The very first Woodcracker® was a pair of “splitting pliers” for strong wood, which the founder of Westtech had originally built for his father. At that time, the machine went by a different name, and it was built for carrier vehicles with an operating weight of 11 tons. Today’s equivalent is the Woodcracker® W820 heavy-duty wood splitter, whose pliers open as wide as 32 inches and which delivers 28½ tons of splitting force.

A customer from the German town of Gmund am Tegernsee, Herr Gloggner, became aware of this piece of machinery. He was looking for a satisfactory solution for splitting tree trunks and immediately found the opportunity to use this wood splitter an appealing prospect. He uses a walking excavator as the carrier vehicle for the splitting work – a combination still going strong to this day!

Westtech’s wood splitter product series has expanded over the years. As well as still offering the splitter in its initial size, larger and smaller versions have been added to the range. There are now five machine sizes available.

The smallest wood splitter, the Woodcracker® W600, has pliers that open to 24 inches and delivers 28½ tons of splitting force. It can be attached to carrier vehicles with an operating weight of 6½ tons.

The next size up in the machine series is the above-mentioned Woodcracker® W820. This product size is very popular among Westtech’s customers and is best-selling size among the splitting pliers lineup.

The medium-sized machine in the range – the Woodcracker® W1000 – generates 28½ tons of splitting force, features pliers that open to 41 inches, and requires a carrier vehicle with an operating weight of 15½ tons.

The size above this is the Woodcracker® W1350, which boasts pliers that open to 54 inches and offers 37½ tons of splitting force. This requires a carrier vehicle with an operating weight of 22 tons.

The title of largest machine in the selection goes to the Woodcracker® W1800. This has pliers that open as much as 72 inches and produces a powerful 52 tons of splitting force. However, this in turn requires a carrier vehicle with an operating weight of 33 tons.

Practical optional extras are available for all machine sizes. These include a 360-degree rotator, which allows for gimbal or fixed mounting, and the Autospeed system for higher splitting performance.

The machines are made of high-strength Hardox^® steel and are low-maintenance and wear-resistant.

Splitting wood before putting it in the grinder or chipper allows for a natural drying process. Stoves have a longer service life when dry wood chips are used, and fewer are needed. This, in turn, means less storage space is required and fewer problems crop up while the wood is in storage, such as mold.