Log splitter 4 point wedge

[John_Mc]

You guys are right that everyone adapts their workflow to their equipment and locations. But even better than optimizing workflow, is adding free laborers to the equation! My 9-year old son is still a little weak and distracted for continuous hard work, but he's getting there.

Free labor is a big bonus. Another person helping really improves the efficiency. Unfortunately, half my free labor (my son) is off at college. My daughter is really NOT into wood splitting, and she has so much else going on that I don't push the issue. She does get interested when her Girl Scout troop all jumps in splitting & stacking wood as a fund raiser - it's as much a social event as it is work for them.

Unfortunately, my daughter is a high school senior, so she'll be off some where next year as well. My wife hates dealing with firewood. She claims she warned me when we got married tht she was not going to help with that. (I'm dubious of that claim: it would have taken a lot of foresight on her part since with did not have a house with a fireplace or wood stove until 5 or 6 years after we got married.)

 

[arto98607]

It sounds good but how far do you really get pushing the splits into the trailer. Not far I would guess unless you can load the trailer from the top. Other wise the splits will just start spilling off the table onto the ground when they meet some resistance. You won't get past the first layer before you have to start throwing it up front to make room. A waste of time. Look at SR's set up. He has the splitter jacked up high and the trailer is low to the ground but it does work. Not something easily done in the woods.

I work right at the back of the trailer and just flip the splits in and don't have to chase around the table and in the trailer separating finished splits from those needing splitting again. And those have to be carried back to resplit. To much moving around in my book.

gg

Nice setup!

I really like your trailer and would like to find out little more about it if you don't mind?

 

[Sawyer Rob]

My friend comes over and we cut wood together here on my place,

We also use my equipment to split the wood,

Every other load goes home with him,

And sometimes my wife gets in on the act too,

She loves to run the splitter, but she has a real job, and it takes up a lot of her time.

I have nothing but good things to say about my Timberwolf, it's cost me zero to own, in what must be 10 years of splitting wood with it now. The $3,400 purchase price has been paid back to us over and over since then!

SR

 

[John_Mc]

I have nothing but good things to say about my Timberwolf, it's cost me zero to own, in what must be 10 years of splitting wood with it now. The $3,400 purchase price has been paid back to us over and over since then!

Timberwolf is definitely a top-notch brand - probably the best splitters I've ever used. They used to be made about an hour down the road from me. I would have ended up with one, but when I started shopping, an American CLS splitter used but in very good condition popped up for a price I could not pass up. They are two of the rare manufacturers who reported the ACTUAL splitting force of their splitters, rather than the wildly inflated numbers so many other manufacturers put out there.

They were bought out some years ago. The new owners moved the operation to Marathon, NY (They now also have facilities in Syracuse, NY). It appears they have changed the design a bit. Hopefully, they are still just as good as the old ones

 

[Gordon Gould]

Nice setup!

I really like your trailer and would like to find out little more about it if you don't mind?

Thank you ! Don't mind at all. It's a Pronovost dump trailer model P-503 made in Canada and bought used and modified over time. It is spec'ed for 3000 lb capacity but will hold more. I added a 1-1/4" Reese hitch so I could pull the wood splitter.

I added some stake pockets and rub rails. And made some side boards. Also the front, side, and tailgate panels are removable on it.

That made it pretty versatile

gg

 

[arto98607]

Thank you, I like it

 

[ruffdog]

Some of the slip-on 4-way wedges:

Eco Implements LLC | Speeco S40144200 4 way wedge for 22t-25 Log Splitters FREE SHIPPING

 

[oosik]

I used a 25 ton Didier splitter. My ancient Ponderosa pines were too large for a 4-way. The 4-way split was never an even split. My rounds were 26" to 34". I stayed with the OEM vertical wedge.

A 4-way would be nice if you like the way the round splits.

 

[ovrszd]

Y

I used a 25 ton Didier splitter. My ancient Ponderosa pines were too large for a 4-way. The 4-way split was never an even split. My rounds were 26" to 34". I stayed with the OEM vertical wedge.

A 4-way would be nice if you like the way the round splits.

Yep. A fixed height 4way isn't going to hit the mark very often.

 

[Sawyer Rob]

Yep. A fixed height 4way isn't going to hit the mark very often.

In all the years I've owned woodstoves not one of them ever complained to me about uneven splits going them.

I don't split for "pretty" either, so as long as the splits fit in the stove, I'm a happy camper to be getting done so darn much faster with my 4-way wedge!

SR

 

[LD1]

In all the years I've owned woodstoves not one of them ever complained to me about uneven splits going them.

I don't split for "pretty" either, so as long as the splits fit in the stove, I'm a happy camper to be getting done so darn much faster with my 4-way wedge!

SR

No they dont complain. But I dont like making as much kindling as firewood. Its a waste and a PITA to handle and feed the stove. And you get a lot of kindling if you only split with a fixed and non-removable 4-way.

My 4-way is fixed. Works awesome for 12-16" rounds. One cycle of the splitter vs 3.

Only takes a few seconds to drop on and remove. So when Im splitting a pile....I split the stuff that dont work well with the 4-way. Once its gets where I can grab a dozen or so nice 4-way worth rounds, I drop it on, bang them out, then pop it back off and continue single wedge work. The repeat as needed

 

[John_Mc]

In all the years I've owned woodstoves not one of them ever complained to me about uneven splits going them.

I don't split for "pretty" either, so as long as the splits fit in the stove, I'm a happy camper to be getting done so darn much faster with my 4-way wedge!

SR

Agree.
I've got a fixed four-way wedge. In fact, I've got two of them. I didn't like where the horizontal wedge was on the stock one, so I called the manufacturer and had them make me one that was offset an inch lower to get some smaller splits. Sure, it would be nice to have one with a hydraulically adjustable wedge height, but my splitter is big and heavy enough as it is (probably in the neighborhood of 750#).

I don;t need everything perfectly quartered. When I get something that is too big for even my loose standards of "evenness", I just deliberately offset the round on the 4-way wedge (so eth evertical might be splitting 1/3 and 2/3, rather than right up the middle), then pull the biggest pieces back for a resplit.

I also do as LD1 mentions and split some with the 4 way, and some with the single wedge. I'll usually try to plan my splitting to avoid the need to constantly switch back and forth.

 

[Sawyer Rob]

I don't know where all this "waste" is that's talked about here? Some take the time to split kindling, I just pick up what's under my table grate, put it in a pail and I have my kindling.

I don't see ANY waste by using my 4-way, and by flipping it over it will split a second size, but I keep it on the side to make the smaller splits.

I really like having several sizes of wood, some for starting fires, some for building a fire, and some for holding a fire, seems like a no brainer to me!

BTW, I could put a cylinder under my 4-way, but I don't see any use in that, as I already said, my stove isn't picky!

SR

 

[LD1]

I don't know where all this "waste" is that's talked about here? Some take the time to split kindling, I just pick up what's under my table grate, put it in a pail and I have my kindling.

I don't see ANY waste by using my 4-way, and by flipping it over it will split a second size, but I keep it on the side to make the smaller splits.

I really like having several sizes of wood, some for starting fires, some for building a fire, and some for holding a fire, seems like a no brainer to me!

BTW, I could put a cylinder under my 4-way, but I don't see any use in that, as I already said, my stove isn't picky!

SR

By waste, if I used my fixed 4-way and nothing else, after I split 10 cord of wood I would be able to fill my loader bucket 3-4 time with kindling splints.

Back when we burned firewood, there wasnt alot of fire "starting". The fire was started and never went out until burning season was over. And now that I dont burn, rather sell, its waste. Because all that stuff could have added to the sellable wood. But no one wants a bunch of that in their wood pile.

 

[Sawyer Rob]

By waste, if I used my fixed 4-way and nothing else, after I split 10 cord of wood I would be able to fill my loader bucket 3-4 time with kindling splints.

Sounds like your splitter is a poor design, with mine I couldn't make that much "waste" if I tried!

My 4-way just doesn't do that, obviously it's designed MUCH better.

SR

 

[ovrszd]

In all the years I've owned woodstoves not one of them ever complained to me about uneven splits going them.

I don't split for "pretty" either, so as long as the splits fit in the stove, I'm a happy camper to be getting done so darn much faster with my 4-way wedge!

SR

I agree. And no where did I say I didn't prefer the 4way option. I use my adjustable 4way a LOT. Speeds up the process especially on large logs.

 

[ovrszd]

No they dont complain. But I dont like making as much kindling as firewood. Its a waste and a PITA to handle and feed the stove. And you get a lot of kindling if you only split with a fixed and non-removable 4-way.

My 4-way is fixed. Works awesome for 12-16" rounds. One cycle of the splitter vs 3.

Only takes a few seconds to drop on and remove. So when Im splitting a pile....I split the stuff that dont work well with the 4-way. Once its gets where I can grab a dozen or so nice 4-way worth rounds, I drop it on, bang them out, then pop it back off and continue single wedge work. The repeat as needed

Well stated.

 

[ovrszd]

BTW, I could put a cylinder under my 4-way, but I don't see any use in that, as I already said, my stove isn't picky!

SR

You'd never go back. Not quite as valuable as a hydraulic log lift. But really close.

 

[ovrszd]

Sounds like your splitter is a poor design, with mine I couldn't make that much "waste" if I tried!

My 4-way just doesn't do that, obviously it's designed MUCH better.

SR

Maybe you could show us some pics of your design. And videos in action.

 

[dodge man]

With me the 4 way is good for the correct rounds. If to small, like already said, you end up with kindling. To big, some of the splits are good, two are to big. If you run the to big splits through the 4 way they are to small. If I had 40 rounds, on average about 5 would be good for the 4 way. Mine just slips on so it just takes a second to put it on but I just don’t mess with it.