Wood Splitting..Screw type??

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jeepin1121

New Member
Jan 27, 2012
9
MD
I currently use a splitting maul or borrow a hydraulic splitter when I need to split . I have been watching a few videos on the screw type splitters . Anyone have any thoughts about them ? i have heard dangerous...cant do knots...can do anything,... fast slow..Just thought I would ask in a place I can get direct into the wealth of knowledge this forum has
 
I have never tried one or actually seen one in person. They look dangerous and it looks like it would be hard to hold the wood. It seems a lot easier to use a maul. I'ld like to read what somebody who has actually used one writes.
 
There is a thread in The Gear forum, page 3 "Real men ply with unicorns".I have one also.It is very fast in non stringy wood.I have split red oak side by side with 2 guys, one with a maul, the other with a hydraulic splitter. I out-split both of them combined.But I probably was working harder than the both of them. It's a real workout partialy due to the speed. In stringy wood, it will go through it, but the 2 halves will still be strung together, you have to wrestle them in half by hand or finish them with an ax, maul, or hatchet. All pto driven implements can be dangerous. If you get hung up in the pto, you are going to be in trouble. My friends call mine the "Screw of Death". I prefer the slow and steady hydraulic splitter.
 
fox9988 said:
There is a thread in The Gear forum, page 3 "Real men ply with unicorns".I have one also.It is very fast in non stringy wood.I have split red oak side by side with 2 guys, one with a maul, the other with a hydraulic splitter. I out-split both of them combined.But I probably was working harder than the both of them. It's a real workout partialy due to the speed. In stringy wood, it will go through it, but the 2 halves will still be strung together, you have to wrestle them in half by hand or finish them with an ax, maul, or hatchet. All pto driven implements can be dangerous. If you get hung up in the pto, you are going to be in trouble. My friends call mine the "Screw of Death". I prefer the slow and steady hydraulic splitter.

+1
Very good explanation & safety concerns.
My 10 yr old Granddaughter helps me, (Speeco 22 ton) . I'd not let her close the " unicorn" screw type :)
 
Pretty sure those things were too dangerous for manufacturing to continue.

Try the fiskars X27. Search it here for user's reviews.

I split most of my wood for with a fiskars and save the tough stuff for the hydraulic.
 
Picture what you will look like when your coat gets hung up on that auger and your flailed around for 5 minutes until something tears and your body is thrown to the side. Would not touch one, would not help someone split with one, and would not split near one as I don't want to be around to be the first responder.
 
Agree with the above posts on them. My FIL dug out an old one on our farm last year and we tried it out. Yes, they'll split pretty fast. It even split some knotty/stringy stuff that ordinarily I would not try with the maul. However, after I think two tryouts we decided it wasn't worth the risk. This was even before I did a little digging on the internet and realized how scary bad they can be. Not only is the screw potentially bad news but we had some trouble with the wood slipping off the side bar and spinning around-would be a good way to get something broken or knocked out cold-or worse.
 
I have a compact utility tractor with a PTO...but I would never even consider trying to find one of these screw-type splitters to hook up. I think they look more dangerous than any tool I'd choose to use, I have a nice gas/hydraulic splitter with which I'm very comfortable, and I like using the FEL on the tractor to move rounds to my splitter or splits to the woodshed, or whatever...so I don't want the tractor stuck in one spot while I'm processing wood. Rick

(Moved the thread to The Gear forum.)
 
jeepin1121 said:
I currently use a splitting maul or borrow a hydraulic splitter when I need to split . I have been watching a few videos on the screw type splitters . Anyone have any thoughts about them ? i have heard dangerous...cant do knots...can do anything,... fast slow..Just thought I would ask in a place I can get direct into the wealth of knowledge this forum has
Screw that! Way too slow and dangerous.
 
The whole process of heating with solid fuel comes with inhearant dangers and safety is always paramount in every aspect. Felling, bucking, loading, hauling, splitting, stacking, moving wood and eventually lighting large, hot fires inside your house. I find no need to compound this with some rediculousy dangerous tool that looks like it came from one of the many "saw" movies. Attempting to build a better mouse trap often brings you sore fingers!!

Scew split is not for me!!
 
When I was just a kid my dad bought a screw type splitter it attached to the hub on the truck, we had to jack the truck up take the wheel off and then bolt the screw on, it was the first power splitter that we had ever used we split alot of wood with that damn thing before we got a hydraulic splitter it is only by the grace of god that we didn`t get killed or wounded with it..Take my advice and forget about the screw type splitter !!
 
Scotty - that is one Bad News machine and clearly the safest way to utilize the scew spit IMO. That said, if you have access to that kind of equipment(translate: Money) I think you would be farther ahead with a Fellebuncher and processor with a 4 or 6 way splitter to make firewood. Again, JMO
 
BobUrban said:
Scotty - that is one Bad News machine and clearly the safest way to utilize the scew spit IMO. That said, if you have access to that kind of equipment(translate: Money) I think you would be farther ahead with a Fellebuncher and processor with a 4 or 6 way splitter to make firewood. Again, JMO
yeah but imagine, making firewood out of those dense stumps. I love watching that thing rip through those stumps. look at the steam coming off of the screw when it drills into them......lol..... :coolgrin:
 
I guess it's just my inner 'toolman' coming out of me.......hey, on the bright side, when yer the operator of a machine like that, every morning when you go to work you could say "SCREW THIS!" and actually mean it!! :lol: :-/
 
On another note - the duder running that thing is one hell of an operator. I can tell you that it is not as easy as it looks. I have been in the cab of a friends(pro excavator) hoe like that removing stumps and placing stoves(large boulders)it was all I could do to not tip over and took me forever to get one stump out. I would need to dig 3-4 sides and really work at it. When the real operator?owner got there is looked simple and fast with him behind the pedals and levers. On a side note, he is really good! Like I think he could brush a eyelash off your cheek good. The shovel is like an extention of his own hand.

With me running that screw I think it would take all day to do what the operator did in the 7 minute vid.
 
BobUrban said:
On another note - the duder running that thing is one hell of an operator. I can tell you that it is not as easy as it looks. I have been in the cab of a friends(pro excavator) hoe like that removing stumps and placing stoves(large boulders)it was all I could do to not tip over and took me forever to get one stump out. I would need to dig 3-4 sides and really work at it. When the real operator?owner got there is looked simple and fast with him behind the pedals and levers. On a side note, he is really good! Like I think he could brush a eyelash off your cheek good. The shovel is like an extention of his own hand.

With me running that screw I think it would take all day to do what the operator did in the 7 minute vid.
No doubt about it, that operator is a wizard!
 
Impressive piece of equipment, but I prefer to buck my wood BEFORE I split it. Too much cutting bent over and more chances to ground your chain. Unless, of course, they also have some fancy grapple and saw equipment to go with it. Great for those unmanageable pieces though.
 
jeepin1121 said:
I currently use a splitting maul or borrow a hydraulic splitter when I need to split . I have been watching a few videos on the screw type splitters . Anyone have any thoughts about them ? i have heard dangerous...cant do knots...can do anything,... fast slow..Just thought I would ask in a place I can get direct into the wealth of knowledge this forum has

I'd say about the same caliber as a MAGIC HEAT very dangerous !
 
Used one for years, not as bad as one would think, like my hyd. 22 ton better but they are no more dangerous than a chain saw.
 
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