Wood Splitters

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Speed can be good but it can also be your enemy. That brand is probably okay if that is what you want. Consider your needs well before buying. It seems more and more folks want the big and super big splitters but rarely are they really needed. I think it is a status symbol for some. Our little 20 ton MTD is over 20 years old and has split well over 200 cords and the maintenance and repair costs so far has been only oil, gas and filters.
 
I would seriously think about the fact that they don't go vertical which means a lot of lifting and no large stump busting. They do look sexy however ;-) Its like splitter porn :lol:

Good luck
Pete
 
I have a 25 y/o SS and let me tell you I would not consider using a tradtional hydro splitter unless it was a Timberwolf TW-5(with a lift) or there abouts. I hate vertical splitters to begin with and I like horizontals with a lift and table. My SS splits much cleaner then the TW and runs on so little fuel its almost hard to believe the amount of work it delivers. I use a equiptment trailer as a staging table so Im not lifting from the ground. Alone I can put out a cord in about an hour and a half. stacking takes me longer. I hate stacking. love splitting and cutting. I would buy it again.
 
Pete1983 said:
I would seriously think about the fact that they don't go vertical which means a lot of lifting and no large stump busting. They do look sexy however ;-) Its like splitter porn :lol:

Good luck
Pete

if its too big it gets quartered ( noodled) on site before I load it. It has to get to the splitter somehow and that somehow is usually me and a tall 3500 cummins dually.
 
I would never use a splitter that makes me lift heavy objects all day long. Either a log lift or another means of getting the logs up there but lifting heavy will kill your body. I like my TroyBilt 27 ton Hor/vert. I only use it in vertical mode and simply roll the logs. What's the big controversy over hor -vs- vert anyway?
 
woodmiser said:
I only use it in vertical mode and simply roll the logs. What's the big controversy over hor -vs- vert anyway?

I would argue that standing up is less stressfull then sitting hunched over. Part of the answer lies on what your entire process is. If you unload to a staging table a horizontal isn't bad. of course a lift is better but I can out produce a vert with smaller wood by at least 40% with my SS and be back in the house sippin Merlot an hour sooner per cord. You say tomato I say tomahto...
 
Although I have never seen a ss working, I do wonder how they handle the big knotty wood? I have a 22 ton husky and if I had to do it all over again, I would buy it in a heartbeat. I've split some pretty big wood with it (worst was a 30" elm) .Being able to split vertical on occasion is a BIG advantage in my book. I split solo almost all the time so how fast do I really need a splitter?

Woodmiser- I think its more of a matter of what works best for each person, horizontal vs vertical? Of course, sav and zap are the exception! Lol......
 
wishlist said:
Although I have never seen a ss working, I do wonder how they handle the big knotty wood?

It's true you always see them splitting wood that's even easier and faster to split with an axe
 
woodmiser said:
What's the big controversy over hor -vs- vert anyway?
I have a hydraulic splitter that I run horizontal because I don't like bending and stooping any more than I have to. I would love to have a kinetic energy splitter as 80% of what I split would be ideal for it and the cycle time is awesome. Sure, I could split 80% of my wood with an axe but I don't want to. That's what I bought the splitter for. Sheesh!

As for the heavy lifting, that is my exercise program to strengthen my back. Weight bearing is essential to build bone density. IMHO, 90% of people with back pain incur their injury because of poor muscular support of their back. I know how to do the heavy lifting and heavy lifting has never given me back pain. Bending, stooping, twisting, and reaching is what hurts my back.
 
woodmiser said:
What's the big controversy over hor -vs- vert anyway?

Good vs evil..... Just ask Dennis. ;-)
 

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and be back in the house sippin Merlot an hour sooner per cord. You say tomato I say tomahto...

Well, see.. there's your problem... sipping wine instead of chugging a cold brew when you're done for the day.
 
I don't know... I roll the logs to the splitter. some stooping but no lifting while stooping. I stage a bunch of rounds close to the splitter and sit my butt on a standing round.
So for me, it just doesn't make sense to take 40-50 lbs that was originally on the ground and lifting it 2-3 feet..... ever. Unless I had a lift. I see those who pick up wood and have to load a pickup truck or a trailer. You have already done the lifting or rolling so if you take them right off of the higher plane and directly onto the splitter I guess it's not too bad. In my case, all of my logs are on the ground. It would be plain stupid of me to be lifting the rounds up onto a splitter when I don't have to lift them at all..... ever.
 
wetwood said:
woodmiser said:
What's the big controversy over hor -vs- vert anyway?

Good vs evil..... Just ask Dennis. ;-)
The Devil is in the details.
 
I'm bi-axial. I haven't been splitting with hyrdro power very long but I've found there are times when I'm very glad to have a splitter than goes vertical. I stage a bunch of real large, heavy rounds in reach of my stump seat and sit 'n split. For smaller rounds I set a smaller, heavy duty pallet on top of two sawhorses right next to the beam, opposite of where I stand when splitting horizontally. I can stage five or six rounds, three layers high, on that table and just grab one as I need it. I also use the table to hold half of the round while I further split the other half.

Both settings work well for me. We all have to find the grove that works best for our particular situations and bodies.
 
LLigetfa said:
woodmiser said:
It would be plain stupid of me to be lifting the rounds up onto a splitter when I don't have to lift them at all..... ever.
Said by someone who probably pays for a gym membership to be able to go lift weights.

Most of my rounds at the time of splitting are in a stack or a heap so very few of them are being lifted up from the ground.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-z-_-65Zlwdk/ShB_2jg4RyI/AAAAAAAAAVg/bQY2T2YJcmM/s640/100_0343.JPG


Do the rounds toward the bottom of the piles and stacks magically float up to waist height after the others are removed? ;-)
 
LOL.... and no.. no gym membership and my MRI tells me not to bother. Controlled lifting at a gym is one thing.. logs of various sizes and shapes in precarious positions can do a number on your back. Be careful. The worst thing you can do is lift and twist... got me good once years ago. Be careful.
 
Kenster said:
Do the rounds toward the bottom of the piles and stacks magically float up to waist height after the others are removed? ;-)
The rounds in the heap are light. The rounds in the stack are the largest ones and I use my P-handle dolly to move them which gets it up off the ground for a clean lift. My back has never gotten sore from heavy lifting but just a little bit of painting or leaf raking and I'm gimped.
 
wishlist said:
Although I have never seen a ss working, I do wonder how they handle the big knotty wood? I have a 22 ton husky and if I had to do it all over again, I would buy it in a heartbeat. I've split some pretty big wood with it (worst was a 30" elm) .Being able to split vertical on occasion is a BIG advantage in my book. I split solo almost all the time so how fast do I really need a splitter?

Woodmiser- I think its more of a matter of what works best for each person, horizontal vs vertical? Of course, sav and zap are the exception! Lol......

Not too much of a problem with the big knotty stuff. for the most part if its too big it gets noodled into manageable sections. What you don't like an excuse to pull out a 066 or a 395xp to scare the neighbors ??? I run 36" oak in my SS all the time. I just finished a few cords of nasty maple base junk that was about 48" dbh prior to meeting the 385xp. I split 1 cord with my buddies TW6 on site and 1 1/2 cords back at home with my SS. Really wasn't too much of a difference once quartered. You do have to "read" grains and pay attention as the SS behaves more like a maul then a hydro but realistically you need to know how to read wood in a hydro too. Its always fun when I run the SS with someone for the first time as they back away and look startled at the speed. after a while they get the point and see how safe it is and we get to havin fun.
 
Funny that most folks who say horizontal splitting is the way to go also are the ones who have to have extra equipment. As for the standing vs. sitting part, standing in one spot is one of the worst things I can do for my back, so I sit. In fact, most of my exercise is acquired by walking around looking for a place to sit.

Fortunately I don't split 36" oak very often but have done it....vertically. So those splitting horizontally either have to manually lift those logs else have machinery to do it which means extra cost. As for sitting and hunching, I can't say because I don't hunch. I do sit and most logs I can roll onto the splitter one handed if need be. When I can no longer reach the wood that has to be split, I simply stand up and move the splitter then sit back down again. I do not want to lift any more than absolutely possible. No, I was not always that way and perhaps when I was a young lad I caused some of the problems I have today by doing lots of heavy lifting. Shoot, we used to have contests at the sawmill on a regular basis to see how much one could lift. I was the skinny guy but could outlift most men. My mistake.

Yes, some of the wood I split with the hydraulics can easily be split with an axe or maul and I have probably done more of this than most folks. However, the body is getting a bit older and is hurting most of the time so I do things the easiest way I can find. The easiest way to split with a hydraulic splitter is simply to do the same as if splitting by hand. That is, stand that log up and split it vertically. Btw, even when I split wood using axe or maul, I still did not believe in lifting those logs but we see most folks lifting those logs onto a splitting platform of some sort. Not me. I just stood them up where they were and split them. No lifting. Besides, God intended us to split vertically....
 
Backwoods Savage said:
. Btw, even when I split wood using axe or maul, I still did not believe in lifting those logs but we see most folks lifting those logs onto a splitting platform of some sort. Not me. I just stood them up where they were and split them. No lifting. Besides, God intended us to split vertically....

Yup I split by hand off the ground and not off another stump. I like my shins and really never come close to missing the round and hitting the body off the ground. Off a stump the angle lets you come close sometimes.

Funny, to me splitting vertically is something a low volume operation does. Ya just dont see too many pro's doing it that way for a living. Must be something to it ...:)
 
The pros almost always have the extra equipment. And real pros use processors.
 
Besides, God intended us to split vertically....[/quote]

Haha I like that Dennis!

Pete
 
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