Wood splitter questions on productivity.

you can split a lot just depends on the person.. if you get one of those 4 way wedges heck you can do a whole lotta spliting...
many make the arguement that hand spliting is just as fast if not faster... than most gas hyd splitters... what i find is its a heckuva lot easier on the back!

I don't own a splitter but I've borrowed and rented a bunch and there is one small thing about them that I will make sure is the way I like it when I finally buy one and it is the back plate that the round is pushed against against when the wedge is pushing through the wood. That back plate can be kind of short on some splitters or come up a little bit higher on others. If you've got a large round that you want to split into 4+ piece you can make your first split and then flip the round over and split the two halves at the same time only having to handle that one round twice on the splitter. What happens if the back plate is too short you can't flip the round because the top half will just be pushed up over the top of the back plate so you have to split the two piece seperately which adds more time and effort. Depending on how much you are splitting having the higher top plate can save you a lot of time.

If your are splitting frozen oak, and are good with an axe, you should be able to split circles around almost all log splitters. If you are splitting elm or some of the other tougher woods then a decent splitter is your friend. I still like to split by hand from time to time. It is a great total upper body workout. I need to try the bungee cord trick to keep from chasing by splits.

My rate with my splitter is about 1 cord an hour without stacking - just letting the wood push off the end of the table into a pile. Split pieces were less than a 6 x 6 square. The splitter has a 9 sec round-trip cycle time so it is pretty speedy for a hydraulic. Before I put the four way wedge on it I did the trick albertj03 describes a lot. My ram is 10" tall and the wedge is 12" tall. I don't think I would want either of them shorter. When I do stack it is much slower going. If you like the sound of that buy a timberwolf tw-5 or start buying parts like I did.

The supersplit style of splitter looks like the fastest out there as long as you are not dealing with huge wood. I don't believe there is anything available to handle large rounds for them.

Most splitters are much slower but in tough wood they are a lot less taxing than hitting a round 6+ times to get it to crack. What wood you are dealing with makes all the difference.

Good luck in your decision.


Don

2 people 1 cord an hr.

Uh, well, at my age, which ain't really old, but it ain't 25 no more either, the question regarding the use of a splitter is NOT how fast can it get done, the question is, HOW MUCH WILL I HURT THE NEXT DAY?

What I have found since I purchased my splitter is I spend much less time splitting and more time scrounging... and the overall production is higher. I loved splitting by hand (Fiskar fan here) but I ended up injuring my shoulder doing so. I prefer to do my "wood work" in shorter sessions over multiple days. Its not a race for me. One day I may scrounge/cut enough to fill up the bed of my truck (about 1/3 cord) one or two times and transport home to my splitting area. Next session I'll split it up, then the next session I'll stack it. Repeat....

Can split 3-3 1/2 cord p/day on my own (if I'm hustling).
The splitter definitely lets you put more energy into stacking/bucking or whatever else.

I have only used what I own, so my reccomendation is 27 ton Cub Cadet vert/horiz w/the Honda motor. I can't stop this thing, and a bullet proof Honda to boot!

- also look into the cycle times on the splitters, some are quicker than others.

whotheguy said:

I posted a question a few days ago about how much wood can you split in a day. I'm not going to bring this question up in that thread so I started this one.

I'm thinking of buying a splitter. However I would like to know if you all think the splitting production would go up. I've only split using a maul, nothing else. I can do just under two cords a day but wondering if I could run a splitter and do more.

So, you splitter guys, how much can you do in splitting session? Your session can be 1 hour or 8, doesn't matter as I can calculate from your experience.

Also, if I'm looking for a splitter I would rather stay away from the manual jack thing. What would you all recommend based on your trials and errors.

Any advice would be appreciated.

Robert

Click to expand...

If I'm splitting Douglas Fir (God's own firewood) or bigleaf maple or alder I can split a cord in just over an hour using my 2.25lb Fiskars Pro Splitting Ax. A cord of hemlock takes about an hour and a half. But I'm youngish, strongish, and have split hundreds of cords of firewood in my life. I have yet to see the splitter/operator combo that can match me. One day, however, I will be old, fat, lazy, and broke down. At that point I might consider buying a splitter.

whotheguy said:

I'm thinking of buying a splitter. However I would like to know if you all think the splitting production would go up. I've only split using a maul, nothing else. I can do just under two cords a day but wondering if I could run a splitter and do more.

So, you splitter guys, how much can you do in splitting session? Your session can be 1 hour or 8, doesn't matter as I can calculate from your experience.

Also, if I'm looking for a splitter I would rather stay away from the manual jack thing. What would you all recommend based on your trials and errors.

Any advice would be appreciated.

Robert

Click to expand...

Robert, again there are some qualifications. It is not a case of how much one person can split per hour because as in hand splitting, everyone does not have the same abilities. Therefore it is difficult to compare the way you ask. The only way you could compare is by splitting a few cords, say 3, by hand and then attempt to get the same amount of wood of the same type and size and split with a splitter.

There are those who claim they can split by hand faster than with a splitter. I've never seen this happen (and doubt I ever will) but have read several claims. Now it might be possible if someone made that claim and then did both himself. Perhaps he has good technique with a maul or axe and poor technique using the splitter. So what good would be the comparison then?

Methinks also some might be comparing this way: Splitting with a maul just where the block sits thereby gaining the time it would take to put is onto a splitting block and then using the splitter in the horizontal position. I can see there where it could be possible.

However, once a person learns how to split with a splitter, his production goes up a lot; probably doubles. The same with someone just starting out splitting by hand. There is a lot of wasted effort and time until he learns the proper way....and it does take time working with many different types of wood.


Another point; last spring, for example, I split 9 cords of wood. I did not keep track of how long it took as I never set out to do the whole job at once. I work as long as I can and then stop until I am able to do more. Some days that might mean 1/2 hour and other days it might mean 3 hours. I do not hurry and never plan to.


This brings up the last point which is if a person is hurrying to split wood, he is only asking for some problems. People get hurt when they hurry and when they are tired. Splitting wood does not have to be dangerous...but it certainly can be! Therefore, it is not a competition.

We do not do what we do so we can say I'm faster than so-and-so or to tell how much we can do in a day or an hour or such. There is a certain amount of wood you need to put up every year. If you want to save some time and energy, you get a hydraulic splitter. If you want a physical workout or cannot afford a splitter, do it by hand.

If I go to the market looking for a splitter, the only thing I am concerned with is that it is built well, will it split what I need splitting and can it split vertically. Comparing cycle times is meaningless unless you are talking about some of those super slow things that some farmers try to use with their tractors. I've seen many and you would stand around a lot waiting for the ram to cycle. The higher ton splitters cycle faster but my little 20 ton does plenty fast for me. Cycle time does not mean a lot if you don't use the whole cycle. In other words, why use a 21" stoke when at times a 4-5" stoke works just fine? Technique.


So Robert, if you want to split your wood faster and with less effort, get yourself a splitter (I recommend nothing smaller than 20 ton) that will split in both horizontal and vertical. Learn how to do it right in the vertical position for the fastest and easiest method of splitting.

Robert, that last paragraph in my post says it. Yes, your production should go up quite a lot. In addition to that, your body will last a lot longer too!

SWI Don said:

The supersplit style of splitter looks like the fastest out there as long as you are not dealing with huge wood. I don't believe there is anything available to handle large rounds for them.

Click to expand...

I have a Supersplit and love it. I split huge wood with it, it just takes a few whacks. With clean wood 3 people( normal folks anyway ) can't keep up with it.

Splitting is my favorite part. I have split hundreds of real cords of firewood in my life, with my trusty old 6# maul. At this point in time, I wouldn't change a thing and I wouldn't want to be able to split wood any faster. The faster I split wood, the less time I spend doing my favorite thing!

I've messed around with mauls , wedges, bungee cords, tires, wood grenades and a little sand here and there since I was a kid.
I've pounded on Sugar Maple, Hickory, twisted swamp Maple....you name it.
I'm in good shape and can hold my own with a maul, but unless you live in a perfect world and all your trunks are straight grained, you'll be pounding away.
I move a lever now and watch knotted 20" lengths of Shagbark hickory split with ease.

WB

I bet I can beat the splitter with a maul. Well at least the for the first 5 rounds of single shot wood. Before I take out the splitter I save up the rounds until I have a few hours of splitting to do. It's a nice tool to have if you do a lot of burning and have the room to store it.

Tom

I figure I will save getting a splitter for when I can no longer easily split by hand. I know some of you say that your body will last longer, but I disagree, I think working my body will make it last longer. Part of the reason I am doing this is to get into shape physically and I am afraid the splitter will defeat that purpose a bit. As I get older I am sure it will become more of an option. I am 54 now, so it may not be that far off. But time will tell, as the maul swings.

On straight grained stuff, using the fiskars 4.5 lb axe, and at the youngish age of ~40 y.o., I think I can beat any homeowner-model hydraulic splitter. On knotty stuff, or elm, probably not.

But I cut my own wood, and anything too knotty to split by hand just gets left in the woods as compost for the next tree crop.

So, if you have the luxury of picking your species (i.e. avoiding elm) and picking your rounds (i.e. avoiding nasty knots) then splitting by hand is hard to beat for productivity.

Hydraulics are slow. The Supersplit is the fastest splitter out there. It will let you split more wood with less gas quicker by yourself that three guys with a hydraulic splitter. It has about a three second cycle time. I built my own rack and pinion splitter very much like a Supersplit. It took six years to get the bugs worked out but I figure the time I spent building it will quickly be recovered in shorter splitting times. With 10" rounds I make three slabs in two splits. I lay two down, one on top of the other, and make two more splits. I grab a second 10" round, do the same. Then take the two leftover slabs, stack them and make two more splits. Thats 18 pieces in 10 cycles of the splitter. Total cycle time about 30 seconds plus the amount of time it takes to handle the pieces. I dont spend time waiting on the splitter. I throw the pieces straight into the trailer not on the ground where I just have to pick them up again. I have split 24" logs in much the same way, busting them in half then slabbing about 3" thick and stacking two up and splitting pieces. I split everything small to less that 3" square. There is no way anyone other than a very few can out split a Supersplit by hand.

I think I can process more wood with a splitter than a maul. I spend less time in the shower in the morning easing the sore mucles and need less wood to eat less hot water also ;-) The spliiter does not seem to affect my beer consumption.

When i was younger i could out split a hydraulic 5.5 HP splitter .
What i would do is gather a pile of wood 5 cord +- then rent a splitter on saturday after noon 2pm for half a day 4 hrs and 1/4 the logs . It easy to split 1/4ers .

I
I have 3 splitters now 2 MTD and a Supper split . The SS is fast . 2 cord an hour with helpers . John

whotheguy said:

I'm not looking to enter into any contests in regards to splitting wood, I was just weighing the possibilities of being able to split more wood versus hand splitting. I realize none of you are me, and I'm not you, that's why I asked about splitter productivity. And yes, I do get tired doing it manually, but then again I have a hard time swallowing the price of a splitter. Especially that Timberwolf one that has the splitter head thing on it.

Thanks for the help all.

Robert

Click to expand...

Get yourself a Fiskars and hit that pile 20 minutes at a time. It'll be gone before you know it.

Backwoods Savage said:

Robert, that last paragraph in my post says it. Yes, your production should go up quite a lot. In addition to that, your body will last a lot longer too!

Click to expand...

I think you have to be careful, but the more excercise you get the longer your body will last (of course I'll never be sure, since I don't have the opportunity to try it both ways). Hold off on the splitter until you can't swing a maul anymore, and your heart and lungs will thank you. Besides, there is that ole 'wood warms you twice' saying that I don't think referred to sitting while splitting.