One Man Saw Cuts, Loads Wood

One man saw cuts, loads wood WOODLOT EQUIPMENT Saws 15-4-31 "It lets one man cut and load firewood all in one operation," says Ed Keyowski, Canora, Sask., about his home-built saw that's mounted on a 2-wheel trailer and equipped with a conveyor that delivers wood into a 3/ 4-ton pickup. The saw is equipped with a roller on back that supports the log, and a 4-ft. long, 6-in. wide moveable cradle that moves the log back and forth into the blade. Sawed wood drops onto a 15-ft. long, 16-in. wide conveyor that delivers wood into the pickup. The saw is powered by a 10 hp Briggs & Stratton engine removed from a grain auger. The conveyor is hinged in the middle so it can be folded back for transport. "It's easy to operate and was relatively cheap to build," says Keyowski, who built the saw 10 years ago. "It takes the place of three men. I just hitch the saw up to the pickup and drive to the wood lot where I cut and load wood all by myself. I can saw logs up to 25 ft. long and 16 in. in diameter. I put one end of the log on the roller and the other end on the cradle. I push the cradle back and forth to move the log into the blade. It cuts logs into chunks up to 30 in. long. If a log jams the blade and stops it, a spring pulls the engine back and allows a belt to slip. It keeps the engine from burning out." Keyowski used scrap iron to build the trailer and salvaged the front spindles and tires from an old Chevrolet car. He used the 1-in. tubular steel frame, loader chain, and drive mechanism off an old bale elevator to build the conveyor. The conveyor is equipped with a stop that lets him control the loading angle. By using a jack on the hitch he can raise the conveyor high enough to load wood into a grain truck. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Ed Keyowski, 3-35, R.R. 2, Canora, Sask., Canada SOA OLO (ph 306 782-7324).

To read the rest of this story, download this issue below or click here to register with your account number.