Best Birthday Gift

[kevinlp]

Earlier this month I celebrated my 30th birthday. My wife appreciating the effort I have put in the past three years in hand splitting our firewood (~2 cords per year), rented me a wood splitter for the day.

It was commercial grade 26 Ton unit. All I can say is amazing. I cleaned up my pile of rounds in about 9 hours. The biggest pieces I had were 36" in diameter. The splitter never once had any trouble. It barely ever reved up any extra. Most rounds were popped after the wedge traveled 1/4" into the round.

The pile of rounds was 3 rows by about 20 ft in length.

 

[kevinlp]

Pile and Splitter

 

[kevinlp]

After picture 1

 

[kevinlp]

After Picture 2

 

[kevinlp]

Working on stacking it all and finishing filling my pallets. A chunk of it will sit until spring as I am almost out of stacking room. I should be all supplied through next winter and hopefully Winter '10

Now I have time to build a covering over the woodpile so I don't have to deal with tarps anymore.

I am out of rounds so this fall and winter I will be removing the dead / downed trees from the woods.

 

[BrotherBart]

Oh to be 30 again (I have socks older than that) and be able to think that busting my butt for nine hours was fun. :lol: Of course I remember back on the first day I had my splitter after using a maul for years. You would have thought I was on crack! It is a wonder I didn't split the furniture.

Good job and Happy Birthday.

 

[tkirk22]

Two thumbs up to your wife for renting you the splitter.

She is a keeper...but you can only keep one...the wife...or the splitter...make the wise choice ;-)

 

[bill*67]

happy b-day kevin. you'll have to let us know when you buy a splitter for yourself.

 

[savageactor7]

Holy Cow... Kevin must be an iron man to stay at a splitter for 9hr's...now do something nice for your wife...

.

 

[flashbang]

If you do the numbers it may be cost effective for you to buy a 27 ton convertible splitter from lowes/Depot off season for $1299.00. It depends how much your time is worth.
I was nice to get the rental but at 27 if you rented it you would have had a lot of more free time over the past years.

 

[btj1031]

If you do the numbers it may be cost effective for you to buy a 27 ton convertible splitter from lowes/Depot off season for $1299.00.

I was just at Lowes thinking this myself. It generally is more cost effective to spend the cash to purchase a product you'll likely need and rent a lot in the future. With this thing, the more pole wood you buy or harvest off of your land vs. wood you get cut for you, or the more wood you burn vs use other fuel, the more $ you save. Of course the other big question is do you have/want to spend the cash today? That's why its nice when someone answers the question for you and gets you one for your birthday.

 

[bmwbj]

I have a friend who works at Home Depot, and after 3 years they sell off there old
rental splitters for almost half price. I got mine for the trade of an old Buick station wagon that he
needed. So it did not cost me anything for the splitter. I have split about 20 cords with it so far and
only had to add gas to it...lol

 

[johnsopi]

Renting vs buying. every time I rent I go though this.

 

[Adios Pantalones]

If you save up wood and just need one for a few days a year, then you're probably going to have a 10 year payback and have to store it. If you process more than enough every year, then eventually you're going to have rotten woodpiles

It's nice to have it as needed though- most of us get wood in dribs and drabs (half cord-cord at a time). If I only got my wood in grapple/triaxel loads then I would buck it all and rent the splittah. I need one for kiln wood too, so I split maybe 8-10 cord a year plus whatever I bank for future years so I bought.

Oh- and that's a great gift. She knows you well.