screw type log splitters

[LoadhandlerUK]

Our experience of selling many, many Hycracks a year is that there is no substitute for the real thing and horsepower.

 

Those of you on here with Hycracks will know that their longevity is legendary - the same cannot be said for the copy cones and tips. We've not seen any 'copy' cone that's 10 years old - let alone 30 years. We register the age of every customers machine when they come for spares and many are over 20 years, needing only a tip or bearings. We have several eBay cones brought into us every year that are worn out and the customer wants to convert using a Hycrack cone. Yes it's more expensive - but you buy them once.

 

I would say that although we have sold to customers with 12 and 17hp Kubota or John Deere type compacts - and lots to grey fergie owners we warn them that the lower the hp, the smaller wood you can split.

 

Equally the torque must be there. I recommend that people start off at 300-350 rpm and see how it goes. Increasing to 400-450 on good splitting woods. Try splitting tough and knotty at 540 and you'll have a tiger by the tail.

 

So assuming that price is key over quality and you are going Polish or German - which is fair enough but you'll get what you pay for - make sure you can vary the speed (it's essential in my book) and you can get some low down bangs for your buck torque wise.

 

And p.s. build it properly - your limbs depend on it.

[Stubby]

Also check the helix is correct for the rotation of your splitter . they do make LH and RH helix .

[LoadhandlerUK]

Also check the helix is correct for the rotation of your splitter . they do make LH and RH helix .

 

That's a good point Stubby....

[predator]

i would love to see a propper log screw in action as the one i had was a complete waste of time i spent more time winding it backwards to get the wood off as the whole diesel powered unit was underpowered geared fast and very low power and flicked belts off for fun it also had my hand a few times so went on the bay i sold it as a load of tosh and got loads of interest funny what people want to buy etc even though i told,em its faults a bloke from yorkshire won it so also had a long round trip to pick it up etc and he also trapped his hand blood all over it lol but still payed up lol maaaaaaaaaaad

[Stubby]

i would love to see a propper log screw in action as the one i had was a complete waste of time i spent more time winding it backwards to get the wood off as the whole diesel powered unit was underpowered geared fast and very low power and flicked belts off for fun it also had my hand a few times so went on the bay i sold it as a load of tosh and got loads of interest funny what people want to buy etc even though i told,em its faults a bloke from yorkshire won it so also had a long round trip to pick it up etc and he also trapped his hand blood all over it lol but still payed up lol maaaaaaaaaaad

 

Just look at a Hycrack on the back of a big chunky tractor . Low RPM high torque . just offer the log to the tip , let go , and watch it chew through without dropping any rpms or batting an eye lid .

[Cosmiccrofter]

Just look at a Hycrack on the back of a big chunky tractor . Low RPM high torque . just offer the log to the tip , let go , and watch it chew through without dropping any rpms or batting an eye lid .

 

I have a Hycrack and love it, but you must NEVER, EVER, have a diesel engine idling for long periods of time, you will glaze the bores, believe me I have done it to one of my tractors.

 

I always run the tractor at around 540 PTO. Much quicker to split the firewood and no glazed bores.

[Stubby]

I have a Hycrack and love it, but you must NEVER, EVER, have a diesel engine idling for long periods of time, you will glaze the bores, believe me I have done it to one of my tractors.

 

I always run the tractor at around 540 PTO. Much quicker to split the firewood and no glazed bores.

 

Good advice . I thought 540 was low rpm .

[Big J]

I am going to gear it down to about 3to1 about 600rpm

has any one use the kit on ebay from Poland?

 

Yes. The cone is fine, but the drive shaft sheared. Had to get a new one made which would have been extremely expensive if not for having a tame engineer.

 

My screw splitter runs off a 20hp Briggs and Stratton V-twin. It's belt driven (though only one of the two belts is on as finding the right size tensioning pulling is tricky). It runs very well and splits very quickly in the right wood. It does have it's limitations though and with the amount of power I have available to me, very knotty timber is usually a no go. Moderately knotty timber is OK, but you have to think about the way that you present the round to the cone. Clean timber is a breeze though - I did a couple of cube of Scots pine at the end of a day last week in an hour, which included picking it off the stack, cross cutting it and putting the equipment away after.

 

Jonathan

[Cosmiccrofter]

Good advice . I thought 540 was low rpm .

 

That's the PTO shaft speed, the engine revs are much higher, depending on the make of the tractor.

[Stubby]

That's the PTO shaft speed, the engine revs are much higher, depending on the make of the tractor.

 

Yep standard pto shaft speed I know . Point I was making was the actual cone does not need to be rotating fast as long as there is plenty of torque .I understand about glazing the bores on the tractor so I suppose its a compromise ( as life often is ) with the revs . altering the revs up and down and using non synthetic oil until the rings have bedded in is the ideal but ho hum and that !