wood splitter

[super sappy]

Mrs super sappy was pretty impressed with the old little brute log splitter that we borrowed this year. She even gave the go ahead to start looking for something . I think that little brute sold out to timber wolf but I am not sure and they are expensive. I have not had much experiance with these so has anyone got any good sound advise, what are others using I dont think that I am interested in a 3 pt hitch model. TSC has some out front but how long will they be around to service if i have a problem-ss

[softmaple]

i got mine from lowes. its a troybilt 27 ton with a honda motor maybe 5 horse. what i like about it is that the spliters shoe slides on the i beam and is universal verses others like tsc

[Lwood]

SS,
My father bought one of the bigger ones that tractor supply sells almost 3 years ago. The thing hasn't missed a beat. He used to split all of his wood with it and I split all of mine for the evaporator with it.

[Fred Henderson]

Mrs super sappy was pretty impressed with the old little brute log splitter that we borrowed this year. She even gave the go ahead to start looking for something . I think that little brute sold out to timber wolf but I am not sure and they are expensive. I have not had much experiance with these so has anyone got any good sound advise, what are others using I dont think that I am interested in a 3 pt hitch model. TSC has some out front but how long will they be around to service if i have a problem-ss


There is not much that can go wrong with them. It will last as long as you will need it. The first one that I ever built it still around even though its on its 4th engine. I gave it to a young man after I build my new house thinking that I would never burn wood again. Well you all know how hind sight goes, so I built another. Same size cylinder but a bigger pump and motor.

[peacemaker]

i rented one last year it was a TSC one it had the two way drop on wedge was nice i asked the rental fella how he liked it and if it was holding up he said he has been renting it for 3 years no problems except some guy puncture the gas tank he did say he does the service on it regulaly i cant rember he said it was a name brand just there sticker

[hard maple]

I have a timberwolf, nice machine.
Remember if you get a vertical/horizontal you won't have the option of adding a 4 way wedge to it.

[MaplePancakeMan]

Fred, do you have plans on how to build one? Or is it just something you know how to do and how much did it cost you to build it?

[Haynes Forest Products]

I Built about 4 splitters over the years and if you decide to make one dont skimp.
7HP or bigger, 2 stage pump around 12GPM, 4" ram ,detent valve and make it crotch high. Yup you want it that high so that your not bent over to work the wood.
But But what about the heavy wood???? You will get a sore back faster bending over all day splitting the wood than you will lifting the wood up and standing stright as you work the wood. Plus when it comes to pulling and yanking on the stringie stuff. And if you really like speed use a 3" ram with a doubble detent valve. Oh yea one more thing remember if someone else is running the valve and your the one with your hands between the wedge and log you cant yell fast enough or loud enough for them to stop.

[Parker]

Being a logger-firewood person I have built/ run a bunch of splitters,,,I have to say my favorite is the one I am useing now,,,3point hitch 4 footer that has its own pump,,,,I like it cause you can move the splitter to the wood so easyily,,no busting a nut trying to roll a 800 pound splitter around,,and it does not lack for power (even with a 8-n running it, yesterday we were loading it with 2' thru stuff 4'long with the yard crane) ,,If I were to build another it would have a 10 horse honda,(blown up too many 10 horse techumsha's),,a barns 22GPM 2 stage pump and a 4" ram (4 foot if that is what you burn in your evaporator-or if you are stacking the wood for drying in the spring and sawing in the fall) If you build one put a strainer in the tank and a 22 gpm filter on the return line,,,,my 2 cents

[Fred Henderson]

Fred, do you have plans on how to build one? Or is it just something you know how to do and how much did it cost you to build it?

I don't have any plans on paper. The last one I build had a 13GPM pump,4"X24 ram and an 8 HP Briggs.When I am splitting blocks 3 feet in diameter I don't like lifting them 2 feet or more to get them on the splitter. My beam is low and the control valve is mid way between my knee and waist. The wedge is also on the ram. That way I am not pushing the big blocks off.
I don't know what it cost me to build it. I always have metal around. I was a welder/fabaciator when I was working.

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

Northern tools carries some nice splitters with Honda engines on them and they have the bolt on 4 way wedge and it seems to work good from what I have read and it works in either vertical or horizontal position.

[Dill]

I have a 3pth vertical splitter that runs off the tractor remotes.
I believe its a "American" brand? We have used it for 10 years now, the valve blew 2 years ago and I bought a replacement from the company. The replacment valve is detuned over the orginal one. It kicks out alot. My uncle bought a more recent model and is having the same problem.
I perfer the vertical, this year we are splitting some cossal roadside maples and there is no way, a persone can lift a 48+ round onto a horizontal. With the vertical you can back the splitter into it or use another tractor to push it on.

[barrelstove]

if you are going to build your own remember the shape of the wedge is as important as anything else. alot of store brands ive seen have a wedge that has a very steep angle on it.

the best splitter ive ever used (im a logger/forester) has been a little john deere model 50 that my uncle had. i think it only has a 5 horse motor on it but you cannot stall it because the wedge has a very shallow angle.

a shallow angle wedge is like a transsmission in first gear, it takes you longer to go the distance but there is more power.
a steep angle wedge is like a transsmission in high gear you travel the distance faster, but there is less power.

if i was going to split nothing but frozen clear oak i would use the steep wedge because it pops apart no problem. (ok, i would actually use a 6lb maul, but back to my story)

that shallow wedged splitter, even with the smaller motor will split anything you give it but the wood doesnt pop apart you actually have to run the block all the way through the wedge because it is more of a slicing motion.

so thats my opinion on splitters.

my opinion on splitting in general is to use an axe or a maul. i am a lumberjack competitor and splitting is just practice for swinging axes. even henry ford said that he who splits his own wood is warmed twice. although thats not much help if youre splitting in august.

[Big_Eddy]

The 2 way splitter is from a company called Split-Fire. www.split-fire.com
They hide the cylinder within a fabricated channel and use both the back and forth motion to split. The local rental place has them and they seem to hold up okay.

Home made splitters usually use an I Beam design - with the wedge / pusher carrier clamping on the upper flange.

I like the design of the Surge-Master splitter- It uses a pair of 2x4 tubes as the beam with the wedge riding between them instead of an I beam. http://www.homedepot.ca/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/CatalogSearchResultView?D=975385&Ntt=975385&catalogId=10051&langId=-15&storeId=10051&Dx=mode+matchallpartial&Ntx=mode+matchall&recN=113040%2024&N=0&Ntk=P_PartNumber

Last thing to consider is whether the wedge is on the ram or on the end of the beam. Depends on how you like to work and what kind of wood you have. If you deal with smaller pieces that you just split in half, then the wedge on the beam is great, as each piece is pushed off the end straight onto the ground. For these splitters, the wedge is located AWAY from the hitch end of the splitter. Pull forward when the pile grows too tall. If you have larger pieces that need to be split multiple times, the wedge on the ram is better as the piece remains on the beam to be repositioned and split again. With the wedge on the ram, you can even do a horizontal / vertical tilting beam, so the very large blocks do not need to be lifted. But there is more handling, as each piece needs to be removed from the beam and tossed behind, or into the trailer. They can cycle faster though, as you only run the cylinder until the block splits - not all the way to the end to push the block off.

Regardless - some considerations when designing a splitter
Use a 2 speed pump, matched to the engine,
Ensure your resevoir is large enough to provide some opportunity for the fluid to cool, and
place the valve far enough away from the wedge that you can't operate it and pinch your other hand at the same time.

Oh - and the guy placing the blocks should be the ONLY one operating the lever!! They might not move fast, but they don't stop fast either.

I've got some plans somewhere for a horizontal / vertical one that I might be able to find.

[Haynes Forest Products]

The splitter I have now has a 10 briggs but the hondas are the way to go. I put a lift table on this one and its oposite the work side and and we have rails on both sides of the I beam slightly higher than the beam and spaced 4" out they help hold the big one on and there nice to lean on so the ram can move past your legs and the lift table is nice to hold the split half of big logs

[DS Maple]

We've got both a tow-behind splitter and a tractor mounted one. The tow-behind version is a "Brute" made by East Hill Equipment in Ludlow, VT. It's got an 8hp Honda and will split a 4' log of any size without flinching. I don't really know how it does it with only 8hp but it pulls through every time.
The tractor-mounted is a homemade version that is run by a pump on the pto, (currently on a Ford 4600 diesel.) This too will split a 4' log into four pieces without thinking twice. Personally though, I like the tow-behind because it does the same amount of work with a little gas engine instead of a big diesel. Plus, it's a lot easier to move longer distances, which for us is sometimes necessary.

[Maplewalnut]

Whatever you do don't buy an MTD. I had one for a few years and although it worked fine when I went to change the hydraulic pump you had to buy a replacement from MTD. The replacement haldex pumps don't come in the right configuration. Long story short it was $600 plus for an MTD pump!

I now have a tow behind troy built 31 ton that does't flinch even with 36" knotty oak. Got a 31 ton for the bigger tires and higher ground clearance since I have been cutting waaaaaaaaay back in the woods

[saphead]

I couldn't afford what I liked so I cruised the web, printed out a lot of pictures and built my own. Honda is the only engine to use,for big stuff go w/a 4" ram,full size tires on a wide axle so you can back out of the way when that knotty piece of maple "POPS". I also made mine so I stand upright while splitting. A swing down leg was put under the wedge end and a swing down trailer jack under the engine end, can stabilize it anywhere.The 8" "H" beam I used was a bit long so the back of the cylinder is pinned to a bolted anchor piece that can be set for 2' or 3' wood, just left the hoses a little long.I also devised a 2 stage wedge to make it easier on the machine. First I welded a piece of 2x4 or6 thick walled tubing in the vertical position to take the force.At the front side doubled up snow plow edge (sharped) takes the wood and begins the split then about 4" back I welded on angled wings to pop open the wood.When I add the horizontal section for the 4 way I'll stagger these also.One other thing I also added was a 2" receiver @ each end,it can be pulled either direction and the hitch tube can be removed to help eliminate theft(or a least make it harder). Also mount your lever in the middle over the cylinder so you work from either side.Long winded but it was fun to build and I don't mind sharing ideas(royalties gladly accepted). PS. The 11" one hand log tongs (Bahco?) available @ Northern Equipment are the best thing since indoor plumbing!

[OGDENS SUGAR BUSH]

HAYNES
how well i know about fingers and yelling. last nov was helping the neighbor split wood he was on the lever and my thumb was between the push block and wood. just a matter of a mili second when i took the gloce off my thumb was about the thickness of a saltine cracker. just about healed now had good doctors and they saved it.

RICH

[hard maple]

Brandon
I've neveer seen a vertical splitter with a 4 way wedge

[lpakiz]

I made a vertical wood splitter 30+ years ago to split the extremely tough, stringy Elm that was dying all over here. It has a pair of 3 inch vertical pipes about 5+ feet long, going up and down. The bottoms of the pipes are welded to an 8 inch H beam at a spacing of about 24 inches, and also to a drawbar to make it fit the 3 point arms of my 400 Case tractor. It has a trussed top crossbar which the hydraulic cylinder (top) is attached to. The blade is 24 inches wide by about 6 inches high and the clevis end (bottom) of the cyl is attached to this. The blade is guided by two pieces of about 3 1/2 inch pipe by maybe 10 inches long.
It operates like a guillotine. What I really like is that I can use it waist high for smaller stuff or splitting off of a wagon, and I can set it on the ground and roll the big ones on. I built a table from an old aluminum road sign and a couple sections of real light 8X8 guard rail posts. I can place the table on the ground next to the I beam when on the ground and manuever the large ones onto the table, then take a slice off, rotate a bit, take another slice, etc. I've had chuncks of Elm on there the size of a Ford 8N wheel. A little snow on the aluminum table and they slide around like on ball bearings. It runs off the trac hydraulic (about 1700PSI Max) with a 4 inch by 24 cylinder. The valve is attached to the tie-rods of the cylinder and can be operated from either side, the handles' motion being up and down, corresponding to the movement of the cylinder. When splitting huge ones, we have had 12 pieces of wood fall off on one stroke. The "slivers" that are taken off the large ones are re-split and we pile as many as we can fit (6 that time) in between the 24 inch space of the upright pipes. When doing smaller ones 8-10 inch, we put as many in as will fit. When the blade comes down, there is a piece of wood on each side, no matter what.
Sorry for being so long winded, but this machine does work good.
Larry

[super sappy]

DS- MAPLE .The splitter that I have been using is a brute from ludlow. The origional owner had it for 20 +years with no maintenance. there is a 2"arch in the I beam and the cylindar leaks like crazy( old winter clothes wrapped around the leaks.) The thing has a pretty steep wedge with a 4 way and a 6 way bolt on wedge.. That company is now BUILT RITE but they only sell commercial splitters. I want something like the one I have been borrowing that machine has taken a beating like you would not believe. My friend old frank was a pollock farmer and he loved to show it. I saw him spilt rocks with that splitter. Any way his son owns it now and for an 18 pack I can use it but I think Id rather own something simple but excellent quality. PARKER - Can you raise and lower the ht of the horizontal 3PT hitch splitter. like lay it on the ground for heavy stuff and waist high for larger wood so you dont break your back?-ss (PS thanks for the replys there is some good stuff in this thread )

[DS Maple]

I think that Built-Rite equipment occasionally has used "brute" splitters. I went by there once and saw some, but it was on a Sunday and they were closed. Also, pictures of some of the homemade rigs people are describing might be nice. After all, a picture is worth a thousand words.

[barrelstove]

I definately want to see picutres of Ipakiz's guilotine! that sounds awsome.

i split my wood very small so i get a hot and fast fire. for those who run smaller wood i think this would be a viable option.

http://www.timberwolfcorp.com/log_splitters/default.asp?id=13

i bet you rig one up to make even smaller peices.

[Dill]

Well I just picked up a 3pth horizontal with a fixed wedge so I'll give ya an update on monday. I figured 250 on craigslist was cheap enough to give it a shot.

[royalmaple]

I bought a 3pt hitch splitter from northern a few years ago. Nice to be able to drive around with it and back into a pile or move ahead pretty easily. You can use the 3pt to raise and lower the splitter so working on heavy stuff is easy to load lower, but harder for you to operate. I think the brand is north star.

Only thing I'm not really happy about is speed, it seems to be pretty slow but most of the time I'm splitting pretty laid back so I'm not in high production mode.

I also ordered the slide on 4 way splitter piece and it's pretty handy.

[lpakiz]

I'll get some photos of this rig. Not sure I know how to get them on here. I'm a little better with the wire welder than the computer.
I had some awesome photos of splitting Elm about 3 1/2 feet diameter, but must have deleted them from the card. I had to chain a 7 foot steel signpost to the piece, then jump off the back of the block hanging onto the post just to stand it on its side to roll it to the splitter. Get it just so then flop it onto the table.
Larry

[Parker]

Sappy- yes the splitter goes up and down-adjust the height to where you want it,,,I guess you could lower it down for the huge ones-but we use the yard crane for the huge ones (saves on the spine)

[lpakiz]

OK, I have the photos of the splitter on a CD.
Splitter is mounted on my 1954 Case 400 and yes, it's a gas hog.
It would be an advantage to have a tow-behind, but I can also go right into the woods and back up to the tree, splitting down the length of it and backing up as it gets too far to carry chunks.
The last photo shows how 12 piecs of wood can fall off in one stroke. We reload all those slices (cants??) onto the beam after the main chunk has been disposed of. We routinely split 2 chunks per stroke of regular wood, but put in all that will fit between the uprights. The uprights are approx 24 inches apart.
Larry

[tuckermtn]

Has anyone tried - or know someone who has- some of the scandanvian built PTO run firewood processors?

like the Hakki Pilke or the Palax 35's

http://www.hud-son.com/Hakki_Processor.htm

look pretty slick when I saw them at the forestry equip show, but looking for anyone with expereince...

output isn't huge, 1-2 cord per hour, but can be run off a 20+ pto hp tractor...

[Parker]

I saw one run last summer and it was not too impressive,(especilley for what they cost),,did not handel big wood,,,I could work up wood faster-easier with a powersaw and splitter-convayor

[maple flats]

I think I will strudy the super split , might be my next splitter. Cycle time is impressive. try link www.supersplit.com and watch video. They have one with a 9 HP Honda with high speed trailer axle for under $4000, or a 5.5 Honda on a smaller rig for under $3000. Would like to talk to a few owners who are not on their payroll or buddy list before being sure.

[Parker]

You have to wacth the supersplits,,they are very fast,,,but,,wood sometimes flys off them to the side (into your body) when the ram hits a wet, angled cut, I dont care for them,,had several painful experiances,,,I still like the 4' PTO splitter the best,,ease of movement and you can put it at any work height,,I have not been able to stop it even with the 8N,,The American splitter I have cost $2700 and you can get a 8N around here for $1000,,,,,

[Fred Henderson]

I would like to see that super split split some of the snarly, knotty stuff that I split. Straight grain always splits good and easy. I want to see them boys put a 3 foot dia block of snarly ,knoty elm on it and split it. They will bust something just getting the block on and when is gets stuck on the wedge then I want to see them get it off.

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

And this would be about the world's biggest idiot:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2bVAAx3mMKY&feature=related

[tuckermtn]

yes brandon- saw that a few days ago...holy smokes...there was someones post on the "Comments" section that summed it up for me...guys nickname was "no hands" and his dad's nickname was also "no hands"...

doesn't look very efficent to me...

[Dill]

The was a screw type splitter at the auction I was at on Satuday. Hitched to an older oliver. Basically it was the scariest looking one I had seen. It was horizontal so in order to start the chunk you would have to hold on to the chunk and let go when it started to spin, before your hand got crushed.
It was the only woodsplitter that didn't sell also. The auctioneer got down to 5 bucks, no bids. The guy who bought the tractor unhitched it and left it for free.

[maplecrest]

i had one of those splitters. split a lot of wood fast with it. but i was young and with quick reflexes. as i got older and slower that splitter went away. they are dangerous. there is nothing to shut the pto off , before you are limb less.

[Dill]

Has anyone used the slip on 4 way wedges from Northern Tool?

[royalmaple]

I bought one with my splitter, they work fine.

[Gary R]

That guilatine splitter looks interesting. Lots of small pieces in one stroke. Great for the Mapler. I bought the cheapest trailer type from Tractor supply ($1000). I routinely put 20"+ dia. pieces in and no problem. I worried about it being to small. As for engine, I figured for the price of a Honda I could replace the engine with a cheap Brigg's if I had to. Back in the late 70's we used to split wood with a screw type. My grandfather had it. We jacked up the rear of his International Scout with a tire off it. Left it idling in gear. Sounds scarrier ever time I think about it. Happy wood cutting!:)

[Parker]

Ha Ha,,my grandfather had one of those too,,,I still find it hard to believe niether of of got hurt with that thing,,,of course there was the time that the piece of elm stuck on the screw and spun around-smashed the fender of the IH pickup-rig fell of the jack-landed on the spinning piece of wood-got jammed up inside the fender well,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,AHHHHHH the good old days...

[brookledge]

I haven't read the whole post but I didn't know if any have talked about how dangerous the old fashioned wood splitter that is usually running for demonstrations at the Fryeburg Fair. It scares me to think what would happen if you slip.
Keith

[Russell Lampron]

Kieth have you watched the video that Brandon has a link to? Now that is a dangerous wood splitter.

[brookledge]

I looked at that and that is what made me think of the one at Fryeburg Fair
Keith

[Russell Lampron]

I haven't seen the one at the Fryeburg Fair but I don't think that that big flywheel would slow down much if you got your hand in there.

[peacemaker]

can u imagine using this to split sugar wood
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eugC6YXK9fQ&NR=1

[mapleman3]

Thats just ridiculous, I'll use my ole homemade one and still split faster... what do you have to stop the machine get out and get more pieces every couple minutes??? cheaper to go OIL ;)

[royalmaple]

Can you say time for a chain saw?


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BZbbJyJSHR4&feature=related

You have to Waaaaaaaaaaannnnnnnt It!!

[peacemaker]

i will out split the set up with a hachet 10 to 0ne ...lol

[Fred Henderson]

Can you say time for a chain saw?


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BZbbJyJSHR4&feature=related

You have to Waaaaaaaaaaannnnnnnt It!!

He had better sharpen the blade before he gets hurt. You should never have to push a block that hard.

[Russell Lampron]

He needs to find a file and some Scotchbrite to sharpen and clean that saw blade before he gets hurt.

[peacemaker]

yeah them folks in England dont seem so brite lol no wonder we won that war

[Haynes Forest Products]

At least he isnt wearing any clothes to get caught in the saw. I think he should wear a harness and tie it onto a tree behind him so he doesnt fall into the dull blade. I like his safety glasses

[mapleman3]

Thats one crazy old man !! I used to cut wood on a cordwood saw off my grandfathers farmall, and that was dangerous enough even though we were off to the side and with somewhat of a gaurd... Thats just plain suicide what he's doing :0

[Brent]

he's gotta be a beginner ... nobody with a half a brain would do that for long and live. Maybe this is a way to get two halves of a brain

From the design of the castings I reckon that rig must be 60 to 80 years old.
He may be boasting how good the blade is ... never sharpened it once.

[Brent]

I just had a look at the SuperSplit.

That thing is a punch press with a log splitting head. Punch presses are responsible for the most amputations and the most deaths in machine shops and fabricating shops.

I see no safety devices worth a pinch on it. Using it in the woods, alone, sometimes in the wet, on poor footing, distracted by bugs etc is a recipe for disaster.

The hydraulic ones give you a fighting chance. For better safety, replace the mechanical lever valve with a deadman's switch. Let go the button and it backs off.

I am impressed with the Splitfire that will cut in both directions. No waiting for a return stroke.

[maple flats]

Somehow I can't understand the comments in this thread about one person loading the wood and someone else running the valve. To me that sounds like a recipe for disaster. When we used to work with 2 or even 3 guys each put the wood on and tripped the valve, then went to get another block. The splitter was a canadian built by the name of LaForce or something like that from about 20 years ago. I had a 5 way wedge fixed to the main beam and a simple raise lower lever to position the block. The lever and table it controlled were spring balanced and the start of the wedge was like a big pencil point. After putting the block on the table you tripped the valve and centered the bolck on the pencil point, valve had detent out, traveled to end and returned automatically. The unit hitched to a tow vehicle, left in neutral on level ground and the split wood was pushed off the back end of the wedge. As a pile developed the splitteng action rolled the tow vehicle to form a windrow of split wood. This unit had a 20 or 22 HP gas engine, Onan. We rented this for $50/day and with 3 of us working we split over 50 face cord of 16" long wood in less than 5 hrs, (between 17 and 18 full cord) I wish I had one of these now, but I have never seen one like it again and the rental guy went out of business and moved to points unknown. I am not even positive of the name but I know it sounded something like LaForce or LaFarge or LaFort or similar. I have no idea what pump it had but it never hesitated in the least and we had everything from birch to maple to elm to oak and many others. On a couple of times our dad ended up putting a block on sideways and it still went thru (not intentionally, he was just getting old) Not sure of cycle time but it was good. It kept the 3 of us hopping for the 5 hrs with very few waits for your turn to load it and split.

[chainsaw]

I am familiar with the splitter you are talking about. It is a LaFont 500.