3pt or Stand Alone Splitter

[PJohnson]

Folks - Looking for hands on experience with 3pt splitters
Weighing the benefits of one less engine to maintain, cost comparisons, etc. What experience can you share?
An option I considered is workflow. If I have a standalone splitter - I can cut, chip, and split in series instead of swapping out machines.

Have you found the 3pt which is about the same money as a stand alone to be a better choice?
i was looking at a northern tool 3pt (item# 11965) for $779,but it is no longer available.
The units below range from $950-$1,200 with 16-20 ton psi.

I am running a MF GC2310. My two other attachments are a backhoe and a chipper. My need for splitting is small 1-2 cords a year for the firepit and homestead cleanup (2 1/2 acres).

Thank you in advance for your thoughts.

PJ

Boss Industrial 16 Ton 3 point splitter-3PT16T21

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16 Ton Tractor 3 Point Log Splitter (3PT16H)Default Title

Our 16 ton 3 point log splitter attachment for tractors are perfect for the small tractor owner.

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[dlctcg]

We used a 3pt splitter for one years wood splitting (we borrowed it)... it just didn't work well for us. First it used the tractor hydraulics & it was very slow, which may be alright for some. The bigger issue for us is we use the tractor for to many other things during our splitting process & it just was not convenient. We use the bucket & the forks to move our wood so having the splitter on the 3pt we had to many moving parts to be efficient. You may be perfectly fine for your use with a 3pt for 1+ cords... we opted for a stand alone splitter.

A different note on 3pt splitters... we have a friend that has one that has it's own PTO pump to run the unit & that thing is fast & powerful.... but would still limit our use of the FEL with the splitter on the back & are in a different price range.. (our friend has 2 tractors)

This is not saying one is better than another... just our experience & what works for us.

 

[WranglerX]

IF you have decent GPM flow (10 + I would guess) 3PH splitter may be ok...But at 16 tons, its a wimp.... I have oak on my property the makes my 22 ton stand alone grown and almost surrenders to log.... If you have soft wood it may be ok....

Personally if It were me I would stay away from the "BOSS" as it pushes wood towards tractor, by experience with my stand alone I would want splitter to push wood away form tractor...

 

[wolc123]

Now that ethanol free gas is readily available, a stand alone is the much better option. Prior to that, carburetor issues alone would have been enough to justify a 3 pt model that runs off the tractor's hydraulics, especially if you are only doing a couple cords per year.

I have had a Northern 22 ton with a Honda engine for 18 years and it usually sits unused for around 6 months and fires up on the second or third pull every time. It is very handy to have the tractor bucket and forks free at that time, for moving logs and split wood.

 

[MossRoad]

As others have mentioned, if you have the splitter on your 3pt, the tractor might not be available to move large logs and rounds around. If you're all set up, all your rounds are cut, and all you're going to be doing is splitting that 1-2 cords for the day or two, then a 3pt splitter might not be bad to knock it out once a year. Take it off after use, clean it up and store it. You should check on the hydraulics on your tractor. Also, and someone should correct me if I'm mistaken, a stand alone log splitter has a two-stage pump and your tractor doesn't. How's your tractor going to handle tough or knotty wood like a two-stage pump does?

Also consider how fast you'll have to run your tractor to develop enough GPM to move the splitter at a reasonable speed.

One more thing, is your tractor designed to put out that hydraulic basis continuously? Was it designed to just operate cylinders on an intermittent basis, or provide continuous high pressure/gallon flow? The hydraulics might overheat.

Anyhow, those would be my concerns on a 3pt splitter.

The only two items I have stand alone currently are a gas powered splitter and a generator. And, as I mentioned, it's because I want the tractor free to help move the logs and rounds. Our power outages are usually due to storms. That means there might be storm damage. So I want the tractor free to do storm/snow cleanup while the generator is running.

As for ethanol/non-ethanol in gas splitters, it's not an issue if you follow your splitter's manufacturer's recommendations. We've had a gas splitter since the early 80s and it's never seen anything but 87 octane e10 fuel. Never a fuel issue. The original Briggs engine wore out after 30 years, but the fuel system was fine. I re-powered it with a Harbor Freight Predator engine. Direct bolt-on replacement, about 5-6 years ago. It also has no ethanol issues.

 

[Sawyer Rob]

One more thing, is your tractor designed to put out that hydraulic basis continuously? Was it designed to just operate cylinders on an intermittent basis, or provide continuous high pressure/gallon flow? The hydraulics might overheat.

I never knew there was a company that makes a tractor that was designed to only run a cylinder "intermittently". What company makes that turd??

OR, are you talking about an overgrown lawn tractor?

SR

 

[dodge man]

I agree, a stand-alone is the way to go. I throw the split wood right in my bucket to move it where I store it.

 

[ericm979]

Your tractor flows 4.1gpm. That will make for a very slow 3pt splitter. A full cycle of a 4"x24" cylinder with a 1.5" rod will take about 30 seconds. That is very slow.

Tractor hydraulic systems usually max out at 2200 psi or so. Splitters go roughly 50% higher than that, which makes them more 50% more powerful at the wedge. That may or may not be useful depending on the wood you're splitting. My splitter has a 4.5" cylinder and I sometimes need everything it has to split a particularly difficult piece.

A stand alone splitter does not cost much more than a 3pt one due to economies of scale.

A splitter engine being more appropriately sized will be more efficient.

Many splitters have a fuel shutoff which makes it easy to run the carb dry when you're done with each session. I use E10 with stabilizer (which I have around for the generator and UTV) and leave it in the tank when I'm not using the splitter. Just like the generator which I also run dry, the splitter starts right up on gas that's been sitting half a year.

 

[Slowpoke Slim]

Stand alone splitter here too. I use the tractor to move wood around too much during the processing.

 

[shooterdon]

If you look at guys like Sawyer Rob who use the 3 PH units, and split a lot of wood, they have two tractors...and not little ones.

Look at cycle times. The stand alone units will be faster if you size them right.

BTW for 1-2 cords of wood, I would look at an electric unit if you have power near by or can move the rounds to where you have power. They are slow but cheap and quite. The other option is to drag out your generator to power it. It is a good way to exercise the generator too. And you can place the generator 25 ft away so the fumes and noise are less bothersome.