How to split big wood efficiently?

[stratton]

Tempest
I have a splitfire splitter for bobcat. I to split almost all wood myself.Im 53 so for me it is a no brainer to save the back. Just ask toms trees, We get gigantic oak in our neck of the woods Luke

Also, i sell 200-300 crds per yr. for me it was well worth the investment for the splitfire. I think model 4290 sorry cant remember. unit cost$3000

 

[tomtrees58]

this works for me

 

[AIM]

Don't be afraid 0f BIG wood.
Heck, I'm a one-man show and I work a lot of big wood... makes a bunch of firewood, most of it bark-free, without moving tools and equipment from site-to-site. I do it all with a 50cc saw (026), 16 and 20 inch bars, horizontal splitter, maul and wedges. It don't take special equipment... just a work plan that maximizes time efficiency using the equipment you have.
*

And he does it all with ONE HAND...

 

[sam-tip]

This splitter works even better on a bigger machine. It is the same splitter just on a different machine. The extend time is fast with 4" cylinder at 34 gpm pumps. The return pump rate is 23 gpm. At 1400 rpm I don't burn much fuel. Great on rainy or snowy days. Just sit in the AC or turn up the heat.

Planning to make a time lapse video with the gopro mounted to the cab. I have a bunch of 48 inch monster rounds to split. Should make a great video.

 

[jrr344]

I just cut some 36" red oak and split it by hand in to manageable pieces to get on the splitter, no noodling, but if I did it all the time I might invest in a vertical splitter also.

 

[JeffHK454]

I think I would buy Kevin in Ohio's rig and call it done.

 

[kyle1!]

I think I would buy Kevin in Ohio's rig and call it done.

I wonder what his unit would sell for?

 

[Kevin in Ohio]

I didn't pick up from your original post that you were doing this as a business, I thought you were doing it for home use. My mistake there and changes a lot of things.

The problem I found with log lifts is you still have to roll them around TO the log lift. Smaller stuff, 20 - 34, it's not too bad, 34- and up it's about all you can do and hard for 2 guys if there are knot balls and such. We work up everything and most pieces are not the straight logs that a lot of guys here seem to be working with. For a true one man operation with no noodling or hand split to quarter there are only 2 options. the Bobcat type as shown or an overhead lift.

I went with the lift as we cut where it lays, backing down the tree length, throwing wood to the side. You can load the truck as you go, loading from both sides once you move. We normally just haul another day and just fill the truck while we're there to save on trip. Your operation would be different. Pushing out the back is the most efficient but with big stuff you have to pull it back again. That is why I went with wedge on ram, plus the overhead lift doesn't swing back as it splits. Once chunked, you can swing the hanger away and work up the chunks to size that are sitting on the swing tables. Here are some pics of one being worked up.

The Tempest I saw had outfeed out both sides, meaning 2 conveyors were needed. Very fast design but makes a lot of smalls if that is an issue for you. The Bob Cat type take a lot of room and you still have all the splits on the ground you have to work around. I guess you shove or pinch to pick up but that is a lot of time running a bigger motor to do a trivial job.

For how we work up wood I think I have the best option I could have. For you I just don't know. Mine goes a lot smoother and quicker with 2 guys and I'm not denying that. But, I CAN do it by myself if needed and that is what I was shooting for. The winch has a 30 ft reach to drag them to the splitter if needed. Normal thing with 2 guys is to get it down to where it is 1 man chunk size, Then the other guy starts winching/dragging another into position. Constant flow and that is what you want to get things done.

I don't believe most commercial guys noodle. It's wasted product and tends to make shorts when you do split them up. We all get chunks on the nastys but I'd be interested to here from any of you commercial guys on whether you noodle all your big ones. I'm just cutting for personal use and do not sell.

 

[zogger]

I didn't pick up from your original post that you were doing this as a business, I thought you were doing it for home use. My mistake there and changes a lot of things.

The problem I found with log lifts is you still have to roll them around TO the log lift. Smaller stuff, 20 - 34, it's not too bad, 34- and up it's about all you can do and hard for 2 guys if there are knot balls and such. We work up everything and most pieces are not the straight logs that a lot of guys here seem to be working with. For a true one man operation with no noodling or hand split to quarter there are only 2 options. the Bobcat type as shown or an overhead lift.

I went with the lift as we cut where it lays, backing down the tree length, throwing wood to the side. You can load the truck as you go, loading from both sides once you move. We normally just haul another day and just fill the truck while we're there to save on trip. Your operation would be different. Pushing out the back is the most efficient but with big stuff you have to pull it back again. That is why I went with wedge on ram, plus the overhead lift doesn't swing back as it splits. Once chunked, you can swing the hanger away and work up the chunks to size that are sitting on the swing tables. Here are some pics of one being worked up.


The Tempest I saw had outfeed out both sides, meaning 2 conveyors were needed. Very fast design but makes a lot of smalls if that is an issue for you. The Bob Cat type take a lot of room and you still have all the splits on the ground you have to work around. I guess you shove or pinch to pick up but that is a lot of time running a bigger motor to do a trivial job.

For how we work up wood I think I have the best option I could have. For you I just don't know. Mine goes a lot smoother and quicker with 2 guys and I'm not denying that. But, I CAN do it by myself if needed and that is what I was shooting for. The winch has a 30 ft reach to drag them to the splitter if needed. Normal thing with 2 guys is to get it down to where it is 1 man chunk size, Then the other guy starts winching/dragging another into position. Constant flow and that is what you want to get things done.

I don't believe most commercial guys noodle. It's wasted product and tends to make shorts when you do split them up. We all get chunks on the nastys but I'd be interested to here from any of you commercial guys on whether you noodle all your big ones. I'm just cutting for personal use and do not sell.

Well, I was thinking what is on the farm here, and there *is* a way to speed up the scenario with a bobcat splitter. Pick the round up and set it inside a BIG loader bucket. Split right into the bucket, then dump it into a truck, or onto a chute feeding the conveyor, etc.

 

[Kevin in Ohio]

Well, I was thinking what is on the farm here, and there *is* a way to speed up the scenario with a bobcat splitter. Pick the round up and set it inside a BIG loader bucket. Split right into the bucket, then dump it into a truck, or onto a chute feeding the conveyor, etc.

That is why I always stress what works great for one, will not for another. I don't have a Bobcat, big bucketed loader, conveyor, etc so speeding up that way is out of reach for me. I do not know what he has for equipment either so it's always a catch 22. I just try to give others ideas as that is what I went through before deciding what would be best for our situation. I hope I don't come across as "my way or the highway", just trying to explain WHY it works well for us.

I can see how your system would work well with what you have.

I guess you can go all out with one of these.



Cord King seems to have the best ones I've seen as far as speed goes. Lots of smalls but man are they flying. Wonder how knotty stuff does?

 

[zogger]

That is why I always stress what works great for one, will not for another. I don't have a Bobcat, big bucketed loader, conveyor, etc so speeding up that way is out of reach for me. I do not know what he has for equipment either so it's always a catch 22. I just try to give others ideas as that is what I went through before deciding what would be best for our situation. I hope I don't come across as "my way or the highway", just trying to explain WHY it works well for us.

I can see how your system would work well with what you have.

I guess you can go all out with one of these.



Cord King seems to have the best ones I've seen as far as speed goes. Lots of smalls but man are they flying. Wonder how knotty stuff does?

Oh, I was just theoretically speaking on speeding up things with a bobcat splitter. I could do huge mass quantities with what equipment is here, but am limited to using my hands a saw a tractor and a fiskars. Boss has bobcats (but no attached splitter) and a couple big loaders..big ones, not baby ones, and several different conveyors laying around unused and other stuff, say a near new linkbelt big excavator.. There is just this side enough to be a big full time wood biz here, but..ain't mine to use for that.

What you have is fantastic!

 

[066blaster]

This works pretty goodTo quarter them. I've been doing more noodling since I broke my booger hook though

 

[woodchuck357]

Not that commercial splitter folks will care, but one of the advantages of Armstrong splitting is big diameter rounds just mean less overall work.

 

[Full Chisel]

Don't be afraid 0f BIG wood.
Heck, I'm a one-man show and I work a lot of big wood... makes a bunch of firewood, most of it bark-free, without moving tools and equipment from site-to-site. I do it all with a 50cc saw (026), 16 and 20 inch bars, horizontal splitter, maul and wedges. It don't take special equipment... just a work plan that maximizes time efficiency using the equipment you have.
*

This is my typical game plan for big fatty rounds. I carry a couple beater hatchets and small sledge to start the split along the grain, a couple wedges to drive in the split once it opens up and a 6lb maul to finish the gnarly ones off...either by wailing on it or prying it open with the handle. Usually have to quarter the big boys because I typically work solo and I'm not a big gorilla like some guys, I weigh 175 soaking wet. I kinda like working with the big stuff though, it's satisfying to break the big rounds open by hand and usually the wood is primo and the splits are clean. But I'm a lowly firewood hack, this isn't an efficient or easy way to go about gathering wood to process into firewood. An investment in heavy equipment is a must for long term success and rapid turnaround if you are working with big wood on a regular basis...IMO.

 

[turnkey4099]

I noodle very large rounds and split vertical to size, then finish splits horizontal. If you have a big enough saw noodling is the way to go. With the big rounds you end up with nice clean wood. Seems like a lot of work, but you end up with a lot of nice wood per round.

I always take the big pieces at clearing sites. Other guys think I am nuts, but noodling the pieces to manageable sizes is fine on my back.

"big enough saw"??? Any saw that will handle a 20" bar is 'big enough' to noodle any round less than about 18" long. I have noodled 4' x 16" rounds with an MS310 and sometimes even a Johnnyred 625.

Harry K

 

[lindnova]

I have done a lot of noodling with my MS260 and 18" bar. It works if you have to.

 

[haveawoody]

I think the real question here is budget and quantity of big rounds.
Things get more efficient with more money and they also cut into production costs at about the same rate.
With just a H/V splitter a crowbar, a brick and handcart a 1 man team splitting up big rounds can be done pretty efficiently.
With a 10k wood processor a bobcat and 1 man the same work is done much faster and little grunt power.

 

[haveawoody]

Harry K,

LOL I have noodled with a 36" bar.
It sure did noodle fast, sure made the job fun.

Typical for me though is a 20" bar to noodle on the very rare times I cant split big rounds on site.

 

[jrr344]

And he does it all with ONE HAND...

It can't be to big then.

 

[Sandhill Crane]

Rain day today.
Lots of great suggestions.
Lots of price range.
I have worked large stuff. Used a log arch and quad for moving. Then cut the depth of the bar and split with wedges for halving rounds. Loaded in racks near splitter and picked away at it till it was done.
I love using tables to keep work elevated, from cutting, staging, splitting and even stacking I made a hopper out of scaffold.
The hay wagon looks simple, affordable, and would work with my hydraulic splitter and fork lift.
I will probably continue this way for a year, doing it by hand, noodling or whatever, as many have suggested. That will give me time to see what kind of steady log supply I can develope.
Then maybe... a skid steer w/inverted splitter.
Thanks to everyone who contributed...