There is a GREAT article in Home Power about a family in Colorado that lives off grid and they made a "Solar" powered logging bugging.
Basically an old truck bed converted to a trailer with batteries and solar panels. The run electric chain saws off of it and they converted their bandsaw mill to run off the solar wagon as well. http://www.homepower.com/files/ALLEETOC/Issue84.pdf?search=electric%20chain%20saw That particular issue was called the blackout buster issue and it's one of the BEST they have ever made. Back issues are 5.00 but Homepower lets you print online for FREE. So if you want to read off a PDF or print it yourself, register and download the magazine. These folks went that way after on winter of chainsawing with gasoline. It can be done with enough panels and batteries. You could get an electric motor to run the hydrualic pump. mel -----Original Message----- From: Darryl McMahon [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Friday, October 22, 2004 3:46 PM To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: [Biofuel] Electric Yard Tools (was Trees and power companies) Steve, I would like to hear what you think of the electric chain saw and log splitter when your evaluation is done. I have an old 14-inch, 110-volt AC chain saw. It doesn't get much work, but I'm always pleased with it when I do use it. Not for professional lumberjacks, but quite adequate for yardwork. I'm thinking about building a log splitter, probably based on a motor and screw jack rather than hydraulics, but I have not done enough investigation yet to be sure which way to go. Spent about six hours near a gas-powered unit a couple of weekends ago - really want to avoid doing that again. Darryl Steve <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > I'm not Kim, but I though I'd answer some of these questions just to > give Kim and others an idea on our off grid solutions. See below: > > = = = Original message = = = > > Hi Kim, > an ambitious project for most people, however, I suspect you are up to > it. > > Are your telephone lines strung on the same poles as the electrical > lines? If so, does the telephone company have the same rules as the > electrical company? If so, do you have other options for telephone > service? (I'm assuming that telephone access provides your Internet > access and you do not wish to give up your phone service.) > > SS> We have no power poles to our property. The phone company delivers > SS> voice and DSL > on underground lines. > > What do you use electricity for now? Lighting (SS - ELECTRIC/INV), > refrigeration(SS > - PROPANE), cooking (SS - PROPANE), well pump (SS - ELECTRIC/GEN), air > conditioning(SS - NONE), hot water (SS - PROPANE), space heating (SS - WOOD), > computer (SS - ELECTRIC/INV), entertainment equipment (SS - ELECTRIC/INV), > washer > (SS - ELECTRIC/GEN), dryer (SS - ELECTRIC/GEN & PROPANE)), yard or farm > equipment > (SS - ELECTRIC/GEN), etc? Do you have your recent electrical bills, and do > they > show your consumption by period? > > How can you reduce those requirements? Substitution, efficiency, > conservation, other? > > How do you propose to generate your own electricity? Generator (SS - > YES), wind turbine (SS - YES), solar panels (SS - YES), low head hydro > (SS - N/A), other? I'm assuming a generator (biodiesel) as your > primary source initially (SS - Ours is WVO and Biodiesel), but that > doesn't preclude other options in the future. > > Can you set up all your loads so they will run only when a generator > (or other > source) is running, or will you require local energy storage? If so, > batteries are > the most practical option (IMNSHO), though not perfect by any means. Most > likely a > non-trivial investment (batteries, inverter, charger, etc). (SS - We have a > 675 ah > battery pack, 2kw inverter, 30 amp charge controller, 90 watt PV and 300 watt > wind, > with 12.5kw wvo gen) > > Other lists may also be helpful to you. Homeenergysolutions, > alternate energy, renewable-energy come to mind. (ss - also 12vdc > group at yahoo.) > > It is certainly an interesting adventure. The first step is examining > current consumption to look for ways to reduce it. That will be > worthwhile whether you go off-grid or not. The least expensive > electricity is the electricity you don't have to produce. > > SS - We installed all CF lighting, and switched outlet strips on all > phantom loads. Biomethane will replace the propane next year. Electric > chainsaw and electric log splitter are being evaluated. > > Darryl McMahon > > > ___________________________________________________________ > Sent by ePrompter, the premier email notification software. Free > download at http://www.ePrompter.com. > > _______________________________________________ > Biofuel mailing list > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > http://wwia.org/mailman/listinfo.cgi/biofuel > > Biofuel at Journey to Forever: > http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html > > Biofuel archives at Infoarchive.net (searchable): > http://infoarchive.net/sgroup/biofuel/ > -- Darryl McMahon http://www.econogics.com/ It's your planet. If you won't look after it, who will? _______________________________________________ Biofuel mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://wwia.org/mailman/listinfo.cgi/biofuel Biofuel at Journey to Forever: http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html Biofuel archives at Infoarchive.net (searchable): http://infoarchive.net/sgroup/biofuel/ --- Incoming mail is certified Virus Free. Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com). Version: 6.0.779 / Virus Database: 526 - Release Date: 10/19/2004 --- Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free. Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com). Version: 6.0.779 / Virus Database: 526 - Release Date: 10/19/2004 _______________________________________________ Biofuel mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://wwia.org/mailman/listinfo.cgi/biofuel Biofuel at Journey to Forever: http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html Biofuel archives at Infoarchive.net (searchable): http://infoarchive.net/sgroup/biofuel/
