Log splitter questions

[Thumbcocker]

At 61 I have realized that I am not 25 anymore. I have split a lot of wood in my life. Every single stick by hand. Much with a 12 pound monster mall less with an 8 pound maul. Now my shoulders are crying uncle.

I am seeking opinions on wood splitters. I am leaning towards a 3 point unit to run off my Ford 3000 diesel. The tractor is here and paid for and I would have one less small engine to store. The pump on the 3000 puts out around 5 gallons per minute so that may be an issue. I am also looking at pto mounted screw type splitters but they are hard to find.

I would not totally shut the door on a self powered unit but it is not my first choice.

Any comments or experiences would be appreciated.

[wildwilly501]

Having used both prefer the self powered.I have a Ford 3000 never ran the three point splitter off it always used a bigger tractor don’t remember if we ever tried it.Those older Fords and a lot of older tractors don’t have the best hydraulics. I did a little searching amazed what the 3-pt cost they used to be a lot less than one with a motor

[white eagle]

I don't know a darn thing about tractor operated splitters
but I can tell you that I have had a gas operated log splitter
for many years
I used to sell firewood to the community for a number of years as a
side job from my normal mason job
a gas operated log splitter will enable you to use your tractor for other
thing like hauling a trailer for the split wood
your set up may be different than mine but being able to move split
wood to where it needs to be is a must for me

[dverna]

Most, it not all, tractor mounted splitters are going to be slow...check cycle times. They will have your tractor running at almost full throttle, so lots of noise. Like already posted, it ties up your tractor.

I heat with wood and bought my splitter about 8 years ago when I turned 62. Last year I sold it. I rented a firewood processor. $450 for two days and we split 12 cords of wood (two year supply) in 15 hours. I buy my logs so it works out the best. We only handle wood twice, once to stack it in IBC totes and then the totes are moved into the garage and wood is carried from the totes to the insert. The tractor is used to load logs onto the processor...we use a grapple but pallet forks or tongs can be made to work too.

If you are not using logs, a good splitter makes sense but beware of cycle times. Also, IMO, you are better off with a fast 16-20T unit than a slow 27-34T unit. In the years of burning wood there were two large rounds from a huge maple I decided not to split and I had a 16T unit. I used them as backstops on my only 100 yard range. Unless you deal with a lot of large hard to split rounds, those large units are a poor investment. Better of with 50-75% higher speed on 99.9% of what you need to split and junk the .1% of the tough stuff.

One last suggestion. Get a splitter with a stationary wedge with the ram is pushing the log into the wedge. If you place an outfeed table after the wedge you will avoid having to pick up every split. You can back up a trailer or use your FEL to capture the splits off the splitter. Work smarter....

Sorry about the upside down picture, but that is what we split in 15 hours with my fiancé on the processor and me on the tractor. The picture of the totes is half of what we split but shows how the totes were modified to increase storage and provide weather protection. They are heavy but my tractor is rated for 2700 lbs lift and handles them easily.

[rancher1913]

the tractor version may require at least 2 people depending on how the hydraulics work, one to run controls and one to load the wood. the self contained version you could move around with a loader and could be operated by a single person.

[Petrol & Powder]

I think it's all been said but I'll toss in.

I've used both types and the stand alone units are often faster and they don't tie up the tractor.

You really want one that can be set up vertically, that save a LOT of work. (less lifting of the heavy un-split log, less picking up of the large spilt pieces before they become a manageable size, generally less bending over and lifting)

Cycle times are important but you pay for things like two stage pumps and higher GMP pumps. So find the middle ground between speed and cost that you can live with.

I also agree that trading a little force for a little faster cycle time is probably worth it in the long run.

I understand the desire to use the existing tractor as a power source and avoiding yet another small engine to maintain, but in this situation it may be worth it to have a stand alone unit.

One of the advantages of the stand-alone unit is you can set it up near the pile of logs or near where you want the pile of split wood to end up, and still use the tractor for other tasks.

A log splitter does sit around for long periods of time but they don't require a lot of maintenance. With non-ethanol gasoline in the tank and running it dry when you're done; they don't give you much trouble. Keep the fluid clean, change the filter every once in a blue moon, and your back will thank you when you're sitting by a warm fire in January !

[Markopolo]

if you do get self powered, get one with a nice honda on it... you get what you pay for and when you are using the splitter, its usually running off and on for quite a while... also be sure to get one with decent sized fuel and hydraulic tank.

[DCB]

I have a 28 ton splitter from Tractor supply. It has a 160's series Honda motor. starts on the first pull even after setting for weeks. I use the highest octane gas that I can find up to 91. I have split oak up to two foot thick with out a problem. as far as cycle time it is a little slower

[jim147]

I got mine several years younger than you. But two back surgeries and a torn rotator kind of sped that along. I heat with hedge and split that though crap for years. Once I got the splitter I don't know how I lived without it. I looked at a three point but got a stand alone with the horizontal and vertical options.

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

How much fuel does a Ford 3000 diesel use while idling for an hour?

I've had a few different hydraulic wood splitters. One I built one with a Honda 13hp gas engine. The engine has more power than needed, so it pretty much is set at Idle. The fuel tank is about 1 qt and that will run the splitter for an hour. I had another hydraulic splitter that someone else built, they put a 4 cyl Continental gas engine on it (from a pull behind combine). That engine would operate the splitter at idle, and would burn about 1.5 gallons of gas in a hour.

Because of that, and other reasons, I suggest a stand alone unit.

[WebMonkey]

if i were buying, it'd be a screw type.
no doubt about it.

i'd be cutting on my own land so i could be choosy about what i was trying to split.

it'd be a screw type all day long.
(it'd be mounted on an old 3pt finish mower deck driven by a shaft rather than directly on the pto output shaft)

good luck!

[Mk42gunner]

I got roped into helping some friends of my Dad split wood when I was home on leave for a couple of different years. The first year, they had a three point mounted unit on a 5000 series Ford. A stick was rigged to work the controls, but it was still slow. Easier than doing it by hand but still slow.

The next year they had a gas powered one that went vertical. Much faster and like was said, less lifting of the big pieces.

I'm not all that wild about having a big screw rotating at 540 RPM out where it can get me.

Robert

[panhed65]

I am 72, and have heated with firewood for around 50 years. finally went to a 28 ton splitter a few years ago. mine is a gas engine, but for some years my friends and I cut and split together, using their tractor 3pt one. they have since sold the 3pt one and gotten a gas one like mine. if that tells you anything. I still use my tractor when splitting, it takes the wood to the stack. maybe a personal thing, but I would look for a splitter with I beam platform, rather than the new type with a channel iron looking thing, as they clog up often. after splitting most of my life with a maul, they splitter makes easy work of the mostly white oak I cut.
Barry

[trails4u]

I have a 22T Huskee and wouldn't trade it for the world. As for the tractor....splits get thrown directly into the bucket and then moved to their home. I've had it for 11 years.... A couple of oil changes, a couple of hyd. filters, and replaced the ram once. Would have repacked but the new replacement was cheaper. It was less than $1K and quite likely some of the best $ I ever spent. We burn between 3-5 full cords/yr, and that little devil has split pretty much every piece of it!

[Alstep]

I have a 28 ton splitter that I bought used many years ago that has served me well. The wedge is on the ram and has a tray on either side of the I beam. That worked out well for me as the chunks are right there to make smaller ones. If I have really big chunks to split, I roll them into my tractor bucket, and bring the bucket up level with the splitter. No heavy lifting. I usually have the splitter hitched up to my IH low boy tractor to move it around the pile so as to keep everything as close as possible. Took 8-10 cords to keep us warm.

About 13 years ago I switched to an automatic stoker coal stove that burns rice coal and gave up on wood. So much easier. Tired of being a slave to the wood pile. I still keep some wood around for emergencies, but coal sure made life a lot easier, and I have so much more time to do other things, such as casting & shooting.

[Geezer in NH]

Get one you can set up vertical so you do not have to lift the big 2-3 foot diameter sections just line them up to the splitter.

Lifting is the killer of it all.

[wgr]

Get one you can set up vertical so you do not have to lift the big 2-3 foot diameter sections just line them up to the splitter.

Lifting is the killer of it all.

Here you there messed up my back doing that

[jonp]

One last suggestion. Get a splitter with a stationary wedge with the ram is pushing the log into the wedge. If you place an outfeed table after the wedge you will avoid having to pick up every split. You can back up a trailer or use your FEL to capture the splits off the splitter. Work smarter....

Get one you can set up vertical so you do not have to lift the big 2-3 foot diameter sections just line them up to the splitter.


Both good advice. I've tried both and like the stand alone better. For the price you can buy them for I'd go that route.

One like this https://www.homedepot.com/p/Champion...0424/302367049
that can be used either horizontal or vertical and can be towed with a truck would be something I'd strongly consider if doing more than a couple of cords a year. I used to not care about lifting 3ft Maple or Yellow Birch butts into the back of a pick up. Now I'd never try it.

[curdog]

I have a 28 ton swisher stand alone that i bought at the local farm supply store in Salem. I have been using it for 10 years and no problems yet. I have split a bunch of wood with it and i hook it to my kawasaki mule and pull it where i need it. I always run it out of gas as it has a fuel shutoff and keep a fuel stabilizer in fuel tank, starz is the stabilizer. I have done nothing to it but a couple of spark plugs and change the oil...................................Curdog

[ascast]

I have used all three. Can't really add to the PTO comments, except be careful driving and backing. they stick out a long way. I have a small screw type bought at auction. It likes wood that is knot-less and longer than I like, about 18-20 minimum. 3rd piece I split it got stuck in a knot and the wood started to rotate around in the air, paddlewheeling the splitter around in a big circle; ripping the bottom brace off:the brace that prevents that from happening. Also, general safety, a moving auger sticking out where you could fall on it or catch a trouser leg,kids etc. I recommend you stay away from them-FAR AWAY. So that leaves the stand alone jobs. I have an Agway brand. It dates back to the early '70's. The B&S 3 hp got replaced with a HF 6hp for about $100. It was a dead on match and went in as easy as the one I took out. Mine is a low profile so rolling a big boy up is easy with a couple blocks as a ramp. Only about 9 inch off the ground. A "fast back" or fast return valve is nice, especially when working alone. They run about 80$. Watch ram length also. If your burning 16" stove wood, you don't need a 3 foot ram, fast valve or not. Verticle is nice, BUT to make that work, the horizontal position is way up in the air and you have to lift the wood- silly - lots more back ache. I bust those by hand or saw to get them sized down a bit to handle. I like the back stop idea though. It nice to have some distance between the ball hitch and the fixed wedge. I have to monkey around with hitches to get so I can split wood and toss into truck while still hooked to truck, that's with tail gate off. My splitters (3) are all low proflie, non verticle so I spend a lot of my splitting time on my knees. A plastic garbage bag and several old worn out hunting coats or HF padded blankets are in the tool kit. The Husky and other I see at TS and elsewhere all have the hydrualic pump/plumbing coming out the bottom under the engine. I have seen 1 of those get torn off in the woods on a buddies machine. Not sure what happened but it is very exposed. I would build a steel boot/cage-plate to prevent that. good luck, buy beer