Ariens 22 Ton Log Splitter Review - Ch. 4: Ten Cords Later
- Thread starter RedNeckGeek
- Start date
- Views: 10919
OP
RedNeckGeek
Super Member
- Joined
- Jan 1, 2011
- Messages
- 8,754
- Location
- Butte County & Orcutt, California
- Tractor
- Kubota M62, Kubota L3240D HST (SOLD!), Kubota RTV900
I thought about that table, too, but after watching how I was using the splitter, I wasn't sure it wouldn't just be in the way. I was thinking about just building one, and when that square tubing and sheet showed up in the steel yard scrap bin, my mind was made up. Only took a half day to weld up, another to paint it (and that included cleaning up the mess after spilling a quart). I really like being able to move the table around, and I use it to hold the chainsaw when I'm bucking. Probably will use it working on the tractor and other things, too. Funny how before the splitter I never gave any thought to a little table like that, and never saw anything like it in stores. Now I wouldn't run the splitter without it, and would miss it cutting wood, too.
But if you do order that table, I hope you let us know how you like it.
Garandman
Elite Member
- Joined
- Aug 3, 2014
- Messages
- 3,131
- Location
- Mount Sunapee NH / Dorchester, MA
- Tractor
- Kubota L3200 HST
Although zi bought a DR kinetic splitter, I'm a big Ariens fan. Own three Ariens Snow throwers, one a restomod 1970. Pro 1124.....
OP
RedNeckGeek
Super Member
- Joined
- Jan 1, 2011
- Messages
- 8,754
- Location
- Butte County & Orcutt, California
- Tractor
- Kubota M62, Kubota L3240D HST (SOLD!), Kubota RTV900
OP
RedNeckGeek
Super Member
- Joined
- Jan 1, 2011
- Messages
- 8,754
- Location
- Butte County & Orcutt, California
- Tractor
- Kubota M62, Kubota L3240D HST (SOLD!), Kubota RTV900
Well here it is, October of 2015 already, and going into another heating season I haven't fired up the splitter even once over the summer. Last winter was very mild, I burned just over a cord of wood, so there are still eight plus left for this year. I'm happy to report that the house was warmer this winter than any of the previous four, and there's still a ton of propane left in the tank. The electric bill is about the same though, as the blower on the stove, and the ceiling and floor fans ,make up the difference. All in all, going to wood heat is probably the best thing I've done to improve the comfort of this house. The central furnace isn't blowing dust around, the fan doesn't make all that noise, and the heat is more uniform through the house. I think that's because the stove is hot all day, even when I just fire it once in the morning, where the furnace only blows hot air part of the time. The rest of the time, the heat is 4' off the floor and when I'm sitting in the office or living room, I'm cold.
The only draw back is getting up first thing in the morning to get a fire going. But even that isn't much of an inconvenience: A few minutes stirring ashes and loading wood, then light the kindling and go back to a nice warm bed for an hour's more sleep. I wake up to a nice toasty house, warmer than the propane furnace ever got it. I can go about three days before I have to empty the ashes out of the stove, and I try to do that in the evening before going to bed. When I forget and have to do it in the morning, an ash dragon makes quick work of the job without getting ashes everywhere. And even on the coldest mornings, a bathrobe and slippers are all I've needed for the short walk to the fire pit where the ashes get dumped.
I did have to replace the tarps over the wood pallets this fall, the first one was four years old when it went on last fall. It was a good quality silver poly tarp, and I replaced it with another one. Last year I also used a cheap camo printed tarp from Harbor Freight for one end of the pile, and it was shredded and embrittled by the sun and wind by the time spring rolled around. I found some of the screws on the top braces had broken. That let the uprights spread and some of the wood fall down. Instead of restacking it all, I just scabbed another piece of wood onto the top braces and screwed them back down. I figure I can put it back the way it was after those pallets get emptied.
I really don't need to put up any more wood, but I kind of miss the exercise and working with the tractor and splitter. I also lost a couple of trees to wind during last winter's storms. So after we get enough rain to dampen the ground, I'll clean up the mess, then start dragging some trees out of the burn piles, buck and split them, and refill those three or four pallets I emptied last winter. But no hurry; there's still plenty of wood ready to go.
The only draw back is getting up first thing in the morning to get a fire going. But even that isn't much of an inconvenience: A few minutes stirring ashes and loading wood, then light the kindling and go back to a nice warm bed for an hour's more sleep. I wake up to a nice toasty house, warmer than the propane furnace ever got it. I can go about three days before I have to empty the ashes out of the stove, and I try to do that in the evening before going to bed. When I forget and have to do it in the morning, an ash dragon makes quick work of the job without getting ashes everywhere. And even on the coldest mornings, a bathrobe and slippers are all I've needed for the short walk to the fire pit where the ashes get dumped.
I did have to replace the tarps over the wood pallets this fall, the first one was four years old when it went on last fall. It was a good quality silver poly tarp, and I replaced it with another one. Last year I also used a cheap camo printed tarp from Harbor Freight for one end of the pile, and it was shredded and embrittled by the sun and wind by the time spring rolled around. I found some of the screws on the top braces had broken. That let the uprights spread and some of the wood fall down. Instead of restacking it all, I just scabbed another piece of wood onto the top braces and screwed them back down. I figure I can put it back the way it was after those pallets get emptied.
I really don't need to put up any more wood, but I kind of miss the exercise and working with the tractor and splitter. I also lost a couple of trees to wind during last winter's storms. So after we get enough rain to dampen the ground, I'll clean up the mess, then start dragging some trees out of the burn piles, buck and split them, and refill those three or four pallets I emptied last winter. But no hurry; there's still plenty of wood ready to go.
