Firewood processors can be used

Firewood processors come in all shapes and
sizes. Which is the right one for you?
Firewood processors can be used
for both domestic and commercial
operations depending on their size
and power. They can quickly and
efficiently create a large amount of
firewood – far more rapidly than
would be possible with manual systems.
However, if you’ve been looking
to see what’s available you will have
discovered that there are many different variants on a theme, each
producing different results, with
differing levels of productivity, efficiency and cost. That’s why it’s so
important to make sure you get the
model that is right for your needs.
BGU’s range of firewood processors
has just been significantly strengthened with the launch of the KSA
450. Weighing 2 tonnes it has a
20” chainsaw harvester bar running
.404 chain, giving it the capacity to
process 18” diameter logs. It can
get through 6 cubic metres per
hour. The 450’s power requirement
is 15kW, it has a two-speed splitting
ram with a force of 24 tonnes and
a 14-way splitting cross. As with
all BGU processors maintenance
requirements are low. Being 90%
mechanical there’s little that could
go wrong that couldn’t be fixed
on site.
The KSA 370 is BGU’s lighter
weight chainsaw processor, weighing 860kg with the capacity to cut
15” logs on a 3/8 chain. With an 8
tonne splitting force, this model can
process 4 cubic metres an hour and
can be operated with a 4- or 6-way
splitting cross. A 3500mm conveyor
comes as standard but an extra long
4500mm option is also available.
Because of the 370’s unrestricted
infeed conveyor it’s also able to cut
crooked timber.
BGU’s range also features two circular saw firewood processors. The
SSA 310 Evolution has a 750mm
tungsten-tipped blade with the
capacity to cut 12” diameter logs
with a splitting force of 8 tonnes.
There are two conveyor lengths
available, 3800mm as standard or
4300mm. It also has manual or
automatic log splitting with a 4- or
6-way splitting cross.
The second circular saw processor – as featured in Forestry Journal’s
May article about Maureen Tucker
– is the most compact of the BGU
range. The SSM 250 Z Compakt has
a 700mm blade and 10” diameter
capacity. Its 6 tonne splitting force
means it is able to process 3 cubic
metres per hour. It has a roller bearing feed table and is available with
or without a conveyor.
01363 866174
www.perryplanthire.co.uk
Marshall Agricultural Engineering
distributes Binderberger and Dalen
firewood processors.
The Binderberger range consists
of two models. The Profi 450 is an
automatically controlled machine.
It has a cutting capacity of 40cm
diameter and will produce logs
from 15 to 50cm in length. Power
options include PTO electric or
Hatz Silent Pack diesel engine, the
processor comes with powered log
deck, 4 metre discharge elevator
and 2/4/6-way splitting knife. Other
accessories are available including
2/4/8 and 12-way knives, singulating deck and 25 or 50 mph rated
The SSA 310 Evolution circular saw firewood processor from Perry Plant Hire.
towing carriages if increased mobility is required.
The bigger Profi 520 is a new
addition to the family. It has an
increased capacity of 20” diameter
with 20 tonnes of splitting power.
Like its sibling it can be run in semiautomatic or fully automatic mode.
It has a folding log deck, extendable
drawbar and a 4.5 metre folding
elevator.
Both machines use harvester bar
and chain technology.
The other processors available
from Marshalls are the Norwegian
Dalen machines. There are two
models in this range, the 2052 and
2054, with 40 and 44cm diameter cutting capacities respectively.
These machines are renowned for
cutting bent, awkward wood with
ease at a good production rate.
The 2054 uses harvester bar and
chain and is fully hydraulically controlled. It will produce up to 40cm
long logs with a single-handed control system which allows comfortable and smooth operation. The
slightly smaller 2052 is more manually operated but still has many of
the robust features of its bigger
brother. These include wide infeed
shelf, 8 tonne splitting power and
elevators that swing 20º either way
to allow easy loading of trailers,
boxes or bags.
01892 770788
www.marshalllogging.co.uk
Chippers International, the UK concessionaires for all Gandini products, offer the Forest Cut firewood
processor.
This is a heavy-duty machine
weighing 1000kg; cutting via the
chainsaw arm is up to 450mm with
a 15 tonne splitting capacity of 2, 4
or 6 ways.
There are a number of major features such as the ability to hydraulically raise and lower the splitter
and, by pressing a single button,
operate the splitting operation on
its own.
The Forest Cut is attached to the
tractor’s 3-point linkage and is PTO
driven. The machine has its own
internal hydraulic system with castiron pulleys and hydraulic motors.
Power requirement is 35hp. There
is also the option of power being
supplied by a 3-phase 11kW electric
motor.
Logs are carried to the cutting
area by means of a heavy-duty
rubber conveyor which has infeed
and reverse mode. The discharge
elevator is 4500mm long and can
(Left) The Dalen 2054 from Marshalls will produce logs up to 40cm long with a single-handed control system. (Right) The Hakki Pilke Hawk road towable model
from M Large.
Forestry Journal 8/09
www.forestryjournal.co.uk
39
reach over high-sided trailers. It can
be folded, allowing transport within
the width of the tractor. All safety
guards are fitted with long-life electro magnets for maximum reliability
and easy access is available to all
service points.
The operator’s control panel is
extremely robust with two main
control levers working on a gate
system. One lever operates the
infeed table and loading platform,
the other raises and lowers the
saw arm and splitting mechanism.
An emergency safety stop button
stops operation of the saw and split
device.
There is an optional extra of a
loading table which enables the
operator to load large volumes of
timber onto the table by means of
a grab or pallet forks. Logs can then
be rolled onto the infeed table one
at a time by means of a hydraulically
controlled cam arrangement. This
greatly increases output, up to 5
tonnes an hour.
01789 414871
www.chippersinternational.co.uk
Fuelwood (Warwick) and Japa have
made a number of developments to
meet the needs of the expanding
firewood production markets.
The Transaw 350 is fitted with
a circular saw that has a cutting
capacity of 35cm, and also has a
15-tonne semi-automatic splitting
unit. A user-friendly single lever,
with integral switches to activate
the splitter, controls the various
functions of the machine operation.
Log length is set via a laser beam.
Other features include an adjustable 2/4/6/8-way splitting knife,
folding hydraulic 3-metre infeed
conveyor, hydraulic lift and slew
outfeed conveyor and ring ejection
system. PTO driven, requiring 50hp,
the machine uses the latest quiet
hydraulic drive systems. A 3-phase
electric version is also available.
A full range of Japa firewood
processing machinery is also available. The Japa 300 is a compact selfpowered firewood machine available in either yard or road towable
versions.
The Japa 700 firewood harvester
takes timbers up to 10” diameter.
A choice of 3.5 or 4.5m folding
conveyors is available. The machine
requires a minimum of 20hp from
the tractor PTO. No hydraulics are
required.
The new Japa 325 processor has
a hydraulic infeed conveyor, hydraulic powered chainsaw, and can
cross-cut up to 12.5” in diameter.
The dual splitting chamber design
allows sawing at the same speed as
the splitters, which greatly improves
production speed. The Japa 375 is
the latest in the chainsaw cutting
range with a cutting capacity of
14½” diameter and an 8 tonne single splitting chamber. Both 325 and
375 models now have 4.1m folding outfeed conveyors and 30cm
longer reversible infeed conveyors,
with option of joystick controls, and
Expert or Pro models.
Being launched at Fuelwood’s
Open Days on 22/23 August is the
Japa 450. This suits both small and
large timber up to 450mm/18” and
features a 24 tonne splitting cylinder, an automatic speeding valve
and a 4m outfeed conveyor. Six
hydraulic levers control functions
such as feeding, cutting, splitting,
conveyor adjusting etc.
Fuelwood
have
recently
announced new and redesigned
machines in the Fuelwood Factory
and the Kindlet Pro.
The Fuelwood Factory is a fully
automatic sawing and splitting
machine with unique control of
the size of split logs, irrespective
of timber diameter and is ideal for
netting directly from the end of the
machine. It now has a faster cutting
harvester bar, central control station including timber feed from the
deck, a chute that assists the move-
ment of sawn rings into the Splitta,
output conveyor for bulk loads or
bagging system for direct netting.
The machine also incorporates a
waste conveyor to automatically
take away sawdust and timber ends
too small for splitting. Maximum
cutting diameter is 35cm. Price is
£39,995.
The Kindlet Pro has a kindling
capacity of 25cm with fast cycle
time to achieve solid wood output
of over 2 cubic metres per hour. It
features adjustable stick lengths of
20, 25, and 29cm, inlet and outlet
conveyors together with an infeed
chute for rounds and an outlet
chute for netting directly. 3-phase
electric or tractor hydraulic drives
are available.
01926 484673
www.fuelwood.co.uk
The Hakki Pilke OH60 is PTO driven,
cross-cutting by means of a 700mm
diameter TCT blade, with automatic 2-speed hydraulic splitting
through a 2-, 4- or 6-way blade and
3.2m folding discharge conveyor.
An ideal processor for the first-time
buyer, the OH60 is nevertheless
a professional machine capable of
producing large quantities of sawn
firewood.
Standard features on the Hakki
Pilke 1X37 include a 2.2m hydraulically powered infeed belt, 16” crosscutting bar and chain, automatic
2-speed hydraulic splitting and a
4-metre folding discharge conveyor.
Other options include 6- or 8-way
blades, hydraulic joystick controls
and 3-phase electrical power unit.
According to M Large, this machine
is bomb proof!
Moving up the range, the Hakki
Pilke 1X42 GreenSpeed has a heavyduty 2.5-metre powered infeed
belt, 18” saw bar for cross-cutting
and 13.2 tonnes hydraulic splitting
force. The 1X42 comes with a 2 or
4 and the option of a 6- or 8-way
splitting knife. The processed tim-
ber exits the machine via a 4-metre
outfeed conveyor with 2.1-metre
power slew left to right. Hydraulic
joystick controls are standard, and
it is available with combi electric/
PTO drive.
The Hakki Pilke BigX47 is a large
diameter firewood processor with
a 2.6-metre infeed conveyor, 22”
sawbar and harvester type chain
(hydraulically driven). It has multi
speed splitting with 8, 16 or 24
tonne to select from and 2/4-, 6-,
8- and 12-way splitting blades.
Hydraulic folding 4-metre outfeed
conveyor with power slew. The
BigX47 has hydraulic controls.
The BigX47’s ability to produce
firewood from bigger diameter timber has seen a marked increase
in demand for it in the last 12
months.
For those customers who require
a mobile self-powered machine,
Hakki Pilke supply the Hawk road
towable machine. It is powered by
a 13hp Honda engine, cross-cuts
with a 13” hydraulic drive chainsaw,
has 6 tonnes of splitting force and a
3.2-metre folding conveyor.
M Large also offer Bilke guillotine
firewood processors that cut and
split automatically up to 220mm in
diameter, with outputs of up to 20
cubic metres per hour.
02890 342838
www.mlarge.com
Seram UK Ltd, based in mid-Glamorgan, are the sole UK agents
for the Multitek range of firewood
processors. There are seven models
in the range.
The Model 2040XP2 is claimed to
be the number one selling industrial
firewood machine in the world.
It has a log capacity of 50.8cm
diameter by 12.2 metres and can
split log rounds into up to 16
pieces for the production of bundles, kindling, or cooking woods.
The machine is available in .404”
pitch, ¾” pitch, or 60 inch circular
(Left) The Binderberger SSP 520 on display at Elmia. (Right) The new Japa 450 from Fuelwood suits both large and small timber.
40
www.forestryjournal.co.uk
Forestry Journal 8/09
saw configuration. Available in diesel and electric configurations, the
machine can be used in conjunction with various conveyor systems
and debris cleaning options. The
patented overhead shuttle grapple
log feed system was designed by
Multitek in the early 1980s. With its
ability to grab and feed the log forwards and backwards, it can handle
even crooked logs with ease.
Another popular model is the
3040XP2. This unit is popular where
oversize logs would otherwise go to
waste. With a 72” circular saw cutting system it easily cuts logs up to
77cm in diameter.
The Model 1610EZ and 2020
series of firewood processors have
many of the industrial features of
the 2040XP2 and 3040XP2, and are
designed for the small and medium
size firewood business. The 1610EZ
is a single-operator machine that
will cut and split logs up to 16” in
diameter and 10’ long. It can be
towed behind a pick-up truck and
offers an integrated 13’ firewood
elevator for quick set-up and mobility.
01656 657457
www.seramuk.com
www.multitekinc.com
The Palax range consists of six models, with each model having a variation to it – PTO, engine and 3-phase
electric. The newest arrival to the
range is the Power 90 which has a
cutting diameter of 37cm and can
be supplied with 8- or 16-tonnes
splitting force; it features a tungsten-tipped hard metal blade.
The smallest machine is the Palax
55 which is aimed at the domestic
market or small producer. It can
be powered by a mini tractor PTO,
electrically or its own engine and
will cut and split up to 20cm.
The Combi range, first produced
in 1990, has been the most popular. The Combi M II offers many
features including automatic belt
(Left) With a cutting diameter of 37cm the Palax Power90s is the latest offering from Caledonian Forestry Services.
(Right) The SC700/12OR processor is the latest product in Riko’s line-up.
adjustment, easily adjusted elevator
height and side to side adjustment,
tungsten-tipped blade cutting up
to 25cm, and has only three grease
nipples on the machine.
The KS35 range cuts up to 35cm
and can be operated from one
control lever, with infeed conveyor.
As with most models, it has a 4.3metre elevator.
The Palax Power 100 is the largest machine in the range, with a cut
of 40cm. Along with the optimising
stroke splitting system this makes
for a very fast machine ensuring
it splits small diameter timber as
quickly as the smaller machines.
There are a number of log decks
available to suit each machine.
01764 663798
www.caledonianforestryservices.co.uk
Posch produces an extensive range
of firewood processors ranging from
the Spaltfix S 280, which has an 11”
cut and 10-tonne splitting force, up
to the K550 which will cut diameters of 22” and has a splitting force
of 41 tonnes.
An Austrian company who
produce in the excess of 15,000
machines each year, Posch guar-
antee that there will be a supply of
spare parts for 20 years after a model
has stopped being produced.
Posch have designated the
machines to show the maximum
cut in millimetres: S-280, S-300,
S-310, S-320, K-440, K-450, K-550.
Various sizes of log decks are
available. The 280, 300, 310 and
320 are all fitted with TCT saw
blades and the 440, 450, and 550
are fitted with a harvester chainsaw
with a self-tensioning hydraulic saw
motor.
All the ranges except the 280
use a hydraulic joystick control to
operate the saw, infeed, splitter and
splitting knife adjustment.
New to the Posch range is the
Auto Split which will produce kindling and net logs from wood up
to 10” in diameter and 8” long. It
has the option for loose bagging or
packed nets. It is available as PTO
or 400v or a combination of both.
Prices start at £7,400 + VAT.
01556 612233
www.jaspwilson.co.uk
Riko have several products in their
range. The SSC700 Combi processor has a 700mm tungsten-tipped
saw blade with 12” diameter cut.
It is fitted with a hydraulic infeed
and telescopic outfeed conveyor.
Both fold up for easy transportation.
With a 12 tonne splitting force and
hydraulically adjustable 2/4/6-way
knife and adjustable log length, this
unit weighs from 1400Kg with fully
contained hydraulic system and two
hand controls for safe and easy use.
PTO or electrically powered, prices
start from £8,500 + VAT.
On the SSD800 bandsaw processor the maximum diameter of
cut is 500mm as is the maximum
log length. An optional hydraulic
telescopic outfeed conveyor that
folds up for transport is also available. PTO or electrically powered,
weighing from 1200kg, prices start
at £7,300 + VAT.
The latest product in Riko’s lineup is the SC700/12OR processor.
This has a 12” capacity, tungstentipped saw blade with 12-tonne,
2/4-way splitter and optional
4-metre telescopic and adjustable
conveyor for compact transport.
PTO or hydraulically powered, prices start at £3,750 + VAT.
01420 487300
www.alpinetractors.com
(Left) Fuelwood’s Transaw 350. (Centre) The Multitek 2040 from Seram UK boasts a log capacity of 50cm x 12.2m. (Right) New to the Posch range from Jas P
Wilson is the AutoSplit, available with PTO or electric drive or a combination of the two.
Forestry Journal 8/09
www.forestryjournal.co.uk
41