logsplitter question

[WranglerX]

I have to wonder what problems are incurred that most people don't have time or energy to deal with "another small engine" to be maintained... I have at last count I believe 8 small engines on property and biggest thing is oil changes once a year in the 4 cycles... The two cycles I just clean and adjust as necessary biggest issue is keeping all the engines fueled.... The real time consumer is sharpening chain saw chain... Spend more time in a year doing that than time spent maintaining all the small engines...

 

[Alan46]

I have had a Dirty Hand Tools 22 ton splitter (no longer in business) for six years! I like the idea of having it on hand for maybe 4 hours at a time. We burn about seven cords a year. No more hand splitting for me! TSC has what's seems to be the same splitter with a couple of upgrades. I paid 1,000$ six years ago on sale. Change oil every spring easy peasey.

 

[PILOON]

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.

3-point does have some advantages.
Easy to move when the split pile is cumbersome.
Easy to adjust to your comfortable working height.
Very mobile.

Very little or no maintenance.
(Actually could be called 'plug and play'.)

 

[wolc123]

I bought a high enough quality tractor in the first place, so I don't have to worry about trying to save a few hours off it, running my 3 point splitter!

SR

Do you use a second tractor to haul wood to and from the splinter or do you do all that work by hand ?

 

[4570Man]

Do you use a second tractor to haul wood to and from the splinter or do you do all that work by hand ?

He has multiple tractors but he fails to mention that when he’s preaching how great they are.

 

[K5lwq]

That is my vote. 3pt splitter and another tractor to carry the wood. Sounds like a good plan to me.

 

[bnold]

3pt splitter.

My logs are all stacked with grapple from whatever I cut last and I split in one place. Generally split vertically. Don’t need a tractor to jockey anything around as it is already where it needs to be.

Hate the idea of another dang motor to maintain. Only a handful of chords per year at max.

 

[Sawyer Rob]

Do you use a second tractor to haul wood to and from the splinter or do you do all that work by hand ?

I use my loader tractor to "stage the rounds" up off the ground by cutting over a trailer or wagon,

then I use a smaller tractor to split with. That way I don't have to take the skidding winch off the loader tractor and put the splitter on it.

I could easily get by with one tractor to do it all, but I don't have to, as I've made so much money with my smaller tractor it is more than FREE, several times over. lol

Sometimes I split right into my "self unloading" trailer,

It works REALLY good!

Sometimes I split right into half cord boxes I build,

IF I didn't have the smaller tractor, I could easily get by with just the loader tractor to do it all.

SR

 

[dodge man]

I’m not sure how long I have had my splitter, 15 years maybe. I’m not sure how much time I’ve spent maintaining the engine and hydraulics. I change the oil every couple of years and the hydraulic fluid twice. The worse thing was when I had to fix some wires from mice damage. On average I’ve probably spent less than an hour a year maintaining it.

 

[Alan46]

I use my loader tractor to "stage the rounds" up off the ground by cutting over a trailer or wagon,

then I use a smaller tractor to split with. That way I don't have to take the skidding winch off the loader tractor and put the splitter on it.

I could easily get by with one tractor to do it all, but I don't have to, as I've made so much money with my smaller tractor it is more than FREE, several times over. lol

Sometimes I split right into my "self unloading" trailer,

It works REALLY good!

Sometimes I split right into half cord boxes I build,

IF I didn't have the smaller tractor, I could easily get by with just the loader tractor to do it all.

SR

You're the man! Work smarter not harder bro!️

 

[EddieWalker]

I'm embarrassed to admit that I have never changed the oil, or done any maintenance on my log splitter. I should do the same for my Honda generator. I doubt that either have 100 hours on them in the ten years that I've owned them, but after ten years, I'm sure that the would appreciate some fresh oil, a spark plug and air filter.

 

[PILOON]

On oil changes, one small engine maker actually advertised an engine that never needed an oil change. Guess they had a short life engine.
But then many lawn mowers rot apart long B4 the engines quit. Also if you are not a DIY type the labor costs to have a mower professionally serviced on an annual basis might just justify a 'throw away' mower.

LOL, many, many years ago I made nice $$'s performing annual mower tune ups @ $25. per unit.
(I did specify plugs/points and blade sharpening with all else extra.)
It was surprising how few folks were mechanically inclined in suburbia.

 

[KennyG]

Do you use a second tractor to haul wood to and from the splinter or do you do all that work by hand ?

I have a 3 point splitter. I haul the rounds to my woodshed and split into the shed. Works for me.

 

[shooterdon]

The OP needs to handle one or two trees a year.....Size...or lack of it...matters. I doubt he needs to own a splitter.

Now maybe those trees are 30" DBH and all tough hardwoods...then size matters...LOL

BTW, I learned a lot from Sawyer Rob...both what to do and what can be done better. His system is worth study if you burn a reasonable quantity of wood. It costs me $250 a year to process 6 full cords of wood and my fiancé and I can cut and split it in under 8 hours. It takes longer to stack than process.

Here is 15 hours of "work" the first time we used a processor. There are four stacks total...cost us $450 to process two years of wood (12 cords)...no engines to maintain, no chains to sharpen/replace, no rounds to pickup, no splits to move off the splitter table. She did the cutting and splitting and all I did was sit in an A/C cab and move logs.

My way is better (for me) than Sawyer Rob's but the student should always be better than the teacher....LOL

 

[KenEtch]

Stand alone with vertical capability. Buddy & I bought 26 ton with Honda engine 10 years ago, $400 each. Can be easily transported & used multiple locations, his house or mine, or somewhere else. Very little engine maintenance, stays inside out of weather, powerful. Most importantly either of us can split a few hours at a time on either schedule, AND we're getting older, me 75 & my buddy in mid 60s, so renting for a day & killing ourselves is no longer happening. The convenience of splitting on your time schedule is priceless. Lastly, I didn't have a tractor 40+ years ago when I started cutting splitting firewood so 3ph wasn't an option. When I rented a splitter years ago I killed myself trying to get everything done in a short time, splitter was unfamiliar, not always reliable, weather turned bad on rental day, .... Your situation and age are all factors in decision making. Remember ethanol free gasoline along with fuel stabilizer makes your engine perform excellent year after year. No need to drain fuel between uses even for months on end.