Buying a log splitter

[Stefan Antwarg]

How does one buy a log splitter? What do I look for? Can anyone recommend a certain model?

My doc says no more splitting wood the traditional way because of my back. Since a woodstove is my primary heating, I have to come up with something. I am guessing I burn about 3 cords of wood a year. I could buy wood, but since I have tons of oak trees on my property, it seems like such a waste.

Stefan

[Bill Grumbine]

Stefan, with a porperty like yours, you need a tractor with a 3 point hitch, which is useful for all sorts of things, like hauling and splitting wood. Then you buy a splitter which runs off the tractor hydraulics. It is less expensive than a splitter with its own engine. Of course, that is not counting the tractor! :D Our tractor gets used year round, until it gets too cold to start the diesel engine. On warm winter days though, we get it out and split as much wood as we can, just in case it gets cold and stays cold.

<img src="http://www.enter.net/~ultradad/splitter01.jpg">

Bill

[Lee Schierer]

I saw a really well built vertical one at the Cabelas store just 15 minutes from Bill's house. I don't recall the name or the price.

Sophie (Dave Sophusson) has one that he designed that splits the wood into four pieces and also chomps logs into firewood lengths. It worked really well during the demo at his picnic last year.

[Jim Becker]

The Split-Fire 4-way that Lee mentions is a premo splitter! Very nice, albeit a little more expensive, even in a 3pt version for a tractor. If you have or are considering a small tractor for your property, than I'm with Bill...when I buy a splitter it will run off the tractor for sure!

Tractor Supply usually has a few self-contained models you can look at as do just about any equipment firm in "woodburning" territory. Of course, what they have and when may be seasonal. Northern Tool (Internet) also has some nice selections. Believe it or not, Harbor Frieght sells them and the "mo better ones" could be work looking at...you have a store just north of you towards Harrisburg, I believe.

[Stefan Antwarg]

Thanks guys. The thought of getting some sort of tractor has crossed my mind. But again, this is a subject I know absolutely nothing about. I have a lot of land (5.5 acres), but the problem is that most of it is very heavily wooded. And it is fairly hilly. So I don't know if a tractor will be easy to manuever through it.

I wouldn't mind hearing more about the tractor/splitter combo. I am not familiar with how this would work.

There is a Tractor Supply up in York, maybe I will check that out one of these days.

Stefan

[Jim Becker]

Stefan, spend a little time at TractorByNet.com to learn about compact tractors. It's a resource in that area as valuable as SMC is to us in woodworking.

[Bill Grumbine]

Stefan, if you are going to consider the tractor route, Jim's website is a good one, but also check out Yesterday's Tractors. My machine is 41 years old, but it has what I need to do what I want. The only things lacking are a front end loader and 4WD, and I can live without them. Important things to look for are a live PTO, auxiliary hydraulic lines, etc. You can find machines with diesel or gasoline engines, and as long as you have it stored in a heated building, or at least one with electric, starting a diesel in the winter isn't so bad. Mine is in the barn with neither heat or electric, so starting it can be an adventure once the temp gets below 30 deg.

With a 3 pt hitch you have a whole new world of tools to lust over and play with, from mowers to cultivators, saws, splitters, carryalls, post hole diggers, etc. They will all fit on the back of your machine, although you do need to match the implement to the size of the tractor and its horse power. I use mine for mowing, plowing, digging holes, moving heavy objects, dragging logs, and of course, splitting wood for hours on end. My tractor is not a huge one at 39 HP, but if you looked at the Five Barns picnic pictures, you should have seen a couple of me using it to move logs over 1000 lbs without even breathing hard.

Good luck with your search.

Bill

[Roger Fitzsimonds]

Hi Stefan,

I have the MTD 25 ton splitter. It will work vertical;;y or horizontally. If your Doctor doesn't want you splitting wood he probably doest want you to lift logs on to a hydraulic splitter either. I find I can split some large pieces in the vertical position and I rigged my lawn tractor with a trailer hitch to move it around. Just another option for you think about. mine works really well and starts in all weather.

Roger

[Mark Mandell]

A whole lot of firewood! We burn about 4 cords a year.

Bought an MTD 32 ton splitter at the Borg about 5 years ago. It has paid for itself twice over in cost savings when compared to either ready-split wood or rental for a DIY splitter.

Note that even given the "tonnage", when buying from the Borg or Harbor Freight or Northern, you're buying "consumer" grade units. The steel componants are thinner, the engines are lesser quality and power, and the hydrolic components are less durable with less capacity. I just had to re-weld my fluid tank at the engine mounts because the vibration produced stress cracks in the steel that then leaked fluid.

But then, commercial/pro models will cost you at least twice as much.

Mark

[Stefan Antwarg]

Hello again

For a while, I was really liking the idea of getting a tractor. But then I found out how much they cost. I did a lot of research on tractors (thanks for the link Jim) and realized that one would definitely come in handy around here. But to get one with the specs that I think are important is in the 12000-15000 dollar range. I am sure used would be a good way to go, but even that would be expensive - if I got what I wanted.

So, I am back to the idea of getting a stand alone splitter. Have any of you heard of Timberwolf log splitters. They are more expensive then some of the splitters mentioned in this thread - when you compare similar spec'ed models. But timberwolf is pushing the idea that theirs is just a better quality machine. Their website shows videos of their various models in action and they look pretty good. Of course, I don't have anything to compare because these videos are the first time I have seen a log splitter in action. Anyway, at a difference of about 700-800 dollars compared to other similar splitters, it is worth questioning. I am all for getting a better quality product, but this seems like a pretty steep difference.

Stefan

[Bill Grumbine]

Stefan, I paid $2500 for my tractor. It ain't pretty, and it is older than you are, but it starts right up, and in the four years of pretty good use I have given it, it has needed nothing more than a fuel stop cable and a new muffler - not counting regular maintenance like oil changes and coolant changes. You just have to do a bit more looking for these things.

Other than that I have no experience with the gasoline powered log splitters that are stand alone, except to say that I see lots of them for sale in the various stores.

Bill

[Jason Roehl]

Stefan,

I, too, burn a fair amount of wood each year, probably 4-6 cords. Since I am in town, and basically out of room, buying a splitter is pretty much out of the question for me. So, I rent every year when I need to split (that time is coming soon). A one-day rental is about $60-$70, and most rental places are closed on Sunday and only open until noon or 1PM Saturday, so if I pick up the splitter Friday night, I can usually talk them into letting me have it until Monday morning for the 1-day rate. Some are better than others, but they do all seem to be of commercial quality. They also all have the option of vertical or horizontal splitting. The only thing you want to use the vertical splitting for is the very largest logs you have--the ones you can't lift to split horizontal. Otherwise, you'll want to split horizontally, so that the split wood has room to fall without you having to move it to split the next piece (more efficient, trust me). Plus, your back will thank for not splitting vertically--you spend most of the time bent over picking up wood.

Another feature to look for is the "auto-return detent" on the control. This allows you to let the splitter ram return while you grab another log (again, efficiency), especially useful if you're splitting by yourself. One last setup I like is when the wedge is on the ram versus on the end of the I-beam. For whatever reason, it works better, plus some of them have a setup where a log stuck on the wedge will be pushed off by some prongs on the I-beam as the ram retracts, which sure beats having to beat the log off with a sledge.

With these features, 2 people can split 4 cords in about 8 hours or less, not including stacking when you're done. Another efficiency note is not to retract the ram all the way, only far enough to fit the next log, especially if 2 people are working, otherwise you will spend a long time waiting on the ram. (Some more expensive models have a 2-stage pump that greatly speeds up the ram when not under load, though.)