Thoughts on 3pt log splitters?

[m5guy]

I have a splitter I made for the bobcat, it runs great on the 25gpm the bobcat makes, I run it off the 3rd function on my tractor, hope you brought coffee, it's slow, but it breaks the nastiest pieces but it's slow.
I have a 40 year old speeco, my dad bought from farm and fleet. I finally had to put a hf 6.5 after the Briggs 5hp died. I use the standalone 98% of the time. Seems faster.
As cheap as the hf motors are, I can't see buying filters and oil for my tractor more often. Especially if you buy the warranty on the hf motor, just get a new one every year.

 

[dodge man]

My Yardmax has a Briggs and Stratton on it and it’s been good, not a clone. I actually have three of their small engines and they’ve all been good. I have had some negative connotations on them in the past, hence the term Briggs and Scrap Iron.

 

[newkiotiguy]

I have a 3 point splitter and will NEVER go back to a standalone splitter.

SR

Sounds like something a guy with multiple tractors would say. The wife splits most of the wood here so that would mean I couldn't use my tractor while she was working. Can't have that.

 

[Sawyer Rob]

Getting a splitter with a log lift seems to add a lot to the price.

I could have had it on my splitter, but I decided I didn't need it. I cut over a wagon or trailer and then roll those bigger rounds right onto the beam of my splitter, and push them right through the 4-way wedge, easy peasy.

It works great and is basically FREE.

SR

 

[Sawyer Rob]

Sounds like something a guy with multiple tractors would say. The wife splits most of the wood here so that would mean I couldn't use my tractor while she was working. Can't have that.

And you sound like a guy that "needs" multiple tractors! lol

SR

 

[90cummins]

OK, then you be rolling along. LOL I use my Kubota to drag logs up to where I split and pile logs. Then I use my old Powerking to move splitter around. My biggest hang up is keeping the splits out of the way once they come off the splitter tray. In less than 15 minutes I will have to either move the Powerking forward or throw the splits out of the way by hand. Sometimes if I want to keep the split wood in a pile in a small area, I will place my Kubota bucket at the end of the table and let the wood fall into the bucket then pile it up, but I have to move the tractor every 5 minutes. To me it's faster to just throw it out of the way by hand. no matter how you go about it cutting and splitting wood is work
I keep saying I'm going to build another conveyor which would speed things up a lot because keeping splits out of the way is the most time-consuming task in my operation. I say I keep thinking about it, but I have to ask myself how much longer I will be able to do this. The one I had got burned up when my shop burned down and just can't see taking the time and money to build another one.

That’s the nice thing about being able to move my splitter with my 3pt hitch. I can split until the splitter is surrounded with wood then just pick it up & reposition it.

 

[mx842]

My Yardmax has a Briggs and Stratton on it and it’s been good, not a clone. I actually have three of their small engines and they’ve all been good. I have had some negative connotations on them in the past, hence the term Briggs and Scrap Iron.

I've never really had many problems with the B&S engines I've had. Of course, most of the ones I've had were from way back. I built a splitter over 35 years ago and that old 8 hp Briggs engine was still on there when I decided to scrap and build a newer one. I wanted something with a log lift on it.
I gave that old motor to my son about 6 years ago to replace the 5 hp he had on his rototiller and it's still going today. I bought a troy built rototiller with an 8 hp on it in 1985 and it would be still kicking today if it had not got burned alive in my shop fire 3 years ago.
I still have a couple lawn mowers and a small lawn tractor that have Briggs engines on them and never really had much trouble out of them either. They all start fairly easy and go when I need them. I know Briggs went downhill a few years ago and the newer ones were not like the ones-built years ago, 20+ years ago.
I have a 13 hp real Honda on my new splitter and wouldn't trade that engine for anything. It is the easiest starting small engine I ever had. It even has an electric start on it, but I have never hooked it up to a battery because it will start on one pull every time.

 

[mx842]

That’s the nice thing about being able to move my splitter with my 3pt hitch. I can split until the splitter is surrounded with wood then just pick it up & reposition it.

Yeah, that's about all I use my old Powerking for now that I bought this new Kubota. That poor thing used to get a real workout before I got this new one. I pulled logs that weighted 3 times what that little tractor did out of the woods for a long time and never once quit. I did have to fix a few things every now and again that I got too rough with.
I'll go by the tractor shed sometimes and she seems to be calling, 'hey what about me', and I'll take her out for a spin around the yard or to the mailbox. Sometimes when I go out to get on the Kubota, I'll go over to her and pet her on the back tire and tell her I still love her then tell her to enjoy your retirement it's for her own good. I don't think she feels the same way, but she knows I'll come by when I can to see how she's doing.

 

[BossofBBQ]

I've never really had many problems with the B&S engines I've had. Of course, most of the ones I've had were from way back. I built a splitter over 35 years ago and that old 8 hp Briggs engine was still on there when I decided to scrap and build a newer one. I wanted something with a log lift on it.
I gave that old motor to my son about 6 years ago to replace the 5 hp he had on his rototiller and it's still going today. I bought a troy built rototiller with an 8 hp on it in 1985 and it would be still kicking today if it had not got burned alive in my shop fire 3 years ago.
I still have a couple lawn mowers and a small lawn tractor that have Briggs engines on them and never really had much trouble out of them either. They all start fairly easy and go when I need them. I know Briggs went downhill a few years ago and the newer ones were not like the ones-built years ago, 20+ years ago.
I have a 13 hp real Honda on my new splitter and wouldn't trade that engine for anything. It is the easiest starting small engine I ever had. It even has an electric start on it, but I have never hooked it up to a battery because it will start on one pull every time.

All my small engines are old Kohlers. I’ve had real good luck with them, currently own 4. The one powering my welder is straight piped with a 5” exhaust tip- looks comical, but puts up a huge racket, almost sounds like a Johnny Popper.

 

[ZiggyD]

Like others I am not sold on the extra wear and tear on an engine. The average diesel tractor engine in Agricultural service lasts 6900 hours before the first inframe overhaul and 11,000 hours before needing an out of frame overhaul per a Mac Kay and company report. When I did an out of frame rebuild on my Massey with a Perkins AD135 engine the cost for me was <$1000 dollars. So thats $0.69 per hour if it lasts 6900 hours before an inframe is needed. It only needed rebuilt because the previous owner used starting fluid on it and busted the rings out.

As @ZiggyD points out, there is a cycle rate loss due to lower flow rates on a tractor.


If the predator engine lasts 217 hours (150/0.69) then its cost would be equal to the wear on my engine (even though an inframe is $400 so $0.057 per hour in wear). I think that there is a case for 3pt and engine powered, but I am not buying the "my tractor engine will die" argument. This is my experience, however if doing much wood at all I would go stand alone engine powered.

All good arrangements though I’m suspecting your overhaul costs only include parts. The majority of us don’t have the time, tools and expertise to split our tractors for maintenance so the numbers you used are anecdotally specific to you. Using real world costs that includes professional labor to do in, and out of frame Rebuild would show that using a 50+ hp tractor frame to run a splitter for hours on end makes no financial sense.