Tractors and wood! Show your pics

[WinterDeere]

Small splitters have pumps rated at 2 to 3-gpm. Splitters with larger rams, typically have 11-gpm. Big splitters have 16 to 20-gpm. If your tractor is a 23 to 25-hp CUT, you probably have 3 to 5-gpm. A 35-horse tractor will be around 11 to 15-gpm.

I've personally never seen any log splitter under 11 gpm, that's pretty much bottom-of-the-barrel 12 seconds on a 4" cylinder level DIY'er stuff. More common around here is 16 - 23 gpm.

I can't understand any advantage in running a log splitter off tractor hydraulics. It's a slower and less convenient way to accomplish what can be done with a 10 hp Honda, Subaru, or Intek engine, ubiquitously available for a few hundred dollars. Better keeping the tractor free of the thing, for moving logs, rounds, or splits around, and putting all those hours of idling away on a much cheaper engine.

That said, if I were going to run a splitter off my tractor, it'd be closed-loop with a PTO pump. Way faster, as most CUT's can deliver much more HP thru the PTO than thru auxiliary hydraulics. Also keeps the systems segregated and clean.

 

[Rockbadchild]

 

[WinterDeere]

Definitely slower than a hydraulic splitter set horizontally, given you then have to set the tool aside and bend over and pick up the pieces. But that hammer drill might actually be a good way to deal with anything too large to move onto a splitter. I used to end up noodling a lot of the 1000+ lb. rounds into slabs, which wasted time and gas.

 

[Fuddyduddy1952]

There's a 100yo Sears catalog at my homeplace which has lots of attachments for a model T Ford. One is similar to this:

 

[Rockbadchild]

There's a 100yo Sears catalog at my homeplace which has lots of attachments for a model T Ford. One is similar to this:

I have one of these, it works but it's not the safest to use, it create lots of splinters and it's not the easiest to use either.

 

[Jstpssng]

There's a 100yo Sears catalog at my homeplace which has lots of attachments for a model T Ford. One is similar to this:

My father bought something similar called a unicorn, to go on the 3pth.

(https://offerup.com/item/detail/10905f73-4c33-39c8-a4a4-63c7d35c9193)


The first time he used it was to split a big chunk of yellow birch ... which quickly got stuck and twisted that steel frame up like a pretzel. The last time that I saw it, he was headed down the road toward the barn, with the stick of firewood still attached.

 

[arrow]

how old you think these are ? have you ever count it's rings ?

I used to remember how to do this.
Certain trees have certain growth factors.
If l recall correctly, it was around 5 for oaks.
So if you multiply the diameter by the growth factor, then multiply that number again by the growth factor, you can figure up the age of the tree.
This only works to a point as a tree knows when to stop growing if it wants to stay rooted.
So in this case, that 6’ oak that Winter mentioned would be 150 yrs old.
But as stated, this tree was pictured as quite large a hundred fifty years ago.
So this white oak could have been closer to 250 yrs old or more.

 

[Rockbadchild]

My father bought something similar called a unicorn, to go on the 3pth.

View attachment 2664326


(https://offerup.com/item/detail/10905f73-4c33-39c8-a4a4-63c7d35c9193)


The first time he used it was to split a big chunk of yellow birch ... which quickly got stuck and twisted that steel frame up like a pretzel. The last time that I saw it, he was headed down the road toward the barn, with the stick of firewood still attached.

that is exactly it

 

[Jstpssng]

I used to remember how to do this.
Certain trees have certain growth factors.
If l recall correctly, it was around 5 for oaks.
So if you multiply the diameter by the growth factor, then multiply that number again by the growth factor, you can figure up the age of the tree.
This only works to a point as a tree knows when to stop growing if it wants to stay rooted.
So in this case, that 6’ oak that Winter mentioned would be 150 yrs old.
But as stated, this tree was pictured as quite large a hundred fifty years ago.
So this white oak could have been closer to 250 yrs old or more.

Not true at all. The only accurate way is to count the rings. There are a lot of factors involved in how fast a tree grows. Species certainly is one, but site, available water, completion from other trees are even more important. You can have two trees of the same species and age side by side; but if one of them gets adequate sunshine and the other is in the shade of another tree there can be a tremendous difference in height and diameter.

Come to think of it there is an exception to every rule. If your grandfather planted the tree on his 21st birthday...

 

[ning]

My father bought something similar called a unicorn, to go on the 3pth.

View attachment 2664326


(https://offerup.com/item/detail/10905f73-4c33-39c8-a4a4-63c7d35c9193)


The first time he used it was to split a big chunk of yellow birch ... which quickly got stuck and twisted that steel frame up like a pretzel. The last time that I saw it, he was headed down the road toward the barn, with the stick of firewood still attached.

I think I've seen a splitting screw like this on a 3pt post hole digger, with a similar screw in place of an auger bit. You'd need something else to keep the wood from spinning though.

I've seen videos where screws are used to split a log, starting not at the end but somewhere in the middle. Like, split first, then chainsaw it to lengths.

 

[WinterDeere]

I've seen videos where screws are used to split a log, starting not at the end but somewhere in the middle. Like, split first, then chainsaw it to lengths.

Usually seen on skid steers, with hydro motor on SSQA attachment.

 

[Gordon Gould]

Splitter cycle time is important but it is only part of the whole cycle of getting the block onto the beam and the split piece dealt with. No matter what a single person operation will be fairly slow. To me the key is to minimize your foot movement. I like several methods. Block up the logs on my trailer and throw the splits into the wood shed.

Or block up tree length logs into a pile. And roughly stack the splits to air dry.

You will want an ample table on your splitter. I also use the bucket if I have a large half I split and want to get it out of the way while I work on the first half.

gg

 

[Rockbadchild]

My dad on his custom made splitter has a hydraulic wings on the opposite side of the controls that you can stack wood on so you don't have to go back and forth every logs

I Also really like the moving wedge two way splitter, that compensate for slower cycle time.

 

[Jstpssng]

My dad on his custom made splitter has a hydraulic wings on the side opposite side that you can stack wood on so you don't have to go back and forth every logs

I Also really like the moving wedge two way splitter that compensate for slower cycle.

View attachment 2664808

Nice setup. I have my father's old basic splitter. He had welded 2 pieces of angle iron together to set behind the ram, stopping it with enough space for a 16 inch stick of wood. Unfortunately it's been lost over the course of time and I haven't had a chance to build another.

 

[Gordon Gould]

Nice setup. I have my father's old basic splitter. He had welded 2 pieces of angle iron together to set behind the ram, stopping it with enough space for a 16 inch stick of wood. Unfortunately it's been lost over the course of time and I haven't had a chance to build another.

That's a good idea - But just a warning, it didn't work out well on my Huskee splitter when I did that to stop at 18". On the return stroke it tore the bolt holes right out of the wedge. I didn't realize that the ram to wedge connection was designed to be push only where the ram end was in contact with the wedge. The bolt was there to hold the ram and can't withstand much force. You can see where I had to repair the bolt holes.

gg

 

[WinterDeere]

I've seen the cylinder rod end fail, more often than the wedge cheeks. You'll see this most often on splitters that have been "short-stroked" with collars on the rod, if the detent pressure on the auto return isn't backed way off.

 

[BnRidge]

Not true at all. The only accurate way is to count the rings. There are a lot of factors involved in how fast a tree grows. Species certainly is one, but site, available water, completion from other trees are even more important. You can have two trees of the same species and age side by side; but if one of them gets adequate sunshine and the other is in the shade of another tree there can be a tremendous difference in height and diameter.

Come to think of it there is an exception to every rule. If your grandfather planted the tree on his 21st birthday...

In northern Wi in the 90s I would camp at secluded lakes, some of which had been former ccc camps. All of the trees were regrowth of cutover areas from the 30s, making them all 50yrs old or so. I would go around, cut down a few dead ones and put together a star fire (log lengths that all meet at one end). No other cutting, just keep shoving the logs toward the center. Thing was these dead ones were 3-4" dia, could never get above the canopy, but were all also the same 50yr old age.
Also here at home, some of the 175yr oaks, the first 120yrs they might only be 10" dia, then the canopy breaks, and they shoot up to 36" dia.

 

[WinterDeere]

Because our area was nearly clear-cut in the 1700's, and various areas wooded today vary from the rare old-growth up to forests as young as 60 years, we get to see the effects of growing under all sorts of conditions. Trees that grow under a canopy will usually rocket straight up, I've seen young black walnut trees 100 feet tall and only 8" in diameter, reaching for the sunlight they need. Meanwhile, the same species grown in a front yard or field will branch out and become quote old and stout, before ever reaching such heights.

 

[Gordon Gould]

I've seen the cylinder rod end fail, more often than the wedge cheeks. You'll see this most often on splitters that have been "short-stroked" with collars on the rod, if the detent pressure on the auto return isn't backed way off.

I was lucky the cheeks ripped. The detent on my valve had no adjustment but was spec'ed at 500 psi. So 6000 lbs with the 4" cylinder. Some back yard engineering ......If the shear of mild steel is 40,000 lb/sq-in then 3/16" should hold. Each side was 3/16 so I had double ???? The dangers of backyard engineering

gg

 

[arrow]

Not true at all. The only accurate way is to count the rings. There are a lot of factors involved in how fast a tree grows. Species certainly is one, but site, available water, completion from other trees are even more important. You can have two trees of the same species and age side by side; but if one of them gets adequate sunshine and the other is in the shade of another tree there can be a tremendous difference in height and diameter.

Come to think of it there is an exception to every rule. If your grandfather planted the tree on his 21st birthday...

I spent most of my life with loggers.
As with any profession, stories abound.
I totally disagree with your vehemence against this not holding any veracity whatsoever. I’ve seen it work at times and be totally incorrect with other times such as the tree Winter described.
It’s a generality that may be true at times and untrue on others give or take a few rings.
Ages of trees really didn’t hold a lot of interest to loggers and may have been brought up for the sake of curiosity. Nonetheless, as with most things in logging, inventing the fastest way to do stuff was the norm.