Log Splitter Options

[Haystack]

Hey Guys,

I ended up stopping by a neighbor yesterday and he asked me to help him move his log splitter that he was posting on craigslist. He offered it to me a few times, but I wanted a stand alone unit and this was a 3 point unit and it's been so long since I saw it that I forgot what it was. When I went to help him move it I saw it was an Iron and Oak unit with the stand and in really nice shape and priced less than I could buy the Cylinder, wedge, and valve for and I ended up giving him the money there on the spot.

Here are the specs.

Model TMVH03/HYD
Force/Tonnage 20 ton @ 3000 psi
Tractor Hitch Cat. 1, 2 or 3
Beam, Heavy-duty 6" rail
Wedge 6" high carbon stee
Cylinder Stroke 24"
Cylinder Size 4" x 24"
Log Opening 24.5" max
Operating Position Vertical/Horizontal
Pin Width 36"
Weight 515 lbs

I did some research on it and found out it requires at least 8 GPM, but 14 GPM provides acceptable cycle times. I Just have an older John Deere 770 which only does 5.3 GPM, so that option is out and a bit of a bummer. He was running it on a John Deere 2020 which has a 10.5 GPM pump and a closed hydraulic system. I remember him stating that it was much slower than his new northern tools splitter. He also thinks they may have mounted a special valve on the unit due to the closed hydraulic system on the tractor.

Would this unit be worth mounting and engine, pump, filter, and reservoir to to make it a stand alone unit? I do have a 6.5 HP Harbor freight engine, a 5.5 HP Honda GC engine, and a 12 HP Kohler Command Pro sitting around. Would I need to replace that control valve if I use an off the shelf hydraulic pump?

My other option would be to flip the splitter and put the money towards a new/used stand alone unit. I don't think resale value is that hot on the 3 point splitters though, but I'm sure it's more than what I paid. I didn't haggle him at all and he would be fine if I flipped it, especially since I found out I couldn't run it off my tractor.

Previously I was watching for one of the two way 20-22 ton splitters to come up used(Northern, Brave, HF, Etc.) as I like the efficiency behind splitting on both strokes. But I've read that you can set up a traditional splitter to be just as fast if you size the components correctly and most wood only requires a few inches of travel to split, so the dual direction isn't always used.

Oak, Cherry, and Maple are the three primary hard woods I get my hands on. With some Hickory, Ash, Elm, Black Locust, Aspen, and Box Elder thrown in the mix.

Any suggestions?

Thanks,

Scott

 

[jetsam]

I will warrant that @Ashful has multiple suggestions.

We're going to need cylinder size, piston size, and hose/fitting size to talk about stroke times, but you can probably work with the 12hp Kohler. Don't go pump shopping until the plan is ironed out.

I have never had an Iron and Oak unit, but I've heard all good stuff about them.

 

[TreePointer]

Do a search on that model for recalls.

 

[VirginiaIron]

HarbourFreigjt is 749

(broken link removed)

Flip it. It's not likely you can do better- plus your time and lack of aggravation is worth something.

The full beam Champion 27T, with an 11 second cycle time is only 999 at HomeDepot.

 

[jetsam]

Do a search on that model for recalls.

Ooh, that is an exciting recall too. Piston can detach and shoot the ram out like a missile.

https://cpsc.gov/Recalls/2009/brave...-splitters-additional-incidents-prompt-urgent

Okay, I've heard one bad thing about those splitters!

That is good news for you if you are still planning on tearing it apart to make a new splitter. If yours is in the recall, you have a brand new cylinder coming for free.

 

[maple1]

priced less than I could buy the Cylinder, wedge, and valve for

That's not usually the best way to look at things. The sum of the parts is most always greater than the whole, with anything.

A better angle to take, is what am I in for by the time I buy all the other stuff to go with it to make it what I want? Decent engines & pumps plus a tank & wheels etc. to make it mobile is going to be a few bucks, unless you can find some decent stuff for really good prices. Which you already do have some of, so good there - but then you would need to put a proper value on what you do have and ask if you could get your money out of it all if you tried to sell it after you got done building it?

Then again, sometimes none of that matters & we happily do things 'just because'.

 

[jetsam]

Yeah, I was kind of assuming that the OP WANTS to rip it up and make a hot rod splitter because that would be fun.

If that's not the case, I'd also say sell it and drop $1000 on a new 20-25 ton unit. I got a 22 ton DHT from Lowe's for $900 last year.

 

[Jags]

Not sure what the initial investment was, but as said above, you need to run the numbers to see if I makes sense. Control valve, pump, lovejoy connector, tank, filter, tires, hoses are all things still needed to convert this unit (assuming you will use one of your current engines) - oh, and the adapter from engine to pump.

As a person that has hand built 3 different splitter from scratch - I would jump right in, but I also have the shop and equipment to handle it. Do you have things like welders, torches, cutoff, grinders, etc? Available scrap steel? All things to think about.

 

[Haystack]

I haven't ran the serial numbers yet, it's still sitting in my neighbor's pole shed, but I believe this is a 2010 unit from what my neighbor said, so it would be out of the recall period.

My initial investment is $250. The Kohler I picked up from a yard sale for $30. The guy worked in a maintenance department and it came off one of their air compressors at his work. I believe the rod diameter is 1.75" from what I found. I wasn't looking for a "hot rod" splitter, just something that will work well and is reasonable fast. I have the little homelite electric which is ok, but it's a little slow and it has problems with some of the oak I have and it won't even touch elm.

The newest 3 point model runs about $1,500 from Iron and Oak.

Any idea on the resale value and a used iron and oak 3 point unit?

I see tractor supply has a 25 ton stand alone unit for $799 on black friday with a 11.5 second cycle time. What kind of cycle time do you need to be faster than the dual direction units?

 

[maple1]

I'm not sure about your particular I&O, but generally speaking I rarely see used splitters around here for less than half their current new price. Usually more than that. And if less, they are usually really old and/or really beat up.

 

[Bad LP]

Another option is to buy a 1:4 speed increaser for your PTO shaft and mount the pump to that plus add a small oil tank to the spliter.

I have two such units. One is on a 74" Puma front mount hydro snowblower and another is on a 15 foot boom flail mower. Hell for the right price I'd sell you a spare assembly that's been sitting on a shelf.

 

[Haystack]

I forgot to mention I also have the tools and mechanical capabilities to convert it to a standalone unit.

 

[Haystack]

The more I think about it, the more i'd like a stand alone unit. My tractor already has high hours on it and I want to extend the life of the engine as much as possible. Thank you for the offer though.

 

[VirginiaIron]

I haven't ran the serial numbers yet, it's still sitting in my neighbor's pole shed, but I believe this is a 2010 unit from what my neighbor said, so it would be out of the recall period.

My initial investment is $250. The Kohler I picked up from a yard sale for $30. The guy worked in a maintenance department and it came off one of their air compressors at his work. I believe the rod diameter is 1.75" from what I found. I wasn't looking for a "hot rod" splitter, just something that will work well and is reasonable fast. I have the little homelite electric which is ok, but it's a little slow and it has problems with some of the oak I have and it won't even touch elm.

The newest 3 point model runs about $1,500 from Iron and Oak.

Any idea on the resale value and a used iron and oak 3 point unit?

I see tractor supply has a 25 ton stand alone unit for $799 on black friday with a 11.5 second cycle time. What kind of cycle time do you need to be faster than the dual direction units?

"The newest 3 point model runs about $1,500 from Iron and Oak. "
I have seen a number of videos and I am not impressed. And, judging by this video, I think I&O design is severely deficient.
However, as one bystander exclaimed, the round is "huge".

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[redyute]

Wow not really sturdy at all, i love my northstar pictured in my avatar this thing is a beast

 

[Chippy Chaser]

I have a Yardmax 35 ton half beam. It does everything I need it to do.
It may be overkill for what I need, but I have a bad habit of buying equipment smaller than needed to save money & later regretting it.

 

[Dataman]

I had Dirty Hand 22T and it split logs that were too big and heavy to put in cradle. 2ft across or more. Only week from being cut down. I found nothing it would not handle. Now it leaked and took couple trys to get it stopped. Used it 2 years before I went to pellet (Wife got tired of Ash in house from Wood). I think I paid 899 shipped plus Hyd Fluid. Only part of wood I miss, it was so easy compared to 8lb maul.