hycrack log splitter a yes or a no???

[TRADITIONAL LOGGERS]

I used one for a log business as the horrible shaped wood we felled would not go into a machine. So long as the tip is sharp and the bearings greased then no issues. If people read the instruction info BEFORE use then shoul be no problems. We did hundreds of tons of rings with knots in.

 

Simple and basic which numerous modern machines are not.

[ashman]

He just got complacent, when a knotty log wouldn’t cooperate he took to kicking it on with the heel of his boot.

 

He pulled the safety string so hard it snapped.

 

The screw split his rigger boot and made a right old mess of his foot.

 

 

To be fair, if he aint got no more sense than that.......

 

I mean... you wouldnt stand on top of a chainsaw cos its blunt and not cutting quick enough would you ??

 

 

Like all machines, 95% of the time it is operator mistake/fatigue/complacency that causes accidents, trouble with this world nowadays is people are always looking to put the blame on something instead of thinking "why did i do that"

 

The only dealings i have had with the hse and they are little hitlers, always looking to find fault, why cant more people live in the real world.

 

Rob

[fen01]

You're probably right and that says a lit about the state of the nation!

[Captains log]

I've used one of these a lot. They're incredibly productive and will generally split as fast as you can feed it onto the screw, unlike a ram splitter where you end up waiting around if you're not using the top of the power range ones.

 

As for safety, this applies to everything in this business. You stay focused on what you're doing and use common sense. No matter what rules and regs the nanny state enforces on you, you still need to use common sense and a bit of the old natural grey matter.

[Stubby]

Love them ! / As long as you have sufficient torque , tractor of 35 hp upwards they are superb . I have one with its own engine but alas its not big enough for the gnarly knotty stuff being only 13hp . Having said that on easy splitting stuff its way way faster than my hydraulic one ....

[njc110381]

A bit late on this one, but worthy of a reply I think.

 

I've got a Hycrack on my old Unimog. I think that if you have an older tractor with slow hydraulics they will be faster than a ram type, unless you go for a splitter with a built in pto pump of course.

 

Safety wise, well you can't really leave someone stupid with it because it will rip them apart. There's a comment further up saying that someone ended up fighting with it to avoid getting his finger squished... Well god knows how because it would be a pointless fight with the one on my mog. If it wanted to roll you over it would do in the blink of an eye and anything between the log and the bed of the splitter would be flat before you had time to react to the snatch. BUT... Don't put your hand that side of the log! The splitter spins clockwise, so guide the log from the left side and nearest you. I've had logs spin in my hand and slam against the bed but my hand is never in the danger zone so it's not a problem.

 

All in all they're very good, but make sure you understand them before operation. It's not as obviously dangerous to the eye as a chainsaw. That said, you wouldn't put your hand near a running saw chain would you? Or climb onto your chipper to kick a piece of stuck brash? These things are just the same - 100% safe for a sensible and informed operator, bloody deadly for an amateur! Last words - keep your sleeves tight and don't wear a tie when you're using it!

[biggarlogs]

the hy crack has a shear pin for overload protection unlike some of the cheaper ones on e bay,and as long as you keep the little wedge(under the cone( in place you are fairly safe,these machines are great for the older tractor with no or weak hydraulics and can split some pretty horrid wood with ease ,mind you if you do stall out you will need a chainsaw to cut the log out of the splitter.and change the nose cone regularly(55 quid or so).i have one on a 22 hp kubota and it flies

[njc110381]

Mine's quite an old one, but is genuine. I passed on buying a new tip and spent an hour with a triangular file going around the cone - it runs as good as new now.

 

I started off running it on a 12.5hp Kubota and it only managed logs that I can do more easily and quickly with a maul. Since the mog arrived with it's 90+hp, well I haven't found anything it won't spit yet. Even really knotty hardwood just falls to pieces - it doesn't stand a chance!