the firewood shootout

Transcription

THE
2014
Dec 2014 / Jan 2015
GREAT
FIREWOOD
SHOOT•OUT
TM
w w w. s a w m i l l m a g . c o m
16
MACHINES!
The Photos
The Stories
The Results
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THE 2014 GREAT
FIREWOOD
Columns &
Departments
PUBLISHER’S LETTER
A thank you to all who participated in the 2014 Firewood ShootOut, and a very Happy New
Year too . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
MARKETPLACE . . . . . . 37
SHOOT•OUT
ISSUE NO. 1 3 1
D E C 2 0 1 4 / J A N 2015
Announcer’s Observations
8
4
AMAZING MACHINES!........................
By Dave Boyt
The Participants
By Dave Boyt and J.R. Salzman
• Bell’s 4000C Processor ..........................................................6
• Bell’s 6000C Processor ..........................................................8
• Built-Rite 18 SCP-HP Processor ........................................10
• Built-Rite 24 HPWS Splitter................................................12
• Cord King CS18-30 Processor ..........................................14
• Cord King CS20-40 Processor ..........................................16
• Dyna SC14 Processor..........................................................18
• Dyna SC16 Processor..........................................................20
• Multitek 1620ss Processor .................................................22
• Multitek 2040xp2 Processor ..............................................24
• Tajfun RCA 400 Joy Processor...........................................26
• Timberwolf 5-FC Splitter ...................................................30
• Timberwolf Pro MPX Processor .......................................32
• Wood Beaver Eager Beaver Splitter ...............................34
• Wood Beaver Model 16 Processor ..................................36
• Wood Beaver Model 20 Processor ..................................38
Firewood Feature
40
DRYING FIREWOOD.....................
Past, Present, Future,and
Getting Started By Neils Jorgensen
TM
Publisher’s Thanks
W
e are pleased to end 2014
and begin 2015 with our
results issue from the Great
Firewood Shoot-Out™,
which took place this past October at the
Paul Bunyan Show in Cambridge, Ohio.
In the pages of this issue you will get a
chance to read about the performance of
each of the processors and splitters that
participated in the event. Some of the
machines that were entered made their
Shoot-Out debut at the event, and others
are well-known Shoot-Out participants.
Regardless, the variety of machines in
the event is just one indicator of the
many options available to individuals
looking to buy a processor or splitter.
www.sawmillmag.com
Publisher
WALTER ANDRZEJEWSKI
[email protected]
DAVE BOYT
M.C./ OFFICIAL
Editor-at-Large
JAMES MAURER
Copy Editor
ANNALIESE JAKIMIDES
Contributing Writers
DAVE BOYT, NIELS JORGENSEN,
J.R. SALZMAN
Art Director/Production & Design
DIANNE M. KISCHITZ
[email protected]
J.R. SALZMAN
PHOTOGRAPHER/OFFICIAL
Successfully organizing an event like this takes lots of time,
talent, teamwork, and collaboration. And for that we thank:
• The Ohio Forestry Association, especially John Dorka,
Gayla Fleming, Jim Doll, Jason Good, and their entire team for
helping in organizing the site, logs, and equipment.
• The student volunteers who helped with timing.
• Tajfun USA for donating the Bober electronic caliper that
reduced the time necessary for scaling the logs.
• The spirited participants who demonstrated their equipment in this
year’s event—Bell’s Machining, Built-Rite, Cord King, Dyna Products,
Multitek, Tajfun, Timberwolf, and Wood Beaver.
• The seminar presenters—Gene Wengert and Brian Bond—for sharing
their knowledge with a very engaged audience.
• The Shoot-Out team members, without whom we could not accomplish
this event. Dave Boyt, J.R. Salzman, Dave Robertson, and Yvonne
Broderick—you all rock!
Enjoy the issue, and when you read our next issue we will be well into
2015 and all its possibilities. To that end, we wish you all a wonderful
holiday and a super New Year!
[email protected]
Office Administrator
CINDY DEBECK
[email protected]
Display Advertising & Circulation:
WALTER ANDRZEJEWSKI
888/290-9469
[email protected]
Classified & Regional Advertising:
888/290-9469
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Independent Sawmill & Woodlot Management (ISSN 10948015) is published 9 times a year. (February, March, April,
May/June, July, August/September, October/
November, December/January, & Buyer’s Guide).
Published by S&W Publishing LLC, 68 Main St., Belfast,
ME 04915. 888/290-9469. Copyright © 2014 by S&W
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The Great14Firewood
20
by Dave Boyt
FIREWOOD PROCESSORS are amazing
machines. A log goes in one end, and
out the other comes a steady supply
of firewood. It is cut to length and
split into even pieces before it goes up
a conveyer and onto the pile. For
someone who spent his younger days
behind the business end of a splitting
maul, these machines are magic.
The Great Firewood Shoot-OutTM is part of the Paul
Bunyan Show, which is held each October on the
Guernsey Fairgrounds near Cambridge, Ohio.
Manufacturers from around the world—the U.S.,
Canada, and Slovenia—brought their equipment to the
Shoot-Out to run their machines side-by-side and
demonstrate what their machines can do. While the
biggest, most powerful machines turned in incredibly
fast times, there were also some surprises. Efficient
design, innovation, and precision manufacturing turned
out to be as important as brute force.
By the time the processors and splitters arrived on
the Guernsey Fairgrounds, our Shoot-Out team had
already put in a full day of sorting and stacking the 10foot logs that would soon be reduced to split firewood.
J.R. Salzman is the man to talk to when you need a log
4 • Sawmill & Woodlot
moved. He was “one with the machine” as he used the
loader to move around the logs with speed and grace.
Dave Robertson, a valuable member of the team,
measured and marked the logs. Each processor over 90
hp got 1.75 cords of the biggest logs—up to 20 inches
in diameter—while the other machines were assigned
a cord of logs ranging from 8 inches to 16 inches in
diameter.
The event was to take place over two days, and
before the first day’s session we hit our first glitch. All
the wood we had cut to length for the splitters had
mysteriously disappeared. We learned that the show’s
clean-up crew had mistaken it for scrap and loaded it
into a tub grinder to be turned to mulch! I high-tailed
it to the grinder at the far end of the show grounds,
and sure enough, found it loaded into the grinder’s
hopper. We got it all unloaded and returned to the
Shoot-Out area, and the grinder’s operator said that if
we had been just 10 minutes later, it would all have
been ground up.
Weather was great prior to the Shoot-Out, but the forecast for rain and sharply colder weather during the event
proved accurate. Almost instantly, the hard-packed track
turned to mucky clay that added several pounds to steel-
Shoot-Out
TM
toe boots as we trudged through the steady drizzle. By 11
a.m. manufacturers were bringing in their machines for
the 1 p.m. heat. Neatly arranged around the fenced area
so that the audience would be able to watch them work,
their conveyers were turned so that firewood would fall
toward the center of the arena. One by one, the engines
came to life as the operators warmed them up and built
up hydraulic pressure in anticipation of the starting signal.
With a wave of my hard hat, the event started and the
sawdust was flying! Those who chose to brave the elements and watch that afternoon saw seven processors—
Bell’s Machining, Built-Rite, Cord King, Dyna,
Multitek, Timberwolf, and Wood Beaver. Our official
photographer, J.R., knew he would have to work quickly
to frame up great shots and move on to the next
machine. Meanwhile, Dave Robertson and I kept an
eye out for any safety issues and made sure the participants had what they needed to run as smoothly as possible. In less than 10 minutes, the first machine had finished its cord of wood and was shutting down. Others
soon finished their loads, and in just a little more than
30 minutes, the last chunk of firewood dropped off the
conveyer and the Shoot-Out area fell silent. Two hours
later, all the machines were back at their booths where
anyone interested could get a closer look and talk to
designers, salesmen, and owners.
Those who braved the north wind and steady drizzle
were rewarded with a great up-close-and-personal view
of the event. Some were looking to start a firewood
business, while others already had growing businesses
and were looking for their next machine to ramp up production.
Some who wanted to escape the nasty weather
attended one of the several seminars sponsored by this
magazine. Gene Wengert offered his popular seminars
on grading hardwood, and Brian Bond gave a seminar
on drying wood in a solar kiln. Bond also presented a
popular two-part seminar on milling for grade.
The second half of the Shoot-Out on the next day
was even colder, and steel-gray clouds loomed low, but
other than a brief hail storm, we were spared the precipitation. In addition to the firewood processors, splitters also ran on the second day. Each splitter had 21
logs to split, representing about one
rick (1/3 cord) of 16-inch firewood.
Most of the firewood was cut from
the biggest, most crooked logs, and
some of the chunks weighed 100
pounds or more. Even though the
splitters had log lifters, most of the
“W hat’s a S hoot-O
without a little m ut
ud? ”
teams lifted the logs onto them by hand to save precious seconds.
As with the previous day’s event, all the machines
were given time to warm up their engines and bring
their hydraulic systems up to pressure before the start.
The diversity of machines and variety of solutions to
the engineering challenges involved in designing a
machine that can safely and reliably process firewood
are a testament to human ingenuity. Some of the
machines had big circle saws to cut off the firewood,
while others used hydraulic or mechanically powered
chain saws. Clamping systems included pressure
rollers, scissor clamps, grapples, and lever arms. Some
machines used electric-over-hydraulic systems for convenience and ease of use, while others opted for direct
hydraulic control valves for simplicity. Some relied on
brute force (90+ hp) to crush their way through the
logs, while others used smaller engines coupled to multistage hydraulic pumps, regenerative hydraulics, and
knife-like wedges.
Optimism ran high among the manufacturers. Many
machines were sold even before the Shoot-Out and
were delivered to customers after the event. Dozens
more were sold during the Paul Bunyan Show, and
many trucks and trailers that came loaded with equipment left empty.
Participants agreed that this was the best Great
Firewood Shoot-Out to date. The logs were consistent in
size, the machines ran well, and a good crowd was on
hand. As for the weather, as one participant put it,
“Weather is just a fact of life when you’re cutting firewood. If you have to cut when it is cold and rainy to fill
orders, then that’s what you do. This just made it a
real-world experience. After all, what’s a Shoot-Out
without a little mud?” •
Dave Boyt has a BS degree in Forest Management and
an MS in Wood Technology. He manages a tree farm
(2006 Missouri Tree Farm of the Year), and operates a
band saw sawmill.
The Seminar Series was very well-attended and popular again this year.
Gene Wengert (left) and Brian Bond shared their knowledge.
Dec 2014/Jan 2015 •
5
PR
OC
S
ES
OR
Bell’s 4000C
Manufacturer
Bell’s Machining
2044 Rogers Rd.
Perth, Ontario
K7H 3C6 Canada
ph: 888/995-1965
[email protected]
www.bellsmachining.com
Machine Operator
Andrew Easton
Assistant
Brent Easton
Time
17 min. 12 sec.
Cords Processed
0.85 Cords
Cords/Hour
2.97 Cords
A
ndrew Easton of Bell’s
Machining was at the
helm of their Bell’s
4000C firewood processor. Andrew said his
strategy this year was
different from two years ago. “The last
time I wanted to run it all out. This
time I wanted to showcase how easy
the machine is to run, and how you
can make nice wood.” While some of
the other machine operators decided
to go as fast as they could, Andrew
chose to focus on quality over quantity.
“I wanted to make sure I was running the machine the way that a customer would run it,” said Andrew. One
of his goals was ensuring that the
Bell’s 4000C was producing uniform
firewood. Andrew said he focused on
creating good-quality firewood that
was uniform in size—just like one
would market to customers. He added,
“I wanted stuff that was manageable
that you would sell to a customer; I
didn’t want great big stuff coming off.
I wanted wood that was even and consistent.” Unlike some of the other
machines that produced firewood that
was overly large or small, the firewood
processed by the Bell’s 4000C was
very uniform. In fact, a quick survey
showed that the Bell’s 4000C produced one of the more uniform piles
of firewood, if not the most. Andrew
said this was by design. “One of the
biggest misconceptions about the
machines is that they make a lot of
scrap. But as long as you’re running
them properly they do a really nice job
of it,” Andrew said.
In addition to creating saleable firewood, Andrew also wanted to show off
many of the integrated safety features
of the Bell’s 4000C—like the brake on
the circular blade. He explained that it
only takes a second to hit the safety
and lock down the machine, making it
safe to remove a blockage or a turned
block before going back to processing
firewood. In addition to the safety features, there are unique controls behind
the Bell’s 4000C. “All of our processors
run on a single joystick control,” said
Andrew. He explained that with just
one joystick run by the left hand, he
can operate every single function on
the machine including the saw, log
deck, infeed, and splitter. He said the
single joystick control is quite popular
with their customers, who generally
get a rhythm with their machines after
only a couple hours of use. By being
able to control the machine’s entire
operations with just one joystick,
it’s comfortable to use over long
periods of time, unlike machines
where the operator has to hunch
over multiple controls for different
operations. For Andrew, it boils
down to ergonomics. “You can sit
in the machine and you’re in a
comfortable position when you’re
running it,” he said.
Despite the safety features and
ergonomics though, Andrew
explained that it still boils down to
the bottom line. “If the purchasers
of firewood processors don’t make
money, then there’s no reason for
them to do it. So we want to have
something that’s going to have that
longevity and durability and easeof-use so that they can do that,”
said Andrew. He said they build
their machines so they are heavy
and easily serviceable.
The Bell’s 4000C is advertised
as being able to process up to 4
cords of firewood per hour. They
processed their one-cord bundle
in just over 17 minutes, giving
them a rate of roughly 3.5 cords
per hour. Andrew said they had no
issues during the run, and mentioned that the wood was possibly
a bit too clean to be realistic. Still,
he explained that he was mostly
interested in having a side-by-side
comparison of the firewood produced, the safety mechanisms,
and the ergonomics of each
machine. “All that kind of little
stuff to me is more important than
how fast you did,” he said. •
MACHINE SPECS
Model .....................Bell’s 4000C
Engine....................... 65-hp CAT
Cutter.....................Circle/44 in./
inserted tooth
Max log length ..................20 ft.
Max log diameter .............20 in.
Max firewood length ........24 in.
Adjustable wedge.................Yes
Splitting cycle
time (ram) ......................3.5 sec.
Splitting force ................30 tons
Log loading ......Loader required
Towing pkg..........Lights, brakes,
pintle hitch
Options used
at Shoot-Out .....................32-ft.
double-chain conveyer
Price of unit
used at Shoot-Out.........$72,000
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• 160 ft. of 3/8” diam. special cable with better wear, and flexibility
Dec 2014/Jan 2015 •
7
PR
OC
S
ES
OR
Bell’s 6000C
Manufacturer
Bell’s Machining
2044 Rogers Rd.
Perth, Ontario
K7H 3C6 Canada
ph: 888/995-1965
[email protected]
www.bellsmachining.com
Machine Operator
Andrew Easton
Assistant
Brent Easton
Time
26 min. 43 sec.
Cords Processed
1.75 Cords
Cords/Hour
3.93 Cords
A
ndrew Easton of Bell’s
Machining said he was
more concerned with
the quality of the firewood he was producing than finishing with
the fastest time. The reasoning
behind his strategy was simple—that’s
the way his customers are going to run
the Bell’s 6000C in their businesses, so
that’s how he should run it in the
Shoot-Out to give a practical, realworld assessment of what the machine
can do. Andrew said, “I tried to run it
the same way a normal operator would
run it in an everyday operation.”
One of the main features of the
machine is the single joystick operating control. Just like on their Bell’s
4000C, every aspect of the Bell’s
6000C is controlled with just a single
left-handed joystick. “It runs the
whole machine, the conveyer, the live
deck, infeed, splitter, everything is
just right at your fingertips,” said
Andrew. He explained that not only
does it make the Bell’s 6000C very
easy to learn, but it’s very comfortable
to use over long periods of time. He
said the comfortable control systems
on their machines stand in stark contrast to others on the market. When
asked if it was made left-handed for a
reason, Andrew said they did not
intentionally make the joystick control
left-handed. The choice simply boiled
down to making the best machine possible, where the operator had the best
view of the machine’s operations like
the splitter, infeed, and log deck. “It
goes back to quality control. If you
haven’t got a quality product you can
sell, then you’re not going to sell any
product, and you’re not going to make
any money.”
Another strong point of the Bell’s
6000C is its longevity. “We try to
make sure they are ruggedly built,” he
said. Andrew explained that they have
heavy steel tubing under their Bell’s
6000C for durability. And despite the
fact that the machine weighs 12,500
pounds, he said it’s still easy to transport it with a 3/4-ton pickup on the
highway.
All in all, Andrew seemed content
with the performance of the Bell’s
6000C in the Shoot-Out. He said the
machine ran without issue and produced quality firewood without any
unusual hang-ups or stoppages.
“We had a couple that had to be
turned in the trough there, but
that’s just common practice. Other
than that, the machine ran fairly
smoothly.” At the end of the
event, it was easy to see that the
firewood pile produced by the
Bell’s 6000C was one of the more
consistent ones and had very little
waste. Other machines produced
firewood that was not split evenly
and had overly large pieces that
would need to be split again in
order to be sold. It appeared that
Andrew accomplished his goal of
producing good-quality firewood.
Because the Bell’s 6000C was
one of the larger-hp machines, it
had to process a larger bundle of
17 logs that were 10 feet long,
each averaging roughly 16 inches
in diameter or more. Their bundle
contained roughly 1.75 cords of
logs. It took the Bell’s 6000C just
under 27 minutes to process their
wood, giving them a rate of just
under 4 cords of firewood per
hour. Andrew said, “We advertise
the machine to do between 3 and
4 cord an hour depending on the
firewood. Most operators are capable of hitting that. We tried today
to make sure the processor was
putting out quality firewood. If
our machine can’t do that, then
there’s no point in buying it.
That’s what matters to my customers’ customers.” •
MACHINE SPECS
Model...........................Bell’s 6000C
Engine .............................91-hp CAT
Cutter ...Circle/54 in./inserted tooth
Max log length .......................30 ft.
Max log diameter ...........23-1/2 in.
Max firewood length..............24 in.
Adjustable wedge ......................Yes
Splitting cycle time (ram)....3.5 sec.
Splitting force .....................42 tons
Log loading............Loader required
Towing pkg. ..............Lights, breaks,
pintle hitch
Options used
at Shoot-Out...........................32-ft.
double-chain conveyer,
heated operator’s cab
Price of unit used
at Shoot-Out.......................$93,000
Dec 2014/Jan 2015 •
9
O
PR
C
S
ES
OR
Built-Rite 18 SCP-HP
Manufacturer
Built-Rite Mfg. Corp.
750 East Hill Rd.
Ludlow, VT 05149
ph: 800/757-2520
[email protected]
www.built-rite.com
Machine Operator
John Smith
Assistant
Steve Patrick
Time
23 min. 35 sec.
Cords Processed
0.85 Cords
Cords/Hour
2.16 Cords
B
uilt-Rite’s 18 SCP-HP
firewood processor looked
small compared to the
other machines around it,
but it held up well and
turned in a respectable
time, in spite of one slight glitch.
According to machine operator John
Smith (president and owner of BuiltRite), the machine performed flawlessly, with no wood jams, and maintained its cycle time in spite of the
gnarly wood his assistant, Steve
Patrick, fed it. In order to produce the
best-size firewood, John used the
optional 6-way wedge. Although splitting the wood into more pieces did not
slow down the processor, John noted
that the unit at the Shoot-Out had the
optional 32-inch stroke for wood furnaces, so the cycle time was about 10
seconds instead of 6 seconds for the
standard 24-inch stroke splitter. Four
seconds doesn’t sound like much, but
considering 75 splitting cycles, that
one small change potentially added 5
minutes to the machine’s splitting
time. “We used that machine because
we had sold it in advance and planned
to deliver it right after the ShootOut,” explained John.
The processor has an autocycle feature so that once the split has been
started, the operator can advance the
wood and cut it off just as the splitting
ram retracts. With the extra travel
length, however, John noted that he
usually had to wait for the ram to
retract before finishing the cuts.
Managing the logs caused another
delay. Rather than reloading the live
deck during the Shoot-Out, John
decided to load all 10 of his logs ahead
of time. “The deck is strong enough to
hold the wood with no problem,” he
noted, “but we had to stack the wood
two layers high, and it took some time
for Steve to roll the logs off the stack
onto the infeed conveyer. That probably cost us a couple of minutes.”
The real glitch happened near the
end. John noticed it was taking longer
than usual to cut the wood. “I tried
turning the log different ways, but that
didn’t help,” he recalled. Then it
dawned on him—a dull chain. “I must
have hit a stone or a nail, because the
teeth were all rounded,” he explained.
In less than 5 minutes, he had a fresh
chain on the bar and was back in business. “I lost some time trying to cut
with a dull chain,” John admitted,
“but as soon as I replaced it, we
were back in business.” Even with
all the delays, the Built-Rite’s
time of 23 minutes, 35 seconds
was very respectable.
To hold the wood during cutoff, the machine has a pair of
claws that look like they came
right out of a science fiction movie
about giant mutant lobsters. The
claws center the wood over the
splitting bin and hold it tight
while the 0.404 slasher chain saw
cuts the wood to length. “You end
up with straighter cuts, and the
wood falls straight down into the
splitter,” explained John. The
processor also has a foot-activated
flipper tray that comes up to hold
the last piece for cutting.
Assistant Steve Patrick is no
stranger to firewood, as he owns
and operates a Built-Rite splitter,
though working around the firewood processor was new to him.
His biggest challenge was rolling
NEW!
the wood from the live deck to the
infeed conveyer. It took considerable muscle and skill with a cant
hook to roll the top logs off the
pile, but he managed to keep a
consistent flow for John to split.
Other than that, he says his job
was pretty easy.
One of the features that John
noted about the Built-Rite is the
3-segment hydraulic pump. One
segment runs the cutoff saw; one
runs the splitter, allowing you to
cut and splt at the same time. A
third segment powers the live
deck, infeed conveyer, and wedge
adjustment. A separate 4.5-hp
Honda motor powers the outfeed
conveyer. According to John, the
main market for the processor is
firewood businesses, though a few
homeowners use it as well. He
says the 5,800-pound machine is
easy to tow to the site, and sets up
in about 5 minutes. •
MACHINE SPECS
Model ........................18 SCP-HP
Engine ...........46-hp Kubota diesel
Cutter..................Chain saw/25 in.
Max log length .....................22 ft.
Max log diameter.................20 in.
Max firewood length ...........32 in.
Adjustable
wedge .......Built-Rite multi-wedge
Splitting
cycle time (ram) ...................6 sec.
Splitting force ...................18 tons
Log loading ............5-ft./ live deck
Towing pkg...............................Yes
Options used
at Shoot-Out....................Powered
hourglass infeed rolls,
32-in. stroke, 25-in. bar
Price of unit used
at Shoot-Out.....................$38,000
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Dec
Oct/Nov
SP
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LI
TE
R
Built-Rite 24 HPWS
Manufacturer
Built-Rite Mfg. Corp.
750 East Hill Rd.
Ludlow, VT 05149
ph: 800/757-2520
[email protected]
www.built-rite.com
Machine Operator
John Smith
Assistant
Steve Patrick
Time
4 min. 15 sec.
Cords Processed
0.33 Cords
Cords/Hour
4.66 Cords
A
ll of the splitters at the
Great Firewood ShootOut had exactly the
same task—split 21
pieces of wood into
firewood-sized chunks.
Although a minimum of 4-way splits
was required, the Built-Rite team of
John Smith (president of Built-Rite)
and Steve Patrick opted for the challenge of ramming the wood through
their 6-way wedge to make smaller
pieces. Even though some of the 20inch-diameter firewood logs had twisted grain, knots, and forks, John says
his 24 HPWS splitter maintained its
rated 7-second cycle time.
The reason, according to John, is
that the 24-hp Honda engine has the
power to muscle through the wood
without using a 2-stage hydraulic that
slows down to deliver more splitting
force when it encounters a tough piece
of wood. Actual cycle time, which
included loading the wood, was a
mere 12 seconds, as they split their 21
chunks in 4 minutes, 15 seconds. This
was, in part, due to the autocycle feature that allowed him to start the splitting cycle, and then get the next log
ready to load in place while the splitter did its work.
Steve Patrick, who assisted,
deserves a large part of the credit for
this fast firewood production time.
Rather than using the log lifter to get
the 90-pound blocks of wood onto the
splitter, Steve hefted them up by hand,
allowing John to use the lifter as a staging platform, rolling the wood right
onto the splitter in only a second or 2.
“I wanted to get John the wood as
fast as possible and eliminate that
step in the process,” he said. “The
lifting arm is really handy as a staging table. You can get a half-dozen
pieces on it.” He also noted that
the lifting arm can hold large split
pieces so that the operator does not
have to pick them up off the
ground. He should know. As the
owner of the smaller Built-Rite 11,
he has had plenty of practice running splitters.
Steve said he was amazed at
the performance of the 24 HPWS
splitter. “This was the first time
I’ve worked with the 24, and I’d
really love to purchase one
myself,” he said. “My Built-Rite
11 works well for my needs, but I
was really impressed with the
power of the machine at the
Shoot-Out.”
For his part, John said he was
pleased with the performance of
the splitter, but not surprised. He
MODEL 16—
MO
also mentioned that the show
went well for Built-Rite, and that
they sold nearly every machine
they brought from the factory in
Ludlow, Vermont—including the
splitter they demonstrated at the
Shoot-Out. “The market for
processors is very high right now,”
he noted. “With the high price of
oil and propane, and the fact that
last winter was the coldest on
record for much of the country,
demand for firewood—and the
machines to produce it—is high.”
This particular machine—the 24
HPWS Splitter—is built heavyduty for commercial use, and is
popular with small firewood producers and tree care businesses
that need to split wood quickly for
their customers and then move on
to the next job. He says the 2,100pound machine is easy to tow,
quick to set up, and heavy enough
to last, even under heavy commercial use. •
MVP - Maximum
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asonabble prices
MACHINE SPECS
Model ...............................24 HPWS
Engine .............24-hp Honda motor
Max firewood
length ....................................24 in.
Adjustable wedge .....................Yes
Splitting
cycle time (ram).....................7 sec.
Splitting force.....................28 tons
Log loading .........................Log lift
Highway legal............................Yes
Options used
at Shoot-Out ....................Standard
Price of unit used
at Shoot-Out.....................$12,075
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Dec 2014/Jan 2015 •
13
PR
OC
S
ES
OR
Cord King CS18-30
Manufacturer
Cord King of Canada
2014 Rogers Rd.
Perth, Ontario K7H 1P9
Canada
ph: 888/219-9663
[email protected]
www.cord-master.com
Machine Operator
Bob Hanson
Assistant
Dave Kravacek
Time
9 min. 5 sec.
Cords Processed
0.85 Cords
Cords/Hour
5.61 Cords
A
ccording to Bob Hanson
of Cord King, his plan
for running their model
18-30 was simple: “The
technique was just to run
this machine.” “I’m the
owner of Cord King, but not necessarily
the best operator,” he said. “I’m the guy
that sits behind a desk every day. I don’t
run these things for a living. We did
have a pile of customers here who
should have been running it for us.”
Despite his lack of experience at the
controls, he operated the machine well
and did not experience any hiccups.
Bob explained that although he was not
as comfortable behind the controls as
an everyday operator, the safety features on the 18-30 not only made it easier for him to run it, but also kept him
from making any catastrophic mistakes.
He explained that the integrated safety
features will not allow the operator to
advance a log into the saw blade while
it is down, which prevents severe damage to the machine or injury to the
operator. “There are all kinds of
safeties built-in, so you can never run
the log into the saw blade or vice versa,
It’s hydraulically locked, so you couldn’t do it even if you tried,” Bob said.
He added that their clamping system is
different from other machines. “All the
clamping is automatic, and it’s a constant pressure clamping system, which
means there is constant pressure on the
clamp pressing down on the log at all
time when it’s being sawed,” Bob
explained. He also said that the log
stop on the machine adjusts from 8
inches to 26, and is automatic, which is
a big time-saver. “That’s what makes
the machine fairly quick, and there’s
less for the operator to actually think
about.”
Bob mentioned that, for the most
part, the Cord King 18-30 used in the
Shoot-Out was a standard machine.
The splitter and saw mechanism were
the standard options, capable of processing 16- to 18-inch-diameter logs.
There were some slight differences in
MACHINE SPECS
the live deck, however. The standard setup on the 18-30 is a 3strand live deck. The 18-30 used in
the Shoot-Out was specially
designed for a customer in
Minnesota (set to receive the
machine after the event) and featured a 4-strand live deck. Because
the customer planned on processing 8-foot-long logs, it was
designed so that pairs of legs on
the live deck would move together.
This gives the customer two independent live decks feeding the
machine with 8-foot logs at all
times. Bob estimates that it
increases the rate of production on
the 18-30 by approximately 15%.
He also said that if the owner
wanted to do longer logs instead of
8-foot lengths, the 4-strand deck
could handle up to 40-foot lengths.
Bob said that despite the fact
the logs were somewhat crooked
and full of bumps, they experienced no hang-ups. “The machine
handled them with no problem at
all, and did what it was supposed
to do,” he said. He added that
because the logs they were running
through the machine were regular
firewood logs instead of tree-length
wood, they were a bit higher quality. He said, “We advertise up to 6
cords per hour, depending on the
wood. Now the machine is capable
of doing more wood than that if
the wood is very nice, but then
again, all the other processors are
in the same boat.” The Cord King
18-30 processed their one-cord
bundle of logs in just over 9 minutes, giving them a rate of almost
6 cords per hour, faster than advertised. Bob said despite the rain and
the open cab on the machine, the
weather was not a factor in the
Shoot-Out and didn’t slow them
down at all. When asked how he
thought he did, Bob simply said,
“I ran it the best I could.” •
Model ............................CS18-30
Engine... 60-hp turbo diesel CAT
Cutter .....................Circle/40 in./
inserted tooth
Max log length ..................30 ft.
Max log diameter..............18 in.
Max firewood length.........24 in.
Adjustable wedge .................Yes
Splitting cycle time (ram)...3 sec.
Log loading.........3-leg live-deck
with hydraulic folding
Towing pkg.........Electric brakes,
lights, breakaway
Options used
at Shoot-Out ...Hydraulic folding
4-leg dual drive live deck,
6-way hyd. adjustable wedge
Price of unit used
at Shoot-Out..................$63,900
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Dec 2014/Jan 2015 •
15
PR
OC
S
ES
OR
Cord King CS20-40
Manufacturer
Cord King of Canada
2014 Rogers Rd.
Perth, Ontario K7H 1P9
Canada
ph: 888/219-9663
[email protected]
www.cord-master.com
Machine Operator
Bob Hanson
Assistant
Dave Kravacek
Time
13 min. 42 sec.
Cords Processed
1.75 Cords
Cords/Hour
7.66 Cords
B
ob Hanson’s strategy was to
simply “go as fast as the
machine would go.” Unlike
the previous day—in the
rain in the open operator’s
station of the Cord King
CS18-30—Bob was quite comfortable
thanks to the CS20-40’s enclosed cab.
Typically seated behind a desk
instead of at the controls of one of the
company’s firewood processors, Bob credited the ease of use of the CS20-40 with
things running so smoothly. The automated systems were a big part of that.
Like the clamping on the CS18-30 that
he operated the previous day, the clamping on the CS20-40 is automatic, and has
a constant pressure clamping system.
“The automatic clamping system has a
log stop on it that can be adjusted to the
desired firewood length,” Bob said. He
also explained that the automatic log stop
can be hydraulically set from 8 to 26
inches in length, and that the firewood
coming out of the machine will be within
a quarter-inch of the desired length. “It’s
just the way it’s engineered; it’s very simple, but built very strong.” He also noted
that the speed of the operations on the
machine is fast, with a splitter cycle time
of just over 2 seconds, and a saw-to-saw
time of 3 seconds. “It’s faster than the
operator is!”
When asked if he had any logs hang
up in the machine, Bob explained, “It
was more operator error. There was only
one log that hung up for just a few seconds.” Despite the fact that the logs
were larger and more crooked than on
the previous day, he felt the machine
handled them without issue because it’s
designed to be fed low-grade firewood
logs. Bob said that processing crooked
logs can challenge every processor on
the market. The key is keeping the cutting angle as perpendicular to the log as
possible and the Cord King does this
extremely well. Because of that, the
blocks can occasionally ride up in the
splitter and not go through the wedge.
Bob said he had to grab the pickaroon and straighten
blocks two or three times during the event, but that
didn’t really slow him down. Despite the crooked
wood, Bob still insisted that “the wood was better
than the average firewood logs. Cord King has a
grapple option that is available to handle the most
crooked of firewood logs”.
Unlike the CS18-30, the CS20-40 is a standard
machine without any custom options. “It’s a production processor, a standard machine that comes out of
the plant, very heavy duty, very fast, and very powerful,” he said. Bob went on to say that other than the
splitter cylinder, everything on the CS20-40 is composed of common, off-the-shelf components. The
only special component is the splitter cylinder, and
they make those themselves. “It’s a cushion splitting
ram cylinder that basically reduces pressure spikes
and eliminates premature seal failure.” Not only
does Bob believe it’s the best cylinder option to have
inside the splitter, he believes it’s the most durable
as well. He mentioned that, as a testament to the
durability of their custom-made cylinder, they offer
the best warranty in the industry. “We like to give a
lifetime warranty on the heart of the machine that
takes a pounding,” he said.
Overall, Bob was happy with the performance of
the CS20-40. The Cord King CS20-40 is advertised
as producing up to 10 cords per hour. Because Cord
King had one of the larger machines entered in the
Shoot-Out, they were given 17 logs totaling just less
than 2 cords. It took the CS20-40 a little less than 14
minutes to process their bundle, giving them a rate
of over 8 cords per hour. •
MACHINE SPECS
Model.................................................................CS20-40
Engine ............................99-hp turbo diesel John Deere
Cutter..................................Circle/48 in./ inserted tooth
Max log length .......................................................40 ft.
Max log diameter .................................................20 in.
Max firewood length .............................................24 in.
Adjustable wedge......................................................Yes
Splitting cycle time (ram) ...................................2.5 sec.
Splitting force .....................................................35 tons
Log loading.........4-leg live deck with hydraulic folding
Towing pkg................Electric brakes, lights, breakaway
Options used
at Shoot-Out............................................Operators cab,
heat & AC, 32 ft. radial stacking off-loading conveyer
w/ Grizzly debris separator, 6-way hyd. splitting wedge
Price of unit used at
Shoot-Out...........................................................$99,900
Pioneered in the 60’s, Proven World-wide.
Mobile
Dimension
Saw is Still
the Best!
Accurate Lumber,
High Production,
Easy Operation,
Maximum Log Recovery,
Low Expenses, Makes it
The BEST Saw for You!
1-877-272-9645
Mobile Mfg. Co.
PO Box 250, Troutdale, OR 97060
Fax: (503) 661-7548
www.mobilemfg.com
www.mobilemfg.com
Dec 2014/Jan 2015 •
17
PR
OC
S
ES
OR
DYNA SC14
Manufacturer
Dyna Products
6228 60th Ave.
Evart, MI 49631
ph: 231/734-4433
Machine Operator
Phoebe Mollard
Assistant
Bill Mollard
Time
18 min. 33 sec.
Cords Processed
0.85 Cords
Cords/Hour
2.75 Cords
O
f all the processors at
the Shoot-Out, Dyna
had the largest and
most enthusiastic
audience. In honor of
the event, Dyna gave
its employees the week off and provided them transportation from the
factory in Evart, Michigan!
This year, the Dyna SC14 was
demonstrated by Phoebe Mollard,
who, with her husband, Bill, took a
few days off work to attend the ShootOut and demonstrate the Dyna
processors. Phoebe says she was asked
to demonstrate the SC14 because she
had several years’ experience with it
as part of her work with the family
tree service. “The owners of Dyna
thought they should show a real-life
scenario—and more and more, women
are running firewood processors to get
the job done,” she explained. “I’ve
been running one for several years, so
they thought it made sense to have
me do it.” Although this was Phoebe’s
first experience operating the processor in front of an audience, she says
she just stayed focused on running the
machine. “It was pretty much just
another day on the job.”
Phoebe’s husband, Bill, assisted by
watching for any problems with the
processor—an easy task, since there
weren’t any. As Phoebe puts it, “The
machine performed just as we would
want. It ran like clockwork. We just
called one time-out to load the live
deck.” Compared to the type of wood
normally encountered while working at
the tree service, she says she found the
Shoot-Out wood was larger in diameter,
but well within the capacity of the
machine and easy to run through the
processor. “On the job, the logs tend to
be smaller, but more crooked and less
uniform,” she explained.
A 37-hp Kohler gas engine powers
the SC14. There are just three
hydraulic levers. One controls the live
deck. The second lever operates the
clamp. As soon as the clamp reaches
full pressure, the 20-inch, 0.404 gauge
slasher bar automatically comes down
to cut the firewood to length. The
third lever activates the splitter, which
applies 18 tons of force with a 7-second cycle time. Gauges showing conveyer pressure, clamp pressure, saw
feed pressure, and splitting pressure
provide good feedback on the status of
each operation. The 24-inch splitting
cylinder makes the processor useful for everything from stove wood
to outdoor boilers. This makes the
machine attractive to small firewood producers and tree service
companies that want to sell firewood. Its simplicity and reliability
make it popular as a rental
machine as well.
Phoebe says she enjoys running
the processor. Without the bells
and whistles of some of the other
processors, she found the simple
design and functions were easy to
learn. “In a couple of hours, I was
running it efficiently, and by the
end of the first day, I was totally
comfortable running it,” she said.
“You can rely on it and know what
to expect every time.”
The Dyna SC14 processor
turned in a time of 18 minutes, 33
seconds—at the rate of 2.75 cords
per hour, using the standard 4-way
wedge. This was very close to the
processing rate stated on the Dyna
website. When asked how she
fared working in the cold drizzle,
she replied simply that anyone in
the business has to expect to work
in all kinds of weather. “At least it
wasn’t snowing.” •
MACHINE SPECS
Model .................................SC14
Engine....................37-hp Kohler
Cutter ........Chain saw/20-in. bar
Max log length ..................18 ft.
Max log diameter..............18 in.
Max firewood length ........24 in.
Adjustable wedge .................Yes
Pump capacity/
pressure...28 gal./min./3,000 psi
Splitting
cycle time (ram) .............5.5 sec.
Log
loading .....Extra loader required
Towing pkg. ......2-inch ball hitch
Options used
at Shoot-Out ...Frame extension,
booster valve
Price of unit used
at Shoot-Out..................$28,450
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Dec 2014/Jan 2015 •
19
PR
OC
S
ES
OR
DYNA SC16
Manufacturer
Dyna Products
6228 60th Ave.
Evart, MI 49631
ph: 231/734-4433
Machine Operator
Bill Mollard
Assistant
Tim Burkholder
Time
10 min. 50 sec.
Cords Processed
0.85 Cords
Cords/Hour
4.71 Cords
B
ill Mollard of Thomas,
Virginia, knows the Dyna
firewood processors inside
and out. He and his wife,
Phoebe, are the MidAtlantic dealers for Dyna
and run a lawn and tree care business
that utilizes a Dyna firewood processor.
To demonstrate the Dyna SC16, he
teamed up with Tim Burkholder, the
Ohio dealer for Dyna.
“Tim kept an eye on things, but he
didn’t have any jams to clear up,” Bill
reported. Bill says the SC16 is a simple, no frills, but highly functional
machine. It has just three levers to
control all hydraulic operations, with
gauges to display the hydraulic pressure at the conveyer, clamp, cutoff
saw, and splitter. “It is Amish design—
very simple, basic, easy to work on,”
he explained. The use of separate
hydraulic pumps for cutting and splitting allows the operator to advance the
next log into position while the splitter is working. As soon as the
hydraulic ram has retracted, the operator can clamp and cut the next piece.
As Bill put it, “After a while, you
develop a rhythm, and you just really
cut wood. It keeps the guy on the
loader busy.”
For his part, Tim said he had relatively little to do during the Shoot-
Out. “I did keep an eye on things, but
the SC16 was designed to be run by a
single operator,” he said. Tim has
attended the Paul Bunyan Show as a
Dyna representative several times, but
had always been too busy at the booth
to even see a Shoot-Out. “This year, I
got a front-row seat,” he exclaimed.
The 7,000-pound processor slipped
into its spot on the Shoot-Out grounds
so quickly and quietly that it would
have been easy to miss. Dropping the
front supports and folding down the
integrated conveyer and 3-strand live
deck took just a couple of minutes.
The easy transport and quick setup
are features that make this machine
suitable for portable operations and
even rentals.
Best known for its line of woodworking equipment, Dyna got into
firewood processor manufacturing
almost by accident. As Tim tells it, a
customer approached the owner about
building a custom processor. Even
before they had that one built, they
had orders for two more. Now, firewood processors are a major part of
Dyna’s manufacturing business. Tim
says that people still feel the sting of
record low temperatures and record
high propane prices. Firewood sales
are brisk, and many firewood producers are buying processors to keep up
with the demand.
Using a 4-way wedge, Bill kept the machine working as close to its 8-second cut-to-cut cycle time as
possible. The 48-hp Kubota diesel engine never
missed a beat as it repeated the advance-cut-split
process approximately 75 times in just less than 11
minutes, or roughly 4.7 cords per hour. “We were
very pleased with the production time,” said Bill.
“There were no problems, other than requesting a
time-out while we reloaded the deck.” “We had great
logs this year,” he added. According to Bill, the optimum size log is 15 inches, so the Shoot-Out logs
showed his machine to its best advantage.
Bill even went so far as to say he enjoys running
the firewood processor. “It just takes your fun to a
whole new level,” he said—then added, “It is so
much easier than a maul!” •
MACHINE SPECS
Model .......................................................................SC16
Engine ........................................................48-hp Kubota
Cutter ..............................................Chain saw/25-in. bar
Max log length ........................................................21 ft.
Max log diameter ...................................................22 in.
Max firewood length ..............................................30 in.
Adjustable wedge.......................................................Yes
Splitting cycle time (ram) ....................................4.5 sec.
Splitting force ......................................................24 tons
Log loading...................................Extra loader required
Towing pkg.............................................2-inch ball hitch
Options used at Shoot-Out...................Frame extension,
extra live-deck arm, piston saw motor, cold weather pkg.
Price of unit used at Shoot-Out ..........................$43,375
Dec 2014/Jan 2015 •
21
PR
OC
S
ES
OR
Multitek 1620ss
Manufacturer
Multitek
North America LLC
375 Progress St.
Prentice, WI 54556
ph: 800/243-5438
[email protected]
www.multitekinc.com
Machine Operator
Marcus Steigerwaldt
Assistant
Dave Foytik
Time
15 min 36 sec.
Cords Processed
0.85 Cords
Cords/Hour
3.27 Cords
M
arcus Steigerwaldt,
who ran Multitek’s
1620ss, said that for
the most part things
ran well, but perhaps
his nerves got to him
a little at the beginning. “Before we
started, I was probably overthinking. I
tried to go too fast in the beginning and
made a couple small mistakes right
away. But a couple logs in, I just slowed
down and got into a normal tempo, and
that seemed to be a lot more productive.” He explained he had a couple
blocks go sideways in the splitter, forcing him to shut down the machine, grab
the pickaroon, and straighten them
before he could go back to processing.
“If you take your time, then it really
doesn’t happen that frequently,” he said.
The Multitek 1620ss was the smallest circle saw firewood processor at the
Shoot-Out, and the only machine in
the Shoot-Out to use a guillotine-style
cutoff saw. All the other firewood
processors using a circular blade
employ a hinge-style cutoff, where the
blade pivots on an axis as it cuts each
block. The blade on the Multitek
1620ss moves up and down, just like a
guillotine. Marcus explained, “The
machine is a lot more stable with the
guillotine design. The logs drop in the
splitter better with the guillotine
design, and the visibility is also better.”
He said that when one compares a barand-chain cutoff system to a circle saw,
there’s really no comparison in terms of
speed and maintenance. The circle saw
firewood processors are also more efficient. Marcus explained that like
everything in the firewood business, it
boils down to the bottom line. “Over
the lifespan of the machine, if you’re
doing the volume, it’s definitely worth
the additional cost up-front.”
Marcus believes that the Multitek
1620ss packs a lot of punch for its size
and cost. He said that although they
finished second, their machine is one
of the lower-horsepower firewood
processors with a circle blade, and is
also $20,000 less than comparable
machines. “It’s really the smallest
circle saw machine out there and
the most affordable,” he said. He
also pointed out that Multitek has
done a great job of getting the
maximum potential out of the
1620ss with its 44-hp power plant.
While some might look at the
Multitek as underpowered in comparison to other saws in the ShootOut, Marcus says it’s actually a positive trait. “Compared to the others, it has lower fuel consumption,
less horsepower, is more compact
and more portable.” He added that
despite the fact that it’s a circle
blade processor, it’s a relatively
simplistic machine. There are no
electronics to break or diagnose on
the Multitek 1620ss, making it a
relatively easy machine to maintain
and fix. Marcus said the 1620ss has
been quite popular, and in terms of
volume is their number-one-selling
machine.
Once Marcus got going and
found a good rhythm, the machine
performed as it is supposed to. He
said they did not have to use any
time-outs nor did they have any
major issues. He added that
although they only had to make a
couple small adjustments to the
logs while processing their onecord bundle, they were a normal
part of operation. “We had to use a
cant hook on a couple, which slows
you down,” he said. Despite the
minor slowdowns, it took the
Multitek 1620ss roughly 15 minutes to process their one-cord bundle. This gave the machine a rate
of roughly 4 cords per hour.
“Overall, I think we made good
time,” said Marcus. Considering
Multitek advertises their 1620 having a rate of 2 to 3 cords per hour,
Marcus was pleased with the performance. “In the long run you’re
more productive when you just
take your time,” he added. •
MACHINE SPECS
Model .................................1620ss
Engine......................44-hp Kubota
Cutter .......................Circle/40 in. /
inserted tooth
Max log length .....................20 ft.
Adjustable wedge ....................Yes
Splitting
cycle time (ram) ................4.5 sec.
Log loading ....Log-deck live chain
Options used
at Shoot-Out .......Tool box option,
night LED lights
Price of unit used
at Shoot-Out.....................$52,500
RUGGED,
UGGED, D
DEPENDABLE
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AND BUILT
TO
O LLAST
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UST C
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See our new videos online @ www.timberwolfcorp.com
Call
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Dec 2014/Jan 2015 •
23
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Multitek 2040xp2
Manufacturer
Multitek
North America LLC
375 Progress St.
Prentice, WI 54556
ph: 800/243-5438
[email protected]
www.multitekinc.com
Machine Operator
Marcus Steigerwaldt
Assistant
Dave Foytik
Time
16 min. 11 sec.
Cords Processed
1.75 Cords
Cords/Hour
6.49 Cords
M
arcus Steigerwaldt,
who ran the Multitek
2040xp2, said he
learned from his mistakes on the previous
day while running the
1620ss machine—and changed strategies. “Yesterday, I was trying to go too
fast. Today I wanted to go nice and
steady, focus on good product, and take
my time to make sure everything went
correctly,” he said.
Much like the Multitek 1620ss he
ran on the previous day, the 2040xp2
has options not featured on any other
machines in the event. First and foremost would be the log grapple that is
used to feed logs into the saw. Marcus
explained, “There is no chain in the
trough. And that grapple allows you to
do crooked logs. If you want to make
firewood, you’re dealing with bottomof-the-barrel logs.” The grapple itself
hangs above the log trough and travels
back and forth on a steel tube. The
operator simply uses the controls to
advance the grapple down the trough,
grab each log, and advance it into the
saw. Because of this unique system of
advancing each log, it also alleviates the
need for a separate clamping mechanism as the grapple simply continues to
hold each log while the circular saw cuts
off each block.
The Multitek 2040xp2 did in fact get
tested on its ability to handle some lowquality firewood logs. The three largest
machines in the event each received a
larger bundle of 17 logs, many of which
were too crooked or gnarly to fit
through the smaller firewood processors. “With that grapple I really didn’t
have to do any fooling around with the
logs. I pretty much stayed inside the
cab the whole time,” Marcus said.
Despite the added challenge of less
than perfect logs, Marcus said he did
not run into any issues or hang-ups with
the grapple. The large 5-strand live
deck had no problems handling logs or
feeding the grapple either. “This is
really the only machine that can handle
low-grade stuff,” he explained. He also
added that they do have a patent on the
grapple, making Multitek the exclusive
manufacturer of firewood processors
with the grapple technology.
Although it wasn’t raining like the
previous day, the second day was relatively cold and windy, so the elements were
still a factor during the event. But
Marcus didn’t notice thanks to the
comforts of the cab. “If you look
inside the cab, it’s definitely
Cadillac material compared to anything else,” he said. Among the special features inside the cab is a laser
measuring system for the firewood
length. Marcus said, “From inside
the cab you just punch into the
computer screen how long you want
your blocks and it automatically
measures the wood for you.“ He
said it also has a counter that keeps
track of how many cuts are made,
which is useful for companies that
have multiple machines and operators and want to compare production, or simply want to measure
their output. But on a chilly day of
processing in Ohio, it came back to
the comfort factor. “The heat in
the cab definitely was nice today,”
he said.
In addition to the grapple and
high-tech features in the cab,
Marcus pointed out that the
Multitek 2040xp2 has some other
helpful features that are not as
noticeable. “This is the only
machine with a variable displacement piston pump, which allows
the hydraulic system to operate
more efficiently and operate at a
cooler temperature,” he said.
Marcus added that because the
variable displacement pump runs
more efficiently, it is far more fuelefficient than comparable
machines. “Your operating costs
are very low once you own the
machine,” he explained.
Overall, Marcus seemed content with the performance of their
Multitek 2040xp2. The machine is
advertised as producing between
4.5 and 6 cords per hour. At the
Shoot-Out, they were able to
process their 17-log bundle of
roughly 1.75 cords in just over 16
minutes, giving them a rate of
approximately 6.5 cords per hour,
just over their maximum advertised rate. •
MACHINE SPECS
Model...............................2040xp2
Engine.......................99-hp Kohler
Cutter ........................Circle/60 in./
inserted tooth
Max log length .....................50 ft.
Adjustable wedge ....................Yes
Splitting
cycle time (ram) ...................3 sec.
Log loading .......5-strand log deck
Towing pkg...............................Yes
Options used
at Shoot-Out ........Roof mount AC,
30-ft. stacking conveyer
Price of unit used
at Shoot-Out...................$149,500
1-877-906-7711
www.LewisWinch.com
LANDSCAPING • GAME HUNTING • LOGGING
RIVER BOATING / HUNTING • OFF-ROADING
Dec 2014/Jan 2015 •
25
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Tajfun RCA 400 Joy
Manufacturer
Tajfun Planina d.o.o.
U.S. Distributor: OESCO
8 Ashfield Rd.
Conway, MA 01341
ph: 800/634-5557
[email protected]
www.oescoinc.com
Machine Operator
Howard Boyden
Assistant
Doug Churchill
Time
9 min. 20 sec.
Cords Processed
0.65 Cords
Cords/Hour
4.18 Cords
F
irewood processors of all
descriptions rolled into
the Shoot-Out, being
towed by trucks or loaders
and carefully backed into
position for the event.
One notable exception was the Tajfun
RCA 400 Joy, which was carried in on
the 3-point hitch of a 73-hp Goldoni
tractor, lowered to the ground before it
patiently waited for the other machines
to finish their setup. According to operator Howard Boyden of Oesco, who
deals with Tajfun (pronounced
“typhoon”), easy mobility is one of the
benefits of the RCA 400 Joy. The compact machine can easily be stored in a
barn or shed and brought out when
needed. Once in place, Howard noted
that it could either be left connected to
the 3-point hitch, or disconnected so
that the tractor could be used to load
the processor, then backed up to the
power takeoff for cutting and splitting.
“The PTO is great in that you’ve
already got a tractor to load your logs
anyway,” Howard explained. While 35
hp is the recommended minimum
power for running the RCA 400 Joy,
moving the 2,800-pound machine
requires a larger tractor.
Howard describes the RCA 400 Joy
as “self-contained,” requiring only PTO
input from the tractor. The PTO powers two hydraulic pumps on the unit
plus a belt drive to the cutoff saw running an 18-inch, 0.375-pitch chain saw.
The RCA 400 Joy was shown with
the optional live deck, which, according to Howard, holds up to 6,000
pounds of logs, so there was no need
to stop and reload the deck during the
event. Howard said, “Things went
almost flawlessly. We called a 20-second time-out when we tried to load
two logs at once, but other than that, I
couldn’t be happier with the way
things went.” He noted that the 14inch-diameter logs worked to his
advantage. “They were capacity logs,
so we put out a lot of cords of wood
per hour.” His helper, Doug Churchill,
had only worked around the machine
once before, at the 2012 Great
Firewood Shoot-Out. He made sure
the logs loaded smoothly onto the
infeed conveyer, but he “mostly just
stood around and got nervous,”
Howard recalled.
Even though he is a dealer and does
not run the machine on a regular basis,
Howard found that the single 4-way
electric-over-hydraulic joystick control was simple
enough to allow him to finish his logs in 9 minutes, 20
seconds, controlling the machine with only one hand.
“A lot of the functions are integrated in this machine,
which eases the workload on the operator.” For example, moving the joystick to the right advances the
wood to the stop plate and raises a pair of flippers to
support the piece being cut. A pair of buttons raises
and lowers the wedge. Holding the joystick forward
initiates the cutting cycle, which, when complete,
opens the flippers to drop the wood straight down
into the splitting chamber. Activating the splitting
cycle is a nudge away on the joystick. While the
machine is busy splitting the log, the operator can be
advancing the next log, so there is no waiting.
The cutting and splitting cycles can be interrupted either by pressing the red button on the joystick
or opening the safety shield. “You open the safety
shield and the hydraulic ram retracts and everything
comes to a stop,” Howard explained. “It remains disabled until you close the safety shield, and push the
green button on the joystick. There is also an E-stop
button to the left of the operator’s station. This
processor is built to European safety standards,
which are stricter than in the U.S.”
The Shoot-Out splitting rate of over 4 cords per
hour pleased Howard, but did not surprise him. With
capacity logs all loaded on the deck and a tractor
rumbling smoothly at just over an idle, the machine
was working under ideal conditions. Normal production, according to Howard, averages 2 cords per hour
over the course of a day. “That’s with loading the
deck, removing split wood, and other normal activities,” he noted. •
MACHINE SPECS
Model ..............Tajfun RCA 400 Joy
Engine..................................55-hp Goldoni PTO-powered
Cutter ...............................................Chain saw/17-in. bar
Max log length .........................................................20 ft.
Max log diameter..................................................15.6 in.
Max firewood length ...............................................22 in.
Adjustable wedge ........................................................Yes
Splitting
cycle time (ram) .......................................................3 sec.
Splitting force .......................................................15 tons
Log loading ........................................................Live deck
Towing pkg. ..................................................3-point hitch
Options used
at Shoot-Out.........................................Live-deck RN3000
Dec 2014/Jan 2015 •
27
FIREWOOD
PROCESSORS
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SP
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R
Timberwolf 5-FC
Manufacturer
Timberwolf Mfg. Corp.
126 Spruce St.
Rutland, VT 05701
ph: 800/340-4386
www.timberwolfcorp.com
Machine Operator
Mark Brown
Assistant
Matt Mackey
Time
5 min. 57 sec.
Cords Processed
0.33 Cords
Cords/Hour
3.33 Cords
T
hough firewood processors
dominated the Shoot-Out,
the firewood splitters got a
fair amount of attention.
Those with chain saws and
modest production expectations had a chance to explore their
options. The Timberwolf 5-FC splitter
has many features of the Timberwolf
processors, including a quick-change,
hydraulically adjustable wedge,
optional conveyer, and 2-stage
hydraulic pump that kicks in extra
splitting force on the toughest logs.
Mark Brown of Brownwood Sales
knows the machine well. He not only
sells and services Timberwolf equipment, he runs it on a regular basis for
his family’s firewood business. “Being
in the firewood business keeps us
grounded,” he says. “It’s not too much
work if you have the right equipment.” Providing Mark with a steady
supply of logs was Matt Mackey, who
also runs a firewood business with a
Timberwolf firewood processor and
splitter. “I’ve always used their equip-
ment and I help out at shows. I’ve got
a lot of experience with their splitter
and processor, so they just asked me
to help,” he explained.
The 5-FC (FC stands for “fast
cycle”) has a 6-second cycle time and
generates up to 20 tons of force. The
24-inch piston length is longer than
most splitters, making it well-suited for
splitting wood for outdoor wood boilers. The team showed the 5-FC with
some of the more common options,
including log lifter, grate, and conveyer.
Matt says he only used the log lifter a
few times to demonstrate how it works.
For the most part, he used it to stage
logs so that Mark could roll them onto
the splitter as quickly as possible. Mark
says he had plenty of time to look
around and see how the other splitters
and processors were doing. “Everything went through flawlessly, so there
really wasn’t much for me to do,” he
said. “We just called one time out to
adjust the conveyer belt when I got a
little too much wood loaded on it, but
other than that, I just made sure every-
thing flowed smoothly from the
splitter to conveyer.”
Since both Mark and Matt are
in the firewood business, they
knew that a 6-way wedge would
produce better firewood from the
18-inch-diameter logs, even
though it slowed down the splitting time a little when the 2-stage
pump kicked in. The result was
an impressive pile of wood—in an
equally impressive time. They
even changed out the wedge to a
4-way without calling a time-out.
Working as a team, Matt dropped
the 4-way wedge in place as soon
as Mark had the 6-way wedge
clear of the machine. With no
bolts or pins required, Mark estimates that they lost all of 3 seconds in making the switch! “We
wanted to show Timberwolf at its
best, and we had a good strategy
for that,” Mark explained. Using
the optional grate as a sorting
platform, they quickly resplit the
larger pieces before allowing
them onto the conveyer.
As if the Shoot-Out didn’t put
enough pressure on the team to
show Timberwolf at its best, Matt
said that the owners of the
Timberwolf company were there
watching. “They were very happy
with our time,” he reported. Matt
said there were no human errors
and the machine did exactly what
it was supposed to do. “We had a
good crowd and there was a lot of
interest in the splitters. We sold
quite a few machines, so it was a
good deal all the way around.” •
MACHINE SPECS
Model .................................TW 5-FC
Engine .........................11-hp Honda
Max firewood length...............24 in
Splitting cycle time (ram).......6 sec.
Splitting force......................20 tons
Log loading...........Hydraulic log lift
Towing pkg. ...............................N/A
Options used
at Shoot-Out .............6-way wedge,
log lift, table grate
Price of unit used
at Shoot-Out .......................$72,900
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1-800-654-5320
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Email: [email protected]
http://home.sprynet.com/~bbmfg
Dec 2014/Jan 2015 •
31
PR
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Timberwolf Pro MPX
Manufacturer
Timberwolf Mfg. Corp.
126 Spruce St.
Rutland, VT 05701
ph: 800/340-4386
www.timberwolfcorp.com
Machine Operator
Kevin Downes
Assistant
Mark Brown
Time
18 min. 52 sec.
Cords Processed
0.85 Cords
Cords/Hour
2.70 Cords
N
o one can show a
machine at its best
like the people who
run it every day.
Timberwolf owner
Kevin Downes
teamed up with dealer Mark Brown
to show the world what they could do
with the Timberwolf Pro MPX firewood processor. Kevin described his
experience with firewood processing:
“My dad has a Timberwolf processor
and several splitters. I have a fulltime job and help out my dad with
his firewood business, which is a side
business for his farm.” Mark also
became familiar with firewood processing through his father’s business,
where he does “a little bit of everything,” including sales, service, and
processing firewood.
“It went really well,” Kevin
recalled. “We had a good pile of logs.
No issues. Everything went smoothly
for us.” The Timberwolf Pro MPX has
several unique features that helped it
run through its load of logs in just 18
minutes, 52 seconds. One of the key
elements of the processor is an hourglass-shaped roller. Working in conjunc-
tion with the infeed conveyer, it assists
in moving the log forward as well as
holding it down while the 0.404
hydraulic slasher blade cuts off each
piece. Mark sees the chain saw cutoff
as an advantage. “It makes nice straight
cuts and the pieces drop straight down
into the splitter.” The top roller helps
feed crooked logs, holds them securely,
and helps the firewood drop straight down into the
splitting chamber with no hang-ups, though Kevin did
turn a few pieces to help them go through the wedge
more easily. “You learn to read the wood and turn it,
and it makes it easier on you and the machine,” he
explained. “It doesn’t really take any time and it is
not hard to learn.” According to Kevin, the Pro MPX’s
learning curve is pretty short. All the valves are
labeled and arranged by function to make them easy
to use. “After a while, it becomes automatic,” he says.
“It has an autocycle system so you can cut and split at
the same time. It makes for a nice fluid system to
keep the wood flowing through it.”
With Kevin running the machine smoothly,
Mark’s job was actually pretty easy. The machine is
designed to be run by a single operator, so Mark
mostly watched to make sure everything was working as it should. To their credit, the Timberwolf
team opted to use a 6-way wedge, even though only
a 4-way splitter was specified. This certainly
required more of the machine, but Mark explained
that the 6-way wedge produced a better product
from the large logs. The 45-hp Mitsubishi diesel
engine took it all in stride, and the 20 tons of splitting force proved more than enough, while maintaining a 5-second splitting cycle time. The only
time-out called was to reload the live deck.
With the Shoot-Out over, Kevin raised the live
deck with a winch while Mark backed the truck
up to the hitch. In less than 10 minutes the
machine was out of the Shoot-Out area and on its
way back to the Timberwolf booth. Both were well
pleased with the time turned in for the machine—
over three times the capacity claimed on the
Timberwolf website. •
MACHINE SPECS
Model ..................................................................PRO MPX
Engine......................................................45-hp Mitsubishi
Cutter ................................................Chain saw/25-in. bar
Max log length ..........................................................14 ft.
Max log diameter......................................................22 in.
Max firewood length.................................................24 in.
Adjustable wedge .........................................................Yes
Splitting cycle time (ram)..........................................5 sec.
Splitting force ........................................................20 tons
Log loading...................................................................N/A
Towing pkg. ...................................................................Yes
Options used
at Shoot-Out..........................................Standard machine
Price of unit used at Shoot-Out ............................$36,995
FRANSGARD
FORESTRY WINCHES
Quality built winches with few moving
parts, built-in overload clutch system, cable
drum locking latch and protective screen.
MODEL...........................Min. HP ............................CAPACITY
V3004 .................................25 HP...................................6,600 lbs
V3507 .................................25 HP...................................7,275 lbs
V4000 .................................40 HP...................................8,800 lbs
V6500 .................................80 HP.................................14,200 lbs
HAKKI PILKE
WOOD PROCESSORS
T
he HakkiPilke Expert 37 is excellent for professional
use but also offers a unique option for demanding
domestic use or as a shared machine when making
larger amounts of firewood. Even though the machine
only needs 15 hp of power and weighs just 1785lbs, it
can be used effectively to split trunks 15” diameter. This
exceptional power is best exhibited when making firewood out of trunks of varying sizes. The speed of the
machine is automatically adjusted according to the size
of the trunks. Top-class production with the Easy equipment. Hakki Pilke Expert 37 can be equipped with the
Easy function to enhance its user friendliness. This feature is especially useful for professionals. With the Easy
equipment, wood can be
moved forward and back,
cut, and the height of the
blade easily adjusted using
hydraulic levers
KESLA
LOADER-TRAILERS
In timber harvesting Kesla
loader-trailer combination
provides
pre-engineered
high-performance solutions
in which the combination’s
features have been coordinated according efficiency
and functional requirements.
413-736-5462
www.jswoodhouse.com
J.S. Woodhouse Co. Inc.
Since 1843
WOODHOUSE
Dec 2014/Jan 2015 •
33
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Wood Beaver Eager Beaver
M
Manufacturer
Wood Beaver Forestry
1117 Western Dr.
Hartford, WI 53027
ph: 800/569-6813
[email protected]
www.woodbeaver.net
Machine Operator
Jerry Uecker
Assistant
Bryndon O’Hara
Time
5 min. 3 sec.
Cords Processed
0.33 Cords
Cords/Hour
3.92 Cords
ost people think of
engineers as people
who sit behind computers at comfortable desks, but Jerry
Uecker of Wood
Beaver is willing to get out there and
show off his creations himself. With his
hands on the controls and company
general manager Bryndon O’Hara
feeding logs into the splitter, the
Eager Beaver splitter performed well.
“The Eager Beaver is basically the Lil
Beaver firewood processor without the
cutoff saw,” he explained. The result
is a high-capacity, heavy-duty machine
capable of splitting logs up to 24 inches long. The Eager Beaver is a new
machine, and the one at the Shoot-Out
was one of the first from the factory.
“We had a lot of requests for this
machine,” said Jerry. “We built some
as special orders, and they worked so
well, we decided to manufacture
them.” The splitter at the Shoot-Out
was one of their first production models, and it performed to Jerry’s expectations. “I am very happy with the way
it ran. We had no problems with the
wood.” He said that the 14-hp Honda
engine has plenty of power to push the
wood through the splitter.
Some of the unique features of the
machine are the knife-shaped wedge
that splits wood with less force than
conventional wedges, an infeed conveyer that holds up to six pieces of
wood, and a fast, efficient regenerative
hydraulic system with a 5-second cycle
time. For Bryndon, who had the task
of feeding the wood to the splitter, the
real back-saver was the hydraulic log
lifter. “It took no effort whatsoever,”
he recalled. “I just rolled a half-dozen
pieces of firewood onto the hydraulic
lifter and let it do all the muscle
work—I never broke a sweat.”
According to Jerry, the log lifter can
easily lift over 1,000 pounds, and had
no problems lifting the firewood. With
a constant stream of logs moving down
the conveyer, he kept the splitter in
constant motion during its 5 minute, 3
second run.
The splitter can easily be run by
one person, says Bryndon, but it goes a
MACHINE SPECS
Model .........................Eager Beaver
Engine .........................14-hp Honda
Max firewood length ...............24 in
Adjustable wedge.......................Yes
Splitting
cycle time (ram)...................4.5 sec.
Log loading ................Hydraulic lift,
6 pieces at a time
Towing pkg. ................................Yes
lot faster with two people. That
way there is no stopping to reload
the machine. The market base for
the Eager Beaver is somewhat
specialized. It is built for people
who want the production of a
processor, but who do not need
the cutoff saw. “Most of the customers for this machine are in the
tree care business,” Jerry
explained. They usually cut the
wood to length on the spot and
just need a good fast splitter that
can handle any size log they put
on it.
Although the splitter ran flawlessly, Bryndon did have some
issues with the cold, rainy weather. “It probably kept some people
away,” he admitted, “but the
ones that did come were seriously
interested.” •
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Price of unit used
at Shoot-Out .......................$11,995
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Dec 2014/Jan 2015 •
35
PR
OC
S
ES
OR
Wood Beaver Model 16
Manufacturer
1117 Western Dr.
Hartford, WI 53027
ph: 800/569-6813
[email protected]
www.woodbeaver.net
Machine Operator
Scott Eifler
Assistant
Dan Sorelli
Time
14 min. 47 sec.
Cords Processed
0.85 Cords
Cords/Hour
3.45 Cords
S
cott Eifler of Wood Beaver
Forestry was at the helm of
their Model 16 firewood
processor on day two of the
Great Firewood Shoot-Out.
Unlike their Model 20
machine that he ran on the previous
day, the Model 16 has been on the
market for a number of years. When
asked if they had a particular strategy
going into the competition, Scott simply said, “Go all out.” With its 24-hp
engine and bar-and-chain cutting system, the Wood Beaver Model 16 was
one of the smaller machines that ran
on day two of the Shoot-Out.
After the Shoot-Out Scott said,
“The wood was perfect,” and added
that the Model 16 processed their onecord bundle without any malfunctions
or the need to use any time-outs.
Despite a couple logs that were slightly larger than 17 inches, the advertised
maximum log diameter of the Model
16, it handled them without issue.
And other than two blocks that had to
be repositioned in the splitter, the
Model 16 performed flawlessly. Scott
credited the design of the Model 16 as
the reason for running without issues
or the need for a time-out. “We have a
cam-type system that you bump the
log against. And as the saw comes
down, it actually relieves the kerf in
the cut, and drops the piece straight
down,” said Scott.
The Wood Beaver 16 has an advertised rate of processing firewood of 2
to 3 cords per hour. It completed their
one cord bundle in just less than 15
minutes, more than one cord faster
than advertised. Scott said that while
the Wood Beaver 16 is capable of processing 4 cords per hour, this is typically not what is realistic on a day-today basis. “In real-world situations, 2
cords an hour is just a nice number to
run where someone is going to
straighten a log and have a coffee
break,” said Scott. He also said the
relatively clean straight wood in the
Shoot-Out helped contribute to the
higher rate of processing.
He said one advantage of the Model
16 is the fact that it can both cut and
split at the same time instead of having
to wait for one operation to finish.
Other than the live deck and the
extended conveyer which was an
extra 4 feet longer, everything on
the Model 16 used in the ShootOut comes standard. Scott also
credited their optional 2-strand log
deck for helping to speed up the
log-loading process. And by running a larger-diameter cylinder and
a regeneration system, they achieve
a low cycle time on the Wood
Beaver 16, while keeping the
machine relatively low cost and
without a lot of extra added equipment. “We believe in welded cylinders, 100%,” added Scott.
Another unique feature was
their belt infeed system. “The
belt infeed works like having like
a million fingers underneath the
log to draw it into the machine,”
said Scott. He said they prefer a
belt system instead of a drag chain
because they believe it does a better job of handling crooked wood.
Unlike a drag chain system that
can only move a log with its even-
ly spaced teeth, the belt system
grabs everywhere it contacts the
log. Scott said when it comes to
crooked logs, “They very seldom
hang up on this machine.” The
Model 16 uses a mil-grade belt for
the infeed, which Scott said is
highly durable and designed for
everyday use.
For observers who thought the
Model 16 had more in common
with the other Wood Beaver
machines than the color, they
would be correct. According to
Scott, the center sections on all
their machines are absolutely identical, including the welded cylinders. In fact, every component they
manufacture is designed to bolt
onto any of their Wood Beaver
machines, allowing everything to be
interchangeable. He claims that by
manufacturing everything in bulk
and designing it so that it fits on
multiple machines, costs are kept
down for consumers. •
MACHINE SPECS
Model...........................................16
Engine .........................24-hp Honda
Cutter..............Chain saw/18 in. bar
Max log length........................12 ft.
Max log diameter ...................17 in.
Max firewood length..............27 in.
Splitting
cycle time (ram)......................4 sec.
Log loading.......................Live deck
Towing pkg. ................................Yes
Options used
at Shoot-Out.....................Live deck
Price of unit used
at Shoot-Out .......................$21.945
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Dec 2014/Jan 2015 •
37
PR
OC
S
ES
OR
Wood Beaver Model 20
Manufacturer
1117 Western Dr.
Hartford, WI 53027
ph: 800/569-6813
[email protected]
www.woodbeaver.net
Machine Operator
Scott Eifler
Assistant
Jerry Uecker
Time
34 min. 49 sec.
Cords Processed
0.85 Cords
Cords/Hour
1.46 Cords
I
f there was an award in the
Shoot-Out for last-minute fabrications, the Wood Beaver Model
20 would receive it. When Scott
Eifler entered their Model 20, he
had yet to even build the
machine, let alone test it beforehand. In
fact, the build went right down to the
wire, and they barely fabricated it in
time. According to Scott, they finished
putting together the very first Model 20
at 10 p.m. on the Wednesday night
before the Shoot-Out. By 3 a.m.
Thursday morning they had it loaded
and began their drive from Wisconsin to
Ohio. By Friday afternoon, they were in
Ohio and the Model 20 was operating at
the event. Scott said, “That machine
was literally put together in six weeks.
That was steel six weeks ago—from
concept, to build.”
Scott said, “The model is a prototype
we brought here. We have never made
that one before.” It is named as a 20-inch
machine, but much like their Model 16,
it can process slightly larger logs. Scott
said he kept hearing from customers that
they wanted a machine that could
process larger wood than their smaller
Model 16 processor. He explained that
the technology for the majority of the
newer Model 20 is the same as their
Model 16, just scaled larger.
Scott did not have any particular
strategy in mind for the Firewood
Shoot-Out. “We just wanted to test the
machine; that’s all it was here for,” he
said. Because the building process for
the Model 20 went right down to the
wire, not everything turned out the way
he had hoped. Scott said that when
they assembled the processor, they did
not yet have all the necessary components. Because some parts were outsourced, and had yet to arrive at time of
assembly, they had to find last-minute
substitutes. Unfortunately some of the
specifications on the substituted parts
did not meet the necessary requirements and created problems. After the
competition Scott said, “We should
have had more testing.”
He explained that an issue arose
with the splitter controls. They
designed their Model 20 with a 2-ram
system in the splitter. While the splitter controls are designed to handle 20
gallons per minute, the 2-ram system
needs 30 gallons per minute to function properly. As the Model 20 tried to
push 30 gallons per minute through
the 20 gallon per minute controls, it
created back pressure in the system. Because of
this, the second cylinder in the splitter was not
engaging to push it through the stroke, and the
splitter ran much more slowly than intended.
Scott explained, “At 1,200 psi the second cylindar
should kick in and push through the stroke. That
didn’t happen.”
Despite the setbacks with substituted parts,
Scott seemed relatively happy with the way the
machine performed. “Overall, the machine
worked well,” said Scott. He said they will make
minor tweaks to improve the machine before they
begin production. One of those tweaks is the live
deck. While it performed well in the Shoot-Out,
Scott believes it could have been better. “We’re
going to raise the live deck up a couple inches so
it dumps it down a little harder and further down
on the log trough.” They experimented with a
level live deck, but decided to go back to the
same live deck that is on their Model 16, which is
slightly higher than the log trough. “That’s just
part of testing and prototyping,” said Scott.
Despite the slowdown in the splitter mechanism and the various tweaks needed with the
Model 20, Scott soldiered on through the event. It
processed their one-cord bundle in just under 35
minutes, giving them a rate of just under 2 cords
per hour. For a machine that was literally completed hours before it was placed on the truck,
Scott was not disappointed. “I wish it would have
run faster, it would easily have doubled those
numbers. We could have backed out, but we are
old racers. You run what you brung. We finished
in respectable time with a machine that had never
had a log through it.” •
MACHINE SPECS
Model .......................................................................20
Engine.....................................................40-hp Kubota
Cutter.................................................Chain saw/29 in.
Max log length ....................................................20 ft.
Max log diameter................................................22 in.
Max firewood length ..........................................24 in.
Adjustable wedge ...................................................Yes
Splitting cycle time (ram)....................................4 sec.
Splitting force ..................................................38 tons
Log loading......................................3-strand live deck
Towing pkg..............................................................Yes
Options used
at Shoot-Out ......................All standard options used
Price of unit used
at Shoot-Out....................................................$46,995
Dec 2014/Jan 2015 •
39
DRYING FIREWOOD
PAST,
PRESENT,
FUTURE,
AND GETTING STARTED
by Niels Jorgensen
MOTHER NATURE HAS BEEN
DRYING FIREWOOD FOR CENTURIES
—make that a millennia. Unlike years past, we have been splitting
firewood using bigger, industrial equipment for a few decades.
In the last 5 to 10 years, we have also seen an increase in the use of
firewood kilns, though in the not-so-distant past, kiln drying
firewood was unheard of. But the firewood industry is changing
due to regulations for eliminating bugs and the subsequent
customer demand for kiln-dried firewood.
W
D
hat is kiln-dried firewood? What is
seasoned firewood? These are
questions with a variety of
answers. I am unaware of any recognized standard other than several websites that suggest 20% moisture content
(MC) when listing the Btu value of one cord of firewood. While there really is no official or legal standard
pertaining to dried firewood, I will use the 20% moisture content as our benchmark in this article. In a similar vein, it is not possible to truly qualify the actual
moisture content of “fresh split” firewood—for obvious
reasons. Still it seems that most agree that the moisture
content of “fresh split”—i.e., freshly logged and immediately split—is often 60% or more.
There are countless methods for testing the moisture content of firewood. Here are a few: measuring
the side using 1/4-inch-deep pins, measuring the end
using 1/4-inch pins, or splitting the wood in half and
testing the inside. It is our opinion that—scientifically
speaking—the best, though cumbersome, way of
determining moisture content is to use the oven
method (for more information on this, see www.kilndirect.com/understandfirewoodmc). The most practical
approach is splitting the piece such that a core moisture content reading can be made. It is my observation
that drying firewood down to an average of 20% MC
most likely indicates the firewood is 14% to 17% MC
on the outside surface and 25% to 30% MC in the center/core.
What Is Heat-treated Firewood?
It is firewood that has been heated to a certain internal
temperature for the purpose of killing a pest, such as
an insect or bacteria. It is very important to understand
that heat-treating firewood does not necessarily
mean it is dry or that it will not mold later. On
the contrary, experience in heat-treating pallets
indicates that new pallets may be more likely to
mold after they have been heat-treated. Is this
true for firewood as well? The USDA initially
required a temperature of 160°F inside the firewood
for 75 minutes. Currently this is reduced to 140°F for
60 minutes; however, some states still hold to the old
160°F standard. When selecting a firewood kiln, it
may be wise to ensure it has the ability to meet the
160°F for 75 minutes standard—unless you firmly
believe the government will not revert to the higher
standard at some future date.
Kiln-dried firewood may be the coming standard for
bundles (usually 3/4 cubic feet) and other unit-load
delivery of firewood. Unit load means bundles, racks,
large bags, palletized/stacked, or other non-bulk deliveries. There seems little doubt that firewood bundles
have led the way, as it is surprising how far a firewood
bundle is transported from the producer to the consumer. A few examples: Firewood produced in Florida
ends up in North Carolina; firewood from Virginia and
Tennessee is shipped to Florida; Wisconsin firewood is
transported to Colorado; and producers in northern
Maine send firewood to Philadelphia retailers. This
magazine has run many articles about the dangers of
transporting disease- or insect-infected firewood for
long distances. The wide-ranging transportation is
mentioned here in terms of commerce, but there are
obvious cautions in terms of insects and diseases that
come into play here as well.
Contrary to what some may think, kiln drying is not
all about making firewood more expensive. Table 1
compares fresh-split and kiln-dried firewood as it
Dec 2014/Jan 2015 •
41
DRYING FIREWOOD
SPECIES
Btu/Cord of
Fresh-Split
Btu/Cord
at 20% MC
Increase in
Btu/Cord
Ash, white
16.5 million Btu
23.6 million Btu
7.1 million Btu
Hackberry
14.6 million Btu
20.8 million Btu
6.2 million Btu
Maple, red
13.1 million Btu
18.7 million Btu
5.6 million Btu
Oak, red
16.8 million Btu
24.0 million Btu
7.2 million Btu
Average increase in Btu per cord from fresh split to 20% MC: 6.5 million Btu
Source: www.engineeringtoolbox.com/wood-combustion-heat-d_372.html
for the future and
take advantage of a
changing marketplace driven by
increasing regulatory
oversight?
Drying
Firewood
It takes a lot more to
dry firewood than
most people imagine. Here’s how it
works:
Value of Kiln-dried Firewood (20% MC).
Drying happens
mostly through vapor
coming out of the end, but why?
al regulations, mold prevention,
Look at the end of wet firewood in
customer or retailer demand, kilna fireplace when the water is bubdried and heat-treated firewood
bling out. The air in the kiln chamemerges as the industry standard,
ber transfers heat to the firewood, it
how can those in the firewood
evaporates water, and then this
industry prepare for such a signifisame air transports the water vapor
cant shift of product?
away. This is why good airflow is so
Nature’s pathogens (emerald ash
critical in a firewood kiln. But probborer, Asian longhorned beetle,
ably the most important factor in
wood wasp, etc.—with still more
drying firewood faster is chamber
certain to come over time) are
temperature. This is because water
doing what they were designed to
moves faster from the inside to the
do, and when combined with modoutside of firewood when the temern conveyances, spread nonnative
perature is higher, especially if the
species at alarming rates into areas
temperature is above boiling point
with no natural defense mecha(~212°F).
nisms. A simple Google search on
In Table 2 you see the differthe term “firewood quarantine
ences in drying times as the temareas” currently yields 9,870
peratures go up. These drying
results, a stark testament to how
times naturally assume that plenty
widespread local, state, and federal
of heat and air circulation was availconcern has developed into regulaable. In a normal firewood kiln you
tory oversight. Consequently, it
will have a heat-up time and a
would seem that the only relevant
treatment/drying time.
question for those who would preFurthermore, when most people
fer to remain in the full-time firetalk about the drying temperature
wood business would be: How will
in a firewood kiln, they focus on
you position your firewood business
These are generic numbers and will vary greatly with actual data due to differences in
fresh-split MC% due to season, region, etc., and the 20% average moisture content is
probably lower than most seasoned and kiln-dried firewood.
Table 1. Increased Btu
relates to the increase in burnable
Btus. The average increase in heating value is 30% to 40%, so technically the firewood should be worth
30% to 40% more, which is often
the case. It is also worth noting that
dry firewood weighs less per cord,
which means you can ship more per
truckload and thereby reduce cost
per cord. Dry firewood can be
transported further and at a lower
cost than green firewood. In the
end, it is up to the individual firewood company to explain why the
customer will get better-burning
wood at better overall prices.
Firewood Markets
The firewood industry serves a
great many markets. Let’s consider
the three biggest:
• Heating: firewood purchased
purely for heating buildings or similar spaces (Delivery: normally bulk
delivery or sometimes large unit
loads).
• Ambience: firewood used for
campfires, fire pits, chimneys, fireplaces, etc. (Delivery: normally
bundles, some large unit loads, and
some bulk delivery).
• Gourmet: used for commercial
cooking and high-end private cooking (Delivery: commercial, medium
to large unit loads and private by
mail orders).
Like it or not, the shift toward
kiln-dried and heat-treated firewood in the marketplace seems
more a question of “when” rather
than “if.” If, due to state and feder-
Loading
Method
D R Y I N G T E M P U R AT U R E
140°F
180°F
220°F
Random/
loose stacking
287 hours
87 hours
29 hours
Parallel stacking
226 hours
97 hours
34 hours
Source: Kiln-Drying Time of Split Oak Firewood from Forest Products Laboratory
(Research note FPL-RN-0254 – August 1987)
Table 2. Drying Times for Oak Firewood to 20% MC.
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DRYING FIREWOOD
the air entering the firewood
(called supply temperature), but
the more important number is exiting temperature (called exit temperature). The exit temperature is
the one you should consider most
carefully when you review Table 2.
Just to clarify, supply temperature
Table 3 compares some generic
heating systems often found on firewood kilns. Basically, it is difficult
to get below 36 hours in total cycle
time if you want to dry from freshsplit to 20% moisture content. Of
course letting the firewood air dry
during the warmer months can help
HEATING
SYSTEM
AVG. HEAT
SURFACE TEMP.
MAX. SUPPLY
TEMP.
Hot water
190°F
170°F
Low-pressure steam
250°F
220°F – 230°F
High-pressure steam
300°F
260°F *
140°F
–160°F
180°F
–200°F
220°F
Direct gas heating
NA direct
gas flame
600°F – 800°F
260° F *
220°F
260°F *
220°F
Air-to-air heat
exchanger from
wood waste firebox
EST. EXIT
TEMP.
species and their fresh-split weight
versus their weight at 20% MC.
This shows that you need to
remove more than 1,270 pounds of
water per cord, on average, to reach
an average of 20% MC. With this
much water to be removed, a lot of
energy will be required. This is
HOURS
ESTIMATED
DAYS
120–200 hrs. +
heat-up time
50–85 hrs. +
heat-up time
30 hrs. +
heat-up time
30 hrs. +
heat-up time
30 hrs. +
heat-up time
5 – 10 days
2.5 – 4 days
1.5 – 2 days
1.5 – 2 days
1.5 – 2 days
* Operating a kiln at higher temperatures does increase the potential of fire. At high temperatures a kiln should have
some kind of sprinkler system installed.
Table 3. Heating System Temperatures, Estimated Chamber Temperatures and Drying Times.
is not the real concern in drying
and heat-treating firewood. It is the
exit temperature that is the concern, as that is the temperature
known to be the lowest point of
reference in terms of how quickly
the slowest firewood is drying.
Drying times in hours and days
are based on exit temperature in
Table 2, plus actual experience
with installed kilns. The hot water
and steam temperatures are estimated. Heat-up time will vary
greatly depending on the size of
the heat system and start temperature of the firewood.
reduce both the time needed in a
kiln as well as the overall cost of
heating the kiln, but for the purpose
of staying on point I will retain the
standard of fresh-split to 20%.
The next main design parameter
is to install a heat system with
enough heating capacity to accomplish the drying in the time
desired. Before we can begin to
understand the energy needed to
kiln-dry and heat-treat firewood,
we must first determine how much
water needs to be removed from
the firewood itself.
Table 4 shows six different
SPECIES
why it often takes so long to dry
the firewood.
Table 5 notes the numbers for
removing 1,270 pounds of water.
The column for “Theoretical Lab
Conditions” in Table 5 is basically
the energy needed if there was
absolutely no energy wasted in the
drying process. This is not operationally possible due to transfer loss,
venting, door seals, loss through
walls/roof, etc. The next column is
based on real firewood kiln experiences. As you read the table, it is
worth noting that I have put a price
on the firewood used to heat the
Weight of Fresh-Split
Weight at 20% MC
Alder
3,604 lbs.
2,218 lbs.
Ash, green
4,237 lbs.
3,178 lbs.
Hackberry
4,039 lbs.
2,938 lbs.
Maple, soft
3,960 lbs.
2,640 lbs.
Oak, red
4,886 lbs.
3,350 lbs.
Average water loss per cord needed to dry from fresh-split to 20%:
Water to Be Removed
1,386 lbs.
1,059 lbs.
1,101 lbs.
1,320 lbs.
1,536 lbs.
1,280 lbs.
Source: www.engineeringtoolbox.com/weigt-wood-d_821.html
Table 4. Water to Be Removed When Drying Firewood. How Many Pounds Are Removed to Dry Firewood?
Dec 2014/Jan 2015 •
45
ENERGY COST FOR DRYING 1 CORD OF FIREWOOD
THEORETICAL
LAB CONDITIONS
Estimated weight of green firewood:
4,150 lbs./cord
FIREWOOD KILN
CONDITIONS
(oak = 4,900 lbs., maple, soft = 3,960 lbs., ash = 4,240 lbs.,
hackberry = 4,040lbs., alder = 3,600 lbs.) = average 4,150 lbs./cord
Estimated weight of dry firewood:
2,880 lbs./cord
Amount of water extracted per cord of firewood to be dried.
1,270 lbs./cord
1,270 lbs./cord
How much energy does it take to evaporate 1,270 lbs.
of water from firewood?
1.4 million Btu
between 2.2
million Btu and
3.6 million Btu
How much energy does it take to raise 1 cord of firewood from
60° F to about 212° F?
approx.
440,000 Btu
approx.
600,000 Btu
Total cost in energy to dry 1 cord of wood in the
MINIQUICK Firewood Kiln
1.8 million Btu
2.8 million Btu
to 4.2 million Btu
Estimated cost of energy with wood waste:
~10% of a cord
up to $10
16%–24% of a cord
$16–$24
Estimated cost of energy using LP gas:
$40
$62–$92
Estimated cost of energy using natural gas:
$14.40
$22–$33
(oak = 3,425 lbs., maple, soft = 2,640 lbs., ash = 3,181 lbs.,
hackberry = 2,940 lbs., alder = 2,220 lbs.) = average 2,880 lbs./cord
How much energy will it take to evaporate 1 lb. of water?
Starting temperature is 60°F.
Raising 1 lb. of water from 60°F to 212°F = 152 Btu (1Btu = 1°F per lb.).
Evaporating 1 lb. of water at 212°F = 971 Btu. Theoretical energy
needed to evaporate 1 lb. of water from 60° F = 1,123 Btu.
If there is a heat waste factor in any kiln, you will need much more
heat due to heat energy escaping during venting, or through walls,
floors, and other inefficiencies.
The rule of thumb in lumber drying is 35%–60% waste factor, which means
it will cost between 1,700 to 2,800 Btu to evaporate 1 lb. of water in a kiln.
THEORETICAl: 1,270 lbs. of water x 1,123 Btu/lbs. = 1.4 million Btu (not possible).
LOW Estimate: 1,270 lbs. of water x 1,700 Btu/lbs. = 2.2 million Btu.
HIGH Estimate: 1,270 lbs. of water x 2,800 Btu/lbs. = 3.6 million Btu.
Average weight of firewood dry (with 20% water) = 2,880 lbs.
Temperature increase is (212° F - 60° F) = 152° F increase.
Approximately 1 Btu/lbs./1° F increase.
Total energy needed to raise wood temperature
(2,880 lbs. x 152 Btu/lbs.) = 437,760 Btu.
Total energy consumption needed to dry 1 cord of firewood:
THEORETICAL: (1,400,000 + 440,000) Btu = 1.8 million Btu
LOW estimate: (2,200,000 + 600,000) Btu = 2.8 million Btu
HIGH estimate: (3,600,000 + 600,000) Btu = 4.2 million Btu
1 cord of firewood is normally 15–20 million Btu
(cost per cord = $0–$100)
Each gallon of LP gas = 91,000 Btu /gal. LP gas
Current gas costs: $2 per gal. (probably too low)
THEORETICAL: 1,800,000 / 91,000 Btu/gal. = about 20 gal.
LOW estimate: 2,800,000 / 91,000 Btu/gal. = about 31 gal.
HIGH estimate: 4,200,000 / 91,000 Btu/gal. = about 46 gal.
1 cu. ft. of natural gas = 1,000 Btu (100 cu. ft. = 1 therm)
Current average cost for 1 therm of natural gas = $0.80 per therm
THEORETICAL: 1,800,000 / 100,000 Btu/therm – about 18 therm
LOW estimate: 2,800,000 / 100,000 Btu/therm – about 28 therm
HIGH estimate: 4,200,000 / 100,000 Btu/therm – about 42 therm
Table 5. Energy and Cost of Drying Firewood.
THIS CALCULATION ASSUMES THE FIREWOOD IS DRIED
TO 20% AVERAGE MOISTURE CONTENT—MUCH OF
THE KILN- DRIED FIREWOOD ON THE MARKET TODAY
DOES NOT, IN FACT, MEET THIS STANDARD.
CRD METALWORKS, LLC • 17 HYDE HILL RD • WILLIAMSBURG, MA 01096
www.crdmetalworks.com
Call 888-667-8580
Dec 2014/Jan 2015 •
47
DRYING FIREWOOD
kiln; however, much of this should
be a “free” by-product of your firewood splitting operation (off-cut,
crotch, nonmarketable biomass).
Choosing the Best Heat
Source
The mixture of firewood kilns that
have sold has changed significantly.
Three to four years ago the majority of units sold were heated using
wood waste. As the natural gas cost
has come down over the last two
years, we have seen a shift to more
gas-heated kilns. LP and natural
gas units now represent 60% to
70% of the firewood kilns sold by
my company, Kiln-direct.
Basically, for the general firewood operation, the first choice
would be natural gas heating, then
wood waste, and then LP gas heating. One of our customers has chosen wood waste heat even though
that customer has access to natural
gas. Reason: They burn their tree
service debris to fire the kiln
instead of paying dumping fees for
their biomass. On the other hand,
several firewood companies who
have purchased our firewood kilns
have both wood waste heating kilns
and gas heating kilns. The “best”
heating system is an individual
choice dependent upon what works
for your situation.
Some Firewood Kiln
History (Past)
Kiln manufacturers initially utilized
existing lumber kiln design in the
hope of drying firewood. In
essence, the design was nothing
more than a modified lumber
kiln—the same conventional design
with added airflow and heating
capacity. Such modified lumber
kilns tend to be on the larger size
with 15+ cord capacity, which tends
to reflect a larger capital investment/commitment.
A different option that entered
the marketplace was the modified,
insulated container/van bodies—
typically using hot-water heating
supplied from an outdoor stove.
These insulated shipping contain-
ers had the lower price point so
many smaller operators could afford
them. These containers were not
very efficient for multiple reasons
(low operating temperature and
poor air circulation, among others).
Furthermore, as insulated shipping
containers were originally designed
for cold storage, the very hot and
humid conditions of a firewood kiln
led a relatively short kiln lifespan.
Firewood Kilns Available
Today (Present)
During the last five years, we have
seen the arrival of “true” firewood
kilns with 6 to 15 cord capacity,
engineered to operate at high temperatures (~250°F–270°F) for efficient/quick cycle times, built with
well-insulated chambers, and offering multiple fuel options for heating—LP gas, natural gas, and wood
waste. At present, approximately
2/3 of these are sold with gas heating with the remaining 1/3
equipped for wood waste heating.
Next Generation
Firewood Kilns (Future)
We believe that making firewood
kilns too large will make them less
efficient and ensure longer drying
cycles. We also believe it would be,
in a practical sense, better to have
three 6-cord firewood kilns versus
one 18-cord kiln, as multiple small
kilns provide a redundancy to protect production. Be it maintenance
issues or fires (yes, kilns of all
brands can catch fire), redundancy
of kiln units clearly offers value to
any operation built on delivering
product with consistency. Moreover, should a fire occur, it is much
easier to contain a 6-cord fire than
an 18-cord fire. As a final note,
sprinkler systems should always be
considered on kilns, especially if
using wood-waste-fired kilns.
We believe that the ideal size for
a small operation is around 5- to 6cord capacity per kiln with a 2-day
drying process with either gas or
wood-waste heating. This type and
size of kiln is currently available in
the marketplace.
Regarding the midsize to large
firewood operations/companies, our
experience suggests a kiln with the
specifications below:
•Loading capacity of 12 cords.
•Operating at 250°F–270°F on supply side (210°F–220°F on exit side)
for two-day drying.
•Short air circulation through firewood (10 feet or less).
•Wood-waste heat using wood
chips/mulch/sawdust/etc. with airto-air heat exchanger (eliminating
the need for steam and expensive
maintenance).
•Wood-waste storage for two to
four days of operation.
•Automatic wood ignition (no manual start-up needed).
•Fire suppression system.
•Delivered in one unit to be placed
on a flat, concrete slab to make
installation easy, keep investment
down, and ensure kiln is considered a piece of equipment.
To our knowledge, this kiln does
not exist as of 2014. However, we
believe it will eventually be built
by someone to supply the needs of
larger firewood companies.
Getting Started
Are you currently operating a
processor and considering expanding into firewood drying for either
bulk or bundle delivery? The
smallest firewood kiln available on
the market has a 5- to -6 cord
capacity per load. There are “high”
temperature and “low” temperature designs, with high-temp systems drying the firewood at approximately 260°F in two days or less,
and low-temp systems drying the
firewood utilizing hot water heat in
five to seven days. In most cases,
you will also need firewood baskets—preferably two sets—one set
in the kiln and one set getting
processed and loaded with new
firewood to be dried. This is a
major investment.
It is sound practice to consider
the questions below in order to
choose the best long-term firewood kiln:
•How many cords do you need to
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© 2014, Wood-Mizer LLC *Prices subject to change without notice.
800.553.0182 | sawboards.com
DRYING FIREWOOD
dry in a certain period?
•How many cords do you want to
heat-treat/dry per charge?
•Do you need to heat-treat and to
what standard?
•What fuel do you want to use (gas,
wood waste, or something else)?
•How dry do you want your firewood to be?
Begin by talking with companies
that sell firewood kilns. Be sure
you get several references and ask
pointed questions. If a company
promises three-day cycle times
with a maximum temperature of
180°F chamber temperature in a 6cord kiln with a 250,000-Btu hot
water stove, then there is good reason to be suspicious. First, 180°F is
the supply temp (meaning the
hottest temperature in the kiln);
the exit temperature will be significantly lower (15°F or more). If this
is the case, then the numbers cannot be reconciled to Table 2 drying
times. Second, to dry 6 cords of
firewood to 20% MC will require
between 16.8 and 24 million Btu.
At 250,000 Btu/hour, a heating system with 80% efficiency creates
approximately 200,000 Btu/hour—
suggesting a drying time of 84 to
120 hours. Visit several of the references provided by the kiln company, making sure the company you
are visiting is more than four to six
hours away so they are not future
competitors. You will find distant
operations more open to sharing
information, as they are not threatened by you as a competitor.
During your visit, ask for a few firewood samples that have recently
come out of the kiln so you can test
moisture content later. Better yet, if
possible, try to have a look at the
records from a regular run to make
sure the kiln can actually reach the
temperatures that the salespeople
are promising. They may refuse,
but it is worth the asking.
Most importantly, before investing in a kiln, be sure you can make
a profit. If you are within three to
four hours of major metropolitan
areas, you can expect around $325
to $375 per cord for thoroughly
kiln-dried firewood picked up at
your yard. For bundles of thoroughly dried and heat-treated firewood,
the average rate seems to be somewhere between $2.25 and $3 per
bundle picked up at your facility.
Please see Table 6 for a generic
overview of firewood economics.
Furthermore, you can literally log
on Monday, split on Tuesday, kilndry on Wednesday to Thursday,
and then deliver on Friday. This
approach would mean you have
reached three standards unobtainable by traditional seasoning: consistent moisture content, you have
satisfied heat treatment requirements, and you have provided consistent production.
How Might New Heat
Treating and Drying
Standards Influence the
Industry?
It used to be that all a person needed to start a firewood business was
a splitter, chain saw, and a pickup
GREEN
SEASONED
KILN-DRIED wood heat
KILN-DRIED LP gas
KILN-DRIED natural gas
Cost of 1 cord of
firewood logs delivered
to your location
$120
$120
$120
$120
$120
Add 20% as total waste
factor (10% for splitting +
10% shrinkage when drying)
$12
$24
$24
$24
$24
Cost of splitting firewood
$35
$35
$35
$35
$35
Cost of drying firewood
(or seasoning) including
paying for equipment
--
$15
$50
$80
$40
Total cost per cord
of firewood
$167
$194
$229
$259
$219
Sales price for a full cord
$190
$250
$325
$325
$325
Revenue from 1,000 cord
$190,000
$250,000
$325,000
$325,000
$325,000
Total cost to produce
1,000 cord
$167,000
$194,000
$229,000
$259,000
$219,000
Net estimated profit
on 1,000 cord
$23,000
$56,000
$96,000
$66,000
$106,000
Estimated profit margin
13.8%
22.4%
29.5%
20.3%
32.6%
Extra inventory
One 6 cord kiln +
2 sets of baskets
~ $120,000
One 6 cord kiln +
2 sets of baskets
~$70,000
One 6 cord kiln +
2 sets of baskets
~$70,000
Extra investment
required to get going
This is a generic comparison based on speaking with several firewood producers. Your costs may vary, but this table should help you develop your own cost
calculation to help determine if kiln-drying firewood can be profitable for you and your business. The prices and cost we received from our customers varied,
greatly depending on the state and closeness to a metropolitan area.
Table 6. Costing and Profit Estimated for a 1,000 Cord Annual Production.
truck. This model seems to have
created many “low bidders” in the
marketplace and often disturbs
genuine full-time operations
because their infrastructure costs
prohibit them from matching the
unsustainable low price offered by
the fellow who cuts for “beer
money.”
Heat treating and kiln drying have
separated the full-time firewood producers from the “hobbyists.” The
current firewood regulations do not
really stop the “nickel and dime”
producers, as most of these deliver
close to home. However, it does
require a substantial investment to
move from hobbyist to full-time production, probably in the realm of
$200,000 to $400,000 to cover a bigger processor, firewood kiln, skidsteer, inventory, and working capital.
Practically speaking, once people go
full-time they need to produce a
minimum of 500 to 1,000 cords annually to make a profit. Realistically,
the long-term volume to stay in business is more likely above 2,000 cords
annually. In the end, to be a fulltime firewood operation, you likely
end up with a mixture of local bulk
delivery at lower prices and more
profitable kiln-dried firewood in
bundles and/or bulk delivery.
The nature of the firewood
industry has changed. A clear division between hobbyists and fulltime firewood producers has been a
healthy development for the industry, and the establishment of additional small to midsize operations
(2,000–5,000 cords annually) has
stimulated improved operational
efficiencies for smaller-scale operations through innovation. •
Niels Jorgensen started Kiln-direct in
1994 by selling lumber kiln components. Kiln-direct matured as the
demand for pallet kilns grew and it
became one of the primary suppliers to
the pallet industry. Kiln-direct later
diversified into small to midsize lumber
kilns and more recently into firewood
kilns specifically designed for drying
and heat-treating firewood.
HAKMET
W o
NE Er g
0
4
KS
FORESTRY
FOR
FO
RESTR
ESTRY MACHINERY
MACH
MA
CH
HINE
NER
ERY
X
A
L
A
P
BEST
B
EST V
VALUE
AL
LUE
UE F
FOR
OR
YOUR
Y
OU
UR
RM
MONEY
MONEY!
ONEY!
With
W
ith over 10 models to choose from the Palax firewood processors are available in both chain
saw and circular saw ones for up to 17 diameter wood. Produce one to three cords per hour
depending on model and setup. The machines are PT
PTO
O driven and some with a 3-point hitch.
Also PT
PTO
O power packs available for some models. Depending on model adjust the length of the
log from 10 to 26 and split the wood up to 12-ways with up to 35,000 lbs of force. The units
have a high-speed valve, sealed bearings and a rear swingable 14 conveyor with chains and
scrapers. Also joystick controlled unit available. Larger units have live log decks with chains
and rollers to speed up the processing time. The units fold up for transportation.
HIGH
H
IGH PRODUCTION
PRODUCTION - LOW
LOW MAINTEN
MAINTENANCE
ANCE - EASY SERVICE
SER
RVICE
V
W
NE 0S
4
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K
Pictures
Pi
t
show
h
the new chain
saw KS40. Has
a 13 ton s
splitter
plitter
and
a
nd c
cuts
uts u
up
p tto
o1
15
5
diameter
d
iameter w
wood.
ood.
PTO
P
TO d
driven.
riven. T
The
he
unit
u
nit has
has a highhighspeed
s
peed valve
va
alve and
and
a rear
rear swingable
sw
wingable
14
1
4c
conveyor
onveyor
with chains and
scrapers.
The KS40 is
available as
an Ergo or
an S joystick one.
Do it the
th
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pr
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CALL NO
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W FOR MORE INFO!
Check our
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ebsite
ffor
or more
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iinformation
nformation
a
and
nd g
give
ive u
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a call!
1-800-361-2288
w w w. h a k m e t . c o m
Dec 2014/Jan 2015 •
51
SANTA’S LANDING
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the firewood shootout

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