logsplitter question

[PILOON]

Well mine is a 3 point DIY affair.
Cost me a 5 ft 6 x 6 H beam, a valve and a $25.00 5" 'dozer hydraulic cylinder plus some fun time creating my 3 point unit.
No oil to change as it is 'plug and play'.
Not the fastest but still faster than I can feed it. (@ 80 I've kind of slowed down a bit.)
Power to spare as I can cut 5" hard maple cross grain, (LOL, one way to test my welding skills).

 

[Bearsixty7]

...Sadly, I have so many oak trees that fall over every year from our Spring thunderstorms, that most end up rotting on the ground before I can get them to the burn pile.

Well send me an address and I'll take care of a couple for you! (Only in the late fall/winter/early spring! I'm done with the summertime firewood processing )

 

[Buggs67]

Way back (mid 90s) I used to accumulate all my wood in rounds and then rent a splitter for two days and split 3-4 or more cords in two long days. Seeing the future I figured I'd recover my cost in about 8 years and bought a 22 ton splitter w/Honda engine from Northern Tool. Now I didn't have to work like a slave and could split as I cut.

Fast forward and I can't do that much work anymore. So I buy most of my wood and only keep the splitter for the occasional blow down or standing-dead.

My buddy has a 3 point splitter exactly the same as mine and it is soooo sloooow. And he can't use the tractor to lift wood to the splitter or split into the bucket to move to stacking site.

I would advise to accumulate in rounds your wood and then rent for a day or two. Going in on a splitter is good if you can find a partner you can trust.

 

[fruitcakesa]

We burn about 6 cords a year and like to have 2 years worth of worth available to keep ahead.
The tractor is too handy for the rest of my wood handling to tie up with a 3ph splitter and I hate the noise and fumes from a gas powered stand alone so I ponied up and got a 16 ton 220 volt electric splitter.
Other than nasty knotty or crotchety stuff, it pretty much handles everything else and I like to limit the tree size to 16" so I can move the rounds without herniating.

 

[Buggs67]

I ponied up and got a 16 ton 220 volt electric splitter.
Other than nasty knotty or crotchety stuff, it pretty much handles everything else and I like to limit the tree size to 16" so I can move the rounds without herniating.

So this means all splitting has to be done by home/workshop? And what is the cost like?

 

[woodchip37920]

I am wondering about whether I should rent a log splitter or buy one to run off my tractor hydraulics. I have one large tree down that has been cut up and usually have 1-2 trees per year that need to be cut up and split that I have taken down or fell on its own in a storm, so not a lot of use but fairly constant.

Is it generally better to have a self powered splitter or to use your tractor? Which is more reliable/durable? Do these require much maintenance? Is the operation pretty simple? I can rent from Home depot here for ~$100/ day and have seen ads on this site or others for hydraulic run for about $1200-1400

Appreciate any advice for a relative novice at this

I have never used a 3 point unit but I think a stand alone is better I have a 5.5 honda on mine an it splits 95% of what I give it ,why put hours on a big expensive tractor engine ,plus your tractor is free to transport logs.

 

[oosik]

I no longer heat with wood. I sold my splitter long ago. I had a 25 ton Didier - self contained. Easier to get the splitter to where it was needed, being on two wheels. Having it on the tractor is fine also. If I had done it that way - I would have cut the logs to specific lengths - brought these length to the wood storage shed - final cut and split there.

This would have eliminated the need for a trailer - no need to stack in the trailer - no need to empty the trailer and restack in the wood storage shed. My situation - I was dealing with ancient Ponderosa pines. A ten foot chunk of trunk was more than my Ford 1700 could handle. So I choose to process in the field. This required a large trailer to transport, etc, etc.

There will be advantages/disadvantages to any method. Figure out how you are going to handle the project and choose the best method. A splitter is like any other implement - it needs to be maintained.

BTW - I was dealing with trees that were up to 38" on the butt cut. Not a whole lot of fun trying to deal with trees this big. It only took two trees this size to get the five cords I needed each year.

 

[fruitcakesa]

So this means all splitting has to be done by home/workshop? And what is the cost like?

I use my tractor to skid logs behind my shop where I put a dedicated 220V line out back for the splitter.
I paid about $1k maybe 8 years ago.They are close to $1600 now

 

[dodge man]

I use a stand alone. It seems they don’t cost anymore than a 3 point setup. Mine was pretty inexpensive and it is horizontal only, I wish it went vertical also. It’s easier to get large rounds in it f it’s vertical. I either lift large rounds up to it with my tractor or cut them in half first. I think mine was about $700 about 15 years ago and prices haven’t gone up much.

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[Sawyer Rob]

With a 3 point splitter the rounds can be cut out of the logs over a wagon or trailer, or the cut rounds can be staged over a wagon/trailer or even a table...

OR you can lower the splitters beam onto the ground and roll the rounds right onto the beam, raise the beam and split them...

SR

 

[oosik]

The rounds from the butt section of my pines were a PITA to manhandle. Ended up digging a shallow trench with the tractor bucket. Roll the splitter down into this trench. This put the splitter beam dead level with the ground. Helped somewhat.

 

[bandc07]

I bought a 3 pt splitter that runs off the hydraulics from the tractor. I use it for 2 to 3 trees a year. I decided to go with tractor option so I don't have to maintain another engine and only adding a few extra hours a year on my tractor is not a big deal. It does have a little longer cycle time but not a big deal for a little as I use it.

 

[Bearsixty7]

With my limited experience of wood splitting so far, I would only want a self powered splitter that could pivot to vertical (The rental did and that's how I used it, the big rounds I just rolled in place on their edge, like you would roll a barrel on its edge).

For a 3pt one I would want one that would allow the splitter to be on the bottom so I could just position it with the tractor and lower it over the big rounds and split them.

 

[Williy]

I never used a power splitter just used an axe, sledge hammer
and wedges on the extra large ones and only split wood in
the winder time as wood splits better frozen. 30 degree's
below zero working in a t-shirt.

willy

riddle: what has 18 legs and catches flies???

 

[Jim Shooz]

An eighteen legged flycatcher

 

[VroomVroom]

What do you think of those split fires? Wonder how long the uhmw plastic wear pads last. I like the smaller diameter cylinders you can choose. Most wood here lately, with exception to yellow birch, splits pretty east even with the 5 ton electric splitters

 

[Underdog57]

I never used a power splitter just used an axe, sledge hammer
and wedges on the extra large ones and only split wood in
the winder time as wood splits better frozen. 30 degree's
below zero working in a t-shirt.

willy

riddle: what has 18 legs and catches flies???

Baseball Team

 

[WranglerX]

I never used a power splitter just used an axe, sledge hammer
and wedges on the extra large ones and only split wood in
the winder time as wood splits better frozen. 30 degree's
below zero working in a t-shirt.

willy

riddle: what has 18 legs and catches flies???

Well... I tried to split some rounds, and I set the wedge, gave it a couple of whacks with 8 pound sledge, round spit out the wedge and wedge can looking for me.... Prefer a power splitter any time...

 

[Hamlin6]

I never used a power splitter just used an axe, sledge hammer
and wedges on the extra large ones and only split wood in
the winder time as wood splits better frozen. 30 degree's
below zero working in a t-shirt.

willy

riddle: what has 18 legs and catches flies???

A baseball team.

 

[shooterdon]

I am wondering about whether I should rent a log splitter or buy one to run off my tractor hydraulics. I have one large tree down that has been cut up and usually have 1-2 trees per year that need to be cut up and split that I have taken down or fell on its own in a storm, so not a lot of use but fairly constant.

Is it generally better to have a self powered splitter or to use your tractor? Which is more reliable/durable? Do these require much maintenance? Is the operation pretty simple? I can rent from Home depot here for ~$100/ day and have seen ads on this site or others for hydraulic run for about $1200-1400

Appreciate any advice for a relative novice at this

You have received a lot of input. Most will be useless. People are telling you what works for them, so you need to decide if your trees are the same as the trees they are processing.

If the largest tree you will handle is 14" ash, what a guy splitting 24" oak uses is going to be more than you need.

I burn about 6 cords a year so what I use would be silly for your needs. My fiancé and I process (cut to length and split) 6 cords in 8 hours.

Having read all the suggestions, and based on the information you have provided ( two tress a year) you may not need to own a splitter. Cut your downed trees to length. (I go with 20" long rounds as it means fewer cuts, less handling and less splitting time. My insert easily handles 22" so it works.). Stack your rounds and rent a splitter once every two years. You will have no stuff to buy, store or maintain. Have a buddy/son/grandson come over to help you and buy pizza and beer with the money saved. You should have four "average" trees split in 4 hours...maybe less. A one day rental every two years....maybe every three years.

Splitting can be done efficiently if you plan for it. People waste time moving rounds to the splitter and moving split wood away and/or stacking it. Stack your rounds so you can pull the splitter up to them. Throw the splits to the "off side" and move the splitter as the split pile get too large.