason why you tip up the trailer to fill the back of it? I mean is there something stopping you from filling the front and then moving forward a little bit to fill the back?
I usually unhook the truck from my trailer, so I just can’t pull it ahead, and it’s a little too heavy for my tractor. I think in the ideal world, my conveyor would swing enough to fill the front and back of the trailer without moving. Maybe a modification for this winter! Thanks for watching! Jeff.
@@thelogfather5002 I doubt the trailer would be too heavy for your tractor if you filled the rear of the trailer first. Another way to do it is to put a hitch bar across between the arms of the three-point. You could fill the rear using the tractor and then move the trailer, unhook, continue to fill. Hoisting is okay also. I don't remember if there are wheels on the elevator. Wheels can be turned 90° to move the conveyor to a new spot.
@@jakebredthauer5100 the conveyor is fixed- no wheels. But I’ve since been able to increase the efficiency by loading the centre of the trailer till it flows to the front and back then use a pick-a-roon to tidy the rest of the cord up.
Your depressed! Its a service you do. Expect problems and breakdowns. No easy way you gotta just stand in there and pay your dues. Its your jail cell. Just cut off your emotions and shake hands with it. Think on good things. JESUS IS LORD!
Well, one could do that. Depends on the question about time and money. When you look at the big Palax, Japa, Regon and Hakki Pilke I think that Europe (in this case Finland) is keeping our ground 😋. We compare both in speed, power and safety features. Your commersial splitters aren't cheap either, but I have never calculated fuelefficiancy for the different machines. We are on about 8,5$/gallon for gasoline in Finland... Forgive my spelling, it's been a long time since I was in school and used my english 😉👍🏽🤗!
Jeff, just came across your channel, and just Subscribed. You are point accurate! On the adverted cord count! We call the knots logs Turtles on the wood, we battle some Gnarly logs on my Halverson 120. 🚜👍🏼🪵🇺🇸
