old hand

Gasification boilers are widely used in eastern Europe. They are very efficient but the logs need to be down to around 20% moisture. You also need a heat accumulator tank (buffer) in the system. The Czech Atmos boilers are very good and a lot cheaper than the German or Austrian makes.

They have no transmission belts that need adjusting, and are suited to tree surgery waste as they are very wide on the infeed side so you can get crooked logs through them easier than some competitors machines. Swinging hydraulic drive outfeed conveyors are standard with the option of a 4.3M conveyor. Very accesible for servicing and the chain is oiled by a proper oil pump not relying on gravity. They are used by big firewood companies like Giddings of Bedford where they are double shifted at busy times. Ring allan Marshall on 01892770788 for a demo.

You are limited to 230mm (9") dia logs. If the timber is dry you will get a lot of shatter and therefore waste. Finished length is not always consistant.How ever the are very fast on small dia green timber, which is what they are used on in Finland.

i have found over many years of repairing saws that if the sprocket at the bar nose is greased when new, providing the saw is oiling properly it does'nt need greased again and will last the life of the bar.

No one ever seems to mention Dalen processors from Allan Marshall. Not the cheapest but well screwed together.

When replacing the 3 belts on a Hakki Pilke 1x-37you need to fold up the discharge conveyor and remove the conveyor drive belt. This is because the gearbox mounting plate gets pulled to the side when the conveyor is in the working position when the two tensioner bolts are loosened. When you have installed new belts check that top and bottom pulleys are aligned. You can do this by holding a straight edge ( eg the back of a hacksaw blade) against the side of the gearbox pulley.The belts should be parallel to the straight edge.If they are not move the gearbox mounting plate until they are. Tension the belts by winding up the bottom nuts on the tensioner bolts. To ensure that the gear box output shaft and the top shaft (hydraulic pump drive) are parallel sight between the bottom of the gearbox mounting plate and the bottom of the splitter slide channel and adjust the tensioners untill this is achieved. Tighten the top adjuster nuts. When the belt tension needs adjusting turn the adjuster nuts by the same of turns. Early machines were fitted with aluminium pulleys and these were prone to rapid wear, resulting in short belt life. Newer machines have Steel pulleys and these can be fitted to early machines. Sometimes belts can turn over if they are running loose and then there is a shock load I.e. splitting a knotty log.

Hi I have a sh hakki pilke 1x-37 for sale but might consider hiring it if insurance etc can be sorted out. (02820732111)

You can try Alfie at Court Engineering for parts for old Dolmar saws (02891882376). I have 4 new Oregon 21'' solid nose bars to suit Dolmar 144/152/153

Laski 450 is O.K. It is sold as a Greenmech stump grinder. The hydraulic drive version is better than the electric drive version. Brake cables are a little bit vunerable over rough ground.