Horizontal vs Vertical

[Jags]

That is the size of stuff I really like to work up. Medium to large(ish) rounds. Not so much leaving the splitter to grab more wood.

 

[VirginiaIron]

I take whatever the good Lord gives me. [EDIT- THe last 20 years I have taken the small to medium dead standing,]It seems that some of the larger trees are beginning to wane, so I am preparing myself for the torrent of large rounds.

 

[Sodbuster]

There are 6 cords of rounds here to be worked onView attachment 216904 View attachment 216905

Love your idea for getting rounds off the ground with the angled pallets.

 

[Dobish]

My DHT 22 splitter does both horizontal and vertical. I can't stand splitting in vertical position since my splitter seems to rock forward (could be that i'm splitting on soft ground), and getting the round where I want is is a pain....

 

[Sodbuster]

I second what Dobish says about vertical splitting, I hate it; hard on the back and knees. Only time I use it is for huge rounds 24-36", and then I go vertical, and use the tractor bucket to shove the round into the splitter.

 

[maple1]

Vertical could be hard on the back depending on the approach. But going vertical is the easiest way for me to handle the big ones. I have no problems rolling a round over to & flopping it over onto the foot. Well, sometimes considerable grunting is involved depending on the terrain.

 

[Sodbuster]

2 knee surgery's, a shoulder surgery and a bicep tendon repair will make you hate vertical. But I completely agree, it's the only way to split the big uns.

 

[Dobish]

2 knee surgery's, a shoulder surgery and a bicep tendon repair will make you hate vertical. But I completely agree, it's the only way to split the big uns.

i have been thinking about putting the splitter on the downside of a hill and building a ramp to roll the big ones onto the spitter

 

[maple1]

i have been thinking about putting the splitter on the downside of a hill and building a ramp to roll the big ones onto the spitter

It definitely help when doing big ones in vertical mode, to park the splitter just downhill of the rounds, if there is any hill to the ground. As long as it's not too much hill and they start getting away from you.

 

[Dobish]

It definitely help when doing big ones in vertical mode, to park the splitter just downhill of the rounds, if there is any hill to the ground. As long as it's not too much hill and they start getting away from you.

i was thinking about doing this for horizontal mode

 

[VirginiaIron]

i have been thinking about putting the splitter on the downside of a hill and building a ramp to roll the big ones onto the spitter

Not thinking, one day I put my splitter on the top side of the rounds and finally realized hours later that I should have been on the lower side. When I am on the lower side of the round, gravity does most of the work.

 

[BoiledOver]

An update to the original post. Thank you all who offered your advice and experiences.

I was given advice from a twelve year old that drove me to an alternate approach. Ya haven't even touched one and ya think ya can build the perfect splitter?" Coulda took offense but knew right off it was a good assessment. Saw a cheapie used splitter on craigslist and took it home for $350. An overused Forest King 22 ton, bottom of the barrel I suppose. Is a bit worn but will try it out.

First thing was to get it onto some 5" rough sawn beams for a better elevation. The top of the beam is now 32" from the ground. This seems to fit pretty good but the side rails need some tweaking, not wide enough and too high. They get in the way of rolling the rounds and supply zero room for holding a half while working the other half of a round. This machine in stock form (same as most vertical/horizontal units) is close but can do with a few tweaks. The LCS engine has had a workout and shows the use more than the other components. Hey, this thing is light and maneuverable even with small tires.

Have split 3 cords of Aspen and quickly see desirable features for a design and build. For the record, I can swing faster on the straights but see that I would lose on the crotches and big knots. Unless ambient temps are below 15F, they explode regardless of knots. Could be a toss up over 10 cords. On the other hand, way less sweating by the user of a hydraulic unit compared to swinging an axe. Will work this unit for the moment and gather thoughts an a build this summer.

 

[VirginiaIron]

Maybe you can twerk it for a hundred and be all set?

 

[BoiledOver]

Wow, all those posts equals plus $400 lol. It does need some welding here or there but I might sell for $450 when all is said and done. Honestly twerking a little makes better sense financially that starting from scratch. I prefer doing my thing for whatever it comes in at. We will see.