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blockbuster elevators

Started by OH logger, October 29, 2015, 08:04:13 PM

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OH logger

lookin at a 40 foot chain/paddle elevator by blockbuster with radial stacking wheels and chip separator in it with gas motor. they say I can load semi with wood out of my pile by slowly feathering the wood out of the bobcat bucket onto the conveyor. is that true??? are the elevators good quality??
john

Oliver1655

I would have the bucket drop the wood onto a chute which would slide the wood onto the conveyor rather than directly onto the conveyor.
John

Stihl S-08s (x2), Stihl S10 (x2), Jonsered CS2139T, Husqvarna 338XPT California, Poulan Microvibe XXV, Poulan WoodShark, Poulan Pro 42cc, McCulloch Mini-Mac 6 (x2), Van Ruder Hydraulic Tractor Chainsaw

OH logger

also do chain/paddle style elevators like this jam at all??
john

lopet

I have a 92 blockbuster elevator running off the the processor hydraulics.  Yes,  mine does jam once every while, but most of the times you get it going again by reversing it.  I blame it on all the worn sprockets and chains.  ;D
Keep the chain reasonable tight !!!
Make sure you know how to fall properly when you fall and as to not hurt anyone around you.
Also remember, it's not the fall what hurts, its the sudden stop. !!

OH logger

when it does jam it doesn't bust stuff up then right?? they told me they don't set the pressures very high that way it just quits instead of breaking itself.
john

North River Energy

I've a chain and paddle elevator (farm grade, not a Blockbuster) and it will tend to jam when the block length is more or less the same as the trough width. 
I.e., the conveyor is 20" wide and I have more issues when I'm doing 20" blocks.  That, and every so often a larger splinter will get stuck under a paddle and jam in and under the shaft guard at the top.
The belt drive is loose enough that it usually slips, but the chains are old, and every so often one will snap.
And what he said about keeping the chains tight.

OH logger

im usin bale elevators now but im startin to get aggravated with them. they are getting wore out and it seems like lately we are spendin more time workin on them than with them. >:(. I hire my processing done and I cant always depend on them to fix it (not that they mind) but then they aren't makin wood either. and you have to handle those elevators with kid gloves or they are a nightmare. I am putting 400-500 cord up one or 2 elevators a year and that is a lot. I say one or two because I have a spare that I fix while the other one runs. I can almost fix chain in my sleep now ;D. I would just like to be able to come home from workin in the woods and not wrench on elevators every night. I sharpen and have other stuff to do when I get home and that puts me behind right away. plus im almost out of spare chain for the one. I have 2 links left and cant find that size anywhere. hard to believe I cant find parts for something made 60 years ago :D. where do you all get chain for them anymore?? its getting harder and harder to find bale elevators that are worth a darn  for sale any more. getting less and less of the all the time :( just want to make sure im goin to be happy with a professional firewood conveyor before I spend the money on it. if they are goin to plug up and break I might as well stick with the ones I got and try to find a good used bale elevator. at least they are cheap........ to buy that is :D
john

North River Energy

Have you checked with farmchains.com on the links?

If memory serves, the last Blockbuster elevator I saw locally looked solid.
If you want bombproof, save up for a used Multitek. 

NWP

I wasn't aware they made anything longer than 30'. Are you having them build a custom length?  I have 2 blockbuster 30' elevators. The oldest is 16 years old. It needs rebuilt. I bought a new one this spring. It has the gas motor and radial stack wheels. It also has extended sides on the hopper and heavier floor for the first 10' or so for doing exactly what you're wanting to do. I've never had a piece of wood jam it up except when I'm loading a trailer and not paying attention to the wood mounded up and it drags one back underneath on the return.  They are well built and you'll be satisfied.
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.

OH logger

yeah its custom length with heavier floor and extended sides on the trough. good to hear good things about them. they are very helpful on phone end email lots of pictures. a new mulitek set up the same is $6,000 more :o. plus I   like the wider trough on the blockbuster.  I looked at blockbuster web site today and it now looks like they are making a tumbler like outfit that fits my needs to a T.  ;D. Its the exact setup I have been waitin for. I wonder what the price is?? Interesting but one thing at a time, and for now elevator. .....unless they make me  a deal I cant refuse. I hate to drive to iowa twice :D
john

North River Energy

Missed a good used Multitek this summer for only 2k >:(

Elevators are expensive (some are way over-priced), but vital. 

Think of it like buying back your own time, rather than buying machinery.

NWP

The firewood tumbler must be a new thing for them.  I just looked at their site after reading your post.  I'd be interested in one too.  Like I said before, you won't be disappointed in the conveyor.  My original one has probably close to 6,000 hrs on it.  I bought all the chains, sprockets, etc from blockbuster to rebuild it, I just haven't had the time to do it yet. 
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.

lopet

Quote from: OH logger on October 30, 2015, 09:12:24 PM
when it does jam it doesn't bust stuff up then right?? they told me they don't set the pressures very high that way it just quits instead of breaking itself.

Yes   pressure is set kinda low.  I never busted a chain, but had paddles bent or twisted.
Make sure you know how to fall properly when you fall and as to not hurt anyone around you.
Also remember, it's not the fall what hurts, its the sudden stop. !!

OH logger

Quote from: NWP on October 31, 2015, 01:40:05 PM
.  Like I said before, you won't be disappointed in the conveyor.  My original one has probably close to 6,000 hrs on it.  I bought all the chains, sprockets, etc from blockbuster to rebuild it, I just haven't had the time to do it yet. 

good to hear that the quality is there. thanks. prolly goin to order it tomorrow
john

OH logger

well I bit the bullet and ordered one. only problem is that it wont be done till first part of February or so :(
john

NWP

They told me 10-12 weeks and I think I had it in 5. Maybe they just err on the side of caution. Did you ask about the firewood cleaner to see how much it goes for?
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.

OH logger

I hope I have the same luck as you. he said if I get it early it will be a week or 2 early is all :(. oh well it will be worth it. yes the wood cleaner is $25,000. ouch. could a guy build a thing out of round pipe 8 foot in the air and at an angle and just dump the wood on it and the wood slides down it onto  a pile and the grit falls through?? the top end being around 8 foot off the ground and the bottom end being 5 feet off the ground or so. have it adjustable so you get the pitch right?? I know a tumbler would do a better job but not better enough to justify that kind of jack. then when the "clean " pile of wood under the slide gets high load it on the truck and off you go. I think it could be built for $500-$600 bucks for materials and to have someone build it??? there has to be another way to do the same job. I pile my wood on concrete pad and load with a rock bucket and rarely have had a complaint any way so I don't even worry to much about it but I want to have the best product possible ;D. with the new elevator with the clean out grates on it it should help. at the end of the season when the pile is  almost gone off the pad is when I have a little trouble with grit and dirt in the wood because you kinda push that stuff into the pile as you load believe it or not and it all ends up at the very last few cord in the pile. I could always just load the last 8 cord or so with the new elevator and that should really be plenty good ;)
john

Don_Papenburg

OH logger, punch in Crazy Ken on your computer He claims to have any type of chain you need .
Frick saw mill  '58   820 John Deere power. Diamond T trucks

OH logger

thanks for the suggestions guys.  I also wanted to say that dave with blockbuster was great to deal with. very accomadating like things used to be. ;D   any one have any ideas on the homemade firewood cleaner I mentioned above?? lookin for a little feedback if yall think it will work or not. thanks
john

lopet

Ok here is my opinion.
Can a wood tumbler be built for less than 25K ?   Yes it can be done.
Can a wood tumbler be built for $500-600 in material cost ?   You're dreaming !!!  ( sorry for that , but it had to be said ) 
I am using a old manure spreader as a cleaner / elevator .   Works for me , even if I had everything laying around, other than a second hydraulic motor, I needed for running the the old beater. With that , some hoses , grinding discs , and welding rods I already had $ 400 -500 in it, not counting my time.

You can take that for what it's worth.
 
Make sure you know how to fall properly when you fall and as to not hurt anyone around you.
Also remember, it's not the fall what hurts, its the sudden stop. !!

4x4American

I don't see why you couldn't do it for that price range, it isn't like you're doing anything fancy!  I forgot the name of them, but we have a few at work, what we do is dump buckets of rocks on it that are going to the crusher.  We use it to sort the size of rocks, but don't see why it couldn't work for cleaning firewood.
Boy, back in my day..

4x4American

If I remember I'll get a picture one day of one of em
Boy, back in my day..

OH logger

thanks 4 x4. im not thinkin any movin parts on the cleaner. it wouldn't be a "tumbler" just a grated slide for the wood to slide down on. the grit would fall through and the wood will continue down the slide to go on the pile below it. I thought it could be pretty simple but prolly not as effective as a tumbler but a ton cheaper  :)
john

4x4American

Yea for sure, I understand what you're trying to do and I don't see why it wouldn't work or why you couldn't do it fairly cheap.  Can go to local scrap yard for scrap angle iron.. I was figuring same thing, slotted track to clean connected into a slide that will merge wood into conveyor.
Boy, back in my day..

4x4American

Boy, back in my day..

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