Looking for a log splitter

[gsganzer]

One thing to consider.
I cut all my oak firewood at my deer lease (dry standing oak). I buck it up into 20" lengths and haul back 3-4 loads throughout the year (8' truck bed, mounded over the bed rails). I burn throughout late fall-winter-early spring in both a patio fireplace and a livingroom fireplace. We burn a lot in the livingroom, almost runs 24-7 through the winter.

After collecting all those loads through the year, on a weekend in early fall, employing the help of my wife and daughters, I rent a splitter from Home Depot and split all of it in an 8-hour day. We stack it, sweep/rake all the tailings (saving many for the smoker) and we're done for the year. I return the splitter to HD and I'm only out $80- $100 for the day of rental for the year. In reality, I could probably split 2X as much for the 1-day daily rental if we really wanted to bust out backsides.

Anyway, as much as I like having tools and gadgets, the 1 day rental still makes more sense.

 

[TIMMYDUCK]

I bought this County line 40 ton to replace a 15 year old Craftsman 27 ton

Talked them into 2500 deal .

One year in and 75 cord or so bucked up it has performed flawlessly.

 

[PeterV]

Love kinetic energy 4 Hp Subaru engine Super split. Made in West Bridgewater, Mass. 11 years old
Zero issues, Love the NO hydraulic fluid aspect. About 6 cords a year.

 

[caver]

I split mostly White and Red Oak. I picked up a Swisher new many years ago. Later I bought their 4 way wedge. Back then Orscheln sold them. Orscheln was bought out by Tractor Supply and Bomgaars. Now the prices are crazy high on those splitters and they only offer an electric model and a very pricey gas model.

 

[Smokeydog]

Use to use a Sotz monster maul and chainsaw for all splitting. Splurged and bought a Northern Hydraulics 27 ton V/H in 1986. Spilt for several families. Have replaced engine once, hoses and tires. New Buck model 91 wood stove installed with SS liner in 1991 really reduced the amount of wood needed but needed to be high quality split, dry wood.

2012 new minisplit heat pump can heat for about a $1/day and supplement with wood stove when it gets really cold, power outages or just want to watch the fire. Hard to beat warming up around a wood stove after working outside in the cold.

 

[Fields_mj]

I split by hand from the time I was old enough to swing a maul until about the time I was 45. My shoulders started giving me fits around that time. In the off season I found a 26 ton MTD splitter in great shape for $475 so I bought it. Wish I had bought one a decade earlier. It's not a great splitter, but it can handle anything I can lift. It will split vertical, but I don't like bending over, and I don't like trying to sit on my rear end while I'm trying to work. I welded up a couple of tables that bolt onto it. I split mostly hickory, with some oak and locust mixed in. I cut most of my firewood 20" to 22" long, and most of it splits by the time the wedge gets 6" into it so it goes pretty fast. If I can't lift the log onto the splitter, or I think it's going to be close, I use a 90cc chainsaw to noodle it into halves, quarters, or smaller if need be (still working on parts of a 72" oak).

The main point here is that if a person isn't splitting over 10 cord of hardwood per year, almost any splitter will probably work just fine.

 

[brutus54]

Just bought an Oregon 30 ton log splitter. We burn between 14 to 18 facecord of mostly oak and ash. I buy our firewood split but there are some large pieces and it's getting harder to swing a maul as I approach 70yrs old. Found some big knotted pieces and the splitter just popped through without a slowing down.

 

[Menagerie-Manor]

Grabbed a local Marketplace special last week for $100, kinda was a "what the hell buy". Turns out it's a vintage John Deere 52 with a tired engine so I hit HF for a 6.5 hp Predator engine for $147 that was a direct fit, fresh hyd oil and filter and she is really doing the job. Did about a cord and a half of Alder yesterday and today.

 

[Fields_mj]

Grabbed a local Marketplace special last week for $100, kinda was a "what the hell buy". Turns out it's a vintage John Deere 52 with a tired engine so I hit HF for a 6.5 hp Predator engine for $147 that was a direct fit, fresh hyd oil and filter and she is really doing the job. Did about a cord and a half of Alder yesterday and today.

View attachment 825243View attachment 825244

Looks like a Diddier. I have one out in the fence row that I need to put a new engine on. Decent little machines. People use to get them and modify them. Bascially lift them up to a comfortable work height and build a table around it. Should work for a long time.

 

[Fields_mj]

Just bought an Oregon 30 ton log splitter. We burn between 14 to 18 facecord of mostly oak and ash. I buy our firewood split but there are some large pieces and it's getting harder to swing a maul as I approach 70yrs old. Found some big knotted pieces and the splitter just popped through without a slowing down.

A friend of mine is a few years older than you, and has heated with firewood his entire life. He's on 120 acre farm that's roughly 3/4 woods. He has a splitter that mounts on the 3ph of his tractor and he uses that a lot. A couple of years ago, his son bought him one of those little electric splitters from harbor freight so he could use it indoors next to his wood furnace (Clayton). He absolutely loves the little thing. I've still got a couple of decades to go, but I kick around the idea of getting one every year. Would be nice in the basement since I don't really have room overhead to get a good swing going.