# Fastest/most productive splitter



## Logjam (Jan 29, 2007)

O.K.
Lot's of info on splitters. But would like to know which one is the fastest in productivity. I have held off on buying one do to the fact that I can split so much faster with a maul than using a log splitter. Checked out the timber wolf splitters, but are expensive. Some vert/horiz. combo's won't allow for multiple blades for splitting.
Any ideas or sites I can visit?
I split would for the exercise but also sell it. I cut and split 25 to 30 cords a year


----------



## stumpjumper83 (Jan 29, 2007)

Fastest splitter i've ever seen is an inertia type. They have a big flywheel connecting to a ram. They are fast, very fast. But also very dangerous when you get a popper on them, they really fly apart. Other than that its prolly the grid splitters in firewood processing machines IMO.


----------



## cachehunter (Jan 29, 2007)

*gfx super splitter*

the gfx super splitter is the fastest splitter i have used you can split wood as fast as you can safely put it on the table you just have to watch out for flying sticks once in awhile


----------



## grandpatractor (Jan 29, 2007)

I think you should get one of those northern ones with the 4-way and anything too big and gnarly I'll come pickup and split with mine:hmm3grin2orange: :hmm3grin2orange: :hmm3grin2orange: 
J.D.


----------



## drmiller100 (Jan 29, 2007)

i'm building one with a 4 inch ram and a two stage pump. 
10/40 gpm with a 25 horse engine.

should be reasonably quick.


----------



## triptester (Jan 30, 2007)

Log jam,

You asked about log splitter sites ,here is a short list of brands.
Huskee ,MTD ,Troybuilt ,Speeco ,Wallenstein ,Iron and Oak ,Super-split ,Northstar by Northern Tool ,Brave ,Timber Devil ,Timberwolf ,
Swisher ,Super Axe. 

This list will gave an idea of the different styles of splitters. The style I found the most efficient in actual use is the Timber Devil vertical type.


----------



## Patrick62 (Jan 30, 2007)

*what is the hurry?*

yep, a maul is indeed fast if the operator is capable. Since I am not "capable", I prefer to use a splitter. Even a slow one. I cut about 50 cords a year, and sell 2/3 of it. If the splitter is capable of about 1 cd an hour, then that is fast enough.

Don't get me wrong, I know what is going on here! It is a "guy" thing :hmm3grin2orange: The fastest saw, the fastest splitter, the biggest pickup, the sharpest chain, and so forth.

I would love to play with a inertia splitter! That would be a blast! Even useful as up here hydraulic's don't flow so good when really cold.

-Pat


----------



## Kleek (Jan 30, 2007)

Unless you have lots of help, a commercial splitter will not gain you much production. I have one, and require at least 3 good men and conveyor or loader bucket to let it run all out. If you do have the help, they are the only way to go. We can produce a face cord of fireplace sized wood in less than 10 minutes. Mine is a Split-Fire, I've never seen a Timberwolf in use, certain they're very good as well. A maul is nice, but will not keep up with a splitter of this caliber.


----------



## Shipper50 (Jan 30, 2007)

Does anyone know the cycle rate of the Huskee 22 ton with the 6.5 Briggs? I know its the fastest I have ever used and dont think I would want one much faster.

Also how is the cycle rate measured if you dont mind. Still learning on the board.

Thanks
Shipper:biggrinbounce2:


----------



## bvomark (Jan 30, 2007)

*Speed of Huskee*

Shipper50 

My definition of cycle time would be the elapsed time from start of the split cycle to the return of the cylinder. 

I would expect the Huskee to have a cycle time of about 25 seconds with that motor. The commercial splitters have a cycle time of about 6-7 seconds. I can't speak of other brands but my Iron and Oak splitter gets alot of that reduced cycle time by speeding up the return stroke.  This gives you a relatively quick splitting stroke followed by a very fast return stroke. The cylinder rod is much larger than my less expensive splitter reducing the area of the cylinder for a very fast return stroke. Also my splitter has a detent valve both directions. Once the split is started I don't have to hold the valve to split. This allows me to get another piece of wood to split while the splitter splits and returns.

As stated above to really get the most out of the commercial splitter requires more than 1 person. However even with one person the splitting rate is much faster than a slower splitter.


----------



## triptester (Jan 30, 2007)

Shipper50,

The Huskee 22 has a 11 gpm pump with a 4 " bore and 24 " stroke the cycle time will be 14 seconds when free running. When in actual use cycle times may increase greatly due to the two-stage pump down shifting.


----------



## michael j (Jan 30, 2007)

Logjam said:


> O.K.
> I have held off on buying one do to the fact that I can split so much faster with a maul than using a log splitter.



You must have easier slpitting woods there.There's no way I can split an elm or narly cottonwood quicker with a maul. I too split 20 to 30 cords a year and I bought a Husky about 5 years ago. There's a few things I have yet to improve on but it's tough. 


Mike


----------



## Shipper50 (Jan 30, 2007)

michael j said:


> You must have easier slpitting woods there.There's no way I can split an elm or narly cottonwood quicker with a maul. I too split 20 to 30 cords a year and I bought a Husky about 5 years ago. There's a few things I have yet to improve on but it's tough.
> 
> 
> Mike



Does anyone else find the Huskee with the 6.5 Briggs a gas hog? I don't think I can run more than a face cord through mine without gassing back up.

Thanks to the others on the cycle times. I find mine is fast enough for me.

Shipper


----------



## Logjam (Jan 30, 2007)

michael j said:


> You must have easier slpitting woods there.There's no way I can split an elm or narly cottonwood quicker with a maul. I too split 20 to 30 cords a year and I bought a Husky about 5 years ago. There's a few things I have yet to improve on but it's tough.
> 
> 
> Mike



Mike,
I split red, and white oak predominately. Maybe some maple for burning myself. Splits fast! Especially in the winter


----------



## Logjam (Jan 30, 2007)

grandpatractor said:


> I think you should get one of those northern ones with the 4-way and anything too big and gnarly I'll come pickup and split with mine:hmm3grin2orange: :hmm3grin2orange: :hmm3grin2orange:
> J.D.



Your "ON" J.D.

I gotta get a splitter to keep up with my saws. 

Then I think it's a 7900

Don't tell Boyd. :hmm3grin2orange:


----------



## Logjam (Jan 30, 2007)

triptester said:


> Log jam,
> 
> You asked about log splitter sites ,here is a short list of brands.
> Huskee ,MTD ,Troybuilt ,Speeco ,Wallenstein ,Iron and Oak ,Super-split ,Northstar by Northern Tool ,Brave ,Timber Devil ,Timberwolf ,
> ...



Thanks Triptester, I'll check some of these out


----------



## grandpatractor (Jan 30, 2007)

Logjam said:


> Your "ON" J.D.
> 
> I gotta get a splitter to keep up with my saws.
> 
> ...



No problem, I won't say nuttin
J.D.


----------



## bill's firewood (Jan 30, 2007)

has anyone ever heard of American Splitters?I have two and would not use anything else.My old one was new in 1977 and with a few updates ,(motor ) still performs flawless .The new one is a AM30HH with log lift and with 2 good men will produce 10 face cord Average hardwood in 2.5 hours .I'm not bragging but this is minimum production i expect! Time is money and I don't have much of either!


----------



## Big Woody (Jan 30, 2007)

> Does anyone else find the Huskee with the 6.5 Briggs a gas hog? I don't think I can run more than a face cord through mine without gassing back up.



Mine isn't that bad. When I fill it I keep pouring it in (slowly) even when it first appears full and it will keep taking a little more gas ( maybe another cup or two). I get quite a bit of time on mine before refilling with the briggs motor. I usually let it run wide open as well unless I'm splitting smaller stuff when I slow the engine down some. I have never measured it by the face cord since I split and then haul my small wagon to break up the monoteny.


----------



## Finnbear (Jan 31, 2007)

drmiller100 said:


> i'm building one with a 4 inch ram and a two stage pump.
> 10/40 gpm with a 25 horse engine.
> 
> should be reasonably quick.



If you have that much GPM then by all means go with a 5" cylinder with the largest rod diameter available and an autocycle valve. Throw a log on, push the levers on the valve and then go get another log while the splitter does its thing.
Finnbear


----------



## TooTall999 (Jan 31, 2007)

You want the fastest way to process firewood check this out http://www.chomper.net/


----------



## Shipper50 (Jan 31, 2007)

TooTall999 said:


> You want the fastest way to process firewood check this out http://www.chomper.net/



You should have included the voice from Tool Time, you know when Tim goes ooohhhh ohh.:hmm3grin2orange: 

Bad thing is the price is about what a good used truck goes for and that is the low end model. 

Shipper


----------



## Logjam (Jan 31, 2007)

TooTall999 said:


> You want the fastest way to process firewood check this out http://www.chomper.net/



Holy Cow !!!

That thing is impressive!!!!!

But I'm sure spendy.

Just as an FYI (for everyone)

The current money I am making off my wood, goes back into investment for wood cutting business. 
As originally posted, looking for a productive splitter but have to be cost conscious on expenditures. You guys, have give me lot's of splitters, to look into that could be in my price range.
Looking around $3K maybe 4
Also, you gave me, and others some info on splitters that I/we can dream of owning someday.
So far I haven't realized the amount of different contraptions out there to split wood. Amazing!
Keep em coming, as I am investigating as soon as you guys reply
Thanks thus far, for the info
Logjam


----------



## triptester (Feb 1, 2007)

Powersplit makes a splitter that they claim has a 5 second cycle time and is self propelled. They have video of the machines in use. These are not prosessors but they show a face cord being split in 3 1/2 minutes.




http://www.powersplit.com


----------



## bill's firewood (Feb 1, 2007)

the chomper is not very effective on hard wood like hard maple or stringy wood like yellow birch.I went and watched a demo of one here in the northeast and all the owner did was show me why he should have bought a different style processor.It does however work great w/straight grain wood and as the video shows plantation pine.I was very dissapointed because i was hot to own one.Dollar for dollar 1 sawyer ,1feeding splitter,1operating spitter and conveyor is hard to beat ,unless you are producing 500 plus cord/season then processor is the only alternative.My american splitter has log lift /30inch ram travel and is horizontal $3000.00 was easier to absorb than 16000.00 for abuiltrite processor ,plus the boys would just get fat.Hope my suggestions can help you out. Bill


----------



## trost66 (Feb 4, 2007)

I have a tw6 with a 6 way wedge and you can do a face cord in 10 min. It has a I think a 5 inch cylinder with a 3 inch shaft. The nice thing about it is that it has a auto cycle valve. When it gets to the end of the stroke it will go back by its self. That saves alot of time. lets you do alot of other things while splitting.


----------



## CUCV (Feb 4, 2007)

My Supersplit has been worth every penny. I can run sub 3 second splits and the machine is less than 2K. Let me tell you keeping up with it is plenty of exercise. Originally when I purchased it new it had a 3.5hp motor, super fuel efficient. After cracking the block on the motor I replaced it with a 6.5hp motor which helps in stringy wood. I bought my conveyor from a guy who had modified his supersplit adding a 6 way wedge, now that was a fast splitter.


----------



## Hansson (Feb 5, 2007)

http://www.japa.fi/tiedostot/japa 320_2.wmv

Fast one


----------



## sunriseturf (Feb 6, 2007)

That power split machine looks like it was done right. Anyone out there own one? If so how much is the double splitter with all the features? Any dealerships near PA?


----------



## triptester (Feb 6, 2007)

Sunriseturf,
I don't own a powersplit machine. I built my own based on their concept and it works great.
I don't know if they have any dealers in your area. They are located in Canada. In the price list I received from them a couple of years ago they were asking $22,500 for their largest model with all the goodies. The price list did not state if that was U.S. or Canadian dollars.
Powersplit may have changed hands recently as I have seen another company TimberDevil now carries the same product.


http://www.powersplit.com/index.html




http://www.timberdevil.com/products.html


----------



## sunriseturf (Feb 6, 2007)

Thanks for the heads up triptester. Did you post pics of the one your building? If not I would love to see it.


----------



## Logjam (Feb 6, 2007)

*Supersplit?*



CUCV said:


> My Supersplit has been worth every penny. I can run sub 3 second splits and the machine is less than 2K. Let me tell you keeping up with it is plenty of exercise. Originally when I purchased it new it had a 3.5hp motor, super fuel efficient. After cracking the block on the motor I replaced it with a 6.5hp motor which helps in stringy wood. I bought my conveyor from a guy who had modified his supersplit adding a 6 way wedge, now that was a fast splitter.


Hey CUCV,
I like this thing.
Do these things come with a 4 way wedge? This splitter could be in my price range. Most of what i split is oak. 
Does it have to hit multiple times in twisted grained wood?


----------



## triptester (Feb 6, 2007)

Sunriseturf,

Here are pics of the first powersplit style splitter I made. The first pic has the lift and cylinder in travel position. The second pic shows the splitter in use. The cylinder is raised by extending the ram and locking the cylinder in the upper work position.


----------



## sunriseturf (Feb 7, 2007)

Nice work!....Now you gotta get the double splitter working with the conveyor system and the hydrostatic forward and reverse. Thats nice work. How much do you have in it with time and materials? I might just commission you to build me one! Having the foot controls make life a lot easier too. Didn't see a need for it?


----------



## triptester (Feb 7, 2007)

Sunriseturf,
I make the splitters out of mostly salvaged materials. The motor,cylinder,tires,rims, axle, and most of the steel was free. The steel is new but it is leftovers from other jobs. In the end I had less than $400 in it. I build them as a hobby. They are all prototypes I'm gathering materials for number 5. The time involved depends on the type of materials I acquire and what design improvements I decide to make.
As I said this is a hobby if I kept track of the time and material, my wife might find out and lock up my workshop and cut my allowance.


----------



## sunriseturf (Feb 7, 2007)

I love it......some guys like to build cars....others.......logsplitters. I'm on your side man. Me and my brother eat this stuff up. Keep me updated and get that foot pedal working on that beast.


----------



## STEELHEAD (Feb 24, 2007)

*more/more I love splitters*



triptester said:


> Sunriseturf,
> I make the splitters out of mostly salvaged materials. The motor,cylinder,tires,rims, axle, and most of the steel was free. The steel is new but it is leftovers from other jobs. In the end I had less than $400 in it. I build them as a hobby. They are all prototypes I'm gathering materials for number 5. The time involved depends on the type of materials I acquire and what design improvements I decide to make.
> As I said this is a hobby if I kept track of the time and material, my wife might find out and lock up my workshop and cut my allowance.


spliters and more spliters


----------



## flashash (Jun 1, 2010)

*Super split Log splitter Wanted*

hi would like to buy a super split or a wood wolf inertia log splitter a used one wood be perfect anyone know someone that has one forsale ???
i have contact super split and they dont export them to New Zealand 
any help would be appreciated contact me either 646 7544753 or email [email protected] or even someone that has one that has some pictures and dimensions measurements so i could build one ..plans?
thank you


----------



## Spikem (Jun 1, 2010)

For the Northstar (which I've looked into and am contemplating buying), the splitting time for the 22 ton is 13 seconds. That's compared to the 19 seconds for the 27 ton Troy Bilt.


----------



## Thickskin (Jun 2, 2010)

Shipper50 said:


> Does anyone know the cycle rate of the Huskee 22 ton with the 6.5 Briggs? I know its the fastest I have ever used and dont think I would want one much faster.
> 
> Also how is the cycle rate measured if you dont mind. Still learning on the board.
> 
> ...



I believe they around 14 seconds down and back and empty.


----------



## rmotoman (Jun 2, 2010)

flashash said:


> hi would like to buy a super split or a wood wolf inertia log splitter a used one wood be perfect anyone know someone that has one forsale ???
> i have contact super split and they dont export them to New Zealand
> any help would be appreciated contact me either 646 7544753 or email [email protected] or even someone that has one that has some pictures and dimensions measurements so i could build one ..plans?
> thank you



Someone on AS built their own version of the super split. I don't remember the name of the thread. You will have to search for it.


----------



## Cmccul8146 (Jun 2, 2010)

*Homebuilt SS Splitter*

I built a flywheel splitter that is quite similar to the SS over the Fall & early Winter as time would allow me to work on it. Only had a couple of pics to go by, & memory of one I saw a few years ago at a Demo. Mine's not as polished as the SS, but functions quite well. I've split about 8 cords with it so far for my own use, & a few friends & family members. Here in SC we don't burn nearly as much wood as you guys up North do, but every bit helps with the gas & power bills. For pics of my homebuilt SS copy, look up the thread 
" Anybody Try To Build a SuperSplit Logsplitter" . Pics on page 3. 

Here's a direct link to it. http://www.arboristsite.com/showthread.php?t=111335&highlight=super+split&page=3

For all that's been said about the different type & brands of splitters on AS, my 2 cents is that Paul builds a very high quality, extremely fast splitter. As far as the cost is concerned, he is not out of line whatsoever. Steel prices have sky rocketed the past few years, hardened rack & pinion gears, centrifugal clutch, bearings, flywheels, belts, motor, springs, etc. Then there's quite a bit of machine work and labor into building a SS. As a machine shop owner who's built one, I don't think SS is overpriced at all for what you get. Another factor in the cost is PRODUCT LIABILITY INSURANCE. Remember, these machines are lightning fast, and there's lots of IDIOTS out there. After building & running mine, I would never settle for anything else but a flywheel splitter.


----------



## Twigger (Jun 3, 2010)

flashash said:


> hi would like to buy a super split or a wood wolf inertia log splitter a used one wood be perfect anyone know someone that has one forsale ???
> i have contact super split and they dont export them to New Zealand
> any help would be appreciated contact me either 646 7544753 or email [email protected] or even someone that has one that has some pictures and dimensions measurements so i could build one ..plans?
> thank you



Hi flashash currently building a super split copy back here in the uk ,hopefully I should be able to send you some spec in a while, my email is [email protected] all the best .Mike


----------



## Thickskin (Jun 9, 2010)

bvomark said:


> Shipper50
> 
> My definition of cycle time would be the elapsed time from start of the split cycle to the return of the cylinder.
> 
> ...



What does the motor have to do with cycle time? The only thing that determines cycle time is how much fluid the pump is moving when not under load combined with the volume of the cylinder taking in account the displacement of the rod on the return stroke. Unless you are talking about idling the motor vs. full speed. Otherwise, totally irrelevant..


----------



## ken999 (Jun 10, 2010)

Fastest splitter I've seen so far was my brothers TW6 with a 4 way wedge. 6 second cycle time, Auto foward and reverse. 1 guy could split a full chord in 35 minutes as long as he didn't have to chase the wood around. A neat stack next to the splitter and have at it...the thing was awesome.


----------

