Powerful Machine Splits Wood Six Ways

Powerful Machine Splits Wood Six Ways WOODLOT EQUIPMENT Miscellaneous 33-6-42 David Hilty's 6,800-lb. wood splitter means business. It splits a log in six pieces, cycling in just 8 seconds thanks to its 80 hp, 4-cyl. turbo Cummins diesel engine. "With an operator and two laborers, it's possible to split more than four cords per hour, and it can handle wood up to 30 inches in diameter without having to put it through the machine twice," Hilty says. The splitter is an upgrade from a 3,500-lb. model that he built 30 years ago. It had a 23 hp, 4-cyl. Deutz diesel engine and split wood into five pieces with an 11-second cycle time. The splitter is designed to be towed by a ball hitch behind Hilty's pickup. He sometimes takes it to steam and tractor shows to be operated and displayed. Hilty says spectators are impressed by the speed of the machine and its power to split large blocks. A waist-high hydraulic table lift takes the work out of handling big chunks. A 6-in. cyl. with a 4-in. rod powered by a 40 gpm hydraulic pump rams the wood into the 1 1/4-in. thick blades of the 20-in. dia. splitting wedge. After it's split, the wood falls behind the splitter, which is 6 1/2 ft. wide by 11 ft. long. Hilty says the splitter cost between $12,000 and $14,000. "I don't even burn wood," he laughs, but he plans to sell wood, which will pay for coal for his furnace. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, David Hilty, 594 Rockville Rd., Spring Grove, Penn. 17362 (ph 717 225-7242).

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