Splitter tonnage experience

[DougA]

This afternoon I rented a Splitfire 2 way splitter to handle the larger stuff that I have been accumulating for the last year. My 5 ton electric will only handle so much and that's to be expected. Splitfire is made near me and a very good and expensive unit.

I got a 20 ton since there was nothing over 18" and most of it is black cherry, black locust and black walnut. I found out soon enough that 20 tons will not go through the middle of my black locust at all. The knife goes in half an inch and stalls. I expected more and sure glad that I did not buy a 20 ton unit and find that out too late. I ended up taking chunks off the sides, exactly the same as I have been doing with my little 5 ton. Yes, the 20 ton is way, way stronger but no match for some of my wood. Next time, I will know to ask for much larger.

Just wanted to post this since I have seen others asking what tonnage to buy.

 

[LocustPocust]

Some of that Black Locust won't split at all. I've had some pieces that I've noodled half way through and still wouldn't split.

 

[blades]

A lot depends on the type of wedge, most of the splitters on the market have short fast spreading wedges, Takes a lot of force to ram that through twisted stuff. A sharp thin wedge will cut through actually shearing its way. A lot less force needed. 90% of the time a 20ton rated ( take that with a grain of salt- advertising departments like to embellish things) is enough unit. If that is a rental there could be other problems with the unit. My own is around 30 ton once in a while I will get stuck. sometimes attacking from other end is all that is needed. It is better to start from a sort of straight grained area leading into a knot or crotch than right at the knot .

 

[BlueRidgeMark]

a 20ton rated ( take that with a grain of salt- advertising departments like to embellish things)

I did a lot of research on this a few years back. What I found is that they typically give the rating accurately for what the splitter would be producing if it were run at the maximum safe pressure, but it isn't. Max safe pressure is usually 3500 psi, but almost all run at 2500. That's a huge difference. Run the numbers on your splitter @ 3500 psi and I think you'll find that it comes out pretty close to the rated tonnage.

One company that actually runs them at 3500 is Speeco. These are sold under the store brand by Tractor Supply Company, and probably other people.

When it comes to splitting wood, more is better. I have the TSC/Speeco 35 ton, and even that has a hard time with some of the huge oak pieces I get.

I've heard a lot of people say their 22 ton will split anything, but I suspect they just aren't working with big rounds of difficult wood.

 

[DougA]

I've heard a lot of people say their 22 ton will split anything, but I suspect they just aren't working with big rounds of difficult wood.

Exactly!! That was the point of my post. Thanks for all the replies, it reinforces my experience. This is a rental so I don't want to fiddle with the settings but it is a fairly new unit and well maintained from what I am used to on rentals. Single knife, fairly slim, not a wider wedge design at all.

 

[2broke2ride]

I have a 22 ton county line (speeco) from tractor supply. It did not even flinch at the 24" diameter red oak butt logs I split this spring. A friend also did some 35" diameter sugar maple with his. I have never tried locust though, I know that is some very hard wood.

 

[Babaganoosh]

I've heard a lot of people say their 22 ton will split anything, but I suspect they just aren't working with big rounds of difficult wood.

I've got the 27 ton DHT and I've thought the same thing about the people's claims with the 22s. I split some 24 inch black locust last month and I had zero problems. That's not huge mind you but they are cut to 20 inch length.

 

[BlueRidgeMark]

I've noticed Lowe's is now carrying a line of splitters that look like copies of the Speeco design. I have no clue who makes them, but they look pretty decent.

One of the things I love about my splitter is the built-in log cradle. No balancing a round teetering on a flat beam.

Now that I have a welder, I plan to build a log catcher for it. Down the road, I may tackle a log lift.

 

[Babaganoosh]

Log or work table is clutch. It shouldn't even be an option.

 

[begreen]

I'd love a log cradle on my splitter. It looks like a nice option when resplitting large rounds. When in horizontal mode it's a pita to have pick up the unsplit half of a log after you finish splitting the other half.

Back at the OP. I've split some very large rounds of black locust with our cheapy 22T splitter. It's done fine.

 

[aussiedog3]

I have a Speeco 22 ton splitter from TSC. Nothing that it won't split or cut through. I have gone vertical to split massive rounds that I bucked from each side of the log with a 28" bar

 

[DougA]

Well I got almost everything split that I had hoped to. I tried to edit the thread title but couldn't see how.

MY MISTAKE!! Who woulda guessed?

The rental guy showed me the on/off and the choke and said that was all that was needed and after I read begreen's reply, I checked the honda motor and the hydra pump to see if there was something I could do. OOPS. Seems the throttle was set at 2/3rds and when I moved it to full, the splitter had more guts. Still had trouble with some 24" Black Locust and some of the Y's I had set aside. It split most of it easily but the gnarly locust was still very slow, but it did make it through after a few attempts. We got big chunks stuck on the wedge 3 times and it took 5 min with a 6' pry bar to get it unstuck. Wedge moved fine but the wood was welded onto the wedge solid. I'll make sure I get a 27 hp or larger next time. My back is KILLING me and I need a stiff drink. Two days of splitting is not fun!

 

[Ash]

My 22 ton speeco has done a fine job for me.

 

[Jags]

Max safe pressure is usually 3500 psi,

I don't believe this to be true. Almost all (and probably 100% on mass produced) splitter pumps are rated at a max of 3000 psi. There are a couple of MFG that do use 3000 PSI components throughout the whole splitter, but not all.

 

[BlueRidgeMark]

Haven't looked at it in a while (about 10 years), but that's what I found at the time. I checked a dozen or so. Of course, I was looking at bigger names like Iron & Oak, Brave, etc.

But, along with everything else, I would not be at all surprised if the lawyers have mandated a reduction in ratings. OR, the quality has actually come down.

But whether 3500 or 3000, they rate them at max ratings, but run them considerably less.

 

[Paulywalnut]

Wow. My 22 ton Gravely aka Ariens has never flinched on anything. Something is not right with the Splitsfire. For huge oak or any kind of round I flip it to vertical.

 

[maple1]

The differences in particular pieces of wood can be big - and there is some stuff that a 22t just won't cut it in no matter whose name is on the splitter.

I got my 22t stuck solid, for the first time, a couple weekends ago, twice, in 2 different rounds from the same trunk. This was big sugar maple, that was around 2.5' in diameter. It had been laying on the ground for years, a big old windfall with a couple inches of punky sapwood around it. And it was twisty. No way was the wedge going through those 2 rounds. I eventually got one pried off the wedge with a big stick. Then noodled it in half. The other one I had to cut off with the saw. Very carefully. The stuff was almost petrified-like. But it sure made for some nice looking firewood once I got it processed, although a bit crooked. Might have even been a bit of birdseye in some of it.

I have gone at similar sized stuff before with no problems - with straighter grain. But once you get a big old round that is close to or at where a limb once grew out of, things get very gnarly.

 

[bwise.157]

I have a 20-ton bi-directional Powerhorse splitter from Northerntool that has split everything I have thrown at it. Oak, maple, locust, gnarly elm, etc. It does have a fairly narrow wedge, and does as someone else mentioned, basically knifes thru the stuff.

 

[Omaha419]

How much per day should I expect to pay to rent a splitter?

 

[gzecc]

How much per day should I expect to pay to rent a splitter?

$50-75

 

[DougA]

The differences in particular pieces of wood can be big - and there is some stuff that a 22t just won't cut it in no matter whose name is on the splitter.

EXACTLY! I have a 5 ton electric and use it for 90% of my wood. I've been saving all the really tough stuff for the rental unit. It did make it through but not as easily as some people have posted. The straight pieces are a breeze. BTW, the splitter I rented normally sells for $3,500. so it's not Chinese junk. A youtube is here showing how fast it goes.

To view this content we will need your consent to set third party cookies.
For more detailed information, see our cookies page.

Accept third party cookies

The unit is here: http://www.split-fire.com/splitter_sc_3255.html
The problem is, you don't see youtubes of people trying to get through twisted, knot infested junk like I was. I now understand why people cut the bad stuff out and leave it lying in the forest.

Someone posted that their 22 ton could cut through anything sideways. OK. Bring it here and if it will cut through my 20" knotty black locust sideways, I will pay you $1500. If not, you leave it here as your loss. Fair bet?

 

[maple1]

EXACTLY! I have a 5 ton electric and use it for 90% of my wood. I've been saving all the really tough stuff for the rental unit. It did make it through but not as easily as some people have posted. The straight pieces are a breeze. BTW, the splitter I rented normally sells for $3,500. so it's not Chinese junk. A youtube is here showing how fast it goes.

To view this content we will need your consent to set third party cookies.
For more detailed information, see our cookies page.

Accept third party cookies

The unit is here: http://www.split-fire.com/splitter_sc_3255.html
The problem is, you don't see youtubes of people trying to get through twisted, knot infested junk like I was. I now understand why people cut the bad stuff out and leave it lying in the forest.

Someone posted that their 22 ton could cut through anything sideways. OK. Bring it here and if it will cut through my 20" knotty black locust sideways, I will pay you $1500. If not, you leave it here as your loss. Fair bet?

Yes, I actually did that, that day, with a third piece. Just left it there. It was in the tree between where the other two were, and was where there was a big limb growing out of before I cut it up. I didn't even want to try noodling it, the stuff was half petrified to start with and with a knot ball like that thrown in I was just over it at that point. The 360 was cutting like my 170 trying to get through the other ones, toughest wood I've met yet. I think I need to give the chain on it some serious attention after that episode.

 

[hman]

I have a 20 ton northstar splitter that I bought used 2years ago.It has a thin splitting wedge like bwise.157 splitter has.
If I get 20 inch or larger wood,I quarter it out.I like that thin wedge better than a wide wedge.Only thing against my splitter is I wish the wedge was taller.

I have used splitters with a wide wedge and had wood split but their was so much force built up, that the wood would launch out from the wedge.This is on splitters with the wedge is welded to the beam.And i have seen the beam want to twist also.

 

[jeffesonm]

I now understand why people cut the bad stuff out and leave it lying in the forest.

This. If you have access to lots of wood, it's just not worth fussing with the ugly stuff.

Occasionally on medium sized logs I will cut the Y sections into 3-4" thick cookies so I have a thin slabs that can dry as-is and then go into the stove. It only takes a few seconds to cut a cookie, vs later fighting it on the splitter.

 

[BlueRidgeMark]

The differences in particular pieces of wood can be big - and there is some stuff that a 22t just won't cut it in no matter whose name is on the splitter.

Someone posted that their 22 ton could cut through anything sideways. OK. Bring it here and if it will cut through my 20" knotty black locust sideways, I will pay you $1500. If not, you leave it here as your loss. Fair bet?

Yep. I've had stuff that stopped my 35 ton. (And that's a real 35 ton, rated at actual working system pressure.)

Folks who haven't had anything stop their 22 ton just haven't been introduced to tough wood yet.