Hi all,
Here is the basic idea…
I live in tropical Mexico, surrounded by jungle. One of the reasons I got into charcoal gasification was because of my interest and fascination with biochar. Jungle soils are not the rich, black soils you might think they are. In fact, they are deplete of nearly all humus, and biochar makes the most sense because it doesn’t break down.
Hence, I will be making charcoal for two purposes…
It just so happens that wood chippers and shredders are almost a foreign concept here. You can only buy them in the big cities, and they are 50%+ more expensive than they would be in the USA.
I need to build one… I need to build one with a big engine to make it act like an industrial shredder that can crank out a LOT of material. I don’t need a chunker because my gasifier runs on very small pieces of charcoal. Otherwise, I would build something like what Wayne built (which is a beautiful thing).
Additionally, I will be starting up a composting company to service local farmers with compost and mulch… Another reason for the small chips / shreds.
Does anybody have any thoughts on what mechanism might give me what I want? I’ve looked at a few examples from the Yahoo group, but don’t see anything that tickles my fancy…
I’m thinking a V8 without a lot of hassle… I saw what Chris ran into, and I don’t want to get too complicated here.
Thoughts? Examples? videos?
The goal is to find an old truck engine and hire a local welder to help me fabrication of a custom chipper / shredder.
Thanks guys!