Tractors and wood! Show your pics

[WinterDeere]

That's not exactly true, it depends on the splitters design, I split some big wood,

Yep. All true. And that's a really nice splitter design, Rob.

I should have said my comments were mostly applicable to the single-wedge splitters of the store-bought variety. Once you get into custom or commercial stuff, you can definitely design around these limitations.

BTW, how is that splitter powered? Is it hydraulic take-off from the tractor?

 

[Sawyer Rob]

Yep. All true. And that's a really nice splitter design, Rob.

I should have said my comments were mostly applicable to the single-wedge splitters of the store-bought variety. Once you get into custom or commercial stuff, you can definitely design around these limitations.

BTW, how is that splitter powered? Is it hydraulic take-off from the tractor?

Hydraulic pump on the PTO, it has good power and good cycle times.

SR

 

[ning]

I have an old yard machines beater I picked up a few years ago for $300; the single splitter (all the pump can handle) is at the end of the beam.
If it's a mid-sized round, I usually can hold onto the splits that need to go again before they fall off (there's some wings kinda like a table).
If it's a huge round, I pull a pin and swing the entire unit vertical and keep the round on the ground.

Overall the unit works pretty well; it's definitely not a rocket but gets through some very stringy knotty oak that I couldn't begin to split with a splitting maul or hammer and wedge. Gotta love the short videos of people exploding rounds with a simple axe; yeah I can do that too if it's a straight-grain wood. Splitting maul just bounces off of many of my rounds, I no longer bother with manual splitting unless it's pine.

 

[IXLR8]

I have a 16lb rock splitting maul that I ground down and put a cutting edge on it. If I can swing it, I can split it... except Hickory. I'm coming up on 70, I am not swinging that thing any more. Saving up for a hydraulic splitter, hope to have it by this spring.

 

[Alan46]

Either way, a logg catcher/table is priceless! I'm hoping to build one for my splitter this winter.

This is what I did maybe 5 years ago, all I did was add another support after using it for awhile! I don’t weld so I had to make do!
It’s a Dirty Hand tools 22 ton!

 

[WinterDeere]

Going vertical is one place where the wedge on the cylinder rod tends to work better. I was doing a lot of huge wood for a few years, it seemed I wasn't bringing home anything under 40" diameter for awhile, all oak and ash. Going vertical was basically the only way to process those mothers, even if I quartered them with a saw first. The largest rounds I brought home were over 1400 lb. each.

 

[Gordon Gould]

I like to work off of the carry all when I go vertical for the big rounds. They slide nicely on the deck so it is easy to position them and I don't have to hold up the unsupported end of the block to make it align with the beam it just sits there on it's own.

gg

 

[Sawyer Rob]

We do cut quite a few big rounds, this is a dead white oak log,

When it's time to split, they get rolled right onto the splitters beam,

When I'm alone, I saw them into quarters right on the trailer or wagon,

and then slide them right down a board onto the splitter and split them.

The 4-way has little wings on it, so the pieces don't easily fall off when splitting, but when splitting uncut rounds this big, one guy stands on the offside and holds that half to wait its turn to be rolled over back onto the splitters beam.

SR

 

[Gordon Gould]

This is what I did maybe 5 years ago, all I did was add another support after using it for awhile! I don’t weld so I had to make do!
It’s a Dirty Hand tools 22 ton!View attachment 1436618View attachment 1436619View attachment 1436620

Nothing wrong with a plywood table in my book - I have one too

I did glue a metal skin on it though so I wouldn't gouge it up so fast.

gg

 

[Runner]

Spent some time this morning bucking and stacking the elms I cut down last week. The old Sabre got in on the action moving some rounds and splits to the wood bunker.

 

[Alan46]

Nothing wrong with a plywood table in my book - I have one too

I did glue a metal skin on it though so I wouldn't gouge it up so fast.

View attachment 1443803

View attachment 1443804

gg

Well done! I like the angle iron and the metal skin! And of course the paint job.

 

[WinterDeere]

We do cut quite a few big rounds, this is a dead white oak log,

When it's time to split, they get rolled right onto the splitters beam,

When I'm alone, I saw them into quarters right on the trailer or wagon,

and then slide them right down a board onto the splitter and split them.

The 4-way has little wings on it, so the pieces don't easily fall off when splitting, but when splitting uncut rounds this big, one guy stands on the offside and holds that half to wait its turn to be rolled over back onto the splitters beam.

SR

"Big" is a relative term. Those in your photos appear to be 20" to 24" diameter, which is actually a really nice working size.

There was a period of a few years, where the smallest tree I brough home was 40" diameter, and the largest was 59" diameter. When I mentioned 1400 lb. rounds, I was serious. I was cutting at an older friend's house, and was leaving everything "nice" for him, while bringing home all the stupid-big stuff for myself. Not fun, but it was free wood.

I used to play games with the loader and cant hook to get big rounds onto the footplate of my splitter set vertical, but between all the effort to do it, and the high probability the wedge would pass thru without actually splitting the round clean open, I started just noodling them into slabs with a 28" bar. Even on 50" diameter rounds, I could "walk" a 6" - 8" thick slab over to the splitter set vertically, and split rectangular pieces off that.

Ever get more than 1/4 cord of split and stacked wood off a single round? I have, many times! Happens around 50" diameter, at 20" lengths. A cord occupies 128 cu.ft. stacked, but actually contains roughly 85 cu.ft. of solid wood, according to most estimates.

 

[BnRidge]

And the moral of the story is:

but between all the effort to do it, and the high probability the wedge would pass thru without actually splitting the round clean open, I started just noodling them into slabs with a 28" bar.

 

[Sawyer Rob]

"Big" is a relative term. Those in your photos appear to be 20" to 24" diameter, which is actually a really nice working size.

There was a period of a few years, where the smallest tree I brough home was 40" diameter, and the largest was 59" diameter. When I mentioned 1400 lb. rounds, I was serious. I was cutting at an older friend's house, and was leaving everything "nice" for him, while bringing home all the stupid-big stuff for myself. Not fun, but it was free wood.

Nope, never split anything over 48", and mostly under 40" but this one is right at 40",

and that's the next one I need to buck up and split, at least the butt log is still out there to work on.

SR

 

[Gregster613]

This is what I did maybe 5 years ago, all I did was add another support after using it for awhile! I don’t weld so I had to make do!
It’s a Dirty Hand tools 22 ton!View attachment 1436618View attachment 1436619View attachment 1436620

I like that! I have the ability to weld but I sure do like the thought of "easy" removal if unsatisfied,

 

[goeduck]

If it was all about the money I would be renting a room with a microwave and dorm fridge, riding a bicycle and buying my meals from the bargain bin at the local grocery store.

You first. Sorry, couldn't help myself.

 

[newkiotiguy]

Helped my friend take care of a bunch of dying ash. Took home 5 16' dump trailers. Got them stacked up after work this week

 

[Gordon Gould]

Helped my friend take care of a bunch of dying ash. Took home 5 16' dump trailers. Got them stacked up after work this week

Nice pile of fire wood right there. That will keep you busy for a while. Looks like you have some empty totes ready to load.

gg

 

[newkiotiguy]

Nice pile of fire wood right there. That will keep you busy for a while. Looks like you have some empty totes ready to load.

gg

We have 64 totes. 38 full 26 empty. Hoping to have them all full soon. Managed to cut up about half of it this afternoon

 

[BackRoad]

That's getting after it! How long will 64 full totes last you?