First time splitting vertical!

[10range]

I had my first chance to split vertical today and am hooked! (still need to find a milk crate though )

I was finally able to purchase a Huskee 22 ton splitter this last weekend and used it for the first time today. Up to this point I have been using a splitter on a 3pt hitch on the back of a Farmall 460. Great tractor but is probably the most cold blooded piece of machinery I have ever used.

The Huskee is much quicker on cycle time and will use less gas so over the long run, it will probably pay for itself in fuel savings.

Just a couple of observations. I am not sure why B&S did not put some sort of choke on the motor. The first time I tried to start it I had no luck. I ended up putting a piece of tape over about 75% of the air filter intake to act as a choke. Seemed to work ok. Also I had to use the primer bulb more than what the manual says. I had to pump it 10-12 times and then it would start. I think both of these issues may be better once things warm up, it has been around 30 the last couple of days.

Glad I finally was able to make this purchase. I split about half a cord today and my back feels much better than normal, probably mostly due to splitting vertical.

 

[Fifelaker]

I pump mine a lot more when cold. I also drained the oil and went full synthetic and re gapped the plug to0.025" to make starting a bit easier. I still have to run a heater on it when it's really cold.

 

[Jags]

Primer bulbs are supposed to take the place of the choke. I am not sure that I am sold on the idea for cold weather operation.

 

[razerface]

i hate primer bulbs! Techumseh has them too. Even when new,,they can leak and not work. Then sometimes you have to keep pumping after it starts.

 

[Dieselhead]

Horizontal is much quicker for me, however I need to use vertical to quarter some of the larger rounds I acquire

 

[missedbass]

I roll the rounds over and split vertical, why lift them up?

 

[Backwoods Savage]

I had my first chance to split vertical today and am hooked! (still need to find a milk crate though )

I was finally able to purchase a Huskee 22 ton splitter this last weekend and used it for the first time today. Up to this point I have been using a splitter on a 3pt hitch on the back of a Farmall 460. Great tractor but is probably the most cold blooded piece of machinery I have ever used.

The Huskee is much quicker on cycle time and will use less gas so over the long run, it will probably pay for itself in fuel savings.

Just a couple of observations. I am not sure why B&S did not put some sort of choke on the motor. The first time I tried to start it I had no luck. I ended up putting a piece of tape over about 75% of the air filter intake to act as a choke. Seemed to work ok. Also I had to use the primer bulb more than what the manual says. I had to pump it 10-12 times and then it would start. I think both of these issues may be better once things warm up, it has been around 30 the last couple of days.

Glad I finally was able to make this purchase. I split about half a cord today and my back feels much better than normal, probably mostly due to splitting vertical.

For sure there will be a big difference from using the old Farmall. As for the choke, our splitter motor had a choke and a throttle. I hate the way they have gone to starting the engine with full throttle! Shoot, I rarely even run ours at full throttle but instead, about 3/4 at most. It still is fast enough for me.

One more thing is that we don't even use our splitter in the winter months. Instead, we sort of half stack the wood and after snow melt we simply run the splitter up beside the pile and go to work. Naturally, every so often we have to move the splitter ahead a few feet but that is easy enough.

 

[CenterTree]

I had my first chance to split vertical today and am hooked! (still need to find a milk crate though ).............

Enlighten me on the "milk crate" deal please.

 

[Gboutdoors]

It's called sit and split

 

[Firewood Bandit]

Primer bulbs are supposed to take the place of the choke. I am not sure that I am sold on the idea for cold weather operation.

I have heard of nothing but problems with primer bulbs rather than chokes in cold weather.

The B/S 1450 on my Speeco has a 5 position choke and it generally starts on the first pull cold. (it is in a heated garage though and seldom below 40)

I only split vertically on very large rounds. I then just get on my knees and split into half or quarters if very large. Once they are small enough to pick up it's horizontal.

 

[basswidow]

To me, a milk crate would seem to low. I usually sit on a large round turned up on it's end and use a seat cushion on top of that. I prefer vertical. Congrats on your new splitter!

 

[xman23]

To me, a milk crate would seem to low. I usually sit on a large round turned up on it's end and use a seat cushion on top of that. I prefer vertical. Congrats on your new splitter!

I'm a 5 gallon bucket with a cushion guy. Maybe a short fat one. For me the light weight of the seat makes it easy to move around as I move rounds and splits. Ideally you never move off the seat, but with real big stuff it's hard to do. Last year I discovered. rather than sitting to one side, sitting in front of the ram allows you to load rounds and move splits from either side.
Maybe milk crate inventor himself will chime in and explain why the milk create is the perfect seat.

 

[Backwoods Savage]

Usually when the guys are mentioning the milk crate they are referring to how we do it.

Many say it is too low and I admit, it is low but we have found it to be almost perfect. It gets you down to the level of the log and the control handle but the biggest thing is that it makes the work much easier. For example, I'm not as strong as I once was and have a terrible back. Yet lifting a log if it has to be lifted is very easy at this height because I can place my elbows on my thighs and my elbows in effect become like a fulcrum which makes my arms have great leverage. In addition, if I have to reach with the pickeroon, the height I am at puts the point at the right angle to really dig into the log and then it is easy bring the log to me.

A few years back I had my second hip replacement. That year I had to sit higher and for sure it made the work a whole lot harder to do. Was glad when that thing healed.

 

[mudr]

Someone should make a tee shirt for vertical splitting, like the englander "here's yer shirt".....

 

[xman23]

Perfect explanation and picture of how it's done Dennis. Large rounds in one side and the splits out the other.

 

[embers aplenty]

I'm for sure not as young as I use to be and I'm all for whatevers easier but I just don't care much for vertical splitting. I just do it on the big rounds that I have too. I normally use my X27 to quarter big rounds if their not too difficult, then go horizontal.

I like putting my wheelbarrow on the oppisite side of my splitter to catch what ever goes over the cradle, and just let if fill up, which makes a good extended cradle. With my shoulder and outer arm arthritis, I can't throw the splits sitting down or get to more logs like I like too. I get cold sitting down as I normally split in the winter when I'm laid off from work.

Hey, whatever works best for the operator is most important. If vertical works for you. I'm all for it.

 

[velvetfoot]

I sit on a cushion covered 16" round. I toss the splits into a wheelbarrow and move it to where it gets stacked.