New SpeeCo 3 pt hitch wood splitter with Kubota B7800

[Northland]

Earlier this year I had skidded out some 22" diameter maple that I had bucked into 20" rounds that my Hearthstone wood stove would accommodate.

I had not anticipated those large, long rounds being impossible to hand split with my Fiskars Super Splitting Axe. When I tried and failed to split them by hand I rented a big SpeeCo splitter and ran it 14 hours over the weekend to split about 7 cords of that big maple. That was insane work

I liked that gas powered SpeeCo so much I just bought the 3pt version at my local TSC store. They had one sitting there for the past year so they gave it to me for $649 Canadian.

I now have it running through the WR Long electric valve kit that powers the cylinder on my Tatro bucket grapple that sits on the bucket of my Kubota B7800.

I don't plan on ever putting the splitter on my tractor's 3pt hitch. I will leave it beside my new pole barn and bring my wood to it with my tractor.

I wanted the SpeeCo splitter because of it's ability to split horizontally and vertically.

It took some mucking around with fittings and hoses but it now works off the same valve my grapple works from. I just move the quick disconnect equipped hoses from one implement to another.

My neighbor did a great job welding braces into the crappy stand the splitter came with.

I am going to have walls of wood over the next few weeks as I have ten or more dead maples to fell.

 

[jake98]

That's a new approach..

 

[teg]

Very nice setup :thumbsup:

 

[LD1]

Nice setup.

How fast is the cycle times with with the minimal amout of flow from the smaller tractor compared to the stand-alone you rented???

 

[Northland]

Nice setup.

How fast is the cycle times with with the minimal amout of flow from the smaller tractor compared to the stand-alone you rented???

It's much slower. At the 10GPM my B7800 puts out cycle time on the big 4x24" cylinder is 14 seconds. I think the big gas SpeeCo was probably 7 seconds.

If I pump up the B7800's RPM's from say 1500 to 2600 it doesn't seem to make an appreciable difference in the cycle times. Does that make sense?

Anybody know what the PSI rating on my Kubota is?

I don't mind the slow speed since I work by myself and split mostly large 20" long maple rounds. It will give me time to get the rounds in position safely and securely. If it becomes a problem in the future I will buy a PTO pump and fluid tank to attach to the splitter.

 

[LD1]

It's much slower. At the 10GPM my B7800 puts out cycle time on the big 4x24" cylinder is 14 seconds. I think the big gas SpeeCo was probably 7 seconds.

If I pump up the B7800's RPM's from say 1500 to 2600 it doesn't seem to make an appreciable difference in the cycle times. Does that make sense?

Anybody know what the PSI rating on my Kubota is?

I don't mind the slow speed since I work by myself and split mostly large 20" long maple rounds. It will give me time to get the rounds in position safely and securely. If it becomes a problem in the future I will buy a PTO pump and fluid tank to attach to the splitter.

14 seconds??? Are you talking extend ONLY?? Cycle times are usually measured full extend PLUS full retract. And most stand alones are in the 14-16 second range.

And your kubota is NOT making 10GPM. Thats marketing for ya. The TOTAL hydraulics on your 7800 is 10GPM, which includes to 4gpm or so of powersteering pump flow. So you are probabally only in the ~6gpm range.

And your tractor is probabally in the ~2400psi range. SO...@ 6gpm and a 4"x24" cylinder, assuming a 2" rod, you specs are as followed

~13sec extend
~10sec retract
Total cycle 23sec
Force 15 ton

 

[ggeorge]

I recently bought one of these form TSC. Very happy with the performance. I have a Kioti CK 30. Had to hook up rear remotes first. It says Countyline on the splitter but has SpeeCo manuals. I paid $699.00 plus the hoses and connectors.

 

[Northland]

14 seconds??? Are you talking extend ONLY?? Cycle times are usually measured full extend PLUS full retract. And most stand alones are in the 14-16 second range.

And your kubota is NOT making 10GPM. Thats marketing for ya. The TOTAL hydraulics on your 7800 is 10GPM, which includes to 4gpm or so of powersteering pump flow. So you are probabally only in the ~6gpm range.

And your tractor is probabally in the ~2400psi range. SO...@ 6gpm and a 4"x24" cylinder, assuming a 2" rod, you specs are as followed

~13sec extend
~10sec retract
Total cycle 23sec
Force 15 ton

I had thought the two pumps in the B7800 worked together to give me 9.6GPM-see attached PDF. That's misrepresentation

I didn't measure my times but I think the extend time was 14 seconds or so-it was slow. I got the specs from the SpeeCo manual-see attachment.

 

[Northland]

I recently bought one of these form TSC. Very happy with the performance. I have a Kioti CK 30. Had to hook up rear remotes first. It says Countyline on the splitter but has SpeeCo manuals. I paid $699.00 plus the hoses and connectors.

Nice set-up How many GPM is your CK30 putting out?

I leave my splitter in one place (at my staging area) so I needed the stand beefed up with added angle iron braces welded in place.

 

[955er]

I went with one with a smaller cylinder for better cycle time. The best measure of cycle time is if it works for your pace.

My ramsplitter with a 3.5 inch cylinder gives me 13 second full cycle time on my 955 with a power beyond rated at 2500psi/7.2gpm if that helps.

There is a big difference between the machine keeping up with you and you keeping up with the machine. The latter can result in injury.

If the speeco works quick enough for you, that is all that matters.