my $200 splitter

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mn woodcutter

mn woodcutter

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It has to be the most powerful splitter pound for pound that I have seen. It's just tiny! My uncle and I can lift it easily into the back of my truck. I think it weighs less than 200 lbs!
 
zogger

zogger

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It has to be the most powerful splitter pound for pound that I have seen. It's just tiny! My uncle and I can lift it easily into the back of my truck. I think it weighs less than 200 lbs!

Ya, WS has one and I instantly liked their design, just seems to make sense. Bust small to whoppers with no tilting to vertical or log lift needed! I sorta keep hoping maybe a big site sponsor would buy them out for their design and mass produce them to get the costs down to under a grand.
 
rancher2

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I had never seen one in person until last weekend one was on a estate, garage sale looked like it may have needed a engine. Had to work that morning and when I got their it had a sold sign on it. Went for $1oo.00 I sure would have given that for it. Looked to be a well designed splitter.
 
Whitespider
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It has to be the most powerful splitter pound for pound that I have seen. It's just tiny! My uncle and I can lift it easily into the back of my truck. I think it weighs less than 200 lbs!

That's correct, it weighs less than 200 lbs.
You can fairly easily load it in a pickup yourself by standing it up on the wedge end and setting the wheels on the tailgate... there's a bit of a learning curve to that, but once you catch-on...

That thing will split most anything you need it to... but I did find some that was just a bit much for it this past weekend. I took down a big (26 inch diameter, I'm guessin') standing-dead American Elm and cut the rounds to 20 inches long. Normally I cut 16 inches but my DAKA firebox accepts 25 inch long wood and I thought... why not 20 inches?? Less cuts and fewer rounds to split. Well, the bottom 12 feet or so of the tree was still plenty wet/green and when I rolled those big, wet rounds from the main trunk up on the beam it was just a bit much for it at 20 inches long. It would push them onto the wedge about 5-6 inches, squeezing out a bunch of water, but just couldn't "pop" them... the pressure would build until the engine stopped/stalled. So I ended up "sticking" them on the wedge and then noodling down about half way, the next pass with the ram handled the rest. I gotta' say though, that was one of the nastiest elms for splittin' I've run into for several years... it literally had to "work" full length of every split, even on the smaller, dry limb wood.

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It has to be the most powerful splitter pound for pound that I have seen. It's just tiny! My uncle and I can lift it easily into the back of my truck. I think it weighs less than 200 lbs!
My neighbor has one similar to this I think it was a John Deere. Tiny little thing but split everything I threw at it.
 
mn woodcutter

mn woodcutter

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That's correct, it weighs less than 200 lbs.
You can fairly easily load it in a pickup yourself by standing it up on the wedge end and setting the wheels on the tailgate... there's a bit of a learning curve to that, but once you catch-on...

That thing will split most anything you need it to... but I did find some that was just a bit much for it this past weekend. I took down a big (26 inch diameter, I'm guessin') standing-dead American Elm and cut the rounds to 20 inches long. Normally I cut 16 inches but my DAKA firebox accepts 25 inch long wood and I thought... why not 20 inches?? Less cuts and fewer rounds to split. Well, the bottom 12 feet or so of the tree was still plenty wet/green and when I rolled those big, wet rounds from the main trunk up on the beam it was just a bit much for it at 20 inches long. It would push them onto the wedge about 5-6 inches, squeezing out a bunch of water, but just couldn't "pop" them... the pressure would build until the engine stopped/stalled. So I ended up "sticking" them on the wedge and then noodling down about half way, the next pass with the ram handled the rest. I gotta' say though, that was one of the nastiest elms for splittin' I've run into for several years... it literally had to "work" full length of every split, even on the smaller, dry limb wood.

View attachment 376129 View attachment 376130 View attachment 376131

Your splitter looks to be in much better condition than mine!
 
Whitespider
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Your splitter looks to be in much better condition than mine!

If you notice the axles are different... mine is a single square tube. I'm not sure, but I believe your style axle makes it older than mine (and mine is over 30 years old‼). The guys in Marble Rock, IA started making them during the mid-to-late 70's.

Here's a couple threads from 2009 you might find somewhat interesting... but the pictures are gone now :(
I came across these threads a few years ago during a Google surf... they're what let me to this site.
The first link is to the beginning of a thread... the second link is to first post about a Log Boss in a different thread, keep reading 'cause there's more than one post, the last one is on page 8...

http://www.arboristsite.com/community/threads/my-log-boss-splitter.95311/

http://www.arboristsite.com/communi...ats-yours-look-like.90381/page-6#post-1477962

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mn woodcutter

mn woodcutter

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If you notice the axles are different... mine is a single square tube. I'm not sure, but I believe your style axle makes it older than mine (and mine is over 30 years old‼). The guys in Marble Rock, IA started making them during the mid-to-late 70's.

Here's a couple threads from 2009 you might find somewhat interesting... but the pictures are gone now :(
I came across these threads a few years ago during a Google surf... they're what let me to this site.
The first link is to the beginning of a thread... the second link is to first post about a Log Boss in a different thread, keep reading 'cause there's more than one post, the last one is on page 8...

http://www.arboristsite.com/community/threads/my-log-boss-splitter.95311/

http://www.arboristsite.com/communi...ats-yours-look-like.90381/page-6#post-1477962

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Thanks for the links. I spent some time researching and actually have read those posts. Great information. My uncle helped me with getting it going and loved it so much he wants to buy it and double my money on it. Haha. I told him I will keep it for now but it's his to use at any time! Thanks again for taking the time to send those links.
 
Wood Doctor
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I usually shoot for 18" to 19" long logs when they are huge because my favorite noodle cutting saw has a 20" bar on it. Just recently I needed to cut the monster rounds into six blocks. Even one-fourth of the round was too heavy to lift onto the tailgate. One-sixth put it into my lifting range.

I need to do some serious research into the Log Boss splitters. Somehow, I doubt that they really need an 11 Hp engine. However, with an 11 Hp engine and a 16 gpm pump, you can get a good cycle time with a 4" cylinder:

 
Whitespider
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I need to do some serious research into the Log Boss splitters. Somehow, I doubt that they really need an 11 Hp engine:

Hmmmm.... where do you get the 11 Hp engine thing?? Am I missing something??
As far as I know here's only been four engine options... 5 Hp Tecumseh, 5 Hp Honda, 6½ Hp Honda, and 7 Hp Tecumseh (there may have been a 3½ or 4 Hp Tecumseh at one time).
Most of the older one I've seen have the H50 or HH50 Tecumseh... mine has the HH70 Tecumseh.
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Wood Doctor
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Hmmmm.... where do you get the 11 Hp engine thing?? Am I missing something??
As far as I know here's only been four engine options... 5 Hp Tecumseh, 5 Hp Honda, 6½ Hp Honda, and 7 Hp Tecumseh (there may have been a 3½ or 4 Hp Tecumseh at one time).
Most of the older one I've seen have the H50 or HH50 Tecumseh... mine has the HH70 Tecumseh.
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My error, I guess. Thought somebody mentioned that. I may have picked this up on another thread. Many guys think that by adding lots of horsepower that splitting power improves. Usually it's the pump capacity and cylinder diameter that mean much more, especially when it comes to cycle time.
 
mn woodcutter

mn woodcutter

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Messages
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Hmmmm.... where do you get the 11 Hp engine thing?? Am I missing something??
As far as I know here's only been four engine options... 5 Hp Tecumseh, 5 Hp Honda, 6½ Hp Honda, and 7 Hp Tecumseh (there may have been a 3½ or 4 Hp Tecumseh at one time).
Most of the older one I've seen have the H50 or HH50 Tecumseh... mine has the HH70 Tecumseh.
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You must have a different pump than mine. I talked to guy that built these splitters and he is a wealth of knowledge when it comes to anything mechanical and hydraulics. He's in his seventies and he said he just built his first prototype "levitation machine" that actually works. Very interesting guy!
 
Whitespider
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I talked to guy that built these splitters and he is a wealth of knowledge when it comes to anything mechanical and hydraulics. He's in his seventies and he said he just built his first prototype "levitation machine" that actually works. Very interesting guy!

Yes... he is... and so is his son... flat-azz geniuses really.
Marble Rock, Iowa is just spitting distance west of me... you wouldn't believe the stuff those guys have come up with.

What makes you say the pumps are different mn woodcutter ??
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