Best Size Log Splitter

[OilHead]

When I got my Iron Oak splitter I had the dealer order me an extra wheel w/ tire . Didnt like the thought of leavin the splitter somewhere when going into town to find repair or replacement. After 10 years the tires are still at 90 0/0 but one of them has sidewall cracks so highly recommend keeping them doctored up w 3M tire dressing & out of the sun or well covered when in storage. I want to order the log dislodger as if your not carefull a big piece could tear out the controller on the up swing. No problem with the honda engine on it although did remove the carburator & soaked it over night in Sea Foam because it would serge after a heavy split. On the idle mixture screw grind off the limiter with a dremel as it will break the needle if you try and pop it off . Been there done that. 35 mph max on non bumpy roads is the max or the thing bounces around too much on the 22 ton model.

 

[OilHead]

Oh one other thing if you get a splitter it wont come with 10 gallons of hydro fluid you can use ATF but is probably better to get 5 gallon cans of john deer specification stuff.That will add 80-100 bucks to the cost. Be sure to follow instruction for priming the pump or youll burn it out before even getting started. And 1 case of honda oil so you can change it on schedule or yearly.

 

[City Slicker]

Good idea!

Oilhead - that's a great idea to have an extra tire in the truck in case of a splitter breakdown. Good tip, thanks!

 

[OilHead]

The tires on the Iron Oak are tubeless . If they had an option for larger dia. wheels would have gotten it but 22 ton class doesnt fall into highway speed catagory. More reason to get the 64 84 3120 to make noodles & get the load.

 

[OilHead]

I mean 066 084 gettin to old to be liftin .:greenchainsaw:

 

[Mifeller]

Plenty of good advice in this thread now. Appreciate the reminder on care of small engines. Portable generator is overdue for some fresh gas and running. Speeco continues to run good. She does struggle a little on the occasional knotty gnarled pieces and sometimes I back her out and restart just to take the strain off. That 6.5 BS continues to impress. Starts first pull every time. Doing big chunks of oak and ash--many over 100 lbs. In the morning I use vertical for 30 minutes to bust them into smaller pieces. Than I go horizontal for about an hour breaking these pieces down to the stove size and tossing them into the pickup bed. Take a break and do stacking in afternoon. Putting up close to a cord and a half a day. Must have been nuts to swing a 12 lb. mall all those years. Can testify to the toll it takes on back and shoulders.
Happy Splitting!

 

[046]

my 35ton speeco came loaded with hydraulic fluid, motor prepped, pretty much ready to split.

Oh one other thing if you get a splitter it wont come with 10 gallons of hydro fluid you can use ATF but is probably better to get 5 gallon cans of john deer specification stuff.That will add 80-100 bucks to the cost. Be sure to follow instruction for priming the pump or youll burn it out before even getting started. And 1 case of honda oil so you can change it on schedule or yearly.

 

[SWI Don]

My splitter is good to go as fast as you want. But, I built it on a 2000# axle / spring setup so she rides real nice over the bumpy roads. There are several on the way to my Dad's timber.

The other thing you will run into with store bought machines is slow cycle time. The 11 - 16 gpm pumps get kind of slow on the larger sizes 5-8 in cylinder dia. Commercial grade units generally have larger pumps and engines but have a lot higher price tags $5K +.

My splitter is a 30 ton home made unit with a 5" cylinder and 28 gpm pump. It has a 10 sec cycle time (5 sec each way full stroke). If there are any complaints I need a larger oil tank 20 gal is a little small.

Don

 

[ziggy2b]

Split fire from canada

For the money, I would go with a split fire/log lift...

It has a honda 5.5 horse engine,splits wood in both directions,easy on gas,log lift lifts more than I thought it would wieght wise/and makes a nice work platform to slide wood to the splitter, It is highway towable,Went to harbor frieght and got a dolly with a 2"ball so it"easy to move around..
And will fit through a normal backyard gate to do custom splitting. I used it 3 years now and not a lick of trouble out of it!!!!!!!! (splitfire.com) take a look!!!

Other splitters /use to much gas/have to purchase tilt trailer to haul it/clumsy way to handle wood on a horizontal split. To slow!!
For the money split fire/do the math/it"ll pay for itself/and it"s a fun job

 

[jrclen]

Plenty of good advice in this thread now.
Happy Splitting!

Mifeller, does the speeco have an automatic return stroke? It would be nice to set the valve to retract and go pick up the next round. I am thinking about buying a new splitter next spring/summer and putting my old homemade unit out to pasture. The model you have sounds like it will do good for me. I split nasty, narley, twisted grain, oak that has been standing dead a year or two. It's red oak, but we call it scrub oak around here. You can beat yourself to death with a mall or wedges. Thanks for posting your experiences with the new splitter.

 

[Mifeller]

jrclen - Re Speeco: You only need to hold the valve when doing the splitting-safety feature. For return, you just flip the valve back and retract is fully automatic. Stops itself at the end. There's also a neutral position -so for smaller pieces I usually throw it into neutral after it has backed out far enough to get the next piece in. Saves time and gas. Working with pretty big pieces -up to 30" diameter. The red oak is easiest to split-grain seems pretty straight. The white ash tends to be more twisted and drier, but she does that too. She takes up to 27 inch length. (There are a couple longer chunks that I haven't figured out what to do with yet.) Gas tank must hold about half gallon. Is nearly dry after about 40-45 minutes operation; but you can go through a lot of wood in that time and are ready for a break. I did the splitting wedge thing for many years and enjoyed the exercise, but it really takes a toll. Thought I was going to need shoulder surgery for a while this spring; looking better now but would never go back to manual splitting. Good Luck!

 

[jrclen]

Mifeller: Thanks for the reply. I was hoping for the detent or auto return. The splitter sounds perfect for what I need and sounds like it will handle my oak. I gave up the wedges long ago.

 

[ziggy2b]

For the money, I would go with a split fire/log lift...

It has a honda 5.5 horse engine,splits wood in both directions,easy on gas,log lift lifts more than I thought it would wieght wise/and makes a nice work platform to slide wood to the splitter, It is highway towable,Went to harbor frieght and got a dolly with a 2"ball so it"easy to move around..
And will fit through a normal backyard gate to do custom splitting. I used it 3 years now and not a lick of trouble out of it!!!!!!!! (splitfire.com) take a look!!!

Other splitters /use to much gas/have to purchase tilt trailer to haul it/clumsy way to handle wood on a horizontal split. To slow!!
For the money split fire/do the math/it"ll pay for itself/and it"s a fun job

(http://splitfire.com/index.html):clap:

 

[jrclen]

I tried that link and it took me to a spark plug page.

 

[triptester]

Ibelieve the site ziggy2be is refering to is Supersplit.


http://www.supersplit.com/

 

[ziggy2b]

split-fire.com

I'm not reffering to a (supersplit) they have no loglift or hyydrolics....
Try these phone numbers or this e-mail address 519-468-3647 or 877-548-3473 or [email protected] At least the phone number might get you to the right site

 

[jrclen]

I'm not reffering to a (supersplit) they have no loglift or hyydrolics....
Try these phone numbers or this e-mail address 519-468-3647 or 877-548-3473 or [email protected] At least the phone number might get you to the right site

Here is the web site. Just forgot the dash.

http://split-fire.com/index.html

 

[046]

that double action splitfire with four way wedge looks unreal fast. looks pretty difficult to stay up with.

 

[ziggy2b]

git-r-done

Yeah that's what I'm talking about!!!! And they can set it up for different lenght strokes. Mine is a 255 with a 5.5 hp engine and log lift it"l split all day on a tank of gas.
It takes a while to get used to it,but when you get the rythem you can pop the wood..:hmm3grin2orange:

 

[crowbait]

Building my ultimate splitter, as we speak:

• 5hp electric motor on 220v
• AND gas Honda engine (switch between the 2 by simply using the quick connect hydraulic hoses)
• 30 tons of force on either gas or elec
• Log lifter (lifts 500 pounds)
• 5" cylinder
• 2 way wedge or 4 way (slip on)
• 28 gpm 2 stage pump
• Full cycle valves (Push forward..they lock and I walk away and get my next log..when reach end, they return..all on their own)
• Hydraulic pressure gauge so I can see what's going on

Considered adding a hydraulic wedge lifter, but I've heard people buy 'em, and never use 'em.

Should be done in about 10 more days. Gonna be sweet. Can't wait to hear what 30 tons of pressure sounds like, cracking open an elm crotch. Running the electric motor will allow me hear it for once!