WHEN it comes to producing firewood, there are a number of innovative solutions to make the whole process as stress-free as possible. From splitting to processing to drying, we take a look at some of the products on the market.

JAS P WILSON
POSCH AND KRPAN

LOOKING to upgrade your firewood machinery set-up? Or to start producing wood fuel?

Then the dedicated team at Jas P Wilson has the products and aftersales infrastructure to fully support those next steps in your business journey. As Jas P Wilson celebrates its 60th year in business, this well-known supplier has developed its range to offer an impressive array of options for firewood production.

With a firewood processor range covering circular-saw and bar-and-chain models, and with specifications covering 37 to 70 cm (14 to 27”) diameter cutting capacities and log-splitting forces up to an incredible 35 tonnes, there are options to suit an equally wide range of applications.

Jas P Wilson is the sole supplier of the renowned Posch and Krpan brands of firewood machinery, delivering a wide range, covering firewood processors, log decks, log cleaners, saws, log splitters and more. A popular option within both brands is a three-point-linkage firewood processor.

Within the Posch range, the mainstay of this is the S-375 Turbo. It is an incredibly popular option with professional firewood producers, having built a strong reputation through high output, build quality and the machine’s ability to handle a huge variety of timber types, conditions and the backup available from Jas P Wilson. 

With the exact same Wilson’s aftersales cover, Krpan’s CS 4218 Pro firewood processor has added a bar-and-chain option to this core range of products.

This model has a range of features which ensure it offers a very competitive product for the market in all regards. This 42 cm cut unit delivers a splitting force of 18 tonnes, and has a range of operator-friendly features, and joystick controls to ensure fast and efficient processing. This unit also benefits from a powered slewing conveyor.

See the range at www.jaspwilson.co.uk.

FUELWOOD

FUELWOOD offers the most comprehensive range of firewood processors available in the UK. With circular-saw and chainsaw models available in 10-, 12-, 14-, 16-, 17- and 21-inch-diameter capacities; splitting forces from 5.6 to 20 tonnes; conventional firewood processors; solutions for the popular European ‘billeting’ system; stand-alone saws; and stand-alone log splitters, Fuelwood can offer you a solution to your firewood-production requirements.

Fuelwood is the only UK manufacturer of firewood processors and kindling machines. Its range of own-brand machinery, made at its factory in Warwickshire, includes the fully-automatic WoodCutta, the Splitta 400 for dealing with arb waste, and the Kindlet kindling machines.

Fuelwood has been the sole importer for Japa and its range of firewood processors since the 1990s. Japa offers a range of machines up to 16-inch capacity, which is hard to rival.

Also in the Japa range there is the professional 365 Pro Road. This 14-inch-capacity processor can be towed to multiple sites.

For larger-diameter timber, Fuelwood is now the UK dealer for the Uniforest range of processors. Titan 53/40 Premium represents a generation of highly-productive professional firewood processors. Higher productivity and easier work are ensured by the larger-diameter Widia saw, 400 kN of splitting force and 2-4-8-18-part splitting knife.

Despite the great capacity, its compact design allows simple transport.

Fuelwood also offers the AMR brand of saws and log splitters for either smaller-scale firewood producers or large-scale producers adopting the increasingly popular European ‘billet’ system, where the logs are cut to one-metre length, split into the right section size and then left to season naturally. 

The benefits of this over conventional firewood processors are that drying time of the wood is naturally much quicker.

Call 01926 484673 or email sales@fuelwood.co.uk.

BIOEQUIPMENT
HALVERSON

The Halverson firewood processor is the only true one-man commercial firewood processor. The operator requires no secondary loading machine or log deck – there are zero infrastructure requirements and therefore, minimal setup costs.

The Halverson range can handle misshapen and challenging timber easily. If the machine can pick it up, it can process firewood easily without manual intervention.

Users and operators report significant cost savings in labour requirements and fuel usage, reduced processing fatigue and improved daily productivity. Halverson can be mounted on skid steers, excavators, wheel loaders, telehandlers and tractors with fore-end loaders. The Halverson can process up to 22-inch-diameter roundwood and has a processing capacity of up to 4 m³ per hour. The latest Halverson is the 150 model, which has higher capacity in both cutting diameter and splitting force, with a new style of log holder and log-splitting wedge design.

Halverson has now introduced a variant of the processor for long timber logs and billets to satisfy industrial biomass boilers 

The Halverson requires a carrier machine that can lift 700 kg and has auxiliary oil flow of 65 litres per minute at 197 bar to achieve optimum performance.

Call 07826 866211 or email sean@emsltd.co.uk.

M LARGE FORESTRY 
HAKKI PILKE AND BILKE

AT M Large Forestry Equipment, its expert staff cater to a variety of firewood-processing needs. Here’s a glimpse into what its two prominent brands offer:

Hakki Pilke

Renowned for their innovative design and exceptional performance, Hakki Pilke firewood processors are perfect for both professional and domestic use. Their user-friendly controls, robust build quality, and efficient processing capabilities make them a popular choice among customers.
Here are some of the key features of Hakki Pilke processors:

  • Splitting force: Ranging from 6 to 40 tonnes, ensuring efficient splitting of even the toughest logs.
  • Log diameter capacity: Accommodates logs up to 55 cm in diameter, depending on the model.

Processing speed: Can process up to 15 cubic metres per hour, significantly reducing processing time.

Bilke

Bilke firewood processors are known for their compact design, making them ideal for those with limited space. They are perfect for homeowners and small businesses with moderate firewood-processing requirements.
Here’s what makes Bilke processors a compelling choice:

  • Space-saving design: Their compact size allows for easy manoeuvrability and storage.
  • Hydraulic power: Delivers sufficient power to handle most firewood-processing tasks.
  • Easy operation: Simple controls make them user-friendly, even for first-time users.
  • Cost-effective: Bilke processors offer excellent value for money.

Phone: 02890 342838. Email: sales@mlarge.com 

TREELINE
FUELWOOD SPLITTA 400

FUELWOOD’S Splitta 400 can process timber rounds of up to 40 cm into firewood using a unique “X” knife that’s pushed against the end grain of the log with a force up to 150 kN, filling a 1 m³ bag in less than five minutes. The design of this machine makes it incredibly efficient at processing arb waste over a conventional vertical or horizontal splitter, allowing the rounds to be stacked on the infeed conveyor and automatically rolling down through the machine and coming out of the outfeed in a pre-determined split size adjustable up to 120 mm across and in lengths of 20–33 cm.

Part of the brilliance of the Splitta 400 is that it can be used as a standalone machine dealing with arb waste or set up in the Fuelwood Factory to cover the whole process from roundwood to bagged logs. The factory set-up includes timber deck, Woodcutta for ringing the timber, Splitta for processing the rings into either kindling or logs, and an outfeed conveyor with cleaning head or Manual Bagga for netting your logs.

The Woodcutta runs a hydraulically powered chainsaw with 59 cm long, 2 mm harvester bar and chain. With minimal effort the shunt of the infeed conveyor can be adjusted allowing the production of either kindling or firewood logs ranging from 20 mm kindling to 120 mm logs. The Fuelwood Factory is also automatic with a simple start and stop, and the log deck is operated from a remote control.

www.treelinescotland.com

TAJFUN

TAJFUN firewood processors, established under the brand name RCA, are essential forestry accessories for processing of wood biomass – logs into firewood. Tajfun product development is constantly directed towards optimal and simple operation for machine operators. You will choose and enjoy Tajfun firewood processors because they excel in:

  • energy efficiency
  • simple and fast set-up and take-down
  • high capacity
  • compact and rugged construction
  • simple user-friendly controls

The range includes the RCA PRO 500 (for logs 25–50 cm), the RCA 330 (5–33 cm), and the RCA 400 (5–40 cm). Class-leading features on the machine include lattice for sawdust separation after log splitting, swinging laps to ensure the cut pieces fall into the splitting chute properly (especially last cut piece), hydraulic movable limiters.

For more information, visit https://tajfun.com/rca.

BINDERBERGER 
SSPX 800

With the SSPX 800 you can cut a log of up to 80 cm to the size you want. The sawn log sections are then smoothly transported to the splitting unit by a transfer belt. 
With the help of the 16-tonne splitting force and a two-stage X-knife, the SSPX 800 splits your logs into manageable firewood – and does so with a splitting cycle of 14/min and even fully automatically.

Another advantage is that the size of the logs can be adjusted by means of eight different steps between 3 and 10 cm. 

Furthermore, you can regulate the log length continuously between 20 and 50 cm. 

In other words, the SSPX 800 is the perfect partner for the effortless and effective production of kindling and firewood.

binderberger.com/en/

KILN SERVICES

KILN Services has been designing and manufacturing timber-drying kilns from its base in Essex for nearly 50 years. The company provides drying and heat-treatment kilns for all sectors of the industry, including softwood and hardwood sawmills, pallet manufacturing, fence-post producers, biomass fuel producers, modified timber, and research facilities in universities and training colleges.

In recent years, the market for kilns to dry biomass fuel has increased considerably. 

Kiln Services’ latest range of log-drying kilns are designed to provide a fast and efficient solution to your drying requirements and include many special features, for example, a high air velocity of 3 metres per second through the log stack. This powerful air flow reverses every two hours to provide fast drying times and a uniform moisture through the batch. A new range of biomass hot-air blowers can now be connected to our kilns via a 300-mm duct. 

These provide for a lower capital cost: as there are no accumulators, pumps, valves

or pipework compared to a water-based system, the kiln itself is also a lower price. The first two-module kiln installed with a 130 kW unit removed 3,836 litres of water from 36 m³ of logs in just over four days; that’s almost 1 tonne or cubic metre of water per day. Around 2 tonnes of fuelwood was used over the cycle.

For larger kilns, two or more biomass units can be connected. The modular design allows for additional modules to be added as log demand increases. This is done by removing the door set, adding further modules to double or treble kiln capacity, then reinstalling the doors onto the extended kiln. Additional modules are then connected to the original. 

Kilns can be provided in sizes starting from 16 m³, up to 200 m³ per batch, in various module sizes to suit your existing crate size. Kiln Services also provides a range of hook bin kilns for companies wishing to dry logs and woodchip in the same facility. It is also introducing a new 150 m³ kiln with built-in drying floor for those companies using bucket loaders to load and unload. The drying efficiency of the process is optimised by the accurate control of the relative humidity and temperature. Unlike single-air-pass systems where low-temperature, low-humidity air is vented continuously, the air is only vented from the kiln when it has achieved the set humidity and temperature.

Kiln Services has replaced several single-air-pass systems, mainly designed around shipping containers, and installed kilns, keeping the same boilers and Renewable Heat Incentive benefit.

Typically, a 10-metre, four-module 72 m³ kiln replacing a 12-metre-long container increases log drying by 300 per cent while only increasing fuel consumption by 50 per cent, transforming the company’s productivity.

For more information, please contact 01621 785 935 or visit www.kilnservices.co.uk.