Wood Splitter

[NYBOB]

I have seen all the discussion on the 3 point hitch versus regular stand alone units. I have decide on the stand alone, but not sure what I should buy. Are their any particular brands out there I should look to buy or stay away from? What tonage do I need? I am only doing for my wood I use at my house 10-15 face cord per year.

Thanks
Bob

 

[Deerlope]

Bob , A 5.5 HP with an 11 gpm , 2 stage pump and a 4"x24" cyl with split wood until the cows come home. It will do all of yours and 10 or 12 of you neighbors just don't get in a hurry. I know a guy that has one he he splits well over 150 face cords a year because he sells wood. He has used the same splitter for the past 8 years. If you desire wood over 24" long then you will have to go with a longer cyl.

 

[cmhyland]

Bob,
Someone here on the list bought one that had a Robin engine on it.. Made by Subaru from what I'm told.... He said it was a beautifuly smooth motor and a nice unit overall... It may have come from Northern Tool...

Good Luck,
Chris

 

[vallyfarm]

Most now flip down to split verticaly also. My problem is that the 99.75% of the time iI split I am using the horiz. position. That is a long lift from the ground. Also a vert painfull position for me to hunker/squat in. I found one that does not flip. Nice and low to lift the logs to, and a comfortable kneeling position. I would HIGHLY suggest either renting or borrowing a buddy's splitter of the same basic style you are looking to buy befor you find out afetr 20 min. of use your back is shot for the next few days. I got mine from Northern Tools with a 5.5 HP Honda, 20 ton I think.It was around $900-1,000. Plenty of splitting power, and MUCH better quality than I could find at one of the "box stores". Again...make sure you are comfortable with the table height before you blow the pesoes.Mike

 

[Youare]

What you are willing to spend on a wood splitter will determine to some extent what there is to choose from. There are some nice higher end hydraulic splitters like Timber Wolf that have self loading features which save on back strain. I think Iron Oak models also offer self loading.

The one feature that seems to make a difference is whether the wood is pushed into a stationary wedge or the wedge is connected to the ram. The kind that push the wood through the stationary wedge seem to do less damage to the splitter as the split pieces don't fall onto the parts of the splitter located under the falling wood, or your feet.

When the wood is pushed through the wedge it piles up in front of the splitter making it easier to clear the split pieces away. You can also fabricate a work table to catch the split pieces that need to be split again.

Randy

 

[turnkey4099]

What you are willing to spend on a wood splitter will determine to some extent what there is to choose from. There are some nice higher end hydraulic splitters like Timber Wolf that have self loading features which save on back strain. I think Iron Oak models also offer self loading.

The one feature that seems to make a difference is whether the wood is pushed into a stationary wedge or the wedge is connected to the ram. The kind that push the wood through the stationary wedge seem to do less damage to the splitter as the split pieces don't fall onto the parts of the splitter located under the falling wood, or your feet.

When the wood is pushed through the wedge it piles up in front of the splitter making it easier to clear the split pieces away. You can also fabricate a work table to catch the split pieces that need to be split again.

Randy

From one who has been using one for 20 years. I also prefer the wedge on end, not on ram, any splits that 'throw' aregoing away from you. I have had them fly up to 6 feet. The one biggest upgrade to a basic splitter is an outfeed table followed by an infeed table. I just haven't gotten around to adding either to mine but if I were buying again I wouldn't look at any that didn't have one or both. Preferably powered infeed but not mandatory.

Harry K

 

[escavader]

I agree with the guys ...stationary wedge ,pusher on the ram.Mine is a tow behind[haul with my atv]wood comes off the rear,so its not falling between the splitter and atv.When it piles up the next peice will push the last spit ones away[actually piles up higher than splitter sometimes]When absolutely no more room,i pull the atv ahead 2 feet and start again.This with the ability to get it around in the woods [or yard]is the best design in my book.The smartest firewood burner ,is the one who handles the wood the least amount of times.
ALAN

 

[herringchoker]

Vallyfarm gives good advice about trying out and being comfortable with the table height before you buy. I have been using a Poulan with the beam only 12" off the ground since 1979. It has always worked great but it is a real back killer. One of my projects this winter is to rebuild it: raise it to more comfortable height, add infeed and outfeed tables, replace the worn-out engine, and maybe, just maybe, build a hydraulic lift to get the big sticks up off the ground.

 

[gordon21]

One of the main reasons for buying a 3PT splitter is so you can raise it to the working level for each operator. It is nice splitting wood at exactly your comfort range. I have 4 different people that use my splitter to split my wood. All know how to raise the splitter to set it at a comfortable level.

 

[Botabill]

I've discovered Splitfire splitters and everything else is half as good in my opinion. Below is a quote by someone else on the arborist site who suupports my opinion:

All the splitters on the market are all basically the same design. except split-fire. i split by hand for years, but acquired a bunch of pinon pine, toughest splitting wood i have ever split, knotty, pitchy, grain is about as straight as wood screw threads. so i did alot of research and found split fire. it has a ram under the bed, with a 2 way, or 4 way wedge that splits in both directions. two people can bury the splitter in about an hour. they say that with support equipment (conveyor), it can do 5 face cords/ hour. i believe it. i bought mine in september, and have already run over 250 face cords through it, about 85% pinon, the rest aspen. you never have to wait for the ram to return, it is always on the splitting stroke. mine is a 290-4, 9 hp honda, 2 way and 4 way wedges, wouldnt want to tow it at high speeds, or very far. but it is the fastest splitter on the market i believe, high quality, according to manufacturer should last me 1500 face cords before i need to do any service on the sliding mechanism. at over 250 face cords, the only wear i see is on the paint! dont have the web site address, but they are out of norwich ontario