wood splitter

[FxdGrMind]

Got a 3pt splitter last fall, PTO pump for the hydro pressure. Perfect solution for me. I didn't want another engine to maintain. I'm slowly switching out all my Gas stuff for Diesel stuff... well the push mower will probably always be gas.....

it's only 16T but works faster than I want to and a day splitting is more than this old body can manage day after day. 4 cords in a day though is hump'n a lot of wood! Now if I could find some thing that would stack it all for me!

 

[Yota_85]

I'd like to clear up a few points when comparing different types of splitters.

As mentioned, cycle time is very important.
However, when you can split in either direction, such as the Powerhorse splitters, it is much less of an issue. Mine is about 7-8 seconds in each direction. (my tractor pump is ~12 GPM) Plenty fast enough, if I want faster I'd just rev up the tractor rpms to 2K. Then I have about 5-6 seconds in each direction. In my opinion, that's too fast. Chance of injury increases. 7-8 seconds is fine for me.

Hours put on the tractor is not an issue at low rpms.
At 1200 rpms or so I put 2-4 hrs on my tractor each year splitting wood. (that's 60 hrs in 20 yrs) Your hour meter works at PTO rpms, which is usually around 2800 rpms or so. (I actually spend around 9 hours or so splitting wood per season. 2-3 days) If you had a smaller tractor, where you had to crank up the rpms to achieve an acceptable cycle time, then racking up tractor hours would definitely be a concern. This could be magnified if the wood splitter only splits in one direction and you'd have to wait for the ram to back up. Here, a faster recycle time would be desired.

Also, another thing to consider is noise. My friend has a gas powered splitter and it's loud. The B&S is right near you ear at times. Hearing protection is a must. In comparison, my tractor is nice and quiet (at near an idle) with the exhaust 7-9 ft away from my ears.

 

[scootr2d]

If you had a smaller tractor, where you had to crank up the rpms to achieve an acceptable cycle time, then racking up tractor hours would definitely be a concern. This could be magnified if the wood splitter only splits in one direction and you'd have to wait for the ram to back up. Here, a faster recycle time would be desired.

This has also been my concern all along, The BX25 states 6.3 GPM
I'm just not sure there is enough flow for a PTO splitter. Or if there is ,
RPMs would probably have to be maintained quite high. Just not sure if it's worth it.

 

[Yota_85]

I think the smaller 18" Powerhorse with a 3" ram specs 5 gpm min.
The larger, 24" one with a 4" ram is 10-11 gpm (I believe)

I guess some guys in the Kubota forum have run the BX on the Northern/Powerhorse with good results. That, I can't say for sure however. It may be slower. Then again, that may be fine as long as you don't have to wait to split.

Check out the video, pretty cool. The video is for a gas unit, but principal is the same.
YouTube - Powerhorse Log Splitter Splits Logs In Both Directions

 

[TommyJD790]

Whats the GPM of your tractor?
Whats your cycle time using the 16 Ton Ramsplitter?

My tractor is rated at 5.4GPM. You would think this would be a slow "cycle time", but I rarely use the full stroke of the splitter.
While the splitter is automatically moving on the back stroke, i am usually picking up the next piece.

TommyJD790

 

[Northland]

I have a 3pt splitter from T.S.C. It works vertical or horizontal. I stand it beside a post at My tractor shed and hook a chain to it. I hook the the Hoses to My tractor. The big chunks
of Wood are busted in the upright positon. T.S.C. sells them for $699.95. I think it is a good buy.
Poppy

Can you please post a link of your splitter chained up the post? I just bought the SpeeCo 3pt splitter at my local TSC store yesterday.

I don't plan on ever putting the splitter on my tractor's 3pt hitch. I will leave it one place and drive my tractor to it. I will use the valve kit and hoses from my bucket grapple to power the splitter.

I want to make sure the splitter is steady enough to split both horizontally and vertically.