3 pt hitch log splitter on 3940 hst

[94BULLITT]

I haven't seen much discussion of the quantity of wood you want to split. If you only split 2-3 cords per year for a decorative fireplace, then a 3PH splitter is a good choice: low cost, very functional, low maintenance, easily stored when not in use. If you are heating your house with wood and burn 4-8 cords per year, you need a serious stand-alone splitter because your time splitting and stacking is going to be significant. Those of us who have fire places for ambiance certainly don't need to spend $2k or more on a spiffy stand-alone, but if you heat with wood and spend lots of time splitting, then you need a splitter that works quickly and efficiently without wearing out your high-dollar tractor investment.

Good point.

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[Firefighter Kubota]

I can't say enough about my Powerhorse 3 pt splitter... I burn about 3 cord a year... I have the smaller of the 2 units. The dual direction spitting makes up for the slower cycle time on my B7510, but its more than adequate.

I replaced the original splitter valve with one that had detents both directions. This allows me to return and or complete the cycle on it own while being able to grab another piece of wood. Increased production. Otherwise I'd have to hold the valve to finish the stroke before grabbing the next piece...

BTW, those who talk hours on the tractor from splitting.. These are what these engines are made for. Both tractor and trucks, in general idle a lot... you'll probably not negate the value alone from hours. If the tractor is maintained and is clean, higher hours are not going to lower it value compared to a lesser hour unit that was neglected and look like crap...

 

[Whisper35]

I have a Splitfire 3204 3pt wood splitter. I have it on my JD 3720, I use it a lot as I split 10-12 cord a year.
I have a small firewood business and sell bundled wood for campfires in the Summer. The return time is a moot point because the splitter is designed to split wood on the forward and return cycles. The knife/wedge is on the hydraulic ram so it splits both ways. It is not quite as quick as a Supersplit stand alone splitter, but it makes up for it by splitting both ways. Another check in the plus column is that the splitter height is also adjustable so you can move it up or down depending on your height. I am tall so it makes a difference to me.
You can also lower it down to almost ground level which is a plus because you don't have to break your back picking up the really large rounds. You just lower the 3pt hitch and roll the big heavy pieces up on to the splitter. I run the tractor at about 2000rpm which is easy on the tractor and I have PLENTY of power in the splitter. I don't use much fuel either.
Each piece of equipment is going to have it's pro's and con's, but I have used both types of splitters and I am very happy with my 3pt splitter.
Hope that helps you out some in your decision making!

 

[TomSeller]

I have a Splitfire 3204 3pt wood splitter. I have it on my JD 3720, I use it a lot as I split 10-12 cord a year.
I have a small firewood business and sell bundled wood for campfires in the Summer. The return time is a moot point because the splitter is designed to split wood on the forward and return cycles. The knife/wedge is on the hydraulic ram so it splits both ways. It is not quite as quick as a Supersplit stand alone splitter, but it makes up for it by splitting both ways. Another check in the plus column is that the splitter height is also adjustable so you can move it up or down depending on your height. I am tall so it makes a difference to me.
You can also lower it down to almost ground level which is a plus because you don't have to break your back picking up the really large rounds. You just lower the 3pt hitch and roll the big heavy pieces up on to the splitter. I run the tractor at about 2000rpm which is easy on the tractor and I have PLENTY of power in the splitter. I don't use much fuel either.
Each piece of equipment is going to have it's pro's and con's, but I have used both types of splitters and I am very happy with my 3pt splitter.
Hope that helps you out some in your decision making!

I have seen those Splitfires, they sure look efficient to use. I bet you can split a lot of wood.

 

[crazyal]

I have a stand alone splitter I got from Lowes with a Honda 5.5hp engine. I got it about 10 years ago before I had a tractor. I split between 6 to 8 cord a year in the fall then it sits for 10 months. Once a year I change the oil, that's it for maintenance. It starts on the first or second pull every time. It has probably about 100 hours on it now, hours that are not on my Kubota.

 

[Modn]

I had a Split fire Hooked to my remotes on my then L5030HST. I hated it! It did the job on straight grain but not of really knotty stuff and it was slow to boot. Went to a American 25 HH and never looked back. Of course I burn 10+ cord a year. For the small users I can see it, if it's mostly straight grain wood. I won't knock the choice of getting one, just saying it surely wasn't for me.

 

[FatTire]

I have the Powerhorse 3 pt, the larger of the two models. To reinforce what a couple of people have already written, the 2-way action saves a lot of time. Our wood is all soft (pine, fir, spruce, and aspen) so I would have done OK with the smaller Powerhorse unit, which has a 3 inch cylinder as opposed to 4 inch.

 

[vrmnthntr]

I went to Lowes several years ago and bought the cheapest splitter that had. I think around a $1000. It has worked well for me. When I was a kid I used the splitter hooked up to a tractor. It worked well. But I'm glad all those hours aren't on my tractor.

 

[TomSeller]

I had a Split fire Hooked to my remotes on my then L5030HST. I hated it! It did the job on straight grain but not of really knotty stuff and it was slow to boot. Went to a American 25 HH and never looked back. Of course I burn 10+ cord a year. For the small users I can see it, if it's mostly straight grain wood. I won't knock the choice of getting one, just saying it surely wasn't for me.

Why would it be different than a standard splitter as far as the wood grain goes?

 

[Piston]

I had a Split fire Hooked to my remotes on my then L5030HST. I hated it! It did the job on straight grain but not of really knotty stuff and it was slow to boot. Went to a American 25 HH and never looked back. Of course I burn 10+ cord a year. For the small users I can see it, if it's mostly straight grain wood. I won't knock the choice of getting one, just saying it surely wasn't for me.

In all fairness, this would have nothing to do with the spitter, and everything to do with the tractor. It wouldn't matter what brand of splitter you had on there since it's the tractors hydraulics running it.

Anything from small diameter hoses, incorrectly sized fittings, not enough RPM, or even a clogged hydraulic filter on the tractor could affect it.
I just wanted to point this out since it sounds like you were blaming the maker of the splitter for poor performance.


I run a homemade splitter off my Kubota L4610. It is certainly slow but I haven't run across too many rounds I couldn't split. I personally would prefer a standalone splitter for my uses rather than my 3 point hitch model. I typically run the RPM's under 1800 (higher would make for a faster splitting time) but with the 4 way wedge on the end of it, I can still split quite a bit of wood in a short period of time.