My experience with the splitter was the used ones, people wanted close to the new price for stuff that was over 7 years old. Not to mention the guys around here tended to beat their splitters to death, leaving them outside year round, not checking the fluid levels etc. Just made sense to me that if I was going to buy a heavy duty piece of machinery like that, I wanted to spend my money wisely. Most likely I'll never end up selling it.
At what point did you buy a splitter?
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My experience with the splitter was the used ones, people wanted close to the new price for stuff that was over 7 years old. Not to mention the guys around here tended to beat their splitters to death, leaving them outside year round, not checking the fluid levels etc. Just made sense to me that if I was going to buy a heavy duty piece of machinery like that, I wanted to spend my money wisely. Most likely I'll never end up selling it.
wdchuck
Addicted to ArboristSite
amateur cutter
ArboristSite Operative
Bought mine when the guy said $ 150.00 cause he didn't wanna spend the $ on a new engine. I just happened to have access to a nice Subaru/Robin free so it was a no brainer. It's fairly small, 20 ton I think & not the fastest thing, but saves time on the harder splitting woods. Saves the shoulders & elbows too. Look @ the machine Indian Springs recommended, very nice unit for the money.
I'm was 56, had just got retired from one job, and was given a somewhat large ash tree. I split that one all by hand, as I had all the wood I had ever split before that. Then I was given two huge ash trees a few years later, and after the experience with the previous one, and the toll it took on my body to split that one(I ain't getting any younger!), I decided that it was time to buy a splitter. Especially since the two ash trees were 30-40" in diameter. I bought the splitter in my sig, and it has worked great. So much faster and easier...
SierraWoodsman
ArboristSite Guru
...About age 12 think
I Learned Very young that a quality splitter is an indispensable Piece of equipment.
Bought my First splitter around age 25, and never looked back.
I Learned Very young that a quality splitter is an indispensable Piece of equipment.
Bought my First splitter around age 25, and never looked back.
Justify the expense?
What convinced me?
Right here on this board I see comments like…
“I can split faster by hand.” … Yeah, but for how long? 2 hours? 4? 6? All day?
Or…
“Splitting by hand is good exercise.” … Not all labor is “good” exercise, sometimes the wear & tear on the body causes more harm than good. Splitting wood with axe or maul is one of those.
Or…
“I enjoy splitting by hand.” … Fine, that’s great. Some people enjoy riding a bicycle, but they still own a car cause riding the bike ain’t always practical… is it?
Listen… It ain’t about justification, or being convinced, you probably already own thousands of dollars of “unnecessary” power stuff.
Do you own a riding mower? … Wouldn’t a push mower be cheaper?
Is your push mower engine powered? … Wouldn’t an old-style rotary cost less?
Do you have a power drill? … Ya’ know, you can make holes with a hand drill don’t ya?
Leaf blower? …
Weed whip? …
Microwave? …
Circular saw? …
Shop-Vac? …
Table saw? …
Electric coffee pot? ...
Power vacuum cleaner? …
Tread mill? …
More than one car or truck? …
How about a chain saw? … Couldn’t you just cut firewood with a bow saw instead of forking-out several hundred on a chainsaw? Or two chain saws? Or three? More?
You own those things because they save you time… they make your life easier… you’re more efficient.
You don’t “need” any of those things… yet you didn’t “need” to justify the expense, or “need” to be convinced other than the reasons just mentioned.
What convinced me?
Right here on this board I see comments like…
“I can split faster by hand.” … Yeah, but for how long? 2 hours? 4? 6? All day?
Or…
“Splitting by hand is good exercise.” … Not all labor is “good” exercise, sometimes the wear & tear on the body causes more harm than good. Splitting wood with axe or maul is one of those.
Or…
“I enjoy splitting by hand.” … Fine, that’s great. Some people enjoy riding a bicycle, but they still own a car cause riding the bike ain’t always practical… is it?
Listen… It ain’t about justification, or being convinced, you probably already own thousands of dollars of “unnecessary” power stuff.
Do you own a riding mower? … Wouldn’t a push mower be cheaper?
Is your push mower engine powered? … Wouldn’t an old-style rotary cost less?
Do you have a power drill? … Ya’ know, you can make holes with a hand drill don’t ya?
Leaf blower? …
Weed whip? …
Microwave? …
Circular saw? …
Shop-Vac? …
Table saw? …
Electric coffee pot? ...
Power vacuum cleaner? …
Tread mill? …
More than one car or truck? …
How about a chain saw? … Couldn’t you just cut firewood with a bow saw instead of forking-out several hundred on a chainsaw? Or two chain saws? Or three? More?
You own those things because they save you time… they make your life easier… you’re more efficient.
You don’t “need” any of those things… yet you didn’t “need” to justify the expense, or “need” to be convinced other than the reasons just mentioned.
Big_Al
ArboristSite Guru
I prefer my old percolator to the electric, but that's another thread. Passed 50 a while ago and don't mind splitting by hand. Course I don't sell it and burn only tamarack & red for, fairly easy splitting. Usually do it as I haul it home. Used a friends horizontal splitter one year to do most of our wood in a weekend and my back was miserable for days from all the bending, stooping lifting etc. Haven't tried a vertical one, maybe one that sat higher? Might be ok, someday i'll probably need one.
I don't split wood anymore. I flash a picture of Chuck Norris in front of the wood and it splits and stacks itself.
1project2many
ArboristSite Guru
I guess I shouldn't have tried this with Chinese Elm. The splits are still fighting with each other. There won't be anything left but toothpicks and slivers the way they're going at it.
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Richard Dupp
ArboristSite Member
L4-L5 and L5-S1, permanent nerve damage and then heating oil went over $4 a gallon. Bought a 22ton Huskee, MS362 and never looked back.
DEAD ON post!!!!!
heating oil was getting outrageous priced, and the windows and such were bad!!!! finally replaced them this year!! money!! but decided that year of oil jumping in price,enough! got saw,got stove,and built the splitter!!! i split a few rounds by hand,,and said never again!!! as one said,,splitting by hand,,aint the best on your shoulders long term..and as whitey refered to,,i can stand at the splitter all day and split..tell me how many of you can split all day long,non stop, by hand????? uh huh!!!
About 5 years ago, my uncle told my dad about a wood splitter that his neighbor was selling. It was homemade, but seemed to be in decent shape. I ended up buying it, and we hitched it to the back of the truck to get it home. It worked fine for a couple of years, and then it started getting weaker and weaker until it was to the point that it wouldn't even split the small stuff. It turns out the seals were gone in the cylinder. I looked into rebuilding the cylinder, but I couldn't get the parts or didn't know where to look.
It was time for some upgrades. :msp_biggrin: After learning more than I thought was possible about different fittings, and cylinder sizes etc, I bought a 3000psi heavy duty 30" Prince cylinder from Northern Tool. The first time around, I messed up on the hoses, since it was listed as a 3/4" fitting on the cylinder. Anyway, the splitter now has a new valve, hoses, and cylinder. The engine could use an overhaul, but it runs fine once it's going.
Before we had the splitter, it was all done by hand.
It was time for some upgrades. :msp_biggrin: After learning more than I thought was possible about different fittings, and cylinder sizes etc, I bought a 3000psi heavy duty 30" Prince cylinder from Northern Tool. The first time around, I messed up on the hoses, since it was listed as a 3/4" fitting on the cylinder. Anyway, the splitter now has a new valve, hoses, and cylinder. The engine could use an overhaul, but it runs fine once it's going.
Before we had the splitter, it was all done by hand.
WVwoodsman
Addicted to ArboristSite
Although I heat with an OWB and my dealer told me not to waste my money on buying a log splitter, the log ends and culls I was getting were too big to split by hand and so that was when I decided it was time to purchase a splitter. I use about 8-10 cords of wood during winter. The splitter makes it easier for the bigger stuff as I am 42 years old and lifting the bigger rounds that I get can be cumbersome to lift.
greendohn
firewood hack
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Ran the old iron pig my 1st winter with a crappy, little undersized chain saw and a splittin' maul..workin' beyond full time hours at the sweat shop. made a family "announcement" that next spring,,"we",,(that means ME) are done with the wood stove next winter unless I've got the equipment i need to get the job done..lucked out and did some tradin' for the splitter. and the wife didn't begrudge me a new saw,,,buy a splitter man,,
When my sholder told me it was time, so I built one. Then I realized a OWB would be a better safer heating option, so I built one and then sold the splitter! CJ
I don't sell, but I would think it would pay for itself fairly quickly.
sbhooper
Addicted to ArboristSite
I injured my shoulder and my wife said that I was not going to split wood by hand all winter again.
Big_Al
ArboristSite Guru
Probably the best, "safest" reason so far! Wife says ya have to.
ponyexpress976
nipple fritters
When she speaks it is wise to obey.
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