Wood splitter powered by tractor hydraulics vs small engine powered

[TNhobbyfarmer]

Pros and cons of each? I have never used a tractor driven one. How does the power compare? There is a one year old TSC County Line tractor powered one for sale on local Craigslist $500. Looking for opinions.

 

[gsganzer]

I was recently asking the same question about a 3-pt splitter on a L3800. general concensus is they're slow. But if you're only doing occasional splitting, it might be good enough.


Check the hydraulic flow specs on your L3430, that might determine whether it's worth it or not.

 

[Stimw]

I have no experience with Splitters on tractors but I do have a 3 pt Backhoe for my 3510 Branson.
I only have to run the tractor at 1200-1400 rpm for the hoe to work great.
I can't imagine a small engine with pump being faster unless it is a 2 stage pump. And even then. ??

 

[Sawyer Rob]

The power is determined by the psi of the system and size of the cylinder, so that would pretty much stay the same.

IF it has a big enough cylinder to give it some power, then the tractor hydraulic remotes just don't flow enough gpm to have speed, so the ram IS pretty slow, although it may be fast enough for you?

Buying one that has a separate hydraulic pump on the pto makes a HUGE difference and has more than enough power AND speed.

SR

 

[jeff9366]

Consider both 110 volt and 220 volt electrically powered splitters. I prefer splitting wood in my driveway.

VIDEO: Attaching A Log Splitter To A Tractor (should it be done?) - YouTube

ELECTRIC LOG SPLITTER - YouTube

 

[BHD]

when I first built my log splitter I pande it three point and tractor powered, and fixed up a lever to run the tractor hydraulic valve, worked well,

then when fuel jumped up in price a few years ago, I had a motor and bought a hydraulic pump, (two stage) , and (actually make a power pack, and mounted it on the splitter, use the power pack for hydraulic power on some other items, the PSI of the tractor and the power pack are the same, and the flow was about the same on the low stage, thus the return of the stroke is about the same,
the fuel usage is much less on the power pack, than on the tractor,

the power is in the pressure and the speed is in the gallon flow

 

[majorwager]

Believe an electric powered log splitter is a joke for residential toy collectors The video confirmed the suspicion.

The tractor is used as a power source, the PTO pump delivers 11 GPM+, no hesitation on 5 inch diameter ram, no repositioning. Cylinder travel is fast, no tripping over extension cords, no concerns over electrical shock although only a moron would utilize one absent a groung fault interpreter circuit.

Should pair this wannabe spliter w/ battery powered chainsaw, lunacy in tandem.

 

[BHD]

using the tractor as the power source, can be a money saver,

in that the cost of the engine and the pump and even the valve, may not be necessary needed at least to begin with,

basically all one needs is the cylinder and a good I beam, and welded to hook up on the three point the wedge.

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For an electric unit any thing less than 5 hp on 240, would IN my Opinion would be a waste of time, as the GPM would be so low that the cycle time would be long,

some advantage to electric would quieter operation,

 

[atsah]

I tried an American 3pth splitter on my TC45D and found it to be way to slow for me, I heat with wood in Northern Maine so I need a lot of wood. I have found my Honda powered Brave spliiter works best, it's fast, uses very little fuel and requires little to no maintenance. The Honda and Subaru powered splitters are the most reliable and fuel efficient..

 

[fishheadbob]

I split with a 3 point splitter for 30 years and am satisfied. It is critical that your tractor has sufficient hydraulic output to run the splitter effectively. The tractor I currently use has around a 12 GPM output; running at low idle or 900 rpm provides enough speed to move quick and powerful enough for me. Moving to 1200 rpm is actually too fast for me as I wear out; the iron horse keeps chugging along. At 900 RPMs I use next to no fuel. Most more modern tractors don't run at such low RPMs, and most of the users on this forum don't have 12 GPM output.
4 inch cylinder.
Over the years I briefly went with a tractor outputting about 5 GPM and wasn't satisfied with a lot of things all related to low output. I have used engine powered splitters a little over the years but the prospect of one more gas engine to maintain never made that a starter for me; I wouldn't personally like a splitter that ran off of a pto powered pump; just one more part to screw up.
Like he said, check your hydraulic flow output.