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Easy-To-Build Firewood Conveyor
Return elevators off old combines can be converted into cheap firewood elevators, says Roger Reibsamen of Titonka, Iowa. He sent FARM SHOW photos of a 20-ft. long elevator he built.
    Reibsamen used return elevators from a pair of Massey Ferguson combines, with an 8-ft. long section added in the middle. He uses the elevator to load firewood into a woodshed or his home’s basement.
    He uses a hydraulic pump mounted on his Deere 140 garden tractor to operate the elevator. The pump operates a hydraulic motor mounted at the base of the elevator, which chain-drives the elevator.
    “A new firewood handler like mine would sell for about $7,000, but you can pick up old return elevators for next to nothing at farm sales or salvage yards,” says Reibsamen. “I think return elevators off any combine brand would work.”
    He built the elevator’s mid-section out of sheet metal he already had. He used more sheet metal to make a hopper and bolted it to the elevator's bottom.
    “I unbolted both return elevators and cut the top cover off each one so I could access the flighting. Then I removed or added links to fit. I had plenty of leftover flighting from the two elevators to cover the midsection. I also removed every other paddle from the flighting so big logs will fit between them. The paddles are spaced about 2 ft. apart,” says Reibsamen.
    The tires and axle are from an old corn elevator he already had. A hand-cranked boat winch raises and lowers the elevator.
    Reibsamen paid $15 for both return elevators. “I already had the hydraulic motor and pump,” he notes.
    Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Roger Reibsamen, P.O. Box 233, Titonka, Iowa 50480 (ph 515-928-7006).



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2017 - Volume #41, Issue #4