Judging by the heavy-duty forestry kit on show, French manufacturers are enthusiastic woodsmen.

This Rabaud trailer-mounted log splitter takes whole sections of tree trunks up to 80cm in width and uses 80t of Gallic grit to force them through a set of very heavy-duty stationary knives.

Power comes from the tractor pto and the stationary knives can be moved up and down to accommodate different sizes of trunk. You do have to sharpen the blades every so often, though.

Handy for those chopped-down dead trees around the farm? Yes – but it’s €30,000 (£25,800) so it’s probably one for big contractors.

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