If you’ve got a mountain of timber to break down, you want to get through it as quickly and easily as possible.

The benefit of having a cone splitter mounted on your excavator, telehandler or crane is the ability to split more wood than ever before with speed, precision and ease.

Here’s our look at some of the leading and latest must-have products on the market. 

HOME FORESTRY, RABAUD SAS 

Forestry Journal:

HOME Forestry, based in Shropshire, is main agent for the Rabaud SAS. Based on the west coast of France, Rabaud produces a wide range of cone splitters suited to 1.8–8 tonne excavators and backhoe machines.

The FRH cone splitter models are designed to suit the excavator size and hydraulic flow available from the base units to get the best results.Working pressure requirements are around 200 bar and oil-flow requirements range from 45-litre/min for the FRH 304 up to 150-litre/min for the FRH 1012.

The excavator or backhoe requires only two hydraulic lines to power the cone splitter (no drain line needed). The tip and cone are both replaceable if required and are easy to service.

Forestry Journal:

There is also an option for a log-handling grab to be added and this is also powered by the excavator’s double-acting hammer line. No electric supply is required.

Contact Home Forestry for more information on 01746 718456/07966365157/nathan@homeforestry.co.uk.

JB EQUIPMENT, JCS RANGE

Forestry Journal:

JB Equipment is a Hertfordshire-based manufacturer and supplier of hydraulic cone splitters and excavator attachments with regular distribution across the whole of the UK, Ireland and Europe.

They have three key cone splitter models covering 1.5–20 tonne excavators – the JCS12, JCS40 and JCS80.

The JCS12 is the entry-level model which offers customers a robust and economical solution for log splitting due to its competitive low price point of only £1,195 plus VAT. It is a hugely popular model for part-time users, small contractors and private individuals. It operates with 1,180 Nm torque, capable of handling timber roughly 0.6 m in diameter.

The JCS40 is the best-selling model, engineered for use in commercial applications such as for timber and firewood processing yards. It packs a powerful 3,760 Nm of torque and can split timber up to 1.2 m in diameter.

Similar to the other two models, it uses an internal gearbox drive system for converting the given oil flow into rotational power.

For larger excavators within the 8–25 tonnes category, the JCS 80 cone splitter is the ideal companion. This heavy-duty unit weighing in at 285 kg features a huge 8,240 Nm of torque and is popular for specialist applications or larger commercial customers where efficiency is paramount.

Forestry Journal:

All JCS cone splitters have interchangeable cone tips as standard and do not require any additional drain lines or electrics to operate – they simply connect straight onto any double acting auxiliary supply. High-quality powder-coated paint provides a fresh and professional finish to each attachment, whilst a singular heavy-duty locking pin connects the shaft of the cone to the drive unit itself.

Stump planer attachments can also be supplied for both the JCS 40 and JCS 80 models, which act as a great additional tool for tree surgery and other similar applications.

Excavator headstocks and pins are included with every model based on the customer;s requirements, but other brackets for telehandlers, skid steers and other machinery can be fabricated and supplied on request.

For further information on JB Equipment, call 01442 910380 or email sales@jbequipment.co.uk.

JAS P WILSON, LASCO CONE SPLITTERS

Forestry Journal:

JAS P Wilson Forest Machines, the sole suppliers of Lasco Cone Splitters covering the UK and Ireland, has several new additions to its popular range of Austrian-manufactured cone splitters.

The Lasco range of cone splitters provides options to suit excavators of all sizes, from heavy-duty plant down to more compact units. For users looking to fit a quality cone splitter onto their compact excavator, Lasco offer the 6.2 model, which will run on 1.5-tonne-plus excavators. This model is designed to make the most of the available flow and pressures and delivers a well-balanced and economical solutions to splitting over-sized logs down for further processing, be that with a firewood processor or woodchipper.

When working on a compact unit, the minimum fuel consumption and machine size opens up options for contracting, giving owners a versatile machine with the ability to make contract splitting, and the associated travel, a viable option.

The Lasco 6.2 will come supplied with a bespoke hitch, and hoses. If installation is required, Jas P Wilson has a network of regional engineers to get the machine and attachment running at their optimum.

The range also includes the Yard Master, a multi-attachment machine comprising of a Lasco cone splitter and Botex rotating timber grab. One attachment lets you easily prepare and stack timber in one process.

The tasks of splitting, stacking, loading, and feeding can all be done with the Yard Master. So, like the name suggests, this truly is the master of any firewood or timber processing set-up.

Buying this combination from Jas P Wilson’s could not be easier. From order, it will produce a bespoke quick-hitch bracket and hoses to fit your base machine. If required, Jas P Wilson’s team of regional service engineers can come in to fit the machine. The team also offers an excavator guarding service, which has became popular through their “HarvaDig” concept of producing a forestry guarded excavator, which is modified to allow it to work a wide range of forestry & firewood attachments and have additional forestry protection.

This excavator-based system for attachments such as log splitters, harvesting heads, tree shears, mulchers, fixed grabs, etc creates a versatile machine. So versatile in fact, these machines find little reason to be parked up – there is always a job to be done.

For further details, please  contact 01556 612233 or visit www.jaspwilson.co.uk.

FUELWOOD, BLACK SPLITTER RANGER 

Forestry Journal:

FUELWOOD is a dealer for the Black range of cone splitters, but also works with other brands for bespoke customer installations. The Black range of German-manufactured splitters boasts a wide variety of machines suitable for mounting on 1.5- to 15-tonne carriers.

Triple motors provide enormous torque for splitting through the toughest timber, and the pitch of the thread is far more aggressive than for many other brands, meaning the tip of the cone bites into the wood much quicker. The base of the cone is very wide which means the wood is peeled open once the initial penetration is made, and increases the splitting force considerably. These features mean that the Black Splitters are very quick and very accurate, leading to cleaner splits, less time spent on the job and much less waste.

The all-new SB model has just been added to the range of Black Splitters for excavators in the 8–15 tonne range. Fuelwood demonstrates this on its own Wacker Neuson 9-tonne excavator, meaning the customer can get a real feel for what this splitter is capable of.

The enormous torque generated in this splitter, the aggressive thread on the cone and the Black build quality make this a very capable and robust cone splitter.

There are also many attachments available for these splitters to help improve operations.

Augers, post-hole borers, yard brushes, screening baskets and concrete mixer attachments can all be purchased to run off the same Black drive motor, making this item much more than just a cone splitter and meaning the motor itself is much more cost-effective when other machinery is required.

Forestry Journal:

Fuelwood offers a one-stop shop taking care of the mounting brackets required to install these machines, as well as the hydraulic connection, extra hydraulic services if required and control mountings in the cab. It also offers an attachment that the splitter can be mounted to, along with a grapple so handling the timber can be achieved without having to change over attachments. Fuelwood can also offer bespoke mounting solutions enabled by its in-house design and fabrication departments.

For more information on the solutions to all your forestry and firewood needs, call Fuelwood on 01926 484673 or visit www.fuelwood.co.uk.

APPROVED HYDRAULICS, AH800CS 

Forestry Journal:

As Approved Hydraulics moves into its sixth year of cone splitter design, manufacture and distribution, its leading seller is still the AH800CS for machines around 7–16 tonnes.

The firm has also put one on a 20-tonne machine without any problems. 

However, hitting the ground running in 2021 is the new cone splitter with log-grab attachment. Although this idea is not new to the market, the Approved Hydraulics version can be retro fitted to an Approved Hydraulics cone splitter you already have. 

It is also the only unit available that offers the flexibility of having just a grab or grab and rotator – and the only unit to utilize a rigid rotator to offer users a more controlled action after the splitting process.

There are a range of grab options to choose from including standard, three tines, four tines, five tines and seven tines, depending on requirements. Grabs are all Intermercato and rotators are all Baltrotors – two of the market-leading brands in forestry and attachment technology.

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Auger drills and stump planers are also available as retro-fit attachments to anyone who already has an Approved Hydraulics cone splitter.

Forestry Journal:

The firm is always looking to improve its range and services, so keep an eye out for further developments through 2022 or call staff if you have a unique idea you would like produced.

For further information on Approved Hydraulics products call 0161 480 0869 or visit www.approvedhydraulics.co.uk.