AN ENGINEERING business in North East Victoria is putting safety high on its design list for log splitters, reports MARK SAUNDERS
Safety is becoming a bigger issue with agricultural implements and machinery.
And Whitlands Engineering at Whitlands, near Mansfield, has been working with the timber industry for a year to ensure its log splitters meet health and safety guidelines.
Company owner David Burder said the company's latest Aussie Chopper splitters feature important safety functions to ensure wood can be split with a minimum of risk.
"A key design upgrade is a no-hands approach," David said.
"The design ensures the machine will not operate unless both hands are out of the way of the splitting mechanism," he said.
The splitters have two steel handles that require the operator to have both hands on them.
"Unless your hands are on the handles, the splitter knife will stop moving," David said.
The solution has taken considerable engineering to achieve.
The handles are connected by rods to the splitter's hydraulic controls. Moving the handles moves the rods and that controls the up-and-down action of the splitter's knife point.
Another simple but convenient safety feature is a sealed capsule for storage of the instruction manual.
"It may seem like a small detail, but it's a vital part of the safety guidelines," David said.
"The manual has to be available for safe operation and training."
Whitlands Engineering has been making wood splitters for 14 years. Its machines are sold in Australia and to New Zealand.
The range is the Aussie Chopper, the Super Axe and the Rex firewood processor. The Aussie Chopper and Super Axe are smaller-scale splitters while the Rex is a more commercial-scale model that can handle 100 to 150 cubic metres of wood a day.
The chopper's large steel knife point operates in a vertical motion to split blocks. A block lifter, which is operated by the handles at the front of the splitting table, has a 150kg capacity.
David said the lifter, combined with a table height of 850mm, meant you didn't have to bend your back when operating the chopper.
"It's a real benefit when splitting wood for long periods," he said.
It takes seven seconds for the Aussie Chopper's knife point to move down and up.
"It's a two-stage hydraulic flow of 65 litres a minute or 15 litres a minute which means the knife point moves quickly when it's not under load and that means you can split more wood more quickly," David said.
Whitlands Engineering aims to use locally-made parts and services in its products.
Steel is fabricated and laser cut in Shepparton and Wangaratta and components, such as the hydraulic rams, are made in Melbourne or Dubbo, depending their size.
The wheels on the Aussie Chopper are road-rated to 80km/h and are bought from an Australian supplier.
There are several engine options, with the smaller splitters using 4.5kW or 6.7kW Subaru, overhead cam engine and larger units 10.4kW and 13.4kW Vanguard motors.
For more details, contact Whitlands Engineering on 1800 702 701.
