Firewood Processor

[Ben M]

Looking for a decent processor, able to handle decent sized cord and thinnings. Anything considered. Must have out going elevator.

Thanks for looking

 

[Mdt]

Try Caledonian forestry thats were I got my palax from.

 

[Ben M]

What model do you have mate and how do you get on with it? Would be my first processor so am all ears

 

[Mdt]

Have a palax ks36 great bit of kit does what I want an well too. Asked jim for a demo and he came from Scotland to east Yorkshire one sunday, did demo was very impressed he left it!! Any specific questions please ask

 

[Ben M]

that looks a nice machine, whats the biggest size it'll take? Many people have said to be go palax and not japa or hakki pilke as they are bulit better. I doubt old matey would come all the way down to suffolk for a demo!

 

[Mdt]

If you dont ask you wont get!! he goes all over in his truck!! I did my research before and I prefered the palax to japa and the others but thats my personal opinion. Mine takes up to 13-14" diameter. Believe they do a similar machine now but bigger if that wasnt big enough.

 

[Ben M]

was it new? what sort of money if you dont mind me asking?

 

[Ben M]

i have 100t stack at the moment, there isnt much over 15" in there but some is a bit twisty and bent

 

[Mdt]

was it new? what sort of money if you dont mind me asking?

Pm on way

 

[Mdt]

i have 100t stack at the moment, there isnt much over 15" in there but some is a bit twisty and bent

I manage ok with twisty bent bits as long as not full diameter if that makes sense so can move around.

 

[nick channer]

Ben.. Whatever you do don't buy a hakki pilke....
Palax is worth 3 of them honestly.... Few extra thousand in first place will save you lot more in long run..

 

[Ben M]

Pm on way

thanks. yeah i imagine being able to process some awkward stuff, well i expect to anyway

 

[Ben M]

Ben.. Whatever you do don't buy a hakki pilke....
Palax is worth 3 of them honestly.... Few extra thousand in first place will save you lot more in long run..

cheers nick, i havent forgot you said that before! you run a palax dont you?

 

[Mdt]

If can afford to gear up then get a two way or 4 way splitter thats what I do with the big stuff that wont go through the machine. Am lucky to have use of such.

 

[Ben M]

If can afford to gear up then get a two way or 4 way splitter thats what I do with the big stuff that wont go through the machine. Am lucky to have use of such.

yeah i have a decent splitter now, billet everything and then saw bench. would keep the splitter for bigger stuff

 

[nick channer]

cheers nick, i havent forgot you said that before! you run a palax dont you?

Did do till saw dust underneath caught fire...
Not much left of it now.
Then bought a 1x37 and no jokin every time I use it it breaks down...
And as you no I get around a few firewood guys and no one has good word to say about them.. None that do more than an artic load a yr anyway... Too many belts that's prob.. Palax is all hydraulic..

 

[Ben M]

i have heard that if you have to buy a 1x37 then to get the hydrolic elevator as it eats belts otherwise

 

[nick channer]

i have heard that if you have to buy a 1x37 then to get the hydrolic elevator as it eats belts otherwise

That's not the problem.. You can change them in matter of mins.. It's the main drive belts that take hours to change...
If the splitter struggles a bit the belts slip, which stretches them, then they snap...
Then there's other probs with ram not cycling properly etc..

 

[The_Swede]

Have used a variety of the Palax machines and met Jim from Caledonian a few times (top folks as said), my thoughts for what its worth;

Palax Combi M2 are a really good all-round good machine, tungsten tipped blade much prefered to the chainsaw on the KS35 (we were cutting timber off the yard floor and found that the chain blunted very quickly. The K35 would take more like 14" to the M2's 12" though. Always have the option of ringing the bigger stuff and dropping it into the splitter?

Hydraulic driven 4.5m converyor a great improvement on the older 3m belt driven ones.

If you go bigger than the KS35 things start to get a lot more expensive and we personnaly didn't like the extra automation of something like the Power 100, good two man team on a combi was the best for us.

Cheers

 

[suffolksmallholder]

I Like my Posch! Now 25 years old and although it has had an overhaul (That was two years ago, how time flies!) it is still going well and spares are never a problem. Try Wilsons. The older models occasionally come up for sale in t'internet for around £2.5k. Mine will cut anything up to 300mm and bendy stuff if it is not too long....It is a tipped circular saw machine.
Getting the timber near the mouth is just as important as the machine itself. Manually handling anything over 3" in diameter is painful nowadays!
The newest machine runs to £20,000, is all singing and all dancing but you would have to work it hard to justify the outlay and that 100 ton would go very quickly!
SS