LS Tractor is a firewood machine

[Diggin It]

See, that's where static pictures come in handy since I don't watch videos. There has been a lot of discussion about 3PT mounted PTO powered splitters and I haven't seen too much in favor of them. I just got a 28T stand alone unit that I can leave sitting out by the wood pile while the tractor gets tucked away in the (too small) shed out of the weather. People also don't like setting them up vertical, but I find it very handy for large diameter chunks.

I cut to the size I need to move to the pile/work area to be cut down further and split later.

 

[4570Man]

You'd save yourself some work with a set of pallet forks. Buck the trees where you fall them into 8-10' lengths, move several at a time to where you're doing your splitting and stacking....just hold the up on the forks and do your cutting into firewood length. Eliminates loading rounds into bucket, and the use of the log jack deal.

Also, you may find what I did....tractor mounted splitter is wasteful to use 30-40hp to run a splitter instead of 8hp....and the pump on a tractor really isn't meant for a splitter.....much slower. And having that on the back of the tractor like a scorpion tail is often unhandy. I converted mine to a stand alone unit with a Honda engine/16gpm 2 stage pump.

If running a tractor cost as much as some people here claim then you’re thousand of dollars a year ahead with the 8hp engine. I don’t like the concept of 3 point splitters. You’re tying up a machine to split firewood. Unless you spend more money to go PTO pump powered you have a splitter that works at a snails rate. And if you have help you are slowing down production. I often cut wood while a helper runs the splitter. I couldn’t do that at least without a lot more work with a tractor mounted splitter. And if you have a new tractor they don’t take very well to low RPMs and light work.

 

[rockinmywaypa]

if you have an engine driven vertical splitter did you ever consider setting it up on a haywagon so that you could stand at the side and roll the blocks over to it after putting a bucketfull on the wagon. I have a dedicated table style splitter and my left hand puts the block in position for the next cut while my right hand is on the control and my back which is screwed thanks me for never lifting or bending over.

 

[Olympus]

Never really understood why people use “tying up the tractor” as a reason why they don’t like 3pt splitters. To me, a 3pt splitter is an implement the same as a tiller or a brush hog. You hook it up to your tractor to do a job, then unhook when you’re done. It’s like saying you don’t like a 3pt tiller because it ties up your tractor! I mean WTH does that even mean? I hook up an implement when I need to do a job. It’s not tying my tractor up because I’m doing the job that needs doing. If there’s something else that needs doing, then that can wait until I’m done. It’s like saying I don’t like brush hogs because they tie up my tractor. Makes absolutely no sense to me.

 

[4570Man]

Never really understood why people use “tying up the tractor” as a reason why they don’t like 3pt splitters. To me, a 3pt splitter is an implement the same as a tiller or a brush hog. You hook it up to your tractor to do a job, then unhook when you’re done. It’s like saying you don’t like a 3pt tiller because it ties up your tractor! I mean WTH does that even mean? I hook up an implement when I need to do a job. It’s not tying my tractor up because I’m doing the job that needs doing. If there’s something else that needs doing, then that can wait until I’m done. It’s like saying I don’t like brush hogs because they tie up my tractor. Makes absolutely no sense to me.

I use the tractor at the same time as the splitter. Pretty hard to split wood on the back of the tractor and use it either to lift big pieces or cut more wood while a helper splits wood. Then unless you hook up a pto pump which not many people do you’ve got a snail of a wood splitter.

 

[Olympus]

I use the tractor at the same time as the splitter. Pretty hard to split wood on the back of the tractor and use it either to lift big pieces or cut more wood while a helper splits wood. Then unless you hook up a pto pump which not many people do you’ve got a snail of a wood splitter.

I guess since I do everything by myself, it doesn’t matter to me. I can do all the work with the loader at once until I have a big stack, then turn around and use a splitter. I can only do one job at a time, so having a splitter on the back doesn’t stop me from doing anything.

 

[4570Man]

It’s still snail slow unless you have a pto pump.

 

[Sawyer Rob]

Never really understood why people use 鍍ying up the tractor as a reason why they don稚 like 3pt splitters. To me, a 3pt splitter is an implement the same as a tiller or a brush hog.

Me either... You are MUCH better off cutting your logs into firewood lengths over a wagon or trailer, so you don't have to use your tractor to lift the rounds to be split!

I park my splitter right next to my wagon and then just roll the rounds ri9ght onto my splitters beam... WAAAAAY easier and faster to get to the end...

I LOVE my 3 point splitter!

SR

 

[MossRoad]

Me either... You are MUCH better off cutting your logs into firewood lengths over a wagon or trailer, so you don't have to use your tractor to lift the rounds to be split!

I park my splitter right next to my wagon and then just roll the rounds ri9ght onto my splitters beam... WAAAAAY easier and faster to get to the end...

I LOVE my 3 point splitter!

SR

I've seen many pictures of your operation, and I find it very interesting and efficient. But I've also seen pictures of your helper standing on a wagon operating a chainsaw with little safety gear. Seems like a recipe for disaster. Lose your footing and not only drive a chain through your shin, fall off a wagon and break some bones. I know everything in life has it's risks and I know I take risks that I shouldn't, so kinda the pot calling the kettle here, but there's got to be a safer way and still maintain efficiency.

 

[Sawyer Rob]

I've seen many pictures of your operation, and I find it very interesting and efficient. But I've also seen pictures of your helper standing on a wagon operating a chainsaw with little safety gear. Seems like a recipe for disaster. Lose your footing and not only drive a chain through your shin, fall off a wagon and break some bones. I know everything in life has it's risks and I know I take risks that I shouldn't, so kinda the pot calling the kettle here, but there's got to be a safer way and still maintain efficiency.

Standing on that wagon is no different than standing on the ground, it's stable and the wagon does not move one bit while cutting...

You are right about one thing though, IF YOU think it's too unsafe for YOU, then YOU shouldn't do it!

Some folks shouldn't even have a chainsaw in their hands!

SR

 

[4570Man]

I've seen many pictures of your operation, and I find it very interesting and efficient. But I've also seen pictures of your helper standing on a wagon operating a chainsaw with little safety gear. Seems like a recipe for disaster. Lose your footing and not only drive a chain through your shin, fall off a wagon and break some bones. I know everything in life has it's risks and I know I take risks that I shouldn't, so kinda the pot calling the kettle here, but there's got to be a safer way and still maintain efficiency.

We already know that SR way is best and we’re all wrong but it’s definitely a more dangerous way of doing things. That’s like arguing that it’s just as safe to walk down a flight of stairs covered in ice in regular shoes vs a clean dry set. When I cut on the ground I always cut on unobstructed ground and then push the cut rounds up tighter with the tractor. SR usually ignores when I ask how to get the rounds off the center of the wagon without repeatedly climbing on the wagon. I suppose you could drag a few with a pickaroon, but that’s fairly limited in the size of what you could drag. When I split the cut pile on the ground I just park the splitter with lift on the downhill side and when I’ve been splitting a while and the gap grows greater I push the pile closer with the tractor. It doesn’t get much easier than rolling a round down hill and hitting a lever to lift it.

 

[MossRoad]

Standing on that wagon is no different than standing on the ground, it's stable and the wagon does not move one bit while cutting...

You are right about one thing though, IF YOU think it's too unsafe for YOU, then YOU shouldn't do it!

Some folks shouldn't even have a chainsaw in their hands!

SR

Yeah, until the unexpected shift in a log or round knocks you off balance. On the ground I fall on my butt and on a wagon I tip over the edge and land on my neck. That's the only difference. Again, I do stupid stuff, too, like decorating a 40' Christmas tree with a 14' ladder and a 23' painter's pole, off balance, on a ladder. I wouldn't suggest anyone else do it. There's gotta be a better way.

 

[4570Man]

Yeah, until the unexpected shift in a log or round knocks you off balance. On the ground I fall on my butt and on a wagon I tip over the edge and land on my neck. That's the only difference. Again, I do stupid stuff, too, like decorating a 40' Christmas tree with a 14' ladder and a 23' painter's pole, off balance, on a ladder. I wouldn't suggest anyone else do it. There's gotta be a better way.

The ground has enough area to move out and not be standing in a log pile. Standing in a log pile isn’t great but the rounds dropping on the log pile then rolling unpredictability is by far the biggest danger. The stability of the wagon was the least of problems. Even if you do feel safe doing it why make an dangerous operation more dangerous? You’re obviously not broke. What’s the objection to a log lift? It’s probably $500 to buy and not very much to fab yourself.

 

[MossRoad]

The ground has enough area to move out and not be standing in a log pile. Standing in a log pile isn’t great but the rounds dropping on the log pile then rolling unpredictability is by far the biggest danger. The stability of the wagon was the least of problems.

Well, I understand him holding the log with the grapple while the other guy cuts it right onto the wagon. So the log isn't gonna shift. But once the rounds start piling up, or a round drops funny, and you go to move and your ankle hits something, etc.... then stuff can happen.

Maybe you can train yourself like the crab fishermen do to not pick their feet up when they throw the rope so it can't go under their feet? I don't know. I just wouldn't want to be standing on a platform cutting wood.

It does eliminate a step in handling the wood, and that's something I'm all for. I hate wasted movement and firewood processing for small potato ops like me and my little 6 cords for personal use shows lots of wasted movement. He's doing production. I get production. Been doing that all my life. But I've seen some horrendous injuries in the quest for production, and I hate to see that.

 

[4570Man]

Well, I understand him holding the log with the grapple while the other guy cuts it right onto the wagon. So the log isn't gonna shift. But once the rounds start piling up, or a round drops funny, and you go to move and your ankle hits something, etc.... then stuff can happen.

Maybe you can train yourself like the crab fishermen do to not pick their feet up when they throw the rope so it can't go under their feet? I don't know. I just wouldn't want to be standing on a platform cutting wood.

It does eliminate a step in handling the wood, and that's something I'm all for. I hate wasted movement and firewood processing for small potato ops like me and my little 6 cords for personal use shows lots of wasted movement. He's doing production. I get production. Been doing that all my life. But I've seen some horrendous injuries in the quest for production, and I hate to see that.

It’s not that log, it’s the one that you’re cutting off and it dropping. And it requires 2 people or a lot of climbing on the wagon. I’d like to hear an explanation that doesn’t involve throwing insults at someone else’s chainsaws ability how that’s even remotely as safe as sawing in the ground. But I doubt we’ll hear anymore on the issue from him because that’s his usual mode of operation.

 

[Diggin It]

Not sure why so many threads have to go down the rabbit hole. We all have our own methods. I use my LS tractor to move the splitter to where it's needed and leave it stationary, either vertical or horizontal as desired. Then I use my LS tractor with bucket to move logs into place to be worked. Then I use my LS tractor with bucket to move the split pieces to where they need to be stacked. Then I use my LS tractor to move the splitter into storage.

Ya'know, cuz this IS an LS thread.

 

[4570Man]

I thought it was a firewood thread... There’s only about 2 pages relevant material to discuss in most threads. After that the options are to go down the rabbit hole or dry up and die. If you don’t like it hit the unsubscribe button and move along. In this case it hasn’t even went down the rabbit hole yet.

 

[CMV]

What's wrong with how he's handling the chainsaw? Just asking since that looks like exactly what I do for pieces that aren't all that thick.

I like that log holder. I just keep moving a cut piece or 2 around to hold the log up while I section it, but that little lever clamp looks a lot better.