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my multitek setup

Started by Tom L, April 20, 2015, 12:06:16 PM

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Tom L

a real good time and back saver, I bought the processor last year,(spent every cent of the money I made with my woodmizers)  and cut last winters wood with it, plus 12 cords for the neighbors, it is a time saver for sure. turned 4 months of pt work into 2 weeks of part time work for me. pulled it out of the shed last Wednesday, cut three hrs worth last week and yesterday afternoon for another 3 hrs. with  the tractor, I load the deck and then position the forks under the conveyor, one deck = one full bag, just under 1/2 cord. if the weather clears up here, I may need 3 more hrs after work this week and then I am planning on putting it back in the shed, and concentrate on fishing LOL




North River Energy

Looks good.  Which model is that?
How many hours on it so far, and is there anything about the machine you wish was different?

Tom L

the machine is a 1610EZ, not many hrs on it,

the only thing I seem to have a problem with, is that sometimes, I screw up royally and let the last 3 ft of log fall into the splitting trough, as the log comes past center and starts to tip down, if I am too slow or not paying attention with the clamp. I can get a 200 lb chunk of tree in a spot that is a real pain to get out.

I spoke with multitek last month and they are engineering a special arm to prevent this from happening. possibly out by this summer.

other than that , the machine is pretty good

beenthere

An idea of some sort of cradle that will be up in a position to hold the bucked-off log end while the saw cuts it off the log, which then drops it down to the level of the ram and splitter section, keeps haunting me.
Seems it could work in rhythm with the ram such to avoid the leading end dropping too soon.

Prolly too much involved in too little space.
south central Wisconsin
It may be that my sole purpose in life is simply to serve as a warning to others

Tom L

sounds like a good idea, I don't know if there is any room for that, and trying to keep the linkage away from the sawblade would be tough

I was thinking about an arm, with a hinge on one end and a plate welded on the end
at the right height that you could swing it in , advance the last piece, let it rest on the shelf
and after clamping swing it back out of the way, almost guaranteed that wouldn't work either with the way trees are built out of spec and not round  :D :D

if you do it right, the machine is setup great now, just takes practice I guess. this year has been much better than last year, in reference to getting large chunks caught halfway in the splitter

North River Energy

Built-Rite uses a simple flip table (barely visible in action around :26),
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=226Sgafgwg8
Where the Bell's unit uses a sliding shelf@1:13
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nPHhJ9suWnU#t=82
Don't recall the manufacturer, but someone uses a double hinge 'trapdoor'.  Might have been a homebuilt?

SquareG

The bags.  Open top, outside, work ok?  They breath and drain?   Mice don't nest in them too bad?  Later you just grab the ears again, or pallet them?

Tom L

I am really happy with those bags, they have a drawstring on the top so you can close them
I put them on a pallet , close the top and then cover the top with a  tarp or piece of decking
they breath thru the mesh and seem to do ok with pests
when we are heating the house, I take the tractor out back pick up a pallet or two and put them up next to the house. they hold just under 1/2 cord, which is the limit of my tractor

thecfarm

I am all for making things easier. Looks like a good set up. Good idea on the bags too.
Model 6020-20hp Manual Thomas bandsaw,TC40A 4wd 40 hp New Holland tractor, 450 Norse Winch, Heatmor 400 OWB,YCC 1978-79

ckhenshaw4

I want a firewood processor.  Too bad my WALLET says NO !!!! :(
Getting TOO old to "man handle" wood anymore. Looking at building a firewood processor.

r.man

I saw a small Hud-son and it had a pipe that could be put in front of the conveyor to support a short end piece before it was clamped.  I think it was activated from the operator location by the left foot because the owner had a gimpy left leg from a car accident injury. He said it worked well but wasn't convenient for him because of the limited motion in his left leg. I looked for it on a video but I could not find an image.
Life is too short or my list is too long, not sure which. Dec 2014

Ford_man

I painted a mark in the trough before the saw and stop the last piece there and cut the short piece before running the last piece onto the splitter. Or I just reach out and hold the end up by hand till I get it clamped.

Corley5

Quote from: Ford_man on April 21, 2015, 07:55:13 PM
I painted a mark in the trough before the saw and stop the last piece there and cut the short piece before running the last piece onto the splitter. Or I just reach out and hold the end up by hand till I get it clamped.

X2   8) 8)
Burnt Gunpowder is the Smell Of Freedom

North River Energy

Quote from: Ford_manI painted a mark in the trough before the saw and stop the last piece there and cut the short piece before running the last piece onto the splitter.
I do more or less the same, but use a dangle chain over the trough instead of paint.  The hanger can be moved to match the current production length.

Tom L

the problem is never with a smaller pc, say 20-24" , the end of the clamp is just at 18" last pc length . so I just line it up with the end of the clamp and make a trim cut, then send the last 18" pc into the splitter box,

the problem with me is the pc that is 33-36" long, my eye is off the far end of it. looking at the log stop to size the second to last pc. that is when it can come past center and fall into the splitter box.

I have another idea , with modifying the clamp itself. I have to measure tonight to see what the space is between the saw blade and the clamp, I may just make an extension to the clamp , so it grabs closer to the saw blade and further around the log, this may help the issue

Tom L

here is a pic of what I am trying to explain,
this was a pic from the factory when it was being built
you can see a gap between the log clamp and the end of the trough and saw blade

North River Energy

As a guess from memory, I think my clamp is maybe 4 or 5 inches from the plane of the blade.
Is your clamp synched to the saw bar, and does it always return to the full open position? Or is that a completely separate function? Can you leave it slightly clear of the log?

landscraper

Quote from: Tom L on April 22, 2015, 02:57:20 PM
...I may just make an extension to the clamp , so it grabs closer to the saw blade and further around the log, this may help the issue

That's what the previous owner of my first processor did, and it worked fine unless there was a big knot or branch or lumpy log or something.  My dyna clamps 4"-6" behind the saw blade, but I just keep the clamp down low on the last log while it is advancing and keep the log from see-sawing down into the trough.  The second to last cut of a log is often a short trim piece that gets thrown in a pile behind me and then scooped up later. 
Firewood is energy independence on a personal scale.

coxy

my neighbor has the same trouble with his but he has the circle saw that goes up and down  the clamp should have been put closer to the  cut point

BargeMonkey

 We added the newer Built-Rite jaws to our Brute, about 4" from the clamp to saw bar, but sometimes you still have to support the piece if its crooked or odd. trying to figure out a 3/4 conversion right now, and updating my tired pumps.  :D

DDW_OR

I have an older Multitek 1610ez, 2008??. here is what i did to the conveyor
https://forestryforum.com/board/index.php?topic=85974.new#new


  

 
"let the machines do the work"

beenthere

Does it work? 

The cable around this pulley doesn't look quite right.. (circled in white)
Looks like it will tear up your cable.

south central Wisconsin
It may be that my sole purpose in life is simply to serve as a warning to others

DDW_OR

correct. that was an old photo. have rotated the pulley 90 degrees. i had tried to use an existing bolt hole.
"let the machines do the work"

Tom L

nice setup with he pulley , will have to do something with mine to make it easier to raise and lower

DDW_OR

yep, went from 1 strap to 3 cables. now 3 times easier.
https://forestryforum.com/board/index.php/topic,85974.new.html#new

a friend in Montana modified one several years ago.
he raised the height of the hand winch, by a foot, to increase mechanical leverage, and changed the strap to a cable and 2 pulleys, to make three line pull.

I forgot the other things he did.
"let the machines do the work"

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