Electric wood splitter - anyone using one?

[kco]

I use a 5 ton splitter bought from Princess Auto in Canada in March 2007 for $288 cdn. They still sell it at $400 cdn:

5 Ton Electric Log Splitter | Princess Auto



I split 5 to 6 full cords per year and loaned it to a neighbour (who now has his own) to split 5 or 6 cords two years. It is made in India. The splitter has required no oil or maintenance and has had no trouble. My wood is mainly fairly small birch, pine, fir and poplar so I do not need a high capability splitter.

The splitter works great, but I split at least 80% of the wood using a Fiskars X27 splitting ax. It's faster and more fun, and the ax is my only option when splitting at my preferred location which is too far from the woodshed for 120v power. Where the splitter really shines is for small, knotty rounds (I like to split even 2" diameter once), and those with a twisted grain. It is also good for large rounds rather than using splitting wedges.

I may build another shed at my preferred splitting area. It will save my moving and re-stacking 5 to 6 cords of wood in the spring. If I do that, I plan to get a 240v splitter which will work at that location.

I much prefer an electric splitter because it is quieter. Also, they only run when you're actually splitting wood--and I take lots of breaks.

txdon, I like your foot pedal idea. I will look into doing that.

 

[bcp]

Speaking of cycle time:

From:
LOW-TECH MAGAZINE: Pedal power



I wonder about the "cycle" time and tons force this would have.

From:
https://www.quora.com/How-much-energy-can-a-human-produce

A healthy human can produce about 1.2 hp briefly and sustain about 0.1 hp indefinitely; trained athletes can manage up to about 2.5 hp briefly and 0.3 hp for a period of several hours.

Bruce

 

[bcp]

This is what I was thinking of for foot controls. I only want one but haven't decided which to do.

Electric Splitter | Hearth.com Forums Home

Bruce

 

[txdon]

This is what I was thinking of for foot controls. I only want one but haven't decided which to do.

Electric Splitter | Hearth.com Forums Home

Bruce

I only have one foot control on the handle, not the on/off switch. I don't turn it off too often once I get started. It is nice to be standing up during during the splitting cycle. It also gets your face away from the splitting, where wood could fly.

 

[joeyd]

I have used a 6 ton electric DR splitter for 7 years and it met my needs. I split about 80% of my wood by hand and used the electric splitter for the tougher rounds. This year I broke down and purchased a 22 ton gas splitter as I had more green wood to split. What a difference not having to bend over the splitter made! I keep the electric splitter in the garage to make kindling out of bigger pieces now.

 

[bcp]

I only have one foot control on the handle, not the on/off switch. I don't turn it off too often once I get started. It is nice to be standing up during during the splitting cycle. It also gets your face away from the splitting, where wood could fly.

On mine, the ram won't retract if the motor is running, so both the switch and the valve have to be used constantly.

Bruce

 

[txdon]

On mine, the ram won't retract if the motor is running, so both the switch and the valve have to be used constantly.

Bruce

That is different than mine.
My handle stays in the up position (retracted) unless held down (closing & splitting). I step on the pedal to split and take my foot off the pedal (handle goes up) to retract.