Tractor Log Splitter

[otherguy]

What are the advantages or dis-advantages of having a log splitter that can only be used on the tractor vs having a gas powered one?

Thanks

 

[dragoneggs]

Well I will start...

Don't need a tractor with a gas powered unit... thus more portable.
With a tractor you don't have to have another engine to maintain.

 

[Rock knocker]

You can't take it off site
Your brother in law can't take it off site

 

[grnspot110]

I prefer vertical tractor mounted to save having the extra engine to keep up. I originally made mine for a 1958 JD 520 using the tractor hydraulics:

When I sold the 520 & bought an '04 790, I had to add a control valve to the splitter & long hoses to the loader bucket connections:

I tie the joystick off to the opposite fender with a tarp strap & go to work. This isn't fast, but neither am I & I work alone. By the time I get the splits stacked, it's up & ready for the next one. As for hours on the tractor, I put around 100 hours/year on it, the few hours spent on the splitter aren't going to add up very fast! ~~ Lowell

 

[kebo]

Advantages to using a 3pt log splitter:
as mentioned, one less engine to maintain
should cost a bit less since you are not buying another engine, pump, & reservoir
always cool to have one more attachment


Disadvantages:
cycle time will be based on the volume and flow of your tractors hyd pump
will require a rear remote, unless you plumb it from the FEL quick connects
will add more hours to your tractor engine to run it (but that's why we buy tractors!)
as mentioned already, it's not as portable as a standalone log splitter

 

[LouieJunior]

I tie the joystick off to the opposite fender with a tarp strap & go to work.

I read an earlier post about this approach being problematic -- the bungee cord one. Is it okay to do this? I think JJ authored that post. If it works, and doesn't damage anything, I'm in!

 

[grnspot110]

I read an earlier post about this approach being problematic -- the bungee cord one. Is it okay to do this? I think JJ authored that post. If it works, and doesn't damage anything, I'm in!

I checked with the local dealer's shop foreman, as long as the splitter valve is an "open center" valve, no problems! ~~ Lowell

 

[PHPaul]

I have a 3PH splitter. It has it's own PTO pump and is not dependent on tractor hydraulics, so it's MUCH faster. I believe it's also more powerful as it's a bigger pump.

Advantages: No extra engine to maintain. No tires to go flat. I can't prove it, but I'm pretty confident that it's more fuel efficient. With a 20 horse diesel running the pump, it's darn sure more powerful. With the 3PH, I can set it to whatever height is comfortable to work with. Or, lower it right to the ground to set a big round on it. Moving it to wherever is just a matter of hopping on the tractor.

Disadvantages: Initial price was fairly steep but not really bad for the power. It's a bit of a pain to put on and take off. It ties the tractor up when it's in use, but that just takes a little planning.

I usually have the splitter on the back and the forks and grapple on the front. With the tractor and a chainsaw, I have everything I need to turn tree length logs into firewood.

Works for me.

 

[otherguy]

the tractor does have rear remote hydraulics so I can just hook up there, the tractor is 45hp but I don't know the hydraulic flow pressure off the top of my head.

I was looking at the DR 3PH splitter which splits in both directions, so you don't have to retract the head every time, haven't decided on it, just seems like an interesting idea.

EDIT: DR is out, just realized its only 13 ton.

 

[/pine]

I prefer a stand alone splitter so I can use the tractor/grapple/carry-all when I'm processing logs into firewood...

 

[streamin]

I prefer a stand alone splitter so I can use the tractor/grapple/carry-all when I'm processing logs into firewood...

I haven't bought one yet but I "think" I would prefer stand alone. The logs are usually taken to one place and then split. I wouldnt want to tie up the tractor either, and I don't like the idea of running the engine hours for that. those little engines on them are not a bother to maintain.

 

[94BULLITT]

A tractor splitter is cheaper. Can be faster than a stand alone. The biggest disadvantage it the portability.

 

[MikeInEburg]

I prefer a stand alone splitter so I can use the tractor/grapple/carry-all when I'm processing logs into firewood...

This mirrors my take on the question. When I split wood, rounds are gathered in the front end loader bucket, then positioned within easy reach of the splitter. Trailer is on the other side of splitter. So round is taken out of the bucket, split, then tossed into the trailer. Less bending; less picking wood from the ground.

 

[otherguy]

thanks for all the help, I think I have decided to go with stand alone for some of the reasons mentioned here. I saw one setup where it was a stand alone. Tractor posistioned a cart at the end of the splitter, unhooked, then tractor had logs in bucket, they positioned bucket next to splitter so he just had to pull logs out of bucket, split and put in cart, then just pull cart away when done.

I could see getting interruped and needing the tractor when trying to split and you have to un-hook it.

 

[MikeInEburg]

I put a trailer hitch on the end of my wood-hauling trailer - so I can pull both trailer and splitter into the woods at once. One fewer trip each direction. I've even gotten OK at backing the whole rig - so long as I have adequate wiggle room.

 

[300UGUY]

I have a 3PH splitter. It has it's own PTO pump and is not dependent on tractor hydraulics, so it's MUCH faster. I believe it's also more powerful as it's a bigger pump.

Advantages: No extra engine to maintain. No tires to go flat. I can't prove it, but I'm pretty confident that it's more fuel efficient. With a 20 horse diesel running the pump, it's darn sure more powerful. With the 3PH, I can set it to whatever height is comfortable to work with. Or, lower it right to the ground to set a big round on it. Moving it to wherever is just a matter of hopping on the tractor.

Disadvantages: Initial price was fairly steep but not really bad for the power. It's a bit of a pain to put on and take off. It ties the tractor up when it's in use, but that just takes a little planning.

I usually have the splitter on the back and the forks and grapple on the front. With the tractor and a chainsaw, I have everything I need to turn tree length logs into firewood.

Works for me.

Paul has a neat, simple, grapple. You can see it on YouTube.

 

[boggen]

i always seem to scratch my head when it comes to tractor mounted log splitters.
it is the larger rounds, and picking them up / bending over, and getting them into the log splitter.

many folks like to use pallets, cut -> splilt -> stack on pallets -> move with 3pt hitch forks. or if tractor strong enough move them with FEL forks.

a big portion of a tree is all the smaller limbs, and ya just kinda zap zap zap your way down the branches. and go back and pickup the pieces, or cut long hopefully not to heavy to pull over to an area to cut, but that kinda gets to be a hassle moving longer branches around.

once ya get the smaller branches down... ya end up at the trunk, were the splitter comes into play. and ya either skid / drag the now more or less log out of were ever and cut it up, or cut it up were it lays.

there is the occasional larger piece that gets through... nice to be able to toss to the side, and then hook up splitter to truck and haul it over to area. and split up the bigger pieces that ended up being stacked.

a grappel for FEL = nice way to clean up all the scrub brush (leaf's small twigs) to deal with. and take to some better burn spot. or ya load it up on a trailer and haul the little twigs some place else.

less amount of times you have to man handle the lumber the better... figure out a setup that works much easier for you. pickup truck, hookup to a log splitter for those smaller jobs? or?

what is going to allow you to lift those heavier bigger rounds into the log splitter and get them split? vs taking a few more chain saw whacks, to cut the rounds up much shorter than you would like?

=========
a backhoe with an upside down log splitter on it (instead of a bucket) could be rather handy. just split the logs were they were cut / lay. if not enough room to get splitter onto a log, use the end of the log splitter, as a finger to push the rounds here or there so you can get the splitter down on the rounds.

 

[94BULLITT]

i always seem to scratch my head when it comes to tractor mounted log splitters.
it is the larger rounds, and picking them up / bending over, and getting them into the log splitter.

many folks like to use pallets, cut -> splilt -> stack on pallets -> move with 3pt hitch forks. or if tractor strong enough move them with FEL forks.

a big portion of a tree is all the smaller limbs, and ya just kinda zap zap zap your way down the branches. and go back and pickup the pieces, or cut long hopefully not to heavy to pull over to an area to cut, but that kinda gets to be a hassle moving longer branches around.

once ya get the smaller branches down... ya end up at the trunk, were the splitter comes into play. and ya either skid / drag the now more or less log out of were ever and cut it up, or cut it up were it lays.

there is the occasional larger piece that gets through... nice to be able to toss to the side, and then hook up splitter to truck and haul it over to area. and split up the bigger pieces that ended up being stacked.

a grappel for FEL = nice way to clean up all the scrub brush (leaf's small twigs) to deal with. and take to some better burn spot. or ya load it up on a trailer and haul the little twigs some place else.

less amount of times you have to man handle the lumber the better... figure out a setup that works much easier for you. pickup truck, hookup to a log splitter for those smaller jobs? or?

what is going to allow you to lift those heavier bigger rounds into the log splitter and get them split? vs taking a few more chain saw whacks, to cut the rounds up much shorter than you would like?

=========
a backhoe with an upside down log splitter on it (instead of a bucket) could be rather handy. just split the logs were they were cut / lay. if not enough room to get splitter onto a log, use the end of the log splitter, as a finger to push the rounds here or there so you can get the splitter down on the rounds.

A log lift will get those big rounds onto the splitter. Some 3PH splitters are also vertical and horizontal.

 

[Dead Horse]

TPH advantages:

You can "put" the splitter in places you cannot put a stand alone. (EG: I set the end of the TPH unit on the lip of the wood shed, aith the rounds piled up at the edge of the shed. I park next to the rounds, split em and they go right from the splitter to the floor of the wood shed. A lot less handling!) You can set the splitter beam on the ground for the big rounds, even have pallets on either side of the beam so the big rounds RORO. You can adjust the height of the splitter to your perfect lifting height for the location situation. More HYD PSI power. I often set the splitter on a couple of large rounds to take the weight off the back of the tractor when splitting. That also allows, via use of the QC hoses, me to have the tractor available to move stuff around. Generally, however when I do that I simply raise the splitter with the lift and go about my business with the tractor and loader. I have 2 tractors and an F350 with remote hydraulics, so the splitter can be run by any of these machines. It would be VERY easy to mount QD wheels and a pintle loop on the splitter if I wanted to drag it to a splitting site with the truck.

I have had both a stand alone and a TPH splitter...... They both worked fine, however I prefer the TPH unit and parted with the stand alone unit. I like the versatility I get with what I have.

As to the hours on the tractor???????? I don't worry about hours on a tractor that will outlive me by 50 years..... In fact, I really enjoy working with them, no matter what chore we are up to.

 

[Gordon Gould]

They both split wood. Like most tools there are pros and cons to the different styles. You learn to take advantage of what you have. I have a stand alone splitter. It works out well for me because I like to use the tractor and splitter at the same time.








EDIT: Ignore the attached thumb nail. I cant figure out how to delete it.