The old log splitter thing again

[IXLR8]

In this neck of the woods, there is no large hardwoods, so everyone has gone to the little electric units that are less than $ 400.00 new.

I have heard they are not bad little units. What brand does your FIL have?

By the way, 3 inches of snow this morning and it is staying. winter is here

AARRgggg... say it is not so!! I am NOT ready, neither mentally nor wood pile.

 

[AKwelder]

my FIL has a ryobi and so does a good friend. I have split 28 inch birch with out a problem, and you can even do it in the shop/garage with out worry. No fumes. One of the guys at work does it in the living room in front of the fire place as he needs wood. It is amazing how much of a pop you get from when the outside temp goes below -40 degrees.

 

[TDVT]

I read the original post earlier but didn't have time to reply. We have looked at quite a few & saw the Troy-Bilt version of the one Ductape has at Lowes for $1400. I think it had a bigger cylinder (4.5" X 24") than the comparably priced Northstar & also had a Honda engine. Looked like the best deal & no shipping.

We haven't gone to pick it up yet, glad to hear Ductape likes his.

 

[Farmwithjunk]

I read the original post earlier but didn't have time to reply. We have looked at quite a few & saw the Troy-Bilt version of the one Ductape has at Lowes for $1400. I think it had a bigger cylinder (4.5" X 24") than the comparably priced Northstar & also had a Honda engine. Looked like the best deal & no shipping.

We haven't gone to pick it up yet, glad to hear Ductape likes his.

Same one as mine! I'm very pleased with it. I just finished splitting a pick up truck load of white oak logs, averaging 20"+ diameter. The 27T Troy Bilt didn't even so much as grunt. You'll be happy with it I'm sure.

 

[Farmwithjunk]

I think youve put this very well, about the true value of the "bells and whistles" vs what can easily be accomplished without. I find that often a bell or whistle that is nice to have, ends up being in the way in some fashion during the many instances that you dont need it. When I built my horizontal splitter I placed the top rail at about 24" knowing that changing the height up or down acouple inches would be easy. Turns out 24" works pretty darn good, allowing the height of small pieces added to reach my fingertips to be steadied while splitting, and still being low enuf to use a ramp of reasonable steepness for big pieces. I would certainly like to have vertical capability, but in sizing the H/Vs up I am not satisfied with the work station height and position provided in the horizontal setup. Certain ergonomic trade offs are made in allowing both positions, and they impact mainly on convenient horizontal use. Vert option would be nice, but its not very hard to get around the need for it if youve got a tractor/loader.
larry

The Troy Bilt 27T splitter w/horiz/vert. rail has a working height (at rail) of 25-1/2" in horizontal position. I'd wouldn't care if it was an inch or two higher. (I'm 6'5") All in all, I'd think 1-1/2" shouldn't hardly even noticable and NOT having vertical position would be a deal breaker for me.

 

[SPYDERLK]

The Troy Bilt 27T splitter w/horiz/vert. rail has a working height (at rail) of 25-1/2" in horizontal position. I'd wouldn't care if it was an inch or two higher. (I'm 6'5") All in all, I'd think 1-1/2" shouldn't hardly even noticable and NOT having vetical position would be a deal breaker for me.

Havent seen any that low. Certainly not the one pictured above in the thread that is supposed to be the same as. 25 is a good work height.
Then theres the problem of the work station being crowded against the wheels when horizontal.

I like having the option of splitting "vertical", but I avoid doing so as much as possible.

The vert option is nice, tho not to the point that I would willingly pay for in every move by it making the horizontal mode I would want to use most, less friendly.
larry

 

[Farmwithjunk]

Havent seen any that low. Certainly not the one pictured above in the thread that is supposed to be the same as. 25 is a good work height.
Then theres the problem of the work station being crowded against the wheels when horizontal.

The vert option is nice, tho not to the point that I would willingly pay for in every move by it making the horizontal mode I would want to use most, less friendly.
larry

The wheels are the same distance from the rail surface in both vertical OR horizontal position. Not "less friendly" in EITHER position. The orientation to the wheels is all relative to the pivot point and where the axle is located front to rear. Done properly, like this one seems to be, there's no crowding issues at all. All things being equal, even if the wheels WERE closer to the rail in vetical position, that has no effect on the height of the wheels in regard to the height of the rail. As I mentioned, I don't like using the splitter in vertical position, but it's extremely handy to be able to do so when the need arises.

Another reason why I like the pivoting rail, it swings up out of the way of servicing the motor.

 

[acohen100]

Thanks for all of the replies. I am starting to narrow it down a bit. Here are my choices:

Choice #1: Cub Cadet 27 ton H/V. Honda GCV 160cc (4.4hp). Nice looking unit with a lot of nice features. Same MTD design as Huskee, Troy-Bilt, Yard Machines, etc. Best thing here is that I can buy it fully assembled, filled with fluid, drive it home and start splitting. The ONLY thing I don't like about it is the engine - essentially bottom of the line residential/light-duty 4.4HP engine. That engine may be a deal-breaker for me. http://www.homedepot.com/webapp/wcs...langId=-1&catalogId=10053&productId=100596926

Choice #2: Northstar 30 ton H/V. Honda GX 200cc (5.5hp). Also very nice looking. Shipped, it winds up costing about the same as the Cub but needs several hrs of assembly plus hydraulic fluid. I really like the commercial grade (GX) engine and assume this would get me at least another 5-10 years service out of it. I'm not crazy about the idea of waiting 2-3 weeks and then assembling it myself. NorthStar Horizontal/Vertical Log Splitter — 30-Ton, 5.5 HP | Log Splitters | Northern Tool + Equipment

Choice #3: Harbor Freight 30 ton fixed horizontal with hydraulic lift. Subaru Robin Engine (9hp). This seems to be the ideal design. I really like the hydraulic lift. Same problem as with Northstar - shipping and assembly. However, there are a few unknowns - Harbor Freight service? The other is the Robin engine. I don't know anything about their quality and can not find any info online. Must be cheaper than Honda since the unit seems underpriced. http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=96907

I am leaning heavily towards the Northstar just because it seems to be the best quality and I don't want to have to buy another splitter for a long time. I also know that Northern has great service.

 

[miker2702]

i built one from a old 3 point unit. adding a motor,axle
tank and i like a seperate unit as well. mine sits only
about 2.5 foot off the ground. for large pieces i have
made a ramp to roll the larger pieces up to the splitter when working by my self which seems to be about 90
percent of the time. ive noticed after a trailer load of
splitting im still sore ramp or no ramp help or no help!

 

[ToadHill]

When I have a large round that I don't want to lift I use the FEL on my tractor, roll it in, move the tractor to a place parallel to the splitter move the bucket to the right hight, then I can just swing the round onto the splitter without any lifting. The pivot action doesn't bother my bad back at all.