Thoughts on 3pt log splitters?

[Wagtail]

I'd prefer a stand a lone woodsplitter for convenience and to have the use of my tractor

I agree.

Plus it then frees up the tractor for moving the rounds/split wood around.

 

[lej]

I have both and the tractor is

I have been considering getting a log splitter when I heard somewhere about a log splitter as a tractor attachment. Don't know why I didn't think of looking for that earlier. My question is this. Are they worth it? Some of the prices I've seen are on par with a stand alone splitter. I'm wondering if it is worth getting an attachment over a stand alone. Thoughts?

a lot quieter. My tractor is just as fast and just as powerful as the stand alone splitter and it cycles very slightly slower at an idle. To keep the remote engaged I installed a barrel latch.

 

[oldpilot]

I've read through these posts for a second time, and I'll stick with the 1975 Sears Roebuck three-point log splitter. The last time I did this I split two cords in eight hours working with a helper. I think that was five years ago and I'm only now hitching up the splitter again to replenish my firewood. So that's less than two hours a year, which I figure is GOOD for the tractor, which has only 208 hours on it. To be sure, after ten years of dust my wife went on strike and we stopped heating with wood. Now it's all for the fireplace. I'll be 94 on Sunday and I go to bed early, so there's not as many fires as there used to be.

 

[TMGT]

I bought a cheap older splitter years ago, I use the tractor to load the rounds on the splitter. I would rather put the hrs on a cheap small engine then the expensive tractor!

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[dodge man]

I actually went and bought a DeWalt 20ton battery powered splitter. Probably asking for trouble but we will see.

Post up a pic and how you like it, didn’t know they made one.

 

[dodge man]

I looked at the Dewalt splitter on the Home Depot site. It looks similar to a gas powered but with batteries. It looks decent, curious about the speed and battery life. The price seems high to me at over $2k.

 

[taxidermst]

I have had a split fire on my kubota l2250 for over a decade. My only regret is not buying it sooner. No issues, great splitter.
Have heated exclusively with wood over for over 30 years, so have a little knowledge to back up my post.

Paul B

 

[Oaktree]

If you are not going to get into firewood, does it make sense to own something for occasional use?

Before I bought my splitter, I rented one from Home Depot. If you have stuff organized and a person helping, you can split a lot of wood in one day. For $100 once a year, is it worth having something that takes up space, has to be maintained and ties up capital?
.........
But I am a numbers guy and not much into having lots of "toys" that accumulate until I need to build another storage building.

By "get into firewood", are you referring to doing it commercially? If I were planning on running a firewood business I'd be more likely to get a processor.

I bought a used (gas) splitter maybe 25 years ago and never looked back. A grapple load of wood will last me 2-3 years, so the splitter doesn't get used every year but it sure is handy to have it to use when it's convenient for me rather than renting one and having to get it all done at once. Plus...have you rented anything from HD lately? They seem to have gone out of their way to make the process as painful as possible.

Don't forget about those that are smart enough to cut over a trailer or wagon, so they don't need a tractor to bring the rounds to the splitter!

My firewood gets unloaded at the side of the road, I'll pick logs off the pile with my forks, cut it right there and stack the rounds nearby. I'll then set up the splitter right next to that pile and split away.

 

[Mudfarmer]

Three-point! No contest. No maintenance, mine works like new 15 years in. Originally it cost about two thirds the price of a stand-alone with a GOOD engine. There's no small motor fuss on a cold, rainy winter day. Since I have better things to do on nice days, I am usually splitting in foul weather. I Back the tractor up to my woodshed just enough to get the splitter under cover. With the splitter on the 3-point, I'm not standing in an enclosed space sucking up small-engine gasoline exhaust. The diesel exhaust pointed in the other direction about ten feet away is blown off by the wind.

Only issue is making sure you have compatible couplers on the tractor. Hydraulic hose couplers are the one thing NOT standardized in the machinery world. If not compatible, assuming you are not a hydraulic pro, budget a couple hundred more to switch them out. I actually loaded up my tractor and splitter once and trailered down to the hydraulic shop to ensure I got the hook-ups right.

Finally, ignore all the nonsense about using a front loader to load an unmanageable round onto a stand-alone splitter. Assuming you don't knock over the splitter, by the time all the maneuvering is done you could have chain-sawed the block lengthwise a couple of times down to safely manageable size (and in my case under shelter out of the rain).

 

[Spanner]

Horses for courses.

 

[future_vision]

I looked at the Dewalt splitter on the Home Depot site. It looks similar to a gas powered but with batteries. It looks decent, curious about the speed and battery life. The price seems high to me at over $2k.

Looks decent and I already got batteries so we will see. It is pricey but what battery powered tool isn't?

 

[garry1p]

I would only consider a stand alone, it just does not seem practical to use my tractor to split logs.

 

[TMGT]

Three-point! No contest. No maintenance, mine works like new 15 years in. Originally it cost about two thirds the price of a stand-alone with a GOOD engine. There's no small motor fuss on a cold, rainy winter day. Since I have better things to do on nice days, I am usually splitting in foul weather. I Back the tractor up to my woodshed just enough to get the splitter under cover. With the splitter on the 3-point, I'm not standing in an enclosed space sucking up small-engine gasoline exhaust. The diesel exhaust pointed in the other direction about ten feet away is blown off by the wind.

Only issue is making sure you have compatible couplers on the tractor. Hydraulic hose couplers are the one thing NOT standardized in the machinery world. If not compatible, assuming you are not a hydraulic pro, budget a couple hundred more to switch them out. I actually loaded up my tractor and splitter once and trailered down to the hydraulic shop to ensure I got the hook-ups right.

Finally, ignore all the nonsense about using a front loader to load an unmanageable round onto a stand-alone splitter. Assuming you don't knock over the splitter, by the time all the maneuvering is done you could have chain-sawed the block lengthwise a couple of times down to safely manageable size (and in my case under shelter out of the rain).

If you are having to maneuver a lot and knocking over a splitter to load rounds then I would say you are doing something wrong.

It would take way longer to quarter a 24in dia 20in long red oak round, than use the pallet forks to set a round on the splitter 3 times.

I split when I can, so having the splitter ready to go and not changing implements is also convenient, like right now since I have the backhoe mounted on the larger tractor and the smaller tractor is setup for fall cleanup.

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[Sawyer Rob]

If you are having to maneuver a lot and knocking over a splitter to load rounds then I would say you are doing something wrong.

It would take way longer to quarter a 24in dia 20in long red oak round, than use the pallet forks to set a round on the splitter 3 times.

I split when I can, so having the splitter ready to go and not changing implements is also convenient, like right now since I have the backhoe mounted on the larger tractor and the smaller tractor is setup for fall cleanup.

AND if you cut that log over a wagon or trailer, you wouldn't need your tractor to load the splits onto the splitter. You can just roll them right off the trailer onto the splitters beam

SR

 

[TMGT]

AND if you cut that log over a wagon or trailer, you wouldn't need your tractor to load the splits onto the splitter. You can just roll them right off the trailer onto the splitters beam

SR

I've tried it, too much muscling and maneuvering on the larger rounds.
I have it set up where using pallet forks to load heavy rounds works best for me.

One day I might add a log lift or crane to the splitter. I only paid $400 for it over 10years ago, hard to justify buying or building anything else right now.

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[4570Man]

AND if you cut that log over a wagon or trailer, you wouldn't need your tractor to load the splits onto the splitter. You can just roll them right off the trailer onto the splitters beam

SR

What do you do when you split the round and half of it falls off? I can usually keep one half on the beam for a re split and if I have a helper they can usually hold the second half on the log table but without a helper the second half always falls off. I’m not doing the wagon thing either especially for the big ones. That’s a way more dangerous way of cutting vs cutting them on level ground.

 

[dodge man]

@4570Man when half a large round falls after a split I usually hop up and down because it landed on my foot. I split large rounds vertical so it doesn’t happen anymore. When I had a horizontal only splitter I usually lifted large rounds up with my FEL and then half of it was light enough I could muscle it back up.

 

[Sawyer Rob]

What do you do when you split the round and half of it falls off? I can usually keep one half on the beam for a re split and if I have a helper they can usually hold the second half on the log table but without a helper the second half always falls off. I’m not doing the wagon thing either especially for the big ones. That’s a way more dangerous way of cutting vs cutting them on level ground.

I don't lift anything, I grab the end coming out of the 4-way and pull it over backwards back onto the beam, and the other half goes on top of the wedge waiting for its turn, UNLESS I can double them on top of each other for both going through the 4-way again. If needed extra big halves can sit on the outfeed table.

Keep in mind, I wouldn't have a splitter without decent wings or an outfeed table! They are just too huge of "labor savers"!

Many times, I cut over my snow mobile trailer and stand on the ground to do the cutting.

IF, you feel it's too dangerous to cut over a trailer, then you are right, YOU shouldn't do it. I and my friends have been doing it for years and years that way, and we have never had even one accident; it's just no big deal for us to do it this easier way.

SR

 

[Sawyer Rob]

I've tried it, too much muscling and maneuvering on the larger rounds.
I have it set up where using pallet forks to load heavy rounds works best for me.

You better try again, you obviously are doing it wrong!

I've posted many times on how to do it right, with pictures, so go check them out. lol

SR

 

[shooterdon]

There is no solution that is ideal for everyone. If there was only one "right" or efficient way we would all do it that way. Most people are not stupid, and most people want to do the task as easily and inexpensively as possible.

Read what other people post and decide if it fits your needs and budget.