What are the different types of nut splitter?
What are the different types of nut splitter?
How many type of Nut Splitter?
Nut splitters can have either a screw action or hydraulic action, with a ring-frame or C-frame design.
◆ Ring frame nut splitter
◆ C-frame nut splitter
◆ Hydraulic nut splitter
Ring frame nut splitter
As the name suggests the frame of a ring-frame nut splitter forms a ring that completely encircles the nut you wish to remove.
This type of nut splitter will often lack a flat anvil opposite the chisel, instead using the inside of the ring-frame to pinch the far side of the nut as the chisel is driven into the nut’s flat.
As the ring frame fully encircles the nut it is stronger than a C-frame nut splitter. However, this also makes the frame larger and can sometimes prevent the nut splitter from fitting nuts in confined spaces.
C-frame nut splitter
The C-frame nut splitter looks similar to a G-clamp. As one end of the frame is open and it does not fully encircle the nut it is possible to get a C-frame nut splitter into more confined spaces than a ring-frame one.
This nut splitter design usually comes with a rotating chisel that allows you to use it at various angles, which again enables it to access nuts you may not be able to with a ring-frame nut splitter.
The rotating chisel is first adjusted with a hex key so that there will be a minimal gap between it the nut and the anvil. Then keeping the chisel square to the nut’s flat the C-frame nut splitter is positioned over the nut, before the screw at the end of handle is turned to press the anvil up against the opposite flat of the nut. This is continued until the chisel splits the nut.
However, as the C-frame doesn’t completely encircle the nut it is not as strong as a ring-frame nut splitter. To combat this weaker design, the C-frame is made of thicker material than the ring frames of other nut splitters.
Hydraulic nut splitter
Hydraulic nut splitters use a hydraulic ram instead of a screw to drive the chisel into the nut’s flat. This enables them to apply far more force to the chisel than can be achieved with a screw.
The greater force applied to the chisel along with harder chisel materials allows hydraulic nut splitters to remove larger and harder nuts than is possible with a screw nut splitter. This type of nut splitter is only found with a ring frame design in order to cope with the force exerted by the ram .
Hydraulic nut splitters are powered by a separate hydraulic pump. This pump can itself be powered by hand, electricity, pneumatically (compressed air) or petrol.
Hydraulic nut splitters cost considerably more than a screw action or C-frame with hydraulic screw action nut splitter. This means they are rarely used outside of heavy industry and very specialist applications.