Ok......

[Occo370]

I finally stacked that wood. Approx 5 pickup loads I'd oak. Approx 6 hrs of splitting. I ended up with just over 2 cords. So I guess it is worth renting the splitter 1 tome per year with those results as opposed to buying one. Since I am ahead about 3 yes

 

[onetracker]

I finally stacked that wood. Approx 5 pickup loads I'd oak. Approx 6 hrs of splitting. I ended up with just over 2 cords. So I guess it is worth renting the splitter 1 tome per year with those results as opposed to buying one. Since I am ahead about 3 yes

sounds like a plan...we do what works best for us

in late winter i rent a splitter $70 and quarter (or 1/8th) all the huge rounds....5 cords worth in one day. saves a massive amount of time and work. then i split them down to stove logs more easliy by hand.

$70/yr by $1200 for a splitter works out to 17 years before i spend the $1200
would i rather have a splitter of my own so i can do an hour here and there before or after dinner?
yes.
is it easier to get stove logs split to the optimal size with a splitter than a maul?
yes
is there less waste?
yes

but due to lack of cash flow....i'll be renting for a while

OT

 

[cnice_37]

in late winter i rent a splitter $70 and quarter (or 1/8th) all the huge rounds....5 cords worth in one day. saves a massive amount of time and work. then i split them down to stove logs more easliy by hand.

$70/yr by $1200 for a splitter works out to 17 years before i spend the $1200

While your plan sounds good, your math fails to take into account the resale value of a splitter. Similar to renting/ buying a home. You have 0 equity after 17 years and a hydraulic splitter offers pretty decent resale value. Not sure what opportunity cost there is with that $1200 but just wanted to point this out.

 

[Remmy122]

I did 3-4 cord last year (and over the summer... never again) all by hand. This year Im hoping to stock pile rounds and then rent the splitter over a 3 day weekend. Around here is you rent it Friday afternoon its charged as a half day till you return it the next tuesday.

Im hoping that makes the work alot easier.

 

[lowroadacres]

The other thing that the calculations don't include is the maintenance and the differential in the quality of splitter one can afford to rent versus purchase. We are able to rent a splitfire worth about 4 grand to purchase for less than a hundred dollars for a weekend. I turn it back in after working it like a dog and don't worry for second about oil, hydraulic fluid, the tires, or insurance.

As pointed out it would be nice to have a splitter for an hour here and an hour there but when I look at my cash flow the rental deal is a way better bet for us.

Now, if it works this coming weekend, a friend of ours has a Wallenstein processor that we will work hard for a few hours, I will give him some of the wood or some groceries for his time. In exchange we get a good portion of the 2012-13 winter wood done ahead of time.

 

[onetracker]

in late winter i rent a splitter $70 and quarter (or 1/8th) all the huge rounds....5 cords worth in one day. saves a massive amount of time and work. then i split them down to stove logs more easliy by hand.

$70/yr by $1200 for a splitter works out to 17 years before i spend the $1200

While your plan sounds good, your math fails to take into account the resale value of a splitter. Similar to renting/ buying a home. You have 0 equity after 17 years and a hydraulic splitter offers pretty decent resale value. Not sure what opportunity cost there is with that $1200 but just wanted to point this out.

thanks so much for pointing that out.
i musta been breathing too many fumes to not see this.

OT

 

[pdxdave]

The other thing that the calculations don't include is the maintenance and the differential in the quality of splitter one can afford to rent versus purchase. We are able to rent a splitfire worth about 4 grand to purchase for less than a hundred dollars for a weekend. I turn it back in after working it like a dog and don't worry for second about oil, hydraulic fluid, the tires, or insurance.

As pointed out it would be nice to have a splitter for an hour here and an hour there but when I look at my cash flow the rental deal is a way better bet for us.

Now, if it works this coming weekend, a friend of ours has a Wallenstein processor that we will work hard for a few hours, I will give him some of the wood or some groceries for his time. In exchange we get a good portion of the 2012-13 winter wood done ahead of time.

Not to mention that if you are to count the 'resale' value of the splitter after 17 years, then by the very same token you must count the Present Value (PV) compared to the Future Value (FV) of your cash in 17 years. Let's assume you can find a VERY modest 5% return investment for your cash.
FV = PV (1+i)^n
FV = $1200(1+0.05)^17
FV = $1200(2.292)
FV = $2750

Basically, unless you are running a business, and not just splitting up your 4 or 5 cords each year over a weekend, renting is way better.

 

[JDC1]

The other thing that the calculations don't include is the maintenance and the differential in the quality of splitter one can afford to rent versus purchase. We are able to rent a splitfire worth about 4 grand to purchase for less than a hundred dollars for a weekend. I turn it back in after working it like a dog and don't worry for second about oil, hydraulic fluid, the tires, or insurance.

As pointed out it would be nice to have a splitter for an hour here and an hour there but when I look at my cash flow the rental deal is a way better bet for us.

Now, if it works this coming weekend, a friend of ours has a Wallenstein processor that we will work hard for a few hours, I will give him some of the wood or some groceries for his time. In exchange we get a good portion of the 2012-13 winter wood done ahead of time.

Not to mention that if you are to count the 'resale' value of the splitter after 17 years, then by the very same token you must count the Present Value (PV) compared to the Future Value (FV) of your cash in 17 years. Let's assume you can find a VERY modest 5% return investment for your cash.
FV = PV (1+i)^n
FV = $1200(1+0.05)^17
FV = $1200(2.292)
FV = $2750

Basically, unless you are running a business, and not just splitting up your 4 or 5 cords each year over a weekend, renting is way better.

I can see the value in renting vs. buying. Something to consider is to purchase used. I just picked up a 3 yo barely used 27 ton Huskee for $550 from an older gentleman that is getting out of woodburning. I dont ever see it depreciating very much from the price I paid for it.

 

[onetracker]

The other thing that the calculations don't include is the maintenance and the differential in the quality of splitter one can afford to rent versus purchase. We are able to rent a splitfire worth about 4 grand to purchase for less than a hundred dollars for a weekend. I turn it back in after working it like a dog and don't worry for second about oil, hydraulic fluid, the tires, or insurance.

As pointed out it would be nice to have a splitter for an hour here and an hour there but when I look at my cash flow the rental deal is a way better bet for us.

Now, if it works this coming weekend, a friend of ours has a Wallenstein processor that we will work hard for a few hours, I will give him some of the wood or some groceries for his time. In exchange we get a good portion of the 2012-13 winter wood done ahead of time.

Not to mention that if you are to count the 'resale' value of the splitter after 17 years, then by the very same token you must count the Present Value (PV) compared to the Future Value (FV) of your cash in 17 years. Let's assume you can find a VERY modest 5% return investment for your cash.
FV = PV (1+i)^n
FV = $1200(1+0.05)^17
FV = $1200(2.292)
FV = $2750

Basically, unless you are running a business, and not just splitting up your 4 or 5 cords each year over a weekend, renting is way better.

I can see the value in renting vs. buying. Something to consider is to purchase used. I just picked up a 3 yo barely used 27 ton Huskee for $550 from an older gentleman that is getting out of woodburning. I dont ever see it depreciating very much from the price I paid for it.

yep that's a great deal if you can find them.

i NEVER see a used splitter anywhere. except hilarious pieces of junk, homemade, trees feel on them etc.

another choice is to buy one between 4 people. problem is i have no neighbors. actually, that's not a problem at all.

 

[Kyle19]

Another thought to keep in mind is maybe you could "Split" a slitter with some other guys. I didn't have the money to lay out right now for my own new spitter but i got 3 other guys from work and we chipped in together to get a 37 ton brand mew Huskee Splitter. We all live within a few miles of one another and it costs us $475/each. Maybe you can make it work that way for you....good luck

 

[rottiman]

[quote author="Kyle19" date="1318306775"]Another thought to keep in mind is maybe you could "Split" a slitter with some other guys. I didn't have the money to lay out right now for my own new spitter but i got 3 other guys from work and we chipped in together to get a 37 ton brand mew Huskee Splitter. We all live within a few miles of one another and it costs us $475/each. Maybe you can make it work that way for you....good luck[/quo

Had a buddy who did that with 3 other friends. Everytime he wanted to use it, one of the partners had let some relative, who let some friend use it. Aside from having a hard time locating it, it was worn out in two years. Recipe for aggravation going that route.

 

[fossil]

Movin' this thread over to The Gear forum.

 

[cnice_37]

Let's assume you can find a VERY modest 5% return investment for your cash.
FV = PV (1+i)^n
FV = $1200(1+0.05)^17
FV = $1200(2.292)
FV = $2750

Basically, unless you are running a business, and not just splitting up your 4 or 5 cords each year over a weekend, renting is way better.

Money markets disagree with your 5%.

I bought my Timberwolf TW-P1 used for $1300. 2 years old and worth $2200 new, the guy was upgrading and just wanted a better trade in value than at the dealer.

In 17 years the cylinder, valve, and pump on that splitter will be worth $500. Add on the Honda engine, and I'd sell it in a day for that asking price.

Maintenance costs are minimal if you can do things yourself. Time is the real cost there, and I got sick real quick of doing the 2 day heroics and hurting the next week for it.

Everyone's situation is different and I was just hoping to give a long term perspective. Too many times people think of a lower mortgage payment as a great thing, until they figure out that the extra 15 years on the mortgage cost them a couple hundred thousand dollars.

 

[cnice_37]

in late winter i rent a splitter $70 and quarter (or 1/8th) all the huge rounds....5 cords worth in one day. saves a massive amount of time and work. then i split them down to stove logs more easliy by hand.

$70/yr by $1200 for a splitter works out to 17 years before i spend the $1200

While your plan sounds good, your math fails to take into account the resale value of a splitter. Similar to renting/ buying a home. You have 0 equity after 17 years and a hydraulic splitter offers pretty decent resale value. Not sure what opportunity cost there is with that $1200 but just wanted to point this out.

thanks so much for pointing that out.
i musta been breathing too many fumes to not see this.

OT

Not a problem.

 

[hossthehermit]

Then there's the SOB that pulls up and hooks onto it some night and it's gone.

 

[MrWhoopee]

Then there's the SOB that pulls up and hooks onto it some night and it's gone.

Now that's the guy who knows how to keep his costs down!

My friends and I do the sharing thing. It seems odd to me that everyone in my neighborhood has to have his own 30+ton splitter when no one uses his more than 50-100 hours per year. Sharing just makes sense. Be sure to get reliable partners.

Homelite electric splitter $300 shared between 2 of us, 3 years usage so far = $50/yr. ea

1968 GMC wood truck with Meyer ST-90 snow plow, $1500 (minimum value of plow =$1750), free truck split 3 ways = free truck. Even with keeping the plow (which 2 of us need), registration, insurance and some necessary repairs, we're each into the thing less than $800. Everything split 3 ways, we're thinking about pimping this thing out.

 

[firefighterjake]

Then there's the SOB that pulls up and hooks onto it some night and it's gone.

Had a few incidents of thievery around here as of late . . . which prompted me to take a length of chain and decent lock over to the neighbor who has borrowed my splitter . . . I figure it only really keeps the lazy thieves from stealing the splitter, but it's better than nothing.

 

[MrWhoopee]

Had a few incidents of thievery around here as of late . . . which prompted me to take a length of chain and decent lock over to the neighbor who has borrowed my splitter . . . I figure it only really keeps the lazy thieves from stealing the splitter, but it's better than nothing.

That will deter 95% or better, the rest you're not going to stop. I knew of a business that put a good quality padlock on their dumpster to prevent unauthorized dumping. Someone actually went to the trouble of using bolt cutters to cut it off when there were unsecured dumpsters just up the alley! Go figure!