help with a project

[spkrman15]

Hey folks,

around here it is firewood time. Well i am getting tired of bending and picking up wood after i split it. Soooo i want to build a "magic carpet" to carry the wood and drop it into the truck/and trailer

Here are the limitations.

1) I have a tractor to power the device
2) would like it to run off of the truck somehow
3) Should be ajustable in height. One truck is 3' and the other one is 5' high
4) has to be easy to move

Go wild....let's see what we all can come up with.

Rob

[lynnl]

Ya got any teenage sons?

[zl1byz]

I was involved with building some wood splitters some years back. They were mounted on the 3 point linkage of a tractor. They were set up so that the splitting operation was done at a good working hight. On the side oposite from the operator was a bin which pivited parellel to the beam of the splitter, pivot at the far end. So when the bin was full you hoped on the tractor backed it up to your truck or trailer. The pivot being at the far end of the splitter could be raised a resonable hight then with a hydraulic ram the bin was tipped and the contents emptied into the truck trailer. Worked very well, needs a resonable sized tractor to handle the weight of the full bin. Had a couple of advantages, if only need to move the split wood a short distance you didn't need any other transport. Another was if employing someone to do the work they could be paid for how many bins they tipped.

Meats 3 out of 4 of your requirements. The only one it doesn't is being powered by the truck, as the only power required is a hydraulic ram powered by the tractor I think is even better. It's portable, delivery hight is adjustable. Wish I had a picture.

[This message has been edited by zl1byz (edited 09-27-2004).]

[spkrman15]

Ok...but i know what i want. Hehe thanks for the ideas. unfortunately i want something where:

A) i don't have to move the tractor.
B) I can load a trailer measuring 7'x16'x3'
c) And then a full size 3/4 ton truck.

Besides...the teenage son was ME!!!

Rob

[catman]

Sounds like you need a conveyor that would load your trailer/pickup that could be set at different heights. You could run it off a hydraulic motor providing your tractor has enough hydraulic capicity.

Becase thew wood would tear up a rubber conveyor you could use whats called Potato chain or belted chain/.

[zl1byz]

<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by spkrman15:
Ok...but i know what i want. Hehe thanks for the ideas. unfortunately i want something where:

A) i don't have to move the tractor.
B) I can load a trailer measuring 7'x16'x3'
c) And then a full size 3/4 ton truck.

Besides...the teenage son was ME!!!

Rob </font>

Yep you don't have to move the tractor, just bring the vehicle to the tractor if thats what you want. Safer more portable & cheaper than a conveyor. Will load a car trailer to a 40 ton truck

[VmanPa]

i use a scissor type pallet jack...it only goes about 48" high but does the job for me. i put the wood on a pallet/skid, strap it accross and jack it up and load it right onto bed of my pickup. comes in handy as i have a 20x20 paved parking/storage area off the side of my driveway.....i keep the skidded wood there, and wheel a skid into the garage as needed....it is quite convenient. the scissor pallet/skid jack is nothing fancy, a manual hydraulic type.

[spkrman15]

Z,

I wish you had a picture as well because i am not getting it. I have read your post and i think it is me but i am just not picturing it.

I figured a conveyor belt would be rather easy and fun to build. Not only would it be good for wood but you could use it for other things.

A gas motor powering the unit would be good as well. I thought a seperate motor running off of the PTO on the tractor would work as well. Not my firt choice. An electrical operation would be the best as i figured i could use the conveyor to unload the trailer as i put the wood into my house via the basement window.

My main dilemas are the following

A) at what intervals should i put the rollers
b) What speed should it run
c) How long should i make it so the pitch isn't too great for the wood.

Rob

[catman]

Speed slow, really slow

What kind of tractor do you have? I perfer hydraulics over PTO for a veritey of reasons, #1 Saftey, #2 hydraulics can be slowed or sped up easily. It sounds like you are going to use this close to the house, so a fractional HP 110v electric motor geared down might be your best bet.

I'll try and figure out this picture setup on this bb, I will try and post some picture of different conveyors that we have built for handling produce and nuts. we built a chain a few years back that seperates large sticks from the nuts (almonds, walnuts) as they come off the mechanical harvesters.

Another Idea would be using #60 or #80 chain that has attachment links and running two chains together parallel with bars running crosswise connecting to the attachment links.

[John in OH]

How about getting an old grain/bale elevator and cutting it off at the desired length? They are already geared and set up to run off a tractor PTO. Height is an adjustable feature of all elevators. Already mounted on axle with tractor hitch. Reasonable conveyor speed. Relatively light weight and will already have a crank/winch to adjusting height. Can usually be found used in the $400 range. Cut to desired length by relocating the top conveyor chain pulley and shortening the chains. You will probably need to rework the height adjusting system to meet your needs. You'll still get to play with your torch and welder and maybe your lathe but you won't have to start from scratch!!