Dunno, is this hickory really worth it?

[Zodiac45]

Hey, if you got the Troy Built splitter, 27 ton, have you had any issue with the directional valve leaking like a sieve? I bought my splitter new, used it one day, and it starting leaking a quart an hour. Took it back, they exchanged it. Second one did the same thing. Took it back, they exchanged it after me wondering if I had bought a lemon. The third one held up good until last week now that the warranty is over. Doesnt leak bad, maybe a drip every couple of hours but it concerns me.
Other than that, a great splitter and I have no complaints.

Where is it leaking? Directional valve? Do you mean the spool valve, that the handle operates? If so where is it leaking? Make sure that you keep the allen screws tight on the front side (they have a tendency too work loose from the handle wiggling. Also if it's leaking in back through the pressure adjustment area, then you need to put a seal in there. There's plenty of guys very knowledgable on this forum that could walk you through it.
First off identify the make and model off the spool valve, where it's leaking, then get an IPL exploded view from the manufacturer so you can see what does what. It's not terribly complicated.

 

[Old_School_Nut]

I agree the Hickory is worth it, most of my wood here is oak, hickory or elm the later being the tuffest to split. but still doable with a 5 hp splitter, even the big hickory rounds split easy, just have to put the wedge in the right spot.

 

[dumbhunter]

man i feel for your backs, i know i have blown min out so i stay with the smaller diameters for my firewood. but back in my prime we used to go cut some pecan and you thought hickory was heavy. jees this stuff was like lifting lead. now on the little area i cut, itis a mixture of oak, hickory, wild cherry, hard and soft maple, cottonwood and sycamore, i stay far away from sycamore and hard maple, my splitter wont handle it(ME and my maul) the hickory is half and half, saw and maul. i wont touch elm with my maul as i have better things to do with my time besides watch the maul bounce off it. someday i will have to break down and get a splitter(wife dont count) the back will just handle cutting a cord aday, then splitting the next.

so just be leary of your backs, they are not impervious to injury, and when they go, so does most of life as you know.

 

[NC Firewood]

Whatever you do, never let that hickory dry out and try to saw it. Dry hickory will bring a chain to tears and throw some serious smoke. The old folks tell me you could take a piece of bark, shave it down and have a decent pocket knife. Damn near unbreakable.

 

[avalancher]

Whatever you do, never let that hickory dry out and try to saw it. Dry hickory will bring a chain to tears and throw some serious smoke. The old folks tell me you could take a piece of bark, shave it down and have a decent pocket knife. Damn near unbreakable.

Tell me about it, I had the unfortunate experience last year of dealing with very dried out hickory. Neighbor down the road mentioned that he had a pile of hickory that he wanted gone, and was glad for someone to come get it. Turned out that it was 5 year + wood, all piled up and covered. No rot to be found, but it had all been cut to 4 ft lengths. I was tickled pink until the saw hit it. Full chisel dulled before I had 5 pieces in the truck, semi chisel of which I had one loop in my box did a little better. Sadly most of this stuff was to big for my sawzall with a 12 inch blade, so I ended up loading the 4ft lengths into the truck and hauling them home that way. I worked on that pile from time to time at home, and here again wondered if it was all worth it. Maybe I oughta just get a second job to pay the electric bill and forget this wood stuff.



Okay, maybe not, but at times its tempting!

 

[johnha]

Yes its worth it. I took down a shagbark that hurricane Isabelle 'topped' in 2003 and I still long for that wood. Here in PA I get Oak, Maple, Beech, Ash, oh, heck just about everything but I sure am partial to hickory.

PLUS its a nice wood for smoking meats.

 

[Old_School_Nut]

lol and people wonder why I am building a turbo splitter! I want to shear my logs sideways, saves on chains lol

I agree, dry dry hickory is fun to split, then again so is water logged hickory if you are using an axe.....

actually I end up splitting some of the bigger rounds (2 foot dia. or so) by hand so that I can pick up the rounds to even get it on the splitter that i use now (no log lift) normally with the bigger rounds however I am able to find a flaw and it splits without to much trouble... if I cant do it I set it aside and wait until I can get a friend to help me get the monster round on the splitter, never had to resort to cutting grooves in a log to help the splitter (thats a 24 inch bar on my saw, I am on the right).

 

[Wood Doctor]

Whatever you do, never let that hickory dry out and try to saw it. Dry hickory will bring a chain to tears and throw some serious smoke. The old folks tell me you could take a piece of bark, shave it down and have a decent pocket knife. Damn near unbreakable.

+1! QFT. I made all my rec room tables using hickory. If you think it dulls a chainsaw chain, you should see how fast it can take the edge off of a 10" carbide table saw blade and your 12" thickness planer knives.

Nobody will ever steal my rec coom tables. No one can pick them up.