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Which firewood bunder do you use.

Started by stumpjumper83, July 06, 2014, 04:34:10 PM

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stumpjumper83

Im just getting started in the firewood bundle game and I choose an original twister 1.5 square model.  Mainly cause I found it used and a little cheaper.  I'm not the fastest with it, but it does do nice work.  I'm planning on fabing up some quickload trays some rainy day to speed me up a little.

I'm curious to see what the rest of you are using.  Particularily if anyone is using an automated shrink wrapper with the table feed.  Currently the twister is fast enough, but I have my eye on production and to keep up with my processor I need to hit about 150 bundles an hr.   

I would rather not have this turn into a bundle or not to bundle thread, bundles work for me.

Corley5

An old Twister I bought at an auction for 60 or 65 bux, I forget  ;D  It doesn't owe me anything and bundles suck ;D :D
Burnt Gunpowder is the Smell Of Freedom

glassman_48

stumpjumper83,
twister has always had the best bundlers in the industry in my opinion.  Do you have a manual bundler?  They also have electric bundlers. I will post the specs when I dig them up. 

stumpjumper83

No its an electric, not sure if its the 1/4 or 1/2 hp one.  It seems to keep pace with the ones on the twister web site for speed of wrapping.  I think part of my problem is coming from not having any quick load trays, but I'm getting that resolved.  What I was looking at was one of these for future...  http://www.bbmfgusa.com/paker.htm

glassman_48

stumpjumper83,
the manual wrapper should do 25 to 35 bundles per hour
standard electric 55 bundles per hour
standard hi speed quikload up to 100 bundles per hour
high speed quik load up to 180 per hour
I got these numbers from the owner of twister when we were at a logging show a couple of years ago

stumpjumper83

Quote from: glassman_48 on July 08, 2014, 06:29:08 PM
stumpjumper83,
the manual wrapper should do 25 to 35 bundles per hour
standard electric 55 bundles per hour
standard hi speed quikload up to 100 bundles per hour
high speed quik load up to 180 per hour
I got these numbers from the owner of twister when we were at a logging show a couple of years ago
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High speed quick load, 180 per hour that means 3 per minute, 20 seconds a bundle.  That's moving.  That's not allowing any time for stacking the made bundles, changing wrap rolls nothing.  Ill bet that's with a crew of 4 as well.

Corley5

We can do 50 an hour pretty easy.  That's with a guy running the wrapper, a guy loading and stacking the bundles and loading logs on the firewood machine and an operator on the firewood machine.
Burnt Gunpowder is the Smell Of Freedom

glassman_48

stumpjumper,
These are notes I had from the logging show in escanaba mich. a few years ago, I had a ton of questions  that people were asking and just referred back to the notes.  I wanted you to see you can do quite a few with a pretty small unit.  I just called the owner of twister and he said that is with a 3 man crew and moving and stacking the bundles as well.  That really is flying, at that first show I did with him I filled a bunch of those quikload trays and the owner can really fly on that machine. 

stumpjumper83

I checked my unit today.  I have a 1/4 hp, old school machine.  Did 3 diy quickload trays today, going to see tomorrow if that helps.  I need to get my wrapping speed up...  we will see tomorrow how it goes.

NWP

I made quick load trays for my Twister. I don't use them. They worked good, but the way we do it didn't make a lot of difference. We resplit processed wood then wrap it. It's a 2 person operation. Our limitation is the speed of the resplitting. The guy wrapping was just waiting on the trays to be loaded. If you had a nice supply of ready to go wood they would work pretty good. We load a dump trailer with processed wood and back it up to the splitter to be resplit.
1999 Blockbuster 2222, 1997 Duratech HD10, 2021 Kubota SVL97-2, 2011 Case SV250, 2000 Case 1845C, 2004 Case 621D, John Deere 540A, 2011 Freightliner with Prentice 120C, 2012 Chevrolet, 1997 GMC bucket truck, several trailers, and Stihl saws.

Corley5

We bundle right off the hopper at the bottom of the elevator.  The Twister is set right next to the elevator.  If the bundler gets behind the elevator is started and advanced just a bit to make room for more wood.  The processer operator resplits as needed for the right size to bundle.  The bundles are loaded into the truck or dump trailer for immediate delivery.  The plan is to make up a supply on pallets for the winter so we don't have to bundle any when it's cold and can load the pallets with the Bobcat as needed.  Bundles still suck ;) ;D  I need to order more stretch wrap  :) 
Burnt Gunpowder is the Smell Of Freedom

stumpjumper83

Quote from: NWP on July 09, 2014, 05:49:39 PM
I made quick load trays for my Twister. I don't use them. They worked good, but the way we do it didn't make a lot of difference. We resplit processed wood then wrap it. It's a 2 person operation. Our limitation is the speed of the resplitting. The guy wrapping was just waiting on the trays to be loaded. If you had a nice supply of ready to go wood they would work pretty good. We load a dump trailer with processed wood and back it up to the splitter to be resplit.

I do similar, but I try to avoid re-splits.  I run a 6 way head on my processor.  Large logs get sold for bulk delivery.  Small logs go to the wrapping station via dump truck.  running an 8" log thru a 6 way split head does a decent job for what I need.

NWP

We've tried running smaller logs thru the processor too. It always seems like we end up with some that need resplit.
1999 Blockbuster 2222, 1997 Duratech HD10, 2021 Kubota SVL97-2, 2011 Case SV250, 2000 Case 1845C, 2004 Case 621D, John Deere 540A, 2011 Freightliner with Prentice 120C, 2012 Chevrolet, 1997 GMC bucket truck, several trailers, and Stihl saws.

glassman_48

When I have extra time from my glass business I set up my bagging system and resplit everything before it goes up the conveyor one bag gets me about 20 small bundles worth.  I have about a dozen bags right now that can be bundled as we get low, we just set a pallet in the pole barn next to my wrapper and set another empty pallet next to it, we usually keep a couple of pallets stacked up in the pole barn.  We do not sell a bunch of bundles and YES,,,,,,,,,,BUNDLES SUCK

glassman_48

do you guys pay your help by the bundle or by the hour?   Just curious, the twister owner said in Minnesota a lot of them pay the the bundle .25 to .50 per bundle depending on what speed bundler they have.  I think that price was a few years ago,,,,,,I pay by the hour because they dont stick to bundles only at my site. 

Corley5

Hourly.  One guy works part-time only when we're behind on firewood orders or need to do bundles.  The other is full-time and normally operates the forwarder.  He'd rather be in the forwarder ;D :)
Burnt Gunpowder is the Smell Of Freedom

Busy Beaver Lumber

We have had our twister bundler now for over 4 years and have done over 100,000 bundles with it. Very pleased with the quality and reliability and very easy to use. My wife and 19 year old daughter run it most of the time.

With a three person crew, we can easily average over 100 bundles and hour. It is not un-common for us to wrap 400 bundles at night after I have already worked my full time day job. Typically we take pre split wood to our building, bundle it, and take back 400 bundles for delivery the next day to our customers. Often times we do this cycle two to three times a week
Woodmizer LT-10 10hp
Epilog Mini 18 Laser Engraver with rotary axis
Digital Wood Carver CNC Machine
6 x 10 dump trailer
Grizzly 15in Spiral Cut Surface Planer
Grizzly 6in Spiral Cut Joiner
Twister Firewood Bundler
Jet 10-20 Drum Sander
Jet Bandsaw



Save a tree...eat a beaver!

CRThomas

I have a Hudson bundler I do about 30 bundles a hour it is a hand crank it was electric but I took the electric off. I move mine around to different place's here the is no electric. I have a electric one I moved it out in the back of the shop and just never moved it back out. I favor the hand crank. If the wood is split and ready to go If I'm doing it from scratch about 20 bundles a hour. As some fellows say bundled firewood sucks I only do bundled firewood This year so far after all exspences we banking about $48000.00 and we bought a LCF 06 550 ford roll back $23000.00 Thats good money for us so in our world Bundled firewood don't suck. This month we bundled our bundles with red to make them look pink for Breast awareness month. My wife has ordered 4 cases of green for the holidays. We get whole sale $2.50 a bundle 100 bundles delivered. 30 bundles fixed the customers way delivered from $5.00 a bundle to $10.00 a bundle. Lot of people want there picture or there cats or dogs picture on bundle My customers get what they want but the pay for every add on. Some body runs out of wood at mid night I get up in one hour I'm there with.

stumpjumper83

Well a little bit of an update....  Those speed loader trays I fabbed up the other day really stepped things up.  One guy working alone is getting about 30 completed per hr by himself.  He tells me that if I added another stacking the loading trays, we should get into about double that.  My dad brought some down on his pickup and we wrapped it right off the pickup and the three of us really cranked them out.

Then in the afternoon we took a piece of the wire grid you use in concrete, cut 2, 4' pieces, stapled them to the bottom of a pallet, grabbed some tie wire to hold the panels from blowing out and stacked the pallet full of some bigger stuff and the good wood that wasn't wrapping wood.  ended up with 1/2 a cord stacked rather nicely on a standard pallet,  might be on to something...

Busy Beaver Lumber

Will give you something to shoot for. Just over 4000 bundles in those piles.



  

 
Woodmizer LT-10 10hp
Epilog Mini 18 Laser Engraver with rotary axis
Digital Wood Carver CNC Machine
6 x 10 dump trailer
Grizzly 15in Spiral Cut Surface Planer
Grizzly 6in Spiral Cut Joiner
Twister Firewood Bundler
Jet 10-20 Drum Sander
Jet Bandsaw



Save a tree...eat a beaver!

CRThomas

Quote from: glassman_48 on July 08, 2014, 07:03:29 AM
stumpjumper83,
twister has always had the best bundlers in the industry in my opinion.  Do you have a manual bundler?  They also have electric bundlers. I will post the specs when I dig them up.
I use a Hudson I have three two hand operated one was a electric it was faster than me so I took the electric off my number three fits in bumper hitch they have bundled thousands of bundled wood. With no problems. I only do a hundred a day 6 days a week. I only do Ash I dry a Rick or rank or a face cord depend on where you are from. Later

CRThomas

Quote from: stumpjumper83 on July 06, 2014, 04:34:10 PM
Im just getting started in the firewood bundle game and I choose an original twister 1.5 square model.  Mainly cause I found it used and a little cheaper.  I'm not the fastest with it, but it does do nice work.  I'm planning on fabing up some quickload trays some rainy day to speed me up a little.

I'm curious to see what the rest of you are using.  Particularily if anyone is using an automated shrink wrapper with the table feed.  Currently the twister is fast enough, but I have my eye on production and to keep up with my processor I need to hit about 150 bundles an hr.   

I would rather not have this turn into a bundle or not to bundle thread, bundles work for me.

beenthere

I don't bundle. Just stack on a pallet. Works for me.
south central Wisconsin
It may be that my sole purpose in life is simply to serve as a warning to others

CRThomas

Quote from: CRThomas on July 23, 2014, 07:46:09 PM
Quote from: glassman_48 on July 08, 2014, 07:03:29 AM
stumpjumper83,
twister has always had the best bundlers in the industry in my opinion.  Do you have a manual bundler?  They also have electric bundlers. I will post the specs when I dig them up.
I use a Hudson I have three two hand operated one was a electric it was faster than me so I took the electric off my number three fits in bumper hitch they have bundled thousands of bundled wood. With no problems. I only do a hundred a day 6 days a week. I only do Ash I dry a Rick or rank or a face cord depend on where you are from. Later
A tip when people want long bundles put your wood in wrapper go a head and wrap then take the bundle out and turn it around and basically wraping the other end that way you have wrapped 24 inch bundles with a 12 inch wrapper use color helps sales big time

CRThomas

Quote from: Corley5 on July 06, 2014, 08:15:33 PM
An old Twister I bought at an auction for 60 or 65 bux, I forget  ;D  It doesn't owe me anything and bundles suck ;D :D
I have two Hudsons one was electric but I changed it to hand crank I do about 20 and hour now thats from log. chunk. split. bundled. stacked. Thats as fast I I need to go if I get behind my daughters come over and help we can bunp close to a 1000 bundles in a week end with out breaking a sweat. I can only dry 4 cords a week of Ash winter cut summer logs I just drop the till the leaves pull the water out and die.

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