3pt woodsplitter vs Gasoline powered

[LD1]

Get the stand-alone.

It will be more powerful AND faster. Plus, I would rather tun up the hours on a $200 motor, than a $20k machine. Plus, a stand-alone frees up the tractor for other things. Like towing the trailer the wood is going in.


On to the specs, most 27T units are a 4.5" cylinder and a 16GPM 2-stage pump @ 3000 or 3500 PSI. The 27T is @ 3500 psi. Some think that is optomistic, but even @ 3000PSI, the tonnage is still almost 24T. And @ 16GPM, the cycle is about 11 seconds.

For the 3PH one, you are relying on your tractors 6.8GPM pump @ probabally 2400PSI. And these units usually have a 4" cylinder. That would give you 15T and a cycle of 20.6 seconds.

So I guess if having a slower splitter, less power, and running your tractor is worth saving $300 or $400, then go for it.

And also keep in mind that if you dont run your tractor @ WOT, and idle it down to conserve on fuel, you slow the GPM of the pump down just as much as well. And then it would be really SLLOOOOOOWWWWWW

 

[Machold]

I have a 3pt PTO driven splitter; it's fine. But, I will say, sometimes I wish I had the stand-alone kind: more power, faster and easily maneuvered.

 

[90cummins]

I built my splitter 30 years ago long before I had a tractor and personally like being able to roll it out and use it without the hassle of mounting it on my tractor. It has a 10hp cast iron Tecumseh with a 22gpm 2 stage pump which is considerably more than my tractor hydraulic system. Maximum pressure is 2500psi and my cycle times are 6~7 seconds out & back.
My splitter is built using a lot of heavy steel and weights better than 800lbs. I use my Ford 1720 or garden tractor to move it but when I知 through splitting I had to move quite a lot of wood in order to move the splitter out of the pile.
I知 not against running my tractor long & hard but hours on end powering a unit that only needs 5~10hp for several seconds per cycle is not one of them.
I would guess your cycle times would be approx 20+ seconds so there will be a lot of waiting time if you use your tractor to power it and you will find yourself running your Kubota at full speed for many hours.
As I get older working smarter not harder is my goal.
My primary 3pt attachment is a set of pallet forks so I modified my splitter so I can easily slip the forks under it and securely attach it. I now can pick the splitter up 3~4 feet to move then place it right next to the wood needing to be split turn the tractor off and go to work and when done lift it up and move to the next pile.
The splitter is also good counter weight when I raise logs for bucking using skidder tongs hanging from my bucket. Once cut into chunks I turn around drop the splitter in the middle of the pile and go to work.
My opinion is a separate splitter modified to mount on your 3pt hitch for versatility.
Tim

 

[greg_g]

... if you dont run your tractor @ WOT, and idle it down to conserve on fuel, you slow the GPM of the pump down just as much as well. And then it would be really SLLOOOOOOWWWWWW

Several years experience with a SpeeCo TPH splitter proves (to me) that your premise cannot be considered universal. I used my SpeeCo behind a 45hp KAMA tractor and occasionally with my 35hp TaiShan. Haven't had an opportunity to try it with my JD yet though.

That said, I set the hand throttle to run the tractor engine roughly 1100-1200 rpm (WOT=2450, PTO revs=2250). Through trial and error I determined that was the minimum engine speed (for those specific tractors) to achieve the rated flow and pressure. And that engine speed was also sufficient to avoid bogging down when pushing through the most stubborn splits. But this is not a rule, just an example. I'm sure that will vary with tractor/pump combinations. Running the engine faster than 1100-1200 rpm simply bypassed excess fluid back into the sump. Running the engine faster than that did not increase ram pressure or cycle speed either.

I'll grant you that some cheap hour meters start running as soon as you turn the keyswitch, engine running or not. But quality OE hour meters take secondary inputs (often from the tachometer), which permits the hour meter to consider work load versus time. Mine only turned over at a 1:1 ratio (work to time) when running at or above PTO speed. Running at less than that necessarily causes this type hour meter to turn over at less than a 1:1 ratio. Example: after splitting wood for 2 chronological hours @ 1100-1200 rpm, the tractor meter rolled up only 1 work hour. By comparison - same tractor, mowing with the throttle at indicated PTO revs - rolls over 1 work hour for every chronological hour.

//greg//

 

[ctbigman]

The unsung beauty of a TPH splitter is that the tractor is always busy when the neighbors want to borrow it.

 

[LD1]

Several years experience with a SpeeCo TPH splitter proves (to me) that your premise cannot be considered universal. I used my SpeeCo behind a 45hp KAMA tractor and occasionally with my 35hp TaiShan. Haven't had an opportunity to try it with my JD yet though.

I never said it was universal. The OP has a kubota L2950 with only a 6.8GPM pump. That is going to be slow for me even @ WOT. Sure, some larger tractors with stronger hydraulics and bigger pump will even make a stand alone unit look slow. But do I really want to run a $100k+ 150HP tractor to do the job a $300 briggs will do? I think not:confused2:

That said, I set the hand throttle to run the tractor engine roughly 1100-1200 rpm (WOT=2450, PTO revs=2250). Through trial and error I determined that was the minimum engine speed (for those specific tractors) to achieve the rated flow and pressure. And that engine speed was also sufficient to avoid bogging down when pushing through the most stubborn splits. But this is not a rule, just an example. I'm sure that will vary with tractor/pump combinations. Running the engine faster than 1100-1200 rpm simply bypassed excess fluid back into the sump. Running the engine faster than that did not increase ram pressure or cycle speed either.

This tells me your hoses are holding you up. A tractors hydraulic pump is a positive displacement pump. Each revolution is a set amount of fluid. Double the RPM, double the fluid (gpm). A tractor that puts out 10GPM at rated RPM (usually PTO speed) will only put out 5GPM if you cut the RPM in half. That is a fact.

The "bypass" you are refering to operates on pressure, NOT flow. The only way it will bypass fluid back to tank is one of two things.

1. Through the control valve when it is in neutral.
2. When pressure goes above specified limit, usually in the 2200-2500PSI range.

IF you have a tractor making 10GPM and you are trying to feed it through a 1/4" hose, you are NOT going to get full GPM. I suspect that your hoses are too small to take advantage of the GPM your tractor can make. And THATS why you dont notice a drop in speed when you slow the revs down.

I'll grant you that some cheap hour meters start running as soon as you turn the keyswitch, engine running or not. But quality OE hour meters take secondary inputs (often from the tachometer), which permits the hour meter to consider work load versus time. Mine only turned over at a 1:1 ratio (work to time) when running at or above PTO speed. Running at less than that necessarily causes this type hour meter to turn over at less than a 1:1 ratio. Example: after splitting wood for 2 chronological hours @ 1100-1200 rpm, the tractor meter rolled up only 1 work hour. By comparison - same tractor, mowing with the throttle at indicated PTO revs - rolls over 1 work hour for every chronological hour.

//greg//

This is a well know fact, and its called an RPM compensating hour meter. And it does NOT work off of load. It works off of RPM. It is driven by the tach cable. These are usually 1:1 only @ PTO rpm. If you are running 1/2 of PTO rpm, it will only clock up 1/2 hour for every actual hour the tractor is running.

I hope that clears some things up for you.

 

[955er]

If you get a 3 point, get one with a 3.5 inch cylinder. The cycle time will be acceptable and it will split just about everything you throw at it.

If you get a standalone, make sure you get the Honda engine.

 

[Branchchipper]

No contest- get a self-powered, towable splitter, and, if you have any bigger stuff to split, get one that can go vertical (or has a lift for large logs). Save your back in the process. You can pull it around with a tractor, or, better yet, an ATV or UTV. (we use an older Gator)

We occasionally leave our Timberwolf in the woods when splitting large stuff, usually in spots either inaccessible or at least undesirable for a tractor. Toss a small tarp over it if rain is in the forecast, and you're good to go!

Lastly, as several have said, running a 5 hp Honda is far preferable to running a diesel tractor (5x the hp or more). Forget the hour meter- what about all the fuel????

 

[MossflowerWoods]

This is a well know fact, and its called an RPM compensating hour meter. And it does NOT work off of load. It works off of RPM. It is driven by the tach cable. These are usually 1:1 only @ PTO rpm. If you are running 1/2 of PTO rpm, it will only clock up 1/2 hour for every actual hour the tractor is running.

I hope that clears some things up for you.

LD1,

Is this common on all new tractors? How can I confirm if mine works like this?

(I think the owners manual is on my nightstand... Better go get it!)

Thanks in advance,
David

 

[greg_g]

This tells me your hoses are holding you up. A tractors hydraulic pump is a positive displacement pump. Each revolution is a set amount of fluid. Double the RPM, double the fluid (gpm). A tractor that puts out 10GPM at rated RPM (usually PTO speed) will only put out 5GPM if you cut the RPM in half. That is a fact.

The "bypass" you are refering to operates on pressure, NOT flow. The only way it will bypass fluid back to tank is one of two things. I hope that clears some things up for you.

Not fact, sorry. Not universal fact anyway. What about the tractors (mine) that already put out their rated 2500 PSI at 1100-1200 RPM? Bypass, that's what! Once the bypassing starts, GPM - and therefore splitter cycle speed - becomes a constant.

FWIW, the SpeeCo and tractor hoses/fittings are a full 1/2" SAE. So you've just got to open yourself up to the fact that there's a lot more world that exists on the other side of your property lines

It works off of RPM. It is driven by the tach cable. These are usually 1:1 only @ PTO rpm. If you are running 1/2 of PTO rpm, it will only clock up 1/2 hour for every actual hour the tractor is running.

Um, I'm pretty sure that's what I wrote. Except you're taking "load" out of context. Given that experienced tractor owners know that the hand throttle is there to produce sufficient RPMs to handle the load they're placing on the engine, I was simply relating RPMs relative to engine load. By the way, are you aware that very few - if any - new tractors use a tach cable anymore? I'll admit to never even having seen one, although I've seen a few that use oil pressure as an hour meter trigger. Others (like mine) employ magnetic sensors that count turns at the ring gear. On diesels anyway. What few gasoline tractors are being sold anymore, pick up revs at the distributor.

Lighten up.

//greg//