How To Store a Splitter Outside?

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velvetfoot

Minister of Fire
Dec 5, 2005
10,202
Sand Lake, NY
Not sure, but I'm thinking of keeping my splitter outside for a few weeks.
I split vertical.
Would you drape a big tarp over everything, keep some stuff oiled, maybe put a sheet of plastic on ground?
Am I on the right track? Anything else.
Last time I used it I dragged in into the garage every night. Not that bad, but getting lazy/weak.
 
For just a few weeks, I'd drop the splitter horizontal and cover with a tarp (tie the tarp down to prevent it blowing of the splitter. And....when you find yourself getting lazy and weak, it's time to keep at it even more! ;-) Cheers!
 
I have had mine stored outside under a tarp for 6 or 7 years now...
 
I figure to oil the bare metal sliding parts.
Last time I used it, I had plenty of hydraulic oil. :)
This time, hopefully, I'll have to find another source.
 
I'd make sure that air can get under there and dry out the condensation.

pen
 
As others have said . . . tarp it . . . oil up the beam perhaps to prevent surface rust . . . allow air to get at it from underneath.
 
mine is stored outside under a tarp all the time
 
Retract the ram, and put the beam horizontal. I got a cover for a large motorcycle at the auto parts store it is waterproof fabric and has held up well for 3-4 years now...
 
Retract the ram, run it out of gas, flip it horizontal and wrap it with a tarp. Use bungees to keep the tarp on it when its windy.

Ditto for the lawn mower, weed whacker and snowblower.

Outdoor power equipment can be left outdoors just fine. Run the fuel system dry and keep the rain off it is all you realy need to do.
 
Thanks. I'm pretty sure I'll keep storing it inside after a period of use; in vertical mode it doesn't take much room.
I kept the riding mower under a porch this winter with no bad effects.
 
Vertical or horizontal, either way is fine. Whenever I borrowed on I split vertical and when I shut it down put it back horizontal because it can't be moved when vertical and it was alot easier to tarp it.
 
Our splitter is over 20 years old and we never stored it inside until this past winter. Here is what we did when storing it outside:

1. Set the splitter horizontal (bet some thought I'd never say that!).
2. Using 30 wt oil spread on beam. (Don't use grease.)
3. Run wedge to the end and back up to help spread the oil.
4. Now run the engine out of gas.
5. Remove spark plug and put in about a teaspoon of oil.
6. Crank engine one pull slowly.
7. Replace plug.
8. Decide where you will place the splitter and then put down two small wood blocks (Like perhaps 1 x 6 about 6" long. You could also use 2 thicknesses of blocks.)
9. Put splitter so that each tire has a wood block under it to keep it off the ground, even if or especially if on concrete. (This is also a good idea when storing on concrete inside a shed.)
10. Put tarp over splitter but do not put tarp down to the ground. Like your wood pile, you want some air under the machine.
11. Use bungee cords to hold tarp.

If you look closely at the picture you'll see part of a tarp. Under that is our splitter.

Christmas-2008d-1.jpg
 
Retract ram, turn off circuit breaker, cover motor with little tikes baby swing that baby has outgrown.
 

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Mine's in the driveway near the logs, waiting to be put back to work.
It has had a tarp on it for more than a few days. I almost never run the gas out, but put stabil in the gas can.
When I'm done splitting (almost never), it'll go under the lean-to off the shed where I keep the tractor.
That's where it was when I split the spruce I took down in March. I think it was March.
Split about 2 cord of oak in the middle of April, so I guess it's been under there for about 3 weeks.
Oh yeah, it's doing the horizontal thing right now.
 
I just copy what the rental yards around here do, simply tie a plastic bag over the entire motor, gas tank. . if you are worried about the beam than spray it down with a WD40 type product
 
Anything I leave outside also gets a few drops of peppermint oil on it to fend off mice from gnawing on wiring etc.
 
ETW: I haven't seen that plastic bag thing around here. I'll have to check it out. Sounds a little voodoo-like to me.
TRktrd: Peppermint oil sounds a lot better than mothballs, which I've heard. I'll do that next winter.
S&W: Those look like snow tires! I got a brand new, supposedly more aggressive chain for my electric saw that I was itching to try, but it wound up that the grapple load got dumped by the road, and unless I run the saw with a generator, I don't think it's gonna happen.
PD & BS: I wish I could keep the splitter by the logs, but they're out by the road, and I'm scared of the splitter getting taken. I'm going to try to position the splitter near the wood pile.
 
The trouble with the plastic bag idea is all the condensation you can get inside that bag. I'm not so sure I'd want that around the motor.
 
velvetfoot said:
ETW: I haven't seen that plastic bag thing around here. I'll have to check it out. Sounds a little voodoo-like to me.
TRktrd: Peppermint oil sounds a lot better than mothballs, which I've heard. I'll do that next winter.
S&W: Those look like snow tires! I got a brand new, supposedly more aggressive chain for my electric saw that I was itching to try, but it wound up that the grapple load got dumped by the road, and unless I run the saw with a generator, I don't think it's gonna happen.
PD & BS: I wish I could keep the splitter by the logs, but they're out by the road, and I'm scared of the splitter getting taken. I'm going to try to position the splitter near the wood pile.
I wouldn't leave my splitter near the road either. It's up the drive about 100'.
If someone wanted it bad enough, it would be gone.
 
Believe it or not, I put in a blue tubular farm gate from Tractor Supply and a low-voltage powered remote controlled operator (by Chamberlain).
Not that we've had any problems at all, but the gate has been working great, and my wife likes it since she retired recently.
Again, if someone wanted to get in bad enough, no problem; it could slow them down a little.
Wait a sec, a "bunch of dogs"? That'd do the trick!
 
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