screw type splitters

[rowan lee]

Ive watched some video's and it looks real fast, but then again the wood being split looks soft and small. Havent used one myself, but ive read about how dangerous these types of splitters can be. Obviously i can see the potential danger associated with the pto and exposed spinning screw, but i read horror stories about blocks of timber being spat out by the machine at break neck speeds etc. Any bad experiences from anyone on here?

[greenmanconservation]

They work best with straight grain timber that is heavy - smaller or knotty lumps can catch and spin with the worm and if your hand is between that and the plate it's not a happy place. They seem to work best with long cords (about a metre or so) then you cut them afterwards to length.

There are much safer products out there...

[david]

iv never used one befor either but would be warey of the H+S aspects, especially if you had staff working it.

 

remember u need a way of switching the tractor off from the rear

 

 

they do look good tho on long straight stuff

 

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Q0HJGWPTXE]YouTube - Stickler wood splitter kegelspalter 2[/ame]

 

 

Screw Type Log Splitter wood splitter NEW on eBay (end time 17-May-10 13:31:40 BST)

[tommer9]

I disagree. I used to have one, and a mate has one. I reckon they are pretty speedy, with a sharp tip/ cone they will tackle almost everything i threw at it, and as long as you put firm pressure on the top of the log as you push it to the cone then it doesnt spin round very often.

[treequip]

I went off screw type splitters the day I saw a farm labourer kicking a ring on to the cone to get it to bight. I told him it was a bad idea and that he needed a way of stopping the tractor in an emergency.

 

A few days later the farmer didn’t want any more nasty pop rings even if they were free because the boy had managed to get the screw through the sole of his boot.

 

The thought still makes me cringe

[tommer9]

That is really nasty....

[Tree Medic]

I bought a cone splitter head from the states and installed it on the rotator on my timber crane.

it works fine and im so far away from the action that its no problem.

its good for straight cord upto 15" but the rotator runs out of grunt on anything bigger.

im looking for a contractor grade auger rotator to see if i can split bigger stuff.

[toprotter]

I run a hydro-crack off an old mf 35 never had any probs, reverse up to rings adjust table height and split away. Pull cord on tractor to stop.

Love it goes through nots loves hard wood..

There are copies from poland and you caan build your own (fleabay)but I cant comment on those

treequip many people have accidents with chippers etc but we all use them

[MattyF]

I have scars from using one plus a broken tractor... theres a lot better out there.maybe costly but a small posche PTO splitter would be my choice.

[treequip]

Can’t argue with that but I don’t see how it is a relevant comparison. Most chippers are (ought to be) fitted with in feed protection devices and are probably as safe as they can be made.

If you have an accident with a chipper it’s likely to be because the protection devices weren’t working as they should or the operator did something they shouldn’t have.

 

Screw type splitters are popular because of their absolute simplicity but it is that very simplicity that makes it difficult to provide operator safety.

 

Hitting a stop button or pulling a string to shut down the tractor will stop the machine but not instantly. The machine has the potential to do a lot more damage while you are waiting for it to come to a stop. The string method most commonly used isn’t fail safe. It takes a few seconds for the engine to stop (it will feel more like ours if you are hurt). If you let go before the engine has come to a stop, it will pick up again and continue to run. If you panic and pull to hard the string snaps and the machine continues to run.

 

We have enhanced operator protection for chippers because there were a couple of serious accidents. A couple of similar incidents will bring screw type splitters to the attention of the HSE.

 

Andy