Hydraulic wood splitters

[Farmwithjunk]

I ain't no wussy! Never gonna sell me a dang hydraulic splitter. I'll bust wood all day with a maul.................

.................or until I turn 60.


Whew! Curses on that maul! OK. About a year ago, I bought a Wallenstien splitter that runs off the tractor hydraulics. MAN! Is this ever easy!

Negatives? Not MANY. Except..... (A) Tractor has to run ALL day. Even the fuel sipping 150 uses cubic dollars worth. (B) Tractor gets in the way sometimes.

Solution(S); A friend offers to buy my splitter @ price I paid. S.O.L.D.

I go to LOWES, buy a Troy Bilt 27 ton "trailer" model splitter that's on sale. Honda engine (which I adore!) It burns about a quart of gas per hour. Less expensive to operate. No tractor tire in the way. Less hassle to hitch/unhitch.

End result; HUGE wood pile split, stacked, and DONE in one day w/happier operator.

What sort of splitter do you prefer? How BIG? Brand?

 

[tinkertoys]

I hope this will help me decide whether to buy or build also free standing or three point. thanks tinker

 

[Archdean]

27 ton with Honda and it works for me!!

 

[Economy_Pete]

I'm still working with the splitting maul and wedge when needed, and I buy some wood each year in the cut split and delivered form, BUT, I'm planning to burn more wood and less oil so it's time to visit the same question myself, tractor does not have 3 point and enough hydro pressure to run splitter so that style is out, but which tow behind is better, horizontal or vertical operating type?
Peter

 

[PaulChristenson]

I ain't no wussy! Never gonna sell me a dang hydraulic splitter. I'll bust wood all day with a maul.................

.................or until I turn 60.


Whew! Curses on that maul! OK. About a year ago, I bought a Wallenstien splitter that runs off the tractor hydraulics. MAN! Is this ever easy!

Negatives? Not MANY. Except..... (A) Tractor has to run ALL day. Even the fuel sipping 150 uses cubic dollars worth. (B) Tractor gets in the way sometimes.

Solution(S); A friend offers to buy my splitter @ price I paid. S.O.L.D.

I go to LOWES, buy a Troy Bilt 27 ton "trailer" model splitter that's on sale. Honda engine (which I adore!) It burns about a quart of gas per hour. Less expensive to operate. No tractor tire in the way. Less hassle to hitch/unhitch.

End result; HUGE wood pile split, stacked, and DONE in one day w/happier operator.

What sort of splitter do you prefer? How BIG? Brand?

The other advantage with the independent woodsplitter...is you can use your tractor with a grapple to bring wood to the splitter...so you get seat time and SWMBO gets to run the splitter...

 

[Archdean]

I'm still working with the splitting maul and wedge when needed, and I buy some wood each year in the cut split and delivered form, BUT, I'm planning to burn more wood and less oil so it's time to visit the same question myself, tractor does not have 3 point and enough hydro pressure to run splitter so that style is out, but which tow behind is better, horizontal or vertical operating type?
Peter

The simple answer is if you look at the my picture above it converts to Verticle by just removing a pin! And on occasion I use it that way when the log is just too heavy to pick up!

 

[Farmwithjunk]

I'm still working with the splitting maul and wedge when needed, and I buy some wood each year in the cut split and delivered form, BUT, I'm planning to burn more wood and less oil so it's time to visit the same question myself, tractor does not have 3 point and enough hydro pressure to run splitter so that style is out, but which tow behind is better, horizontal or vertical operating type?
Peter

The lions share of them on the market today will work either way. (vert or horizontal) You DEFINATELY want one like that! Best of both worlds!

 

[SPYDERLK]

The lions share of them on the market today will work either way. (vert or horizontal) You DEFINATELY want one like that! [[[Best of both worlds!]]]

I would not agree with best. My horizontal home built is much better appointed ergonomically than is a H/V splitter when its being used horizontally. Certain trade offs are made in allowing both positions, and they impact mainly on convenient horizontal use. Vert option would be nice, but its not very hard to get around the need for it if youve got a tractor/loader.
larry

 

[Farmwithjunk]

I would not agree with best. My horizontal home built is much better appointed ergonomically than is a H/V splitter when its being used horizontally. Certain trade offs are made in allowing both positions, and they impact mainly on convenient horizontal use. Vert option would be nice, but its not very hard to get around the need for it if youve got a tractor/loader.
larry

Different people do things different ways. Personally, I wouldn't have a splitter that wouldn't operate vertically. In fact, that's why I waited so long before I bought one. I used a splitter that belongs to a bro-in-law a few years ago. It was fixed into horizontal position. After a few days of messing with the loader to lift logs that I could have just as easily rolled into position on the ground, I decided a splitter wasn't all that handy afterall. A couple years ago, I rented one that works in either position. (trailer type) That made a believer out of me. So I bought the 3-point model. I didn't care much for that one either. After splitting up 4 trees worth of wood last week, I'm convinced the vert/hor option is more to my liking. Simple enough, I just don't care for jumping on and off the tractor so much.

I built a "lift arm" attachment for the Wallenstien (3-point) splitter. I'm about to convert it to work on the new trailer model.

My dad used to tell me "That's why they make chocolate, strawberry, and vanilla ice cream......So everybody can have the flavor they want".

 

[Big Dog]

I bought mine at Lowe's 8 years ago. I has done cords and cords of wood. MTD 27 ton yard machine, never failed to split anything I put on it, knots and all!

Spent a couple hours on it yesterday, need a carb kit, float is in bad, bad shape. The only issue I ever had with it.

 

[Farmwithjunk]

I bought mine at Lowe's 8 years ago. I has done cords and cords of wood. MTD 27 ton yard machine, never failed to split anything I put on it, knots and all!

Spent a couple hours on it yesterday, need a carb kit, float is in bad, bad shape. The only issue I ever had with it.

The MTD is virtually the same splitter as the Troy Bilt. I can't see yours well enough to see which motor you have. Many had a B&S. Mine has a Honda. Those Hondas are very frugal with the gas.

 

[Big Dog]

The MTD is virtually the same splitter as the Troy Bilt. I can't see yours well enough to see which motor you have. Many had a B&S. Mine has a Honda. Those Hondas are very frugal with the gas.

Has a B&S 6.5hp............ Always been impressed with it's gas usage.

 

[rdbrumfield]

what splitter do I preferr?

 

[Ductape]

I've got the Honda powered Yard Machines............

I'm 100% happy with it. Its the same as the TroyBilt, CubCadet, etc...... all made by MTD. It has split big gnarly elm, and everything else I've thrown at it. I've never done anything to it except change the oil once a year.

One easy modification I'll highly recommend.......... make a shelf for the motor side to hold the piece of wood you are working on. It saves ALOT of bending over to keep lifting the same chunk of wood that needs to be split multiple times. Mine doesn't interfere with splitting vertically, and even protects the plastic fan shroud on the top of the motor. I made mine out of pieces I had hanging around.

Not sure exactly how many cord I've run across mine, but I'd say plenty. I usually make a little more wood than I need and sell a few cord per year. I'd say I've got about five years on mine.


The first two pics are older........ note the plywood shelf was a prototype for the one I made out of steel. I greatly prefer to split horizontally, and have sometimes been known to cheat getting the wood on there. My late FIL loved any excuse to get a little seat time in his Bobcat !

 

[Peanut]

i recently bought a 27 ton craftsman i fell in love the second that thing split the first log. havina bad back&neck the swinging of and axe was out of the question. i just need to make a sorta table extenstion so the wood don't fall on the motor when splitting it.i plan to make some other attachments for it too so i can use it as a press to.

 

[solitude]

Yep i had a northern splitter for years.Pain to wheel around on rough ground and sometimes high for big logs.Bought a new kubota tractor with frt hyds. Bought a quick mount plate,took wheels and motor off spliter and welded to quick mount.Takes minutes to mount on tractor can lower right to ground for big logs.No more messing with carb,no more trying to move it around by hand.Works great.

 

[urednecku]

Yep i had a northern splitter for years.Pain to wheel around on rough ground and sometimes high for big logs.Bought a new kubota tractor with frt hyds. Bought a quick mount plate,took wheels and motor off spliter and welded to quick mount.Takes minutes to mount on tractor can lower right to ground for big logs.No more messing with carb,no more trying to move it around by hand.Works great.

 

[Peanut]

yup