Wood splitter advice

[bowtechmadman]

Mudd when are you building me a splitter? I have to roll the logs to my log lift.

 

[lknchoppers]

There is a 22 Ton Rugged Made Unit with a hydraulic log lift for about $1700, that would be a great homeowner splitter I would think. Since I got a splitter with a log lift I really appreciate them. I do not have any experience with the Rugged Made Splitter but they seem to have good customer service from what I read. I think that splitter has a slip on four way wedge that may be useful in straight grained rounds. Looks to have a nice work table to catch the logs as well.

 

[Sandhill Crane]

I was thinking around 25 ton?

Throw your tonnage number out the window.
It means little, compared to the splitter design and the ergonomics of moving the wood to, through, and away from your splitter.
As mentioned there are many things to look at.
When you place a round on the beam: (First think about you)...is your back straight? Are your feet under you? Are you working around something, like an engine, hydraulic filter, axle, tire, whatever? (Someone on here, the AS, said they ripped their leg on a fender.) Can you do this from both sides of the beam equally as well? If the answer to any of these is no, multiply by the number of hours you will spend per splitting session, and ask how big a pain will this be. (Now consider the round on the beam) How did you get it there? If you drop it where does it go? Does it hit anything if it slips off the beam?
Where is this round going? This is a huge question...
Does it stay on the beam, as in wedge on rod design, or get pushed through the wedge?
Wedge on cylinder. Big round, where do the two big halves drop to? Again, do they hit anything? If there is a table on one side, can you move it to the other side easily if you want to, or is it fixed. Also with this style, you must remove the splits by hand, by throwing, as the splits are not pushed through, beyond the wedge.
Wedge on beam: Big round, where did the halves go, and how many foot steps, or how much work is, it to retrieve them to resplit? Are you reaching around an outfit table? Did your pile of splits just cover up your trailer hitch?
I have found it is not how fast a splitter is.
It is about ergonomics and how the wood flows.
What splitter design allows me to work most efficiently?
Which of these splitters works me harder, by causing more steps. to accomplish the same thing?
Which of these splitters have engines and filters in drop zone areas?
It has nothing to do with stickers that say 25 ton, or 40 ton.
Now the small print.
I have only ever run three splitters. A SpeeCo, wedge on beam, I owned for thirty years; A Timberwolf TW-6 (2 1/2 years); and a SuperSplitHD, four or five years now.

This was a good set-up. Raised with larger tires. Bench with beam shelf, and extends beyond wedge to catch split half round, and large enough to work a couple pieces. Bench could be moved to opposite side. Stroke reducing collars on cylinder. Engine and filter, axle, tire, all out of the way. Great wedge design for cutting/splitting.
I used it with a conveyor, which meant I had to push pieces across the table into the conveyor.
I tried to buy this splitter back for a hundred more than I sold it for. He turned down $600. Said he loved it. He offered to loan it to me, but I declined.

 

[NSMaple1]

There is a 22 Ton Rugged Made Unit with a hydraulic log lift for about $1700, that would be a great homeowner splitter I would think. Since I got a splitter with a log lift I really appreciate them. I do not have any experience with the Rugged Made Splitter but they seem to have good customer service from what I read. I think that splitter has a slip on four way wedge that may be useful in straight grained rounds. Looks to have a nice work table to catch the logs as well.

View attachment 682716

Looks like you get a lot for the money with that one.

I think I would want the hitch on the other end but that might be a preference thing. I'd also want to be able to stand on the same side as the lift, but can't tell from the pic if there is room to do that or not - looks tight.

 

[muddstopper]

Mudd when are you building me a splitter? I have to roll the logs to my log lift.

I know you are asking in Jest, but just so everybody knows, I dont build and sell splitters. I do keep modifying the one I own, never satisfied.

As for a easy fix for your log rolling problem, make you a boom and mount one of those $50 atv winches on it. I made a 20ft extention cord for the remote and can drag rounds a long ways to the splitter. No rolling, did I mention I am lazy.

 

[MountainHigh]

Yes, this. 100 times over.

Most box store splitters are the same, yes. And adequate. But IMO they are all laid out wrong. The engine is usually in a vulnerable wrong place, and some or maybe even a lot or most don't allow for equally easy operation from both sides. That first one linked (540) is the one I have. Except mine is green.

yup .... having the engine placed well away from the splitting area is important.

The Surgemaster version of the Wallenstein seems to be only a difference in the engine. The 2 Surgemaster models I've seen have the GC Honda engine or the Subaru engine. The Wallenstein has the GX Honda engine. Everything else looks the same.

 

[NSMaple1]

yup .... having the engine placed well away from the splitting area is important.

The Surgemaster version of the Wallenstein seems to be only a difference in the engine. The 2 Surgemaster models I've seen have the GC Honda engine or the Subaru engine. The Wallenstein has the GX Honda engine. Everything else looks the same.

Yes. I would rather have a GX of course, but the GC has been very good. Except for a spark plug issue. Mine was well used & maybe also abused before I got it (pretty sure the guy I bought from sold firewood) but it is still solid (except for broken tail lights) and works like a top. Mine has the old hose routing, they are flopping around when vertical. I want to get some slightly longer hoses & do what they do now, tie them solid to the beam & tow bar. I put bigger wheels on it this spring, haven't used it yet since. But will make more ground clearance (I tow it thru the woods right to the tree with ATV), tow easier, and beam a bit higher for standing next to. One tire was shot, so I just swapped wheel sets after seeing some on sale at crappy tire.

Bottom line is if a buyer can't get some splitting time in with one before buying, he should at least go through all the motions and try to consider all the ways & circumstances they will be wanting to use it, before taking the plunge. There are differences that might play large when it comes to living with it hopefully for years to come.

 

[bowtechmadman]

Trust me I was taking notes...can you post some pictures of your boom/winch set up? I seem to get lazier and lazier the older I get so I can relate. After two hernia's I decided a log lift was necessary.

 

[muddstopper]

Trust me I was taking notes...can you post some pictures of your boom/winch set up? I seem to get lazier and lazier the older I get so I can relate. After two hernia's I decided a log lift was necessary.

This a old mechanics crane that was dragged out of a junk pile. The winch is 12v. I can load just under a 48in round because of the height of the boom. I tried modifying my wedge a while back and messed it up, so I am back to a fixed 4way wedge instead of my adjustable 6way. I have been throwing some of the knottyest stuff I can find thru it and it dont even slow down. I plan to revisit my wedge design once I get my wood splitting done for this year failed wedge on first try. And after second round, . It didnt hold up real well.

 

[cumminstinkerer]

As a suggestion, avoid any models with the Subaru engine, they no longer make small engines and parts are very high, they are also prone to cam and timing chain issues, also the carbs are prone to plugging and there is a passage that is basically impossible to get clean.

 

[c5rulz]

I think most of the big box store brands are pretty similar. Look for one on sale. Here are some random observations:

DHT customer support has been very good.

Buy one with a real choke and not just a primer. The latter work very poorly in cold weather.

Use some common sense, wood splits on the grain and how you orient wood in the splitter makes a big difference.

4 way wedge MUST be hydraulically adjustable and be able to be lowered enough so the wedge will split in just two pieces

Don't tow the small ones on the road, the bearings aren't made for it and the reservoir is you axle. Not good.

 

[Cody]

I know you are asking in Jest, but just so everybody knows, I dont build and sell splitters. I do keep modifying the one I own, never satisfied.

As for a easy fix for your log rolling problem, make you a boom and mount one of those $50 atv winches on it. I made a 20ft extention cord for the remote and can drag rounds a long ways to the splitter. No rolling, did I mention I am lazy.

If you find the coupons you can often get a free wireless remote kit with the harbor freight atv winches, just a thought.

 

[sb47]

Not sure if it's what your looking for but, I just bought a Countyline 40 ton unit from TS last January so I've had it almost a year and I've split at least 60 cords with it so far and I love it. Paid 1,999.00

 

[Mike Van]

No matter what make or model you get, choose one with an outfeed table. That was the cheapest most work & time saving mod I made for mine.

 

[Sandhill Crane]

When comparing table accessories, not all outfeed tables, or side staging tables are the same.
A table should be even with the top of the beam and extend well in front of the wedge, and well beyond the wedge to keep splits easily reachable if need be. The out feed should be in line with the top of bean height. This allows re-splitting by sliding the round instead of lifting it.
Most kinetic splitters are built this way, although I have seen a few on YouTube with the table below the top flange of the beam.
Many designs make little sense when you watch the flow of the wood of various splitters. Watch the demo videos of guys running splitters and follow how many times they pick up a piece to re-split, or how many foot steps these guys are taking. Watch a PowerSplit, Timberwolf, Built-Rite, EastonMade, SuperSplit, or any YouTube video of the box store splitters, and watch the editing out, the parts they are not showing you.
With big rounds, I have found noodling preferable, time wise, energy wise, money wise to running a big splitter, and use a SuperSplit. The speed over a hydraulic box store model is ergonomics just as much as cycle time.

 

[milkie62]

If you are looking for so-so on the cheap,pickup a TSC one on black friday coming up real soon. Do not believe what the tonnage is on the label.It is "fake tonnage".

 

[Reel work]

I am looking to purchase a gas powered wood splitter for my own personal use and was wondering if I could get some advice on what size and brand to purchase along with approximate pricing. I was thinking around 25 ton?

 

[Reel work]

When comparing table accessories, not all outfeed tables, or side staging tables are the same.
A table should be even with the top of the beam and extend well in front of the wedge, and well beyond the wedge to keep splits easily reachable if need be. The out feed should be in line with the top of bean height. This allows re-splitting by sliding the round instead of lifting it.
Most kinetic splitters are built this way, although I have seen a few on YouTube with the table below the top flange of the beam.
Many designs make little sense when you watch the flow of the wood of various splitters. Watch the demo videos of guys running splitters and follow how many times they pick up a piece to re-split, or how many foot steps these guys are taking. Watch a PowerSplit, Timberwolf, Built-Rite, EastonMade, SuperSplit, or any YouTube video of the box store splitters, and watch the editing out, the parts they are not showing you.
With big rounds, I have found noodling preferable, time wise, energy wise, money wise to running a big splitter, and use a SuperSplit. The speed over a hydraulic box store model is ergonomics just as much as cycle time.

 

[Sandhill Crane]

Old splitter, but very efficient, lots of room to work. Note that it has been raised with an axle and car tires. Drawback: I had to direct pieces into conveyor. Same as with wedge on cylinder.
Stroke reducing collars. This push plate is pinned to cylinder rod. Had to replace worn pins twice a year. Do not use these collars if your push plate is threaded on the cylinder rod, as you may easily strip the rod threads on detent return pressure before kicking out. Great time saver though. The SuperSplit table is an option. It is also what makes the splitter faster, as without it, you're doing what?

 

[reinela]

Speaking of cranes and winches, anyone heard of the GorillaBac lift? I bought one for my 35 ton Husky/Speeco splitter this spring and I love it! It's not a fast as a hydraulic lift but works well for my crowded layout.