Considering a wood splitter

[enchant]

A couple friends and I are considering going in on a wood splitter. None of us can justify buying one ourselves, but since we all rent one for a day or two each year, this might be a good idea. But I have a couple of concerns.

We're looking primarily at 22-25 ton units sold at the big box stores. Since it seems like the smallest common gas splitter is 22 tons, I was worried that it wouldn't be able to handle the occasionally knotty oak logs that I get. I'm not talking anything massive - maybe 18". But from what I've read in various threads on this forum, a 22 ton would probably be fine, and from what I've read, smaller means faster cycle time.

Speaking of cycle time... RuggedMade is just a couple exits up the highway from me, so I was considering them. On one of their machines, the cycle time is listed as:
20” = 12 sec; 24” = 14 sec
All other machines I've seen have a single number. Are these other manufacturers measuring the cycle time for a full 24" (and RuggedMade is being sneaky) or are they measuring only a short distance (and *they* are being sneaky)? I'm trying to compare apples to apples.

Now about towing... Whenever I see this brought up, the rule is always something like "keep it under 45mph". But this has to assume that all road conditions are the same, which they are NOT. If I bring it onto the limited access highway and drive it at 60mph, the road surface will be silky smooth. However, if I drive it on back roads at 45mph, I'm far more likely to hit some rough road conditions. Certainly I'm going to use my brain about this and not hit a pothole or raised manhole cover at 45mph, but when they say "45mph", do they really mean "45mph on an international airport runway, but more like 25mph on your typical New England road"? I'm wondering if a utility trailer might have to be a mandatory part of this purchase.

 

[Ashful]

My own personal experience is that my 22-ton machine has handled everything I've put to it. I also used a 19- or 20-ton machine from Iron and Oak, before I bought my 22-ton, and that one would occasionally hit something that stopped it, so it seems to me 22-tons is just enough to get over the hump of what I'm splitting.

As to what I'm splitting, it's mostly oak and ash, and mostly larger stuff. I would say most of what I get is in the 24" - 48" diameter range, and after noodling the largest of those into manageable slabs, this splitter handles it all. I tend to leave knotting and crotchy stuff rot in the woods, where it belongs, though.

Speeds and wheels, it really comes down to the bearings. If you're going to be towing it, be sure to lube them annually. You'd do even better to tow it on a trailer.

 

[GadDummit]

For towing, 45mph is the TOP on the rule of thumb on a silky smooth road to be safe. One bridge, one pothole, one wonky piece of pavement and it can flip your splitter sideways which catapults it the other direction. Imagine the fun.
I like to grease my bearings every time I go on a trip more than 10 minutes away, but I've had a hub blow before so I'm gun-shy. That's an expensive lesson!

 

[Seasoned Oak]

I rented the biggest splitter i could get, i think 30+ ton.Still got stuck in those knotty tree crotches half a dozen times. Plus the dumbest design in history, the exhaust blew right in your face while splitting. I had to find a big sheet of plywood to put between the exhaust and the work area.a

 

[Ashful]

I rented the biggest splitter i could get, i think 30+ ton.Still got stuck in those knotty tree crotches half a dozen times. Plus the dumbest design in history, the exhaust blew right in your face while splitting. I had to find a big sheet of plywood to put between the exhaust and the work area.a

Lesson: leave the crotches in the woods. Even if you could split them, they don’t stack nice, and they never dry very well.

 

[Woody5506]

I bought a 27 ton Ariens and it's gone through everything I've thrown at it with ease, and the main reason I bought it was to get through piles of sycamore and elm. These have been the worst woods I've split yet, and the term split is used lightly here since technically they just mashed apart. I felt bad putting my splitter through that garbage, but again, it got through it without quitting like a 22 ton Troy-bilt did.

If you're that concerned about cycle time, I'd recommend a kinetic splitter. Seems to me whatever the time is listed as doesn't matter much when you're not even technically fully cycling it most of the time anyway with easier to split woods than what I mentioned above. One thing I'm not crazy about on my splitter is the Subaru engine.

As far as towing, a utility trailer is the best way to go. I have towed mine around town, I would guess a total of 30+ miles since I've had it with no issues, and I definitely got distracted and went over 45 here and there. It's do-able but I really don't enjoy towing it.

 

[kennyp2339]

A good way to break up a friendship is to go in equals on a wearable item, like a log splitter

 

[Ashful]

Seems to me whatever the time is listed as doesn't matter much when you're not even technically fully cycling it most of the time anyway with easier to split woods than what I mentioned above.

There’s good logic in this argument, but in my experience, this is not correct. I have split wood on splitters with cycle time varying from 6 seconds to almost 12 seconds, and have found that the amount of wood I can split per day very much depends on that cycle time. This is hard data, developed over the course of splitting 80+ cords of wood on 3 different splitters in the last 7 years, not theory.

When you’re splitting across the rings, as one does when quartering a round, I usually do need nearly full strokes in the woods I’m splitting. By “need”, I mean to split it full enough that I don’t waste any saved seconds wrestling the two splits apart after “splitting”, and this opinion may be unique to the woods I’m splitting (mostly oak and ash). Oak pops fast when reducing the size of a wedge, tangent to the rings, but that operation is only done on stuff over 14 inches diameter. Even if all wood is large, the amount of time spent splitting tangent to the growth rings is much less than the time spent splitting across the rings.

 

[peakbagger]

I know several folks who share a splitter. It comes down to how well they get along.

 

[enchant]

We've been good friends since LBJ was president. We can survive sharing a wood splitter.

 

[Woody5506]

There’s good logic in this argument, but in my experience, this is not correct. I have split wood on splitters with cycle time varying from 6 seconds to almost 12 seconds, and have found that the amount of wood I can split per day very much depends on that cycle time. This is hard data, developed over the course of splitting 80+ cords of wood on 3 different splitters in the last 7 years, not theory.

.

Do you use a kinetic splitter?

 

[Ashful]

Do you use a kinetic splitter?

Nope, hydraulic.

Slowest was my 22-ton with 4 inch cylinder and 11 gpm pump. Fastest was an I/O 19 or 20 ton with 3.5” cylinder on 16 gpm pump. My current rig is in between, 4” cylinder on 16 gpm pump, best of both worlds. All of these pumps are run 20% above rated capacity (ie 3600 rpm on a pump rated at 3000 rpm).

Awhile back, I determined my dream splitter would be a 400cc motor and 22 gpm pump on a 4” cylinder. That requires cylinder and tank port sizing that’s not easy to come by, unless you’re going to fab it all yourself.

 

[saewoody]

Do you use a kinetic splitter?

I have one and love it. I find it slices right through all that elm and sycamore you hAve. Wouldn’t want to go back to a hydraulic. There are some pieces I won’t bother fighting with (crooked crotch pieces and such) that I would have with a hydraulic, but those just end up in the fire pit pile.

As far as the OPs question: I used a 22 ton Huskee (Speeco splitter I believe) for 3-4 years and never had a piece I couldn’t get through. Never stalled out on me. Always got thought the oak crotches.


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[Woody5506]

I really considered kinetic last year when I was shopping for a splitter but the main reason I didn't go for it was because I couldn't find a dealer near me who sold any. Didn't really feel comfortable buying one online without seeing it in person. I don't regret going hydraulic but I'd love to try a kinetic.

my statement on cycle time "not mattering much" I admit is exaggerated but even with the 15 second cycle time of my Ariens, I hardly feel like I'm working slow. I do wonder sometimes where the line is drawn between cycle time vs "user cycle time" or in other words worker speed vs machine speed.

Whatever splitter you get make sure it has an automatic return...The Troybilt I used didn't have one, and the amount of time it saves makes a big difference IMO.

 

[Ashful]

my statement on cycle time "not mattering much" I admit is exaggerated but even with the 15 second cycle time of my Ariens, I hardly feel like I'm working slow. I do wonder sometimes where the line is drawn between cycle time vs "user cycle time" or in other words worker speed vs machine speed.

I’ve spent some considerable time thinking about this, as I was hot-rodding my splitter last summer, and came to the fairly loose/uncalculated conclusion that there is no “line”. No matter how slow you are as an operator, time saved waiting for that cylinder to plow thru the log is still time saved. Operator speed does not influence seconds saved by a faster machine, it only influences what percentage of total time saved can be attributed to the splitter, or total net minutes saved due to how many lots you managed to split in a session. But faster will always be faster, no matter what the ratios of operator to machine speed are.

I bring home logs, buck them into lengths, and then move the splitter to the logs. I park my front-end loader next to the outfeed nest on the splitter, so I can toss them right into the bucket from my position at the splitter. In this way, my “operator speed” is very fast, while I’m running the splitter. Thus, increasing splitter speed has a very noticeable impact on my thruput, while the splitter is running.

Whatever splitter you get make sure it has an automatic return...The Troybilt I used didn't have one, and the amount of time it saves makes a big difference IMO.

Definitely. I didn’t even know anyone made a commercial splitter today, without this function!

 

[shoot-straight]

my cheap 22ton one from TSC has been perfectly serviceable. never not gotten the job done, even on some gnarly oak. always starts, happy with speed.

only issue i had was a mouse that built a nest up in the flywheel. didnt find out till i pulled the cord. it was a nasty mess. cleaning it up was no fun- smelling the residue cook off wasnt pleasant either.

 

[Ashful]

only issue i had was a mouse that built a nest up in the flywheel. didnt find out till i pulled the cord. it was a nasty mess. cleaning it up was no fun- smelling the residue cook off wasnt pleasant either.

Maybe it was the cook?

“Mmm... needs pepper.”

 

[xman23]

I think sharing one can work just fine. Just have a few upfront rules, buy outs, etc. Best if its kept inside. Not much maintenance. Good gas and a few engine oil changes. I tow mine 3 or 4 miles at 45, just avoid big bumps. When I had to go 75 miles I loaded it into a trailer.