Let's hear about your log splitter

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Kool_hand_Looke

Feeling the Heat
Dec 8, 2013
469
Illinois
I'm in the market for a log splitter. A new one. 35 tons is simply just too much. So let's see/hear how much you love/hate your fluid power splitter. Which I'm sure this is also where the wise @$$3$ will pipe up and talk about their trusty 30lb maul.
 
I think you should buy a 1988 Duerr 20 ton splitter. I like mine.
 
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I can't find my maul.
 
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Fiskars. Just lethal.
 
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"Maybe you shouldn't have lost it."

Why? I have a splitter. Well actually, three of'em.
 
Yeah. Depends on the wood. I could take a load of larch / fir / pine out in a 10th of the time a splitter could.
Now I do agree with that. But where I come from there's not much of that wood around. LOTS of hard maples, menageries of oak, and Osage orange. Id fire the furnace up before I split that by hand.
 
Now I do agree with that. But where I come from there's not much of that wood around. LOTS of hard maples, menageries of oak, and Osage orange. Id fire the furnace up before I split that by hand.

Oh and I feel for you guys without a couple a ton of help. Some of that stuff looks knarly.

It's hard work but for some people, the only exercise they get.

Burning wood, saving money. No gym membership needed here.
 
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Oh and I feel for you guys without a couple a ton of help. Some of that stuff looks knarly.

It's hard work but for some people, the only exercise they get.

Burning wood, saving money. No gym membership needed here.
Im a one man crew as well. I'm about sick of the 35T Huskee. Got all the hoses and filters dangling from the bottom, and a real pain to move by hand. Couple that with PIA wood to CSS...it gets tiring.
 
They do.
 
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Im a one man crew as well. I'm about sick of the 35T Huskee. Got all the hoses and filters dangling from the bottom, and a real pain to move by hand. Couple that with PIA wood to CSS...it gets tiring.

Ah there's nothing better than a nice CSS row of gold.

We did a load at a friends with a splitter. Heavy to move, slow to split and it didn't split like an axe.

Defo good for the big rounds. Once in half, one hit, one split after with the Fiskars.
 
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MTD 27 ton splitter. It's been reliable other than the cradle bolts which snap off if you don't pay attention and get a split jammed between the beam and cradle. It's also a bit slower than I would like ... but for me it beats splitting with a maul and has pretty much split everything I've put on it.
 
Using the 22T Huskee with a homemade side cradle. While it certainly could have been designed a little better I'm happy with it. Best $900 so far in the wood heat world I'm in. So far only 1 real nasty "ugly" that it could not handle.
 
what is the benefit from moving to a <35 ton from what you have now?
 
31 Ton MTD here. I got mine "used" from some "in town" guy who had 2 huge oaks taken down. He might have ran 5 gal of fuel through it max. Paid 1200 instead of 1600. I have yet to find something it can't split.

I added 12x12 extension wings to the log cradles to make them into tables, works great. It is very heavy to move by hand, about 750 lbs, so I added a tow bracket to my bagger mount on the tractor.

I've changed the hyd oil & filter once, engine oil yearly, new air filter. I removed a mouse nest form the blower housing & fixed the ignition kill (ground) wire that the critters ate through.

Operationally, a fantastic splitter.
 
I've been eying up a Timberwolf to replace my troy bilt. One throw of the lever = six splits. 2K though.
 
I also have a Huskee 35-ton splitter (2009 build), and it has never given me issues.

I agree--it is on the heavy side to move by hand. There are better balanced splitters (less tongue weight) that are easier to move than mine. All the I&O machines I've used excel in this aspect.

Sometimes I wish its 15s cycle time were faster. If I were purchasing a splitter of this type, I'd go for the DHT 28-ton splitter with its 11 second cycle time or one of the I&O fast cycle splitters.

In the 35-ton splitter's favor, its very rare that a log will cause the pump to jump into its slower second stage, so I do save time that way.

As far as cycle time goes, I've been tempted to get a Super Split. The idea of keeping the 35-ton hydraulic splitter for the big nasties is tempting, but I'm thinking I'll make the decision on whether to keep it after using the SS for a while. Why have all that $$ tied up in splitters when I can blow it on more chainsaws and beer?
 
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