Firewood - Wood Splitter - Not Tractor Attached - Whats best?

[Teachu2]

If I did it all over again. I wouldn't get a log splitter. I had an average chainsaw (Stihl MS290), then got a log splitter (TSC 22 ton), then got a really good saw (Dolmar 7900). If it doesn't split easily with a maul, the Dolmar will rip it as fast as my splitter and is much more convenient for the really big stuff where I can bring the saw to the giant round rather than bringing a giant round to a splitter. The point is, I think a great saw or saws is a better spend than a cheap splitter and both can be had for about the same coin.

So you don't use your splitter for the majority of your splitting work?????

 

[s219]

I have a Lowes card and 18 month 0%.... Hmmm

If that is a factor, seriously, go get a DHT 22-ton splitter for $899 from Lowes then -- it's by far the heaviest duty splitter brand they sell, and you can't beat the price. I gave links and coupon information in my post way up above. Construction quality is on par with the Northstar units from Northern and the TSC splitters, which means a step above the generic Troy-bilt spinoffs.

 

[Garandman]

There's one type of ssplitter that hasn't come up. There are a number of relatively inexpensive electric units that have a screw drive. They start at less than $300 for a five ton at Harbor Freight.

 

[CalG]

there are always the splitters that bolt on in place of one rear wheel on your automobile.

But speed is not the selling point for that style ;-)

 

[rswyan]

Ok,

A couple questions/points from my perspective...

1 - What's a table? I am pretty fit and I do not mind the "work" involved in most of this, but the engineer in me cannot "see" how the table helps.

Table (the pipes on the end): 'Cause picking it up for the second time - even with the log lift - would really, really suck ... :

 

[Huskerfan]

David

The 37 ton north star from Northern Tool with a 4 way split is what I purchased this spring. Takes on the toughest oak rounds. The Honda engine is easy to start and powers the pump which is large enough to handle the 4 way splitter with ease.

I strongly considered the DR kinetic machines but 2 things concerned me:

1) lots of moving parts, belt etc. that need to stay aligned correctly and will wear. Thus durability becomes an issue and as does the cost of consumables.

2) the speed of the kinetic machine while amazing is also dangerous IMHO. Imagine a long day first felling a tree, then limbing and cutting it up. Fatigue sets in. But wait, you need to split the wood before it's dark! You rush and get a little careless, you forget to move your hand from the splitter path. In a second, your hand or fingers are crushed or mangled. Enough said.

With the hydraulic splitter, you have 15 sec or so to move your hand out of the way, or you can stop the split by simply releasing the lever of the control valve.

Read the DR reviews, pay attention to the negative ones. You'll find them enlightening. Finally, look at the you tube videos of the DR kinetic splitters before you buy one.

 

[Piston]

David,
For under $1k I think your best bet would be keep your eyes open for a good used splitter on craigslist.


There is a member on here who had a Kinetic energy style splitter (not the Supersplit brand which certainly seems superior to all others). He ended up returning it and purchased a Split-Fire instead.

Here is a pretty good review from Arborist Site from someone who has operated both and wrote a seemingly unbiased review... .

I have owned a Split fire for about 3 years now. I really like it,and have had no problems at all with it. Here is a review I did in March about the Super Split and the Split Fire at my GTG.

"We had a Super Split and a Split Fire at our GTG in March. I liked the height of the Super Split and the large table. It is truly a nice machine to run.Pros where the height being comfortable to split,but that also required you to pick the rounds up higher. It is also next to impossible to tow in that configuration.It is extremely easy to tip,even wheeling it around by hand it is top heavy. The guys that brought it had it upset when they loaded it in the back of the truck. And we had trouble when we re loaded it for the trip home. It has to be tied down good to keep it from tipping over in the back of the truck or trailer.When it was set up on a level spot it was nice. All of the wood that it split could easily been put on a conveyor. We split nothing but cherry,contrary to what I have read it will not split every thing. Sometimes an extra hit will do it,sometimes you have to beat the log off. To be far,this does not happen often but it happens.Over all its a great splitter,but it does not split anything you throw at it.Also at times a piece of wood would really get thrown out.Kinda like hitting a round with an axe and have the wood go flying.

The split fire like the super split is well made. The split fire splits in both directions and has a four way wedge that the super split does not. I do believe from our experience that the split fire will keep up and in cases be faster then the super split.Wood the super split would not split the split fire easily split. Cons.The split fire we had was set up to tow on the road,that is great for going longer distances. But when stopped it is to low to split comfortably. This was rectified by putting the splitter on 2 car ramps and the front on a block. It was quit easy to use after that,and was as comfortable as the super split. The back and forth splitting was fast and nice,however this does not allow the wood to go one direction for a conveyer or pile. You basically got to throw all the splits off by hand.The table also is not as large as the super split.This can be changed,you can make it longer. I do believe that you can get a log lift for both splitters. As I get older this might be nice.However I just put large rounds in my loader bucket and slide them off at the same level as either splitter.
Both were very economical on fuel,both had their advantages. This particular day the split fire split all that was thrown at it,the super split did not. Cost wise they were both very close to $3000.00. Personally I would be happy with either unit,they both had pros and cons.

Splitting 15 to 20 cords or less a year I would probably choose the split fire. Its a great splitter and seems to be tough as nails. It also handled the knotty wood better.

Over 15 to 20 cords I would probably choose the super split,especially if I had access to a lot of straight grained wood. It is fun to run and it pushes the wood one way,fast.So you can put the wood on a conveyor easily. I would keep a good hydraulic splitter around for the hard to split rounds.

I tried to be as far as I could about this review. I actually like both of these splitters,but neither is perfect."

Hope this helps. Dave

 

[LD1]

Dont know if its different in other areas, but I have yet to see a decent splitter on c-list.

All I see are the box store ones, a few years old, and only ~$100 off normal price. Can catch them in a sale and usually buy cheaper than people advertise on c-list. Plus get piece of mind buying new and getting a warranty.

And all the homemade jobs people are wanting $600-$700 for a pile of junk. Rotten tires, ergonomics suck, all rusted up, no jack, too low to the ground, water pipe fittings, missing parts, slow single stage motor, etc etc.

 

[LD1]

Here are some examples of what c-list has to offer in my area. And this is all there ever is:

Huskee 22 ton log splitter
32 Ton Log Splitter
LOG SPLITTER
Heavy duty log splitter
Log Splitter
http://cleveland.craigslist.org/grd/5027282746.html

Poor designs, and overpriced

 

[gladehound]

So you don't use your splitter for the majority of your splitting work?????

Depends on how I feel and how long I plan on splitting.

If I am healthy.... If splitting less than an hour at a time I use the maul and set aside hard splitting stuff to get later with the hydraulic splitter or the chainsaw. If it's easy splitting wood, I am faster with the splitting maul than the hydraulic splitter (until I start getting tired). If more than an hour I use the hydraulic splitter because I start to fatigue using the maul more than an hour. For really big stuff (3ft+ diameter) I always quarter it with the saw before using the maul or the splitter.

When injured... I had a shoulder and elbow injury in the past and used the splitter a lot then. If you're ever injured and can't swing a splitting maul the hydraulic splitter really nice to have.

If I didn't have the hydraulic splitter I'd just keep my splitting sessions under an hour and get the exercise and use the saw for knotty stuff. There is stuff that is near impossible to split with a splitter because it is so stringy. The saw will make nice clean splits with this stuff (and a lot of mulch!)

So a splitter is nice to have for long sessions or if you physically can't swing a maul well. But if you have a lot of wood processing to do and don't already have a saw in the 70 to 100cc range the saw will save you a lot more time than the splitter as long as you don't mind swinging a maul - because the saw will save you time cross cutting over a smaller saw, and can quickly rip pieces that are too tough to split with the maul.

In an average year I probably split 4 cords with the maul / saw and 2 with the splitter. Sometimes it just comes down to what I feel using because I get about the same amount done either way. I'm 44 years old. My father still splits wood and is 72 years old. He uses the splitter 100% of the time because he just doesn't have the shoulders to swing the maul anymore.