Hydraulic wood splitter minimum size

I would say some where in the 22-28 ton is good.

I have had personal experience with a 27 ton and a 22 ton. The 27 is a little faster but they both will split anything I ever put under them. There's about $600 dollars difference for that extra 5 tons. For my money I like the 22 ton one.

I concur that anything more than 20 or 22 tons is not worth the extra money. I've had a 20 ton that has split the worst elm, and hickory crotches. Once, it nearly couldn't get through a hickory crotch, but did make it after some noodling and repeated attempts.

neverbilly said:

Does anyone know... I haven't seen my friend's old splitter, but it might not even have any paint on it... do you think there is a marking somewhere on the cylinder or somewhere that shows the ton rating? Or, if I know the HP rating of the motor, is there a direct relationship to ton rating of the unit?

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Measure the diameter of the cylinder. Divide by two to get the radius. Calculate the area = (radius X radius) X 3.14 Take this area and multiply by the PSI of the splitter. 2500 psi is a common working pressure. 3000 is generally the max pressure.

What you will find is that most companies use fuzzy math to advertise their splitters. Most of them never achieve their headline tonnage. I believe Timberwolf is the best about only listing the correct tonnage.

Common cylinder sizes are 4 and 5 inches. I'll let you do the math depending on which size your friend has.

22 should be plenty. If it's not splitting, you're probably splitting it wrong. Using a splitter is just like with an axe... if you go across the grain it will be difficult, but if you follow the natural breaks in the wood it will go smoothly.

My splitter is a 20 ton Northstar and it splits everything I throw at it.The thing I like about it is the wedge is thin.Does not have any spread to it.Just make sure you get one with a two stage pump.

I agree that a 22 ton splitter is more than sufficient, however it doesn't seem like you get good engine options until you step into the 25 ton and above splitters.

22 ton splitter from tractor supply is what I have. It has never failed me. The two stage pump is key since it lets you power through the tough stuff but still go relatively quick for the normal stuff. The other key thing is the thing flips up to stand vertically so you can roll big rounds under it rather than trying to life them.

http://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/countyline-22-ton-log-splitter?cm_vc=-10005

I have a 22 ton orgeon and has taken everything I could throw at it

neverbilly said:

Does anyone know... I haven't seen my friend's old splitter, but it might not even have any paint on it... do you think there is a marking somewhere on the cylinder or somewhere that shows the ton rating? Or, if I know the HP rating of the motor, is there a direct relationship to ton rating of the unit?

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Your friends splitter would have to have been thru a fire to not have any paint on it. The most common size is TS 22 ton. If you are borrowing what do you care.

I would go a step further. If that splitter has been doing the trick for you it is big enough regardless of the ton rating.

Oldman47 said:

I would go a step further. If that splitter has been doing the trick for you it is big enough regardless of the ton rating.

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He said he is splitting by hand and a splitter would be helpful, so I don't think he has used 'that splitter' by the sounds of it. My 22T from TSC so far has busted through everything. If you don't want to pony up for a splitter, you could just save all the tough rounds you can't split and once a year or two rent or borrow one for just a day to finish all the tough ones off.

Tonnage is marketing. I built a 15 ton unit with a very sharp wedge that is almost like an axe head. It will split everything you put in it with no complaints.
A blunt wedge will take considerably more force than a sharp one. I would suggest looking for a splitter with a good narrow wedge. Tonnage gets more stuff broken than anything else.

I got s 5t from HF for ~200 and it split 95% of what I had to split. For big rounds, I just split by hand in fourths first.

neverbilly said:

Did you make your wedge or buy one and grind it or what? In fact, why don't you describe your entire build? Interesting.

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My dad gave me an old john deere 5 ton hydraulic splitter and I used the motor, pump, and wedge for my build. I used a propane tank for the reservoir and a van axle and wheels. I welded up a table from some scrap I had laying around. I am including a picture of what the original splitter looked like and a picture of my splitter as it sits right now. The picture of the old splitter is not mine, just one that looks like it. I still have a few things to do on it, but it is completely functional. I think the table is about 32-34 inches high.

High tonnage is necessary for commercial use... you'll have a faster cycle time and there's less chance of tussling with knots and crotch wood. But if you're just splitting for your own use at home, you'd probably do well with a smaller unit.

We have a 16-ton Ramsplitter electric that's been worked like a rented mule for 5 years now. It busts or tears pretty much anything, even sweet gum. Doesn't have a super-fast cycle time but I'm in no rush anyhow. Gotta love it... no gas needed, no engine to maintain.

The main drawback to this unit is it sets so low. Not ergonomically correct for tall folks like us. I roll it up on a set of car ramps and place a cinder block under the front stanchion; this puts it at a comfortable working height.

I've run my 5hp Briggs and Stratton 20 ton wood splitter since I was 8. I believe here in the Ozarks we have every god forsaken tree you can think of. It handles it all. And if it don't? You always need a fire while splitting!

Jags said:

Tonnage is a bit like automobile HP - can most people get by with 140HP in their commuter car - sure. Do some want 350HP - Yep. Will a pickup truck with an old straight 6 haul firewood - sure. Do some want a Diesel for the extra torque - yep. See what I mean??
Will 2X ton machines split wood - sure. Do 3X ton machines do it easier - yep. For the record, I have seen plenty that would barf a 22 ton machine, but I understand that much of my raw materials can be of the ugly variety.
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At what point on the first picture did you realize it wasn't going to work out too well?