HANDWOUND

MACADAMIA NUT CRACKER

Manufactured by:
29 Page St, Kunda Park Queensland, 4556

Hand Wound Macadamia Nut Cracker

Size:
Weight:

350mm wide x 450mm high x 200mm deep

Approx 25kg (machine only if palletized for transport, extra weight
will incur)
Output:
10- 15kgNIS (hand wound)
Suitability:
Hobby farmers, to larger farms that require testing their nut.
Accessories: Bottom catch tray
Warranty:
1year on design & fabrication
How the cracker works:
The hand wound cracker is operated manually.
The operation of the cracker is simple:
By turning the Front handle, clockwise, the inner flywheel rotates.
This Flywheel has a raised sharpened hardfaced edge, on which the nuts get
cracked
The nuts are manually fed into the 40mm opening on the top of the cracker, one at a
time,whilst the machine is in motion.
The nuts then pass through the machine, & are cracked between an 16mm thick
internal cracking disc & 10mm thick strike plate.
Grading is not necessary, the cracker takes all sizes. (extreme nut sizes not
included)
As not all nuts are not the same size or shape, the occasional nut will pass through
un-cracked, these uncracked nuts are put back through the machine to crack again.
The nut after cracked collects on the catch tray for manual sorting.
Crack-Out Rates:
If conditions are optimal, crack out rates are up to 65% whole kernel, 25% halves &
the remainder, bits.
Optimal conditions require the:
The nut is dried to the correct moisture level
The nut itself is of good quality
That the machine is operated (if hand wound) correctly
The cracker is designed to sit on any secure bench for operation & requires no
electricity.
Motor & Hopper Kits are available, and simply bolt on-to the existing machine.
Or, we can fit up the Motor & Hopper Kit for you, at our factory.
Maintenance:
Because of the simplicity of design, these units are relatively problem free.
All bearings are sealed & require no greasing.
The internal cracking edges on the flywheel will wear eventually, this wear factor
depends on the quantity of nuts being cracked, and can take up to many years to
affect cracking.
You will notice that if the nuts are coming our partially cracked or the shell is scored,
this usually means that the cracking edge is worn, and will need building up &
sharpening, this can be easily repaired by any engineering workshop.
Manufactured by:
29 Page St, Kunda Park Queensland, 4556

Successful Crack Out rate

Drying of nut is the critical component with crack out rates.
After the nuts are harvested, manually or mechanically, they must be dehusked
straight away, failure to do this may result in kernel contamination.
After the nuts have been dehusked, place then in a clean dry area, away from direct
sunlight, with plenty of air circulation.
We advise a mesh bin, this allows air to circulate through the nuts.
Leave that nuts to dry, there is no set time for this process, depends on climatic
conditions.
Opt minimally nuts should be dried down to a minimum of 3% for a successful crack
out rate, the lower the better.
Large processing plants have equipment to test moisture levels of nut in there drying
silos.
For everyone else, the easiest way to check whether your nut is ready for cracking, is
to shake close to your ear, if you can hear the kernel rattling inside, the nut is ready
for cracking.
After cracking a few nuts, you will see if they were at the correctly dried.
If the kernel is still attached to the shell in places, then the nut was not quite ready,
optimally the kernel should come away cleanly form the shell.
Other factors can also affect quality of the nut & therefore the crack out rate.
These are, quality of the trees

how close they are planted apart,

are your trees getting sufficient sunlight, enough nutrition & water,

& whether they are treated for pests & diseases.

Providing that your trees are healthy, & your nuts are dried sufficiently close,
You should be successful in cracking your own nut.

Manufactured by:
29 Page St, Kunda Park Queensland, 4556