lcrum
ArboristSite Lurker
Hi everyone, this is my first post but I've spent many hours on this site reading and have to say I'm really impressed with the amount of knowledge and good advice out here! Quick background on me - moved out to some acreage in the Linden/Fenton, MI area about 3 years back. First house with propane and after one winter - knew I had to find a cheaper way to heat the house. So... I made a few purchases - Central Boiler 6048 OWB, Husqvarna 455 Rancher, an old 1984 Honda 200 Big Red 3-wheeler and a couple trailers for hauling wood. First year after getting the OWB installed, I got a double semi-load of oak from Chris Muma Forest products up in Gladwin. Well it was a really cold winter and I burnt over half that load. And that load was 20 full cords or around 60 face cords I guess. The size of those logs were about right and I didn't have to do any splitting - just loaded the rounds in the stove. Since then, I've been trying to use the wood on my property and also looking for any free or cheap wood wherever I can find it. Often what I find is some pretty big stuff so I've been splitting by hand. Not sure how much more of that I can take so I've made the decision to get a splitter. I've read lots of advice on here such as kinetic vs hydraulic, pros and cons for a lot of different models, and different ton units.
Here's where I'm at:
1. Think I'm going with Hydraulic: I'm not cutting commercially or for profit so speed isn't a HUGE concern but I would like a pretty decent cycle time and since some of the stuff I'm splitting is to large for me to pick up, I would like a horizontal / vertical option and from what I've read, that's not an option on kinetic (without a log lift)
2. I figure I will be splitting an average of 20 face cords a year so I want something that can handle that each year and last a long time. Not exactly sure what tonnage I need.
3. I would like something that's towable in case I have to drive to get the wood.
4. My max budget is about $2000.00
I like the Ariens 27 ton so far - haven't read any bad reviews and it seems well designed. Also got a Northern Tool catalog that had some decent prices on their splitters which used the Honda engines.Any advice on specific splitter models that you think would fit the bill for what I'm using it for would really be appreciated.
Thanks,
Ted
Here's where I'm at:
1. Think I'm going with Hydraulic: I'm not cutting commercially or for profit so speed isn't a HUGE concern but I would like a pretty decent cycle time and since some of the stuff I'm splitting is to large for me to pick up, I would like a horizontal / vertical option and from what I've read, that's not an option on kinetic (without a log lift)
2. I figure I will be splitting an average of 20 face cords a year so I want something that can handle that each year and last a long time. Not exactly sure what tonnage I need.
3. I would like something that's towable in case I have to drive to get the wood.
4. My max budget is about $2000.00
I like the Ariens 27 ton so far - haven't read any bad reviews and it seems well designed. Also got a Northern Tool catalog that had some decent prices on their splitters which used the Honda engines.Any advice on specific splitter models that you think would fit the bill for what I'm using it for would really be appreciated.
Thanks,
Ted