Eastonmade Wood Splitter

[jrider]

I burn about 10.

But the tree guy who provides the rounds also burns about 10.

The farmer who has the land that we process the wood on burns about 30 between 2 outdoor furnaces.

Right now, we are working on next years wood.

I always burned dried wood, hopefully the consumption on the other stoves will drop once they start burning seasoned wood. We shall see.

Do you have any videos of the splitter in action? How many ways is the wedge with your unit?

 

[Waltzie]

I only have a 6way. I am contemplating getting a box wedge.

Sorry, no videos we always forget while splitting.

 

[KiwiBro]

I have run a tw-7 and a timber devil. Running a horizontal splitter is like digging a foundation with a shovel. Timber devil is like an excavator. Just watching the video on post #294 brought back a lot of old memories. Bad ones.

Experience counts for something, but it can be blinding too.
Let's compare the ABS AS-630 autosplit (I don't like that name as it's not auto), as it's on my shortlist and the timber devil commercial single vertical (which is not currently on my shortlist). Are they a reasonable comparison in terms of price? In terms of production? Safety? I can't see, but would like to if you'll help, why the timber devil/PSI machine is either better or worth the extra $ if more expensive.

 

[CentaurG2]

Never run an ABS AS-630 auto split. Found a vid on youtub. Like most machines, in the right wood, it is probably worth a bag of $20’s. Bad wood, looks like you are making mulch and killing yourself for nothing. Big advantage of the power split/timber devil, is every piece is custom split at a reasonable cycle time. The operator alone controls what and how the wood is cut. Power split can make chicken soup out of chicken crap. Yup, it is seriously dangerous machine. You need to remind yourself to handle the wood by the sides only. I think $20K will get you into field goal range of a lower end model.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4NzFMYCSv20

 

[KiwiBro]

In comparison to a good single wedge machine, there's no doubt more debris from box wedges and less ability to productively split uglies. I don't think even the most optimistic of box wedge machine salespeople will argue those points. At best they could argue a well designed box wedge does pretty well with uglies but still not as well. I'll add another to that list; needs a high-ish mounted remote operable winch to handle big rounds as easily as a well designed vertical single wedge machine.

I guess it's up to each prospect to decide for themselves if they are getting enough of such ugly wood to justify paying $10k more for the PSI/Timber Devil single vert' splitters. Personally, in the absence of any other reasons why the latter is better than the ABS AS-630 box wedge, I can't even come close to building a case for adding it to the shortlist.

 

[T. Mainus]

I started out with a horizontal/vertical Iron and Oak splitter. From there we went to a TW-5. Then we decided to go for it and we bought a used power split, double splitter with one log lift and the conveyor for 15 grand. Until you have used a power split, you will never understand how superior it is to any other splitter. The amount of wood you can produce with that splitter is unbelievable. Last year we started splitting on Jan. 2oth, we quit splitting on March 23rd and we split just over 100 cord with me and 2 other guys working. It all depends on how big you want to get. You have to remember that everyone says power split and they think of the big double splitter with the conveyor. They also make a smaller single splitter that you would pull with a 4 wheeler with no log lift or conveyor for about 7-8 grand I think. The cycle time is the same on all their machines. If I was a serious homeowner/small firewood seller, the power split is the way to go. That small power split would out split that ABS machine no problem. The quality control you have with the power split is exceptional. You control the size of the split, and there is no waste.

 

[Cody]

Here you go. I have posted this before. You want to split wood, power split/timber devil is the way to go. Unfortunately, 10k$ aint going to cut it.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jyJ4YmxJuFY

Last I spoke with them $8500 US would get you their tow behind unit, which is what I was looking into so it could be pulled behind an ATV. I can't remember but I know a log lift is also optional on the tow behind, don't think it's standard. They're very well built units. Seeing as how I noodle a lot of large rounds anyways, powersplit is a hell of a contender.

Sent from my XT1710-02 using Tapatalk

 

[burtle]

Do any of you from Illinois have an eastonmade splitter? I'd like to PM you if so. Thanks

 

[KiwiBro]

I started out with a horizontal/vertical Iron and Oak splitter. From there we went to a TW-5. Then we decided to go for it and we bought a used power split, double splitter with one log lift and the conveyor for 15 grand. Until you have used a power split, you will never understand how superior it is to any other splitter. The amount of wood you can produce with that splitter is unbelievable. Last year we started splitting on Jan. 2oth, we quit splitting on March 23rd and we split just over 100 cord with me and 2 other guys working. It all depends on how big you want to get. You have to remember that everyone says power split and they think of the big double splitter with the conveyor. They also make a smaller single splitter that you would pull with a 4 wheeler with no log lift or conveyor for about 7-8 grand I think. The cycle time is the same on all their machines. If I was a serious homeowner/small firewood seller, the power split is the way to go. That small power split would out split that ABS machine no problem. The quality control you have with the power split is exceptional. You control the size of the split, and there is no waste.

Thanks for this. The piles/stacks in some of your photos are indeed impressive. Production per man hour, from log to firewood, how do you think the two splitters would compare? I don't and will never, employ staff so I'm only asking out of curiosity and in case anyone else reading this does have three people to throw at it and wants to know.

That said, looking at the single vert' model from PSI the cycle time is marginally better than ABS' but the latter is producing multiple splits per cycle. The PSI tonnage is considerably higher and it's a single-stage pump, so isn't kicking down like the ABS might. The PSI needs much more manual handling of the rounds whereas the ABS needs none or very little. The PSI needs hands close to the wedge, the ABS doesn't.

Does the PSI split through very stringy wood completely without having to manually pull the pieces apart? Anything left by the ABS will get pushed right through on the next pass.

 

[NSMaple1]

Looks like the ABS is making a whole bunch of splitter trash while at it. Some of that might have been the operator in a big hurry.

 

[KiwiBro]

Looks like the ABS is making a whole bunch of splitter trash while at it. Some of that might have been the operator in a big hurry.

Yeap, way more trash than a PSI and other non-box wedge splitters.

 

[woodchuckcanuck]

A little action in the yard today with our EastonMade 12-22 splitter using the box wedge.

 

[cantoo]

Damn that thing works nice. I was going to call you Bryan Dodge at the 2:16 mark. Throw them nasty things aside they don't stack worth a crap anyway. I bet your helper was wishing he was being paid by the cord instead of by the hour now. Andrew builds a bunch of nice splitters. Next you'll be looking for a conveyor to get a stack up. I find that a tall stack will dry out even after a couple of weeks and makes a lot less weight to stack.

 

[Natster]

Bryan Dodge. Harfump. He was a dandy! Yeah!
A poor man is better than a liar!
N

 

[woodchuckcanuck]

Damn that thing works nice. I was going to call you Bryan Dodge at the 2:16 mark. Throw them nasty things aside they don't stack worth a crap anyway. I bet your helper was wishing he was being paid by the cord instead of by the hour now. Andrew builds a bunch of nice splitters. Next you'll be looking for a conveyor to get a stack up. I find that a tall stack will dry out even after a couple of weeks and makes a lot less weight to stack.

I plowed the helper's driveway (neighbour), so he returns the favour. After seeing the splitter in action, he now wants to work off his next year's 3 cord winter's supply. Add the nasty stuff is put with the with the cord as "bonus" wood to the customer.

We're new to the fire wood game. So we're wondering if stacking like we are on pallets, or throwing into big piles would be the quicker way to dry.

 

[NSMaple1]

Stacks would dry quicker, but in doing this for money you'd need to balance that with your inputs/expenses. Which in this case would be time/labour. Most volume guys would likely conveyor to heaps then load truck or turn heaps over with loader bucket if they were trying to get it to dry some. I think.

 

[Mike Van]

what a great machine - If the operator didn't have to walk so far, he could bury the guy stacking - The 2 minute mark was a battle, but we've all been there, done that -

 

[cantoo]

Jim, I put the wood I sell in stacks because I work by myself and don’t need the extra labor of stacking. I also have an almost ideal location on a windy, raised piece of ground with no trees around. I’m also selling ash which is fairly dry anyway. I use mostly body wood to sell and keep the limbs etc for my own OWB. It sits in the pile for several months and for ash that’s all it really needs. I just bought 200 black plastic crate lids and intend to drop the wood onto them to keep it off the ground, a bit of an experiment for me. I would keep that neighbour around, he’s got a good back.

 

[panolo]

That video is the best one I have seen on the box wedge. Impressive! What kind of wood are you splitting?

 

[Ryan'smilling]

what a great machine - If the operator didn't have to walk so far, he could bury the guy stacking - The 2 minute mark was a battle, but we've all been there, done that -

I was thinking the same thing. If the guy loading rounds had a pickaroon that would help. Or if the logs were being loaded onto a trailer or wagon and being bucked up there. That would reduce time and bending.