Ah, the warmth!
By now, we’re more than halfway through the winter heating season, and you’ve been enjoying the bone-penetrating warmth of this economic, dependable, stable form of heat. You’re no doubt experiencing the sense of self-reliance, resourcefulness and connection to the natural world that comes from heating with wood. Life is good, and your family appreciates you.
Ouch, the pain!
But if you process your own firewood, not all may be well. Depending on how you process that firewood, you’re likely experiencing several less desirable outcomes.
Chopping firewood using hand tools like axes, hand saws and mauls can contribute to several aches, pains and degenerative conditions. Manual handling of the wood is a leading cause of strains, sprains, herniated and degenerated discs and sciatica. Swinging an axe or maul or ripping a bucksaw can contribute to a host of repetitive strain injuries.
Add to this the amount of time it takes to produce a logger’s cord of firwood - often 16 to 40 hours of steady work for a single, fit, experienced person - and this process becomes harder and harder as the years pass.
Even with tools that require less manual labor, wood-processing injuries are common. Power tools like chainsaws and powered splitters make processing easier, and small tractors and skid steers can help lift and transport logs and finished firewood around your property. But these power tools can still take a toll on your body.
Whether you’re using a manual, kinetic or hydraulic splitter, the work is physical. Processing a logger’s cord of firewood with a chainsaw and splitter takes between six and 10 hours - less time than with hand tools, but the activity still places unwelcomed stress on your body.
Common injuries from repetitive equipment handling include back sprains, muscle and joint fatigue, leg and knee stress and pinches and crushes. Repetitive motion can also contribute to tendon irritation and shoulder and lower back pain.
None of that long-term wear accounts for immediate emergencies: According to a recent study, about 70 people visit emergency rooms with chainsaw injuries each day. The most frequent injuries are fractures, deep open wounds to the extremities and tissue injuries.
How would you like to produce more firewood in less time with less effort?
With the Halverson HWP-120 firewood processor, you can produce more firewood in an hour than you can with a chainsaw and splitter in a day! When attached to a skid steer, tractor, front loader or excavator, the HWP-120 can lift and process a logger’s cord or more of firewood per hour while you control the process from the safety and comfort of your host machine’s cab.
It lifts, transports, splits and discharges finished firewood into your truck, trailer, container or wood pile - without a single swing of the axe. Rain, sleet, snow or freezing temperatures, you remain safe and comfortable in your cab.
Who says, “no pain, no gain?” With the HWP-120 firewood processing attachment, you can avoid the pain while you gain more firewood in less time with less effort. The major pain may be deciding how to use all the extra time and energy you’ll have.
Don’t delay - call today to begin enjoying the bone-penetrating warmth of economic, dependable, stable wood heat without the chills, aches and pains of chopping the firewood.
Learn more about the HWP-120 or call Halverson Wood Products at 218-587-2065.