3-Pt Log Splitters - How Fast?

[dmccarty]

Argonne,

Have you considered a splittng maul/axe. A good one goes for under $50. No hydraulics. No PTO. No winterizing. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Seriously. I have split almost 3 cords over the last few months by hand. I spent a summer working over a log splitter when in high school. Never again will I do this. My back ached and ached. Splitting my hand you are moving around and your body is not bent over all of the time. It makes a huge difference. I timed myself the other day and I could split and stack about 1.5 cf of wood in 5 minutes or a bit less. And I make small pieces. I try to have the "sides" of the wood no longer than 3 inches if that make sense. So I'm not just splitting a 15" diameter round into 4-5 pieces. If the wood was a REAL tough that is when a log splitter wins.

IF I have bought a log splitter it will not be powered by the tractor. I want a stand alone unit so I can build a bench to hold the splitter. That way I can use the tractor to lift the rounds to the splitter and stand up straight not bent over for hours and hours.

But right now the hand splitter works. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Later,
Dan

 

[rozett]

If you are working alone, cycle time is not as big an issue. By the time you get the pieces off and bend over to pick up a new piece, the head will be back in position. If you have help, then cycle time can be a big issue. Depending on how you divide up the activities, the person operating the joystick can terminate the cycle before the head returns to the home position, and thereby shorten the cycle. As has been explained in previous replies, faster cycle time means a bigger pump... meaning the more expensive.

I cut, split, and delivered 90 cord of firewood last year. I chose to use a standalone splitter with it's own engine. That way I can use the tractor to move wood around while the splitter is being used. I bought a slightly used 26 ton splitter on EBay for under a grand.

 

[Corm]

I built myself a PTO powered splitter a couple of years ago. One suggestion I can make to you, regardless of which type you decide to buy, is to put it on wheels so you can move it around by hand. It seemed that no matter where I parked mine, I needed to move it somewhere else in between the times I needed to really use it. That meant backing up to it, going thru the 3pt hookup routine, only to move it to another parking spot and unhitching it. A real PITA. This year (I'm a slow learner...) I put some tricycle-type running gear under it. Big improvement. I did the same thing to my BIL's splitter, and one for my SIL as well.

As far as speed is concerned, my splitter is cobbed up from all kinds of parts. I'm using a short PTO shaft to drive a right angle gear box off of an old Ford 8N cordwood saw. On that, I modified a Chevy 2 belt crankshaft pulley to fit on the gear box to drive a hydraulic pump I bought off of eBay. This contraption drives a 3x24 tie rod piston I had given to me. The cycle time takes about 20 seconds with the tractor running at a fast idle. That seems to be about perfect for me. A few years ago it would have seemed a little slow, but at my advanced state of maturity, it's about right /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif.

My BIL has one of those Northern Hydraulics 3 pt splitters run by tractor hydraulics. He powers it with his Ford 1320 tractor. It's a small tractor. I don't know what the hydraulic GPM is, but it seems to run about the same time as mine. My SIL has a home built stand alone unit. It cycles in about 10-12 seconds. The extra speed is nice, but to me it seems too fast. A friend of mine is missing a thumb, after squeezing it off in a splitter a couple of years ago /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif. He said it happened so fast he didn't feel it until it was too late. I think I like my slow splitter just fine...

Corm

 

[Diesel_Boy]

you might want to check out the splitters at supersplit.com - these are stand alone and really quick cycle times. the 6 hp mode has a 2.5 second cycle time. 2 sec out, 1/2 sec back. they are rather pricey, but thought you'd like to know about one more option. they don't run on hydraulics at all.

 

[gizmo]

I have a 3PH wood splitter that is powered by the tractor hydraulics. My pump runs about 9Gal/min into a 4" x 24" cylinder. The stroke time is about 10 sec, and to me that is slow. The only reason I have the unit is because it came with the tractor which came with the property I bought.

I only use it about once a year to split wood for my own consumption. I usually split about 2 cords per year. If I didn't already have a splitter I think I would either find one to borrow or rent one. For my purposes the economics just aren't there.

 

[TCowner]

I purchased a three point splitter from Northern Tool about 3 weeks ago. I have it attached to my TC40DA. The tractor I believe is rated at about 10 gpm of hydraulic flow.

For me the decision to try the Northern Tool splitter was an easy one. Northern hands out shopping bags at the Minnesota State fair that have $75.00 coupons (for purchases over $500.00) for use at their retail stores. The splitter retails for $499.99 so I was able to purchase the splitter for about $425.00 plus 6.5% sales tax. THe splitter does not come with hoses so I had my NewHolland dealer make be up a couple of 4 foot hoses for $25.00.

I agree with some of the other posters here that having a stand alone splitter would be handier at times. It only takes about 3-4 minutes to hook it up. But it would be nice to have a stand alone unit so I could pull it to the wood pile with the garden tractor.

I originally purchased the three point splitter to avoid having another gasoline engine to maintain. When diesel fuel was cheaper than gasoline I figured fuel consumption would be a factor. However, with diesel fuel a buck more than gasoline perhaps this become an issue. Then of course there is the issue of putting extra hours on the tractor. My NewHolland dealer figures about $5-7 per hour for depreciation. So the 10-20 hours per year spent splitting has a cost.

 

[Youare]

greg, The picture of the Iron Oak splitter is impressive and very compact. The Timber Wolf 3PH splitter I looked at extended straight behind the tractor and had no stand or feet to set it on when not attached to the tractor.

I still like my stand alone especially the 4 second cycle time.

Randy

 

[Argonne]

Thanks everyone for all of the comments. After reading them I'm leaning away from a 3-Pt splitter. Being about the most impatient person I know, I suspect that the cycle time in particular (with my puny GPM rating) will drive me nuts. I think I'll shift my focus to powered units and keep shopping.

 

[John_Mc]

Be carefull of RamSplitter. I started a thread about electric log splitters here . Ramsplitter was on my short list for their 12 ton electric splitter... until someone else chimed in with some bad experience. It seems the trucking company called him and said the unit they received had significant damage. He refused delivery and contacted Ramsplitter for a replacement or a refund. They never returned calls or emails. He eventually contacted his credit card company and had the charges reversed.

Thinking this may have just been a fluke, I ordered a report from the Better Business Bureau on them. There was only one report on them. It was very similar... customer had a complaint/problem, was unable to get a response.

Thinking I might still go for it, I sent an email with a few questions on specifications. I got a form letter back saying "A sales representative will follow-up on your request right away!". I never heard anything further, even after leaving two phone messages on their answering machine.

They may make a good product. I can't say, having never seen one. But this has raised enough red flags for me. If you do order, I suggest a credit card where you have some options to get your money back if there are problems and they don't respond.

John Mc

 

[Jstpssng]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( After reading them I'm leaning away from a 3-Pt splitter. )</font>

Here's one more, a little after the fact. I picked up a 3 PH spitter last year, because my wrists are giving out from using an axe too much for work. The price was right (free) and I run it off the pump for my backhoe. But it's a pain because either I'm skidding trees out as I'm putting up the firewood,so my winch is on; or I want to offload into the bucket on the other end of the tractor. If I was buying, I'd definitely go with a free standing unit.