Started slapping together a pallet pen this evening. This is my plan for future use. No more stacking. The end needs a little extra support but after this section it’ll get easier. Toss down some pallets on the ground. Put a cleat top and bottom. Maybe a couple splits tossed against both sides to keep them plumb and fill it up with the conveyor. I’ll just raise them up as I go. Should be able to reach over three sections easy enough. Pallets are 6 feet high. Not sure of the width,,,,never used a tape measure. Seven feet maybe? Length of the pen is whatever,,,,no real limit I suppose. Tho if I use 10x20 floating tarp roofs I suppose it would be easier to stop there instead of trying to tie two together. Plan on using the conveyor to outload them too. These particular pallets are a little weaker than I’d like. May start making my own out of white oak.
Yeah but not worth it IMO. It’ll be interesting to see if They can take it. Failure is always an option There’s a sawmill just down the road from me now. Those cross ties and cleats are WO I had cut up. 1 3/16” thick I felt was enough. A couple decent trunks and I could make my own with a pneumatic staple gun. Stronger and they should last a long time
Any mathematicians that can calculate how many cord? I’m using generic numbers of 7 feet wide, 7 feet high and 4 feet long. Coming up with 196 cubic feet. A little over a tossed cord per unit. Is that correct? Thinking it’ll be 8 feet high in the middle tapering down to 6. No need for exact measurements at this time, just wondering. TIA
Yes, I think your math is correct. Assuming that the 'tossed' conversion factor is correct. Which is debatable! I see various factors used. Another one of those variables that could/should be included in some youngster's PhD dissertation! Uh... what will keep the wood from falling out the front?
it will be a long line assembled as I go. Just placed one more section on and put the conveyor in place. Gonna give it a trial run and see what disaster unfolds I’m using 180 cubic ft as a tossed cord. Using that from memory,,,,,,,, if there are other opinions I’d be more than happy to hear it. Never saw a debate on the subject. Just a number that stuck in my head, hopefully correctly LOL
Added one section. Wasn’t happy with three as the pallets are laid 48 long instead of wide. Maybe in the future I’ll turn them different. Had a little dry oak and Black Birch from cleaning that area. Next step to haul logs and buck em. AKA feed the splitter Could always lay the pallets on the tires and they’ll drop into position as I back up. See how it goes. Someday I may move the entire lift/tire system back about 20”. Too far forward IMO. That would add reach. A set of grizzly bars may add a little too. For now I just wanna make wood
Added some old birch, beech, hickory and that dry stick of oak to it last night. Gonna need a third bay to catch the splits. Expected as much. Thinking I’ll just get the conveyor driven on top of the pallets and build a section behind the tires, for now. Doable. Maybe even four sections.
Made a little headway today. Decided to drive the conveyor up on the pallets. Then I can just lay them behind the tires as I go. Could have added a forth wall section but I wanted to see how 3 worked. I backed the conveyor up a little too soon. It’s all a learning experience. So far everything is holding better than I thought it might.
okay now i get it. Keep adding sections and filling as you go. Im thinking it would be on the side instead of front. Sometimes im a little slow, other times im a lot slow!
I could conceivably load from the side too. But you know how heavy that damm conveyor is LOL. Figured if I could just slide it back as I go there’s a lot less jockeying around. Have a small tow chain I connect to the splitter and conveyor with slack. Back up pull the conveyor and then just push the splitter forward again. Works good so far,,,,,,,,, Almost. I broke the wheels off my splitter bringing it home tonight. No big deal. I’ll weld up the retaining nut with a bigger beefier one tomorrow. Basically I used an undersized nut and bolt I had one hand that day. Too small but I wanted to drive it around and see if the entire wheels system would steer. I never replaced the temporary cheesy nut and bolt. Now I will have too
That stinks. Im surprised youre out working on wood in the hot weather. Although it hasnt been bad humidity wise. Where did you end up starting the pen? Far right corner on East side of field?
I start Obright early. Work until it gets warm. Have lunch, have a nap, go back out when it starts getting shade over there. Go back in when the dog gives me the finger It’s in the northwest corner. Just to the left of my trail that enters the woods. Early morning sun. I’m processing all the junkier wood I have that I should have processed two years ago. The Beech is still pretty good. The Black Birch not as good but still worth using. Have some tulip branches and I split one up today. That doesn’t like sitting around in log form either. Mostly fast drying shoulder wood in this pen. The Black Birch finally getting removed!!! Oh well,,,better late than never.
Love this setup! If you have enough room and can get similar pallets just keep chugging along! You've eliminated a lot of handling with this net setup Clean out the splitter wood waste, pull forward add more pallets and keep going. Top cover in fall to keep leaves and snow off. Only two problems I see ,you have to keep moving rounds to the splitter and have to have enough similar pallets to keep going! Awesome novel ideas here. You built a better mousetrap congratulations!
