Jake your on the right track. A heavy piece of rubber will keep the the wood from sliding down and getting wedged. That's what I use on my old elevator and it works great.
Oh that reminds me of our frustrations with our dual chain hay elevator. It started making more work so we broke down and bought a true firewood elevator. Man what a difference!
@@DudeRanchDIY we were about 3 months to get ours. I still have a grain/hay elevator. Those ones work slightly better because it's a single chain in the middle. I'll be doing some modifications to it this winter to get it working better. I'm the same way, always love a good project.
Oh my God your comment about tractor supply is so true. I have a homemade log splitter that I spent no less than 20 hours rebuilding and fixing this year alone and every time I go to tractor supply leave they are completely disappointed because half of the fittings that they have on the website or not at the store! I was surprised to see in your other video that they had the fittings that you needed to mate that old splitter with the elevator!
Age old problem with TSC. First came to my area in 1973, was elated when Quality Farm & Fleet Opened new store, not such a problem. Years later TSC employee installed as new Qf&Fleet CEO, ran them into bankruptcy. So back to TSC with same old format of poor inventory. Then came Rural King, great from 2014 til 2020, now pretty much like TSC for inventory, mostly catering to livestock needs. smh it is a viscious cycle trying to obtain parts/tools.
Same here, The Rural King in Jasper, IN just wants to sell clothes, junk food, and cheap junk nick nacks. Good luck if you actually need anything farm or tractor related. So sad, your better off just ordering stuff online.
Yes this seems to be the case quite often. I am always disappointed when I go to the store, I do use their order online pick up in store feature quite often and it works well.
Put a heavy piece of rubber on the end of the catch pan to prevent the wood from jamming the end. Also, cut the bottom of the paddles so you have less contact with the conveyer deck. Just some thoughts.
Yes the rubber works well! Cutting the paddles isn’t something I thought of but a good idea! All of the paddles are going to be replaced when it goes in for its full makeover!
I was thinking rubber flap too. Maybe a door mat. I bet you could just dump the splitter right into it without the hopper. Not sure it would help but could you bring the trailer end down to make the angle less steep? Fun problem solving any ways!
Yep the heavy rubber mat has been working well, for now I’ve ditched the hopper and it works well without it. Been making up a list of changes we’re going to do to it as we’ve used it. Going under the knife soon!
I am 70 and have farmed since I was 15 .I am not the expert on everything but hay and grain elevator's were never meant to run in reverse . That's why the sections of the elevator overlap in the direction they do. That type of chain is a royal pain to get apart but you are doing it correct.
That makes sense, although the farmer I bought it off of showed us the reverse function. That overlap is going to be filled. Thanks for watching Clarence!
To make it easier to 'detach', you can open the gap on the barrel of a link of detachable chain with a chisel. You can also close that gap back up with a hammer, to actually shorten the chain. Though a concave dip in a piece of steel helps(to fit the barrel in), it's not necessary. From 10:30 to 15:00, a piece of cheap 4x4, does not make a good anvil 😂 At 25:00, if you dig a hole for the elevator bottom to sit in, you could get the wood to slid off the splitter easier.
I like the idea of a notch cut out to hold the chain, that would work well. I’ll try a chisel or punch next time. Yeah the 4x4 didn’t work well 🤣. The elevator is going to get a major makeover so this is going to be addressed.
You’ll see in the next video that the rubber flap I installed works quite well! As does shortening the overlap between the conveyor and splitter! Thanks for the input guys!
hi there needs some little things . mud flap should work on the bottom . you can buy those brackets on line but you need to know what size chain you have . my guess is a 55 . anyway your smart and will having it working in no time at all . john
Would it help to also to lower the conveyor angle so the wood is less likely to slide back and there would be different options with the tray setup too. Maybe lol. Mud flap idea will work well too
the rubber flap is a must. to make your new paddles or flights. bring the attachment links to the sporkrt and measure the center to center of the holes so the chain stays the same with. might help keep it from jumping off i had the same set up for years
Nice video I saw the angle iron you tried but instead of full width could you just cut them to the inside of the chain and bolt to the parts of the chain with the brackets with the holes in them? Might work better maybe 2 or 3 inch angle iron
So this is something we though about but didn’t want to open up more of a chance for wood to get caught between the flap and side of the conveyor knocking the chain out of its track.
You have the bones to a great conveyer.. I'd look into the cost of changing the sprockets and going with a heavier chain.. weld the paddles on and as for the wood sliding back all you need is a piece of old conveyer belt and mount it under to stop the wood from doing that
More slope on slide into elevator is needed. Also if you sprayed silicone onto same it reduces resistance & wood goes rapidly downward, Been doing that for decades with great results. Work is hard, no need to make it more difficult.
As far as the hight of the hopper, id maybe try putting some small chains or heavy duty bungy straps on it to connect it to the tray on the splitter, instead of the metal legg. That way it can still move a little from vibrations and you could fit your tote under it to catch the bark. I think I would try moving the hopper a little closer to the tray, as you was saying. To keep the wood from dropping down the conveyer too far and getting pinched, I would think a metal flap would work if you put hinges on it where it could flip up as the paddles come through but not flip back as the wood hit it . I hope my thoughts make since and could maybe help ya. I know you will get it all working smoothly .Take Care !!!
Yeah a whole new much smaller hopper is going to be made as well as some modifications to the log splitter catch tray to help guide the wood more without the need to push it by hand!
@@DudeRanchDIY wow, that is surprising. Figured you'd need the fire wrench. I dont think a piece would get hung up, seems like they're too big. But my elevator has the tabs upright not flat like yours. Hopefully you can get it going silky smooth w/out breaking the bank
Try cutting the angle iron you put in to sit just on the tabs not overlapping the link at all. The only reason it's capable of reverse is cuz of the hydraulic drive. It was probably pto originally or maybe electric motor, thus only one way travel. As a commenter B4 said they are meant to go up, not down. Farmer since birth (52 now). 3-5,000 hay bales a year .
I thought about doing that but didn’t want to open up the chance of wood wedging it way between the paddle and the side of the conveyor trough and throwing the chain out of whack.
looks like getting rid of the conveyor tray will solve both problems (pushing the wood on the conveyor and wood stuck under the tray and bending the conveyor)
Use some heavy rubber flaps to stop the wood form going under and then the flap on the conveyor can still go by but don’t weld something on it then the flaps can’t go bye use rubber flap you can make them easy and just use screws to hold them on
The Paddles should be made out of angle iron but you have to bring the paddle to the top sprocket to get the right measurement so the chain will stay on the sprocket. I have made a lot of this chain its not fun to work with. Ones you get the first paddle made make all the other paddles the same. Then you could put a peace of metal a crossed the bottom of the conveyor to stop the wood before it goes to far down the conveyor.
A few thoughts. Instead of having an extra splitter, why not add an extra valve body on you own splitter with 2 quick-connects. I don't how many gl/min your pump provide, but on the other hand the conveyer belt motor doesn't require a whole lot of pushing power either, it is not like you are put 100 pounds on at the time.
The second splitter is just there to run it for the time being and see what modifications need to be done. The motor, pump, and hydraulic tank are all going to be mounted on the conveyor itself once I figure out everything that needs to be changed. I don’t want to run the conveyor off my splitter for two reasons, I don’t want to rob power from the splitting function. And I want to be able to use the conveyor alone and separate in other areas of my operation.
You will get a flap figured out I'm sure. I would shy away fm angle iron myself because of sheet metal being able to bend and twist without trashing the chain or sprockets if it gets jammed. Alot easier and cheaper to replace a paddle compared to 70 yr old parts. 18 or 20 gauge paddles should be fine. Good luck boyz!👍
I would go back the angle iron, but double the count, replace all the flimsy steel, and the drag feet should be on the chain not the floor. This would take tge stress off the floor and place it on the chain and when there is a load, that would twist the angle iron, it would actually tighten the chain.
Take the tray off the back and get some rubber belting like they use for gravel conveyors and build a hopper . Also I worked with spud equipment and they used rubber risers to carry the spuds up the conveyor.They would bend when they needed to but not break. Another more expensive option would be to buy a rubber belt. Check out Firewood on the Hill utube channel. Hope this helps.
Thanks for the tips, all of the paddles are going to be replaced with 1” angle iron with heavy rubber flap bolted to the angle iron cross bar to allow some flex like you said.
Yeah it runs at a suitable pace I think, I also have a variable speed hydraulic control valve that I might install to really be able to slow it down so it doesn’t self destruct!
Remember you're not moving grain you're moving firewood. Angle iron paddles only need to be bolted to the flat tabs in between the links, they don't need to go all the way to the outside of the links. You don't need to go over the links. They just need to keep the spacing right. The flat of the angle iron should be placed forward to push not to the back to pull. 50 years of farming I've worked on alot of elevators.
That’s a good point John, I was thinking that having the paddles all the way to the outside of the links would help prevent any smaller pieces from potentially getting jammed between the paddle and the side of the conveyor trough.
@@DudeRanchDIY yep, they get used for hay bales, but we’re built for ear corn back in the day. A hay elevator is just made of box tubing, with single chain in the center.
I am thinking that a couple of 22 y.o. cheerleaders from the local college would do a much better job of stacking the splits in too the I.B.c. totes would be much more effective . Think of the contribution you would be making to the future you'd be making to America and it's society.
Hello Guys, Nice Effort! Lost knowledge I am afraid, we are in farm land here in va, tractor supply is much better stocked, and there are 3 of them in a 20 mile radius here, trial and error situations 🚜🪵👍🏼🇺🇸
Jake your on the right track. A heavy piece of rubber will keep the the wood from sliding down and getting wedged. That's what I use on my old elevator and it works great.
Thanks Mike! I think so too, stay tuned for more on it!
Oh that reminds me of our frustrations with our dual chain hay elevator. It started making more work so we broke down and bought a true firewood elevator. Man what a difference!
Yeah I bet a purpose built one works fantastic! The wait time for them is crazy right now as is the price! Plus I like a good project!
@@DudeRanchDIY we were about 3 months to get ours. I still have a grain/hay elevator. Those ones work slightly better because it's a single chain in the middle. I'll be doing some modifications to it this winter to get it working better. I'm the same way, always love a good project.
Oh my God your comment about tractor supply is so true. I have a homemade log splitter that I spent no less than 20 hours rebuilding and fixing this year alone and every time I go to tractor supply leave they are completely disappointed because half of the fittings that they have on the website or not at the store! I was surprised to see in your other video that they had the fittings that you needed to mate that old splitter with the elevator!
Age old problem with TSC. First came to my area in 1973, was elated when Quality Farm & Fleet Opened new store, not such a problem. Years later TSC employee installed as new Qf&Fleet CEO, ran them into bankruptcy. So back to TSC with same old format of poor inventory. Then came Rural King, great from 2014 til 2020, now pretty much like TSC for inventory, mostly catering to livestock needs. smh it is a viscious cycle trying to obtain parts/tools.
Same here, The Rural King in Jasper, IN just wants to sell clothes, junk food, and cheap junk nick nacks. Good luck if you actually need anything farm or tractor related. So sad, your better off just ordering stuff online.
Yes this seems to be the case quite often. I am always disappointed when I go to the store, I do use their order online pick up in store feature quite often and it works well.
Put a heavy piece of rubber on the end of the catch pan to prevent the wood from jamming the end. Also, cut the bottom of the paddles so you have less contact with the conveyer deck. Just some thoughts.
Yes the rubber works well! Cutting the paddles isn’t something I thought of but a good idea! All of the paddles are going to be replaced when it goes in for its full makeover!
A semi truck mud flap trimmed to the right width would work.
Great video! I missed a party that day!!!!
Thanks Guerry! You sure did! Next time!
so almost wonderful beautiful video friend i love it see
I was thinking rubber flap too. Maybe a door mat. I bet you could just dump the splitter right into it without the hopper. Not sure it would help but could you bring the trailer end down to make the angle less steep? Fun problem solving any ways!
Yep the heavy rubber mat has been working well, for now I’ve ditched the hopper and it works well without it. Been making up a list of changes we’re going to do to it as we’ve used it. Going under the knife soon!
I am 70 and have farmed since I was 15 .I am not the expert on everything but hay and grain elevator's were never meant to run in reverse . That's why the sections of the elevator overlap in the direction they do. That type of chain is a royal pain to get apart but you are doing it correct.
That makes sense, although the farmer I bought it off of showed us the reverse function. That overlap is going to be filled. Thanks for watching Clarence!
Cool to see another creator from Connecticut !
Where in CT are you?
@@DudeRanchDIY Ellington now, originally from Oxford
Keep trying you will get it nailed down! Have a beer and take a good look at it, that usually works for me !!
Yep we went over it with my welder buddy and it’ll be going under the knife soon for some major modifications!
Great job on the conveyor to your splitter!! Y'all did a Great job!! Stay Hydrated and Have a Safe Day
Thanks David! It’s been a fun project so far!
To make it easier to 'detach', you can open the gap on the barrel of a link of detachable chain with a chisel. You can also close that gap back up with a hammer, to actually shorten the chain. Though a concave dip in a piece of steel helps(to fit the barrel in), it's not necessary.
From 10:30 to 15:00, a piece of cheap 4x4, does not make a good anvil 😂
At 25:00, if you dig a hole for the elevator bottom to sit in, you could get the wood to slid off the splitter easier.
I like the idea of a notch cut out to hold the chain, that would work well. I’ll try a chisel or punch next time. Yeah the 4x4 didn’t work well 🤣. The elevator is going to get a major makeover so this is going to be addressed.
Nice work! All you can do is keep testing and see what works and what doesn’t
Exactly, a lot of trial end error testing to see what changes need to be made,
Lower profile paddles. Put a cross bar under the catch pan that clears the paddles, but the wood will stop against, and wait for the next paddle.
Also, back the catch pan up so it does't overlap the conveyor., and shorten the catch pan.
You’ll see in the next video that the rubber flap I installed works quite well! As does shortening the overlap between the conveyor and splitter! Thanks for the input guys!
Good job on the chain, I learned some of my best swear words watching my Dad beating apart chain back in the day. Be safe!
Lol yeah I could see that! Once I figured out how to pop the links it got much easier!
Please do not give up on it. I look forward to see your solutions the issues.
Definitely not giving up on this one! It has great potential, it will be getting some major modifications done to it soon enough! Stay tuned!
hi there needs some little things . mud flap should work on the bottom . you can buy those brackets on line but you need to know what size chain you have . my guess is a 55 . anyway your smart and will having it working in no time at all . john
Yep it’s a 55, for them for $2.60 a pop online. Going to be ordering a bunch! Thanks for watching John
Great work!!
Thank you!
Hi Jake when you make the angel iron peace should go to the out side of the flat part of the chain not over the chain.
Thanks Michael I will try that!
Would it help to also to lower the conveyor angle so the wood is less likely to slide back and there would be different options with the tray setup too. Maybe lol. Mud flap idea will work well too
That would help, but since filming this video I’ve added a heavy rubber mat that works well and I can keep the conveyor up higher!
Learning can be frustrating. Think of using cut tires for your wood stopper? And the pushers?
I got some old heavy rubber mats kicking around! Stay tuned!
I think that " if it ain't broke, don't fix it is one of Jethro Gibbs rules
:)
So is " Never throw anything away.
:)
Haha yep this was the case on this video!
the rubber flap is a must. to make your new paddles or flights. bring the attachment links to the sporkrt and measure the center to center of the holes so the chain stays the same with. might help keep it from jumping off i had the same set up for years
Yea you’ll see in the next video how much the rubber flap helps! Thanks for the suggestions!
Nice video I saw the angle iron you tried but instead of full width could you just cut them to the inside of the chain and bolt to the parts of the chain with the brackets with the holes in them? Might work better maybe 2 or 3 inch angle iron
So this is something we though about but didn’t want to open up more of a chance for wood to get caught between the flap and side of the conveyor knocking the chain out of its track.
Hey Jake I bought the same conveyor I’m going to weld 11/2 angle on mine
Nice! I think I’m going to go the same route!
You have the bones to a great conveyer.. I'd look into the cost of changing the sprockets and going with a heavier chain.. weld the paddles on and as for the wood sliding back all you need is a piece of old conveyer belt and mount it under to stop the wood from doing that
Yeah I’m looking into some new parts, lots of different options!
And if you have a friend that does conveyor work a piece of belting would work great as a flapper piece.
More slope on slide into elevator is needed. Also if you sprayed silicone onto same it reduces resistance & wood goes rapidly downward, Been doing that for decades with great results. Work is hard, no need to make it more difficult.
That silicone is a good idea, the hopper is getting redesigned to fit my splitter better, so should work well after that!
As far as the hight of the hopper, id maybe try putting some small chains or heavy duty bungy straps on it to connect it to the tray on the splitter, instead of the metal legg. That way it can still move a little from vibrations and you could fit your tote under it to catch the bark. I think I would try moving the hopper a little closer to the tray, as you was saying. To keep the wood from dropping down the conveyer too far and getting pinched, I would think a metal flap would work if you put hinges on it where it could flip up as the paddles come through but not flip back as the wood hit it . I hope my thoughts make since and could maybe help ya. I know you will get it all working smoothly .Take Care !!!
Yeah a whole new much smaller hopper is going to be made as well as some modifications to the log splitter catch tray to help guide the wood more without the need to push it by hand!
Also, the sprockets at the top should have set screws to be able to adjust them in and out. Very minor adjustment often makes world of difference
Yes they do and they were surprisingly easy to loosen and adjust! Thanks!
@@DudeRanchDIY wow, that is surprising. Figured you'd need the fire wrench. I dont think a piece would get hung up, seems like they're too big. But my elevator has the tabs upright not flat like yours. Hopefully you can get it going silky smooth w/out breaking the bank
get a mud flap and bolt it on it will keep wood from back flowing- easy cheap fix
Yep, stay tuned to see it in action with the rubber mat. Works well 👍🏼
Try cutting the angle iron you put in to sit just on the tabs not overlapping the link at all. The only reason it's capable of reverse is cuz of the hydraulic drive. It was probably pto originally or maybe electric motor, thus only one way travel. As a commenter B4 said they are meant to go up, not down. Farmer since birth (52 now). 3-5,000 hay bales a year .
I thought about doing that but didn’t want to open up the chance of wood wedging it way between the paddle and the side of the conveyor trough and throwing the chain out of whack.
looks like getting rid of the conveyor tray will solve both problems (pushing the wood on the conveyor and wood stuck under the tray and bending the conveyor)
Yep! Stay tuned I think I’ve figured it out a bit more!
Use some heavy rubber flaps to stop the wood form going under and then the flap on the conveyor can still go by but don’t weld something on it then the flaps can’t go bye use rubber flap you can make them easy and just use screws to hold them on
Yep I’ve done this since making this video and it works well! Stay tuned to see it in action!
The Paddles should be made out of angle iron but you have to bring the paddle to the top sprocket to get the right measurement so the chain will stay on the sprocket.
I have made a lot of this chain its not fun to work with. Ones you get the first paddle made make all the other paddles the same. Then you could put a peace of metal a crossed the bottom of the
conveyor to stop the wood before it goes to far down the conveyor.
Yeah I think thins was our issue! I didn’t think to take the measurements up at the sprockets!
Maybe a thin piece of rubber to keep the wood from falling back
Just got to the part where you said mud flap! YES exactly
Lol yep! Stay tuned to see it in action!
A few thoughts. Instead of having an extra splitter, why not add an extra valve body on you own splitter with 2 quick-connects. I don't how many gl/min your pump provide, but on the other hand the conveyer belt motor doesn't require a whole lot of pushing power either, it is not like you are put 100 pounds on at the time.
The second splitter is just there to run it for the time being and see what modifications need to be done. The motor, pump, and hydraulic tank are all going to be mounted on the conveyor itself once I figure out everything that needs to be changed. I don’t want to run the conveyor off my splitter for two reasons, I don’t want to rob power from the splitting function. And I want to be able to use the conveyor alone and separate in other areas of my operation.
You will get a flap figured out I'm sure. I would shy away fm angle iron myself because of sheet metal being able to bend and twist without trashing the chain or sprockets if it gets jammed. Alot easier and cheaper to replace a paddle compared to 70 yr old parts. 18 or 20 gauge paddles should be fine. Good luck boyz!👍
Thanks a good point! If we do use angle iron I think it will be 1” with a soft rubber flap on the top for a little forgiveness.
Much easier with vise grips as opposed to fingers/knuckles.......less bloody too !!!
Ain’t that the truth!
I had a similar one for firewood.
Got rid of it.
For firewood, you want a belt..
Idk lots of the big name brands are all chain drive for the conveyors, I think for this machine the chains will work well with some modifications
I would go back the angle iron, but double the count, replace all the flimsy steel, and the drag feet should be on the chain not the floor. This would take tge stress off the floor and place it on the chain and when there is a load, that would twist the angle iron, it would actually tighten the chain.
Yes all of the paddles are going to be replaced as well as a bunch of other small changes!
Put used oil on the elevator chains and everything will be smoother and quieter---another old farmer
Yep we’ve dumped some hydraulic oil on the chains but will need to continue to do so!
My plan is to do away with the paddles all together and using rubber conveyor belt.
Let me know how that works out!
PS get the chain tool it helps. lol
Take the tray off the back and get some rubber belting like they use for gravel conveyors
and build a hopper . Also I worked with spud equipment and they used rubber risers to carry the spuds up the conveyor.They would bend when they needed to but not break. Another more expensive option would be to buy a rubber belt. Check out Firewood on the Hill utube channel. Hope this helps.
Thanks for the tips, all of the paddles are going to be replaced with 1” angle iron with heavy rubber flap bolted to the angle iron cross bar to allow some flex like you said.
Seems plenty fast enough. We are working on slowing our unit. It's a bit too fast
Yeah it runs at a suitable pace I think, I also have a variable speed hydraulic control valve that I might install to really be able to slow it down so it doesn’t self destruct!
I would suggest rubber to stop wood from falling down and putting more bars to catch more wood dont give up on it ur nearly there
Yep this is the plan! Stay tuned!
thr splitter you are splitting with should have enuf power to run the elevator too, steal oil from the return of the spliter
I don’t want to use the splitter for power because I want to be able to move the conveyor around and use it for other purposes.
Remember you're not moving grain you're moving firewood. Angle iron paddles only need to be bolted to the flat tabs in between the links, they don't need to go all the way to the outside of the links. You don't need to go over the links. They just need to keep the spacing right. The flat of the angle iron should be placed forward to push not to the back to pull. 50 years of farming I've worked on alot of elevators.
That’s a good point John, I was thinking that having the paddles all the way to the outside of the links would help prevent any smaller pieces from potentially getting jammed between the paddle and the side of the conveyor trough.
mudflap?
Yep! Something just like it!
Put something grippy on the problem area like Safety traction tape it’s kind of like sandpaper with a sticky back
I’ve been using a piece of a heavy rubber mat and it’s been working well! Stay tuned for that!
That is actually a corn conveyor, not a hay elevator. And why would you ever run it backwards ?
The farmer I bought it from used it for square bales. We would intermittently run it backwards to help get the chain back on.
@@DudeRanchDIY yep, they get used for hay bales, but we’re built for ear corn back in the day. A hay elevator is just made of box tubing, with single chain in the center.
those elevators were never meant to be run in reverse.
i use a piece of old rubber conveyer belt to keep wood from sliding down into the bottom of the elevator
Yep you’ll see something similar in the next video!
I am thinking that a couple of 22 y.o. cheerleaders from the local college would do a much better job of stacking the splits in too the I.B.c. totes would be much more effective .
Think of the contribution you would be making to the future you'd be making to America and it's society.
Lol I think you’re right, idk what Sarah would think of that though!
Go Vote
Hello Guys, Nice Effort! Lost knowledge I am afraid, we are in farm land here in va, tractor supply is much better stocked, and there are 3 of them in a 20 mile radius here, trial and error situations 🚜🪵👍🏼🇺🇸
That’s for sure! It’s been fun resurrecting this thing! Yeah our tractor supply needs work!