Gas log splitter or 3PH?

[newbury]

Whaaat? Are you sure about that. Although Einstein proved that time is relative, I'm not so sure that tractor hours are computed that way.

An hour is recorded on the meter for each hour the tractor is running regardless of the RPM.

Not on my ride.

 

[R_Walter]

It depends on just how much wood you really split. If you're splitting a lot of wood, having a dedicated gas engined splitter makes better sense to me. I cut on my land and neighboring ranches and always bring the rounds to the woodpile and then split right off my trailer or whatever I haul the wood with. That way I don't have to lift it up again from ground level. The key is to touch each stick as few times as possible.

I've got a Timberwolf with the 24hp Honda engine and one of those Home Depot 27 ton splitters with a 5.5hp Honda engine. I keep them both out at my woodpile. Every year I cut 50 to 75 cords. I burn about 4 - 5 cords and sell the rest.

So again, it depends.... If you're a weekend warrior cutting a cord or two a year, get whatever makes you happy.

 

[fdmars]

I agree with R Walter I would wonder how much wood you split and how big. I have the powerhorse 13 ton 3 pt log splitter and it works great. I do not split more the 2 to 3 cords of wood a year. I will put on a power beyond kit so I can run the splitter and load the wood in the bucket or just stack near where I split. I like to try and keep things simple and having fewer motors to maintain would be a plus for me. guess it depends on size of operation.

 

[gwdixon]

Not on my ride.

This is probably thread hijacking but....you are saying that 3 hours idling at 1000 RPM comes up as 1 hour, 3 hours at 2000 RPM comes up 2 hours, while 3 hours running at 3000 RPM comes up 3 hours - or something to that effect.

That would make the hour meter run like an odometer and would make the voltage to it variable somehow based on engine RPM. Convincing me of that will take more evidence than presented herein.

RPM is not being counted as a factor in the equation. Rather engine run time is being kept track of as an isolated value. Otherwise the hour meter would visibly record at different rates depending on the job being done. Take a watch the next time on your tractor and see.

Perceptions can be distorted.

 

[Jeepnford]

I use a Speeco 3 pt I purchased last fall. It's not as fast as a stand alone but it also cost about 50-75% less. As already stated,one less engine to maintain. I like being able to set it at any height horizontally or stand it vertically. I don't worry too much about tractor hours,if that was my concern I'd leave it parked in the garage. I had already installed remotes for other uses so that was a non-issue too.

 

[greg_g]

Whaaat? Are you sure about that.

Yup. On both my tractors anyway. If Kubota uses those cheap voltage on/voltage off hour counters, I'd be VERY surprised. That's a sophisticated enough device (with the possible exception of SCUTs and lawn tractors) to where the absence of a counting trigger would be surprising. Record the hours and tenths your your meter, start the tractor, let it idle for two hours, come back and check the meter.

My hour counters are regulated by trigger voltage from the tachometer. The slower the RPMs, the slower the hour count. When the tach is registering revs consistent with PTO operation (about 2200 on mine), the trigger voltage causes the the hour meter to count on a full 1:1 basis. That is, every chronological hour of PTO speed work is registered as 60 minutes on the hour meter. When working at lower RPMs, trigger voltage from the tach causes the hour meter to turn over slower. Don't know about full throttle (2650), but I only rev that high infrequently on paved roads. But I'm thinkin' that there's probably a logic circuit in there that considers 1:1 to be the maximum ratio, since RPMs above working speed are typically associated with no-load travel. But I've never clocked it, so I have no empirical evidence to back up the high speed/no load aspect.

//greg//

 

[Diamondpilot]

This is a no win fight. I personally made my own 3 point splitter that goes horizontal and vertical. Hours are nothing. I maybe use it 10 hours tops in one year. Big deal, its a tractor. Even if used at this rate for the next 25 years 250 hours is nothing on a tractor..


Chris

 

[greg_g]

This is a no win fight.

Well, the silly business about hour meters is certainly a diversion. It's just one Kubota guy who was immediately contradicted by another Kubota guy. But I don't think we're at a "no win" stage regarding whether the OP should go for a TPH or a standalone splitter.

//greg//

 

[sixgun]

It's all in the staging for me. I don't do a lot of cutting on the property, but rather get 7-8 cords of log length delivered every year or two. I cut it into rounds and let them stay right where they fall. Then I drive the tractor/3pt splitter around the pile converting the rounds into splits. After that's done I unhook the splitter and use the tractor bucket to transport and stack it.

 

[Diamondpilot]

Well, the silly business about hour meters is certainly a diversion. It's just one Kubota guy who was immediately contradicted by another Kubota guy. But I don't think we're at a "no win" stage regarding whether the OP should go for a TPH or a standalone splitter.

//greg//

I was not referring to the hour meter. Mine works just like yours and my tractor will split anything I can throw at it at 1200 RPM. I was talking about the fight over 3 point or stand alone. Its kind of like a Ford vs Chevy fight or a R1's vs R4's. We all know Ford stomps Chevy and R1's are hands down the best.

As for staging I cut my logs into 8' lengths then load them with my Forks onto a trailer. Dump them on site then split and stack right at one spot. Later I bring a rick at a time to the garage using the bucket or even my 10 CU YD cart behind a little Craftsman mower.

Chris