How much fuel does your splitter use?

[ponyexpress976]

The 18 horse honda drinks fuel like a college tailgate party. The 4 and 6 way wedges that are on my tw-6 really make up for that. When Im lucky enough to get some ash/oak/cherry or anything else reasonably straight grained I save the fuel and bust out the fiskars. On some wicked stringy stuff this past weekend I used up the 3 gallon tank in under 4 hours.

 

[Locust Cutter]

35t Speeco Splitter, (2yrs old) about 10-20 Cords/yr, Briggs motor (unsure of hp, but, it's rated at 15.5 ft/lbs Gross torque (Guessing about 12.0 net and maybe 8-9hp?). Never stalled out in any wood, 2-stage 16gpm pump I think and roughly 1tank for every 1.5-3hrs of usage depending on the outside temp and wood. I am going to pick up the slip-on 4-way for smaller straight grained pieces, to make the time/fuel usage a bit more efficient.

 

[ray benson]

Your logic is almost laughable. At 75 hours a year for 21 years, that’s less than 1600 hours, that’s nothing. Even at 100 hours a year you barely break 2000 hours; I would hope it’s still running strong or I’d be mad as a hornet. When do you suppose that oil pump develops the most oil pressure? When do you suppose the cooling fan moves the most air over the engine? What happens to oil as it heats up? What happens to oil pressure as that oil heats up? Over time, what happens to an engine that constantly runs hotter, and with lower oil pressure? And finally, why do you suppose B&S recommends running that engine a rated RPM under load?

Actually Del, your splitter is a classic example of why it’s a bad idea to grossly overpower something with a small air-cooled gasoline engine.

75 hours a year for 21 years seems pretty reliable to me. He must be doing something right. Isn't 2000 hours a ballpark life expectancy number for small engines?

 

[sunfish]

The gallons per hour feedback was helpful, thanks guys.

Mine is more like hours per gallon. :msp_smile:

Super Split, 4.5 hp Subaru Robin, 3 to 4 hours per 1/2 gallon.

My brother's 22 ton, 5 hp hydro does 1.5 hours per tank.

 

[Whitespider]

Isn't 2000 hours a ballpark life expectancy number for small engines?

If maintained properly...
Those cheap vertical crankshaft engines they use on a lot of push mowers will last close to 1000 hours.
The better vertical crankshaft engines should run 2000-3000 hours... if pressure lubed well over 5000 hours. My 1992 lawn mowing tractor has a 12.5 HP, vertical crankshaft, pressure lubed Kohler with at least 4000 hours on it and still doesn't use a drop of oil.
A H/D, cast iron, horizontal crankshaft engine with tapered roller bearings should give at least 5000 hours of reliable service... probably a lot more. My old wood hauling lawn tractor, a 1960's something (it was my mowing machine until 1992) still starts at 20-below zero, it has way over 5000 hours on it. It has a H/D, cast iron, 10 HP Tecumseh horizontal crankshaft and it uses a little oil, but not enough I need to add between oil changes. And my 25-year-old splitter has a H/D, cast iron, 7 HP Tecumseh horizontal crankshaft... I can't guess the hours on it (probably about average for a splitter that age) but when I replaced the leaking head gasket this spring you could still see the cross-hatch marks on the cylinder wall.

So, no... 2000 hours is not a ballpark life expectancy for small engines... And a pressure lubed, twin-cylinder, 18 HP B&S engine like Del's should give service in hours darn near equal to small car engine.

 

[Wood Doctor]

Overheating Revisited...

The Honda knockoff I use has a built-in shut down mechanism if it starts to overheat. This only kicked in once when somebody let the oil run low. Letting it cool off and topping off the oil with another 6 ounces or so cured that. It's never overheated when I run at half throttle most of the time, even in the heat of summer.

This log splitter cycles so fast that running at higher RPM tends to be dangerous. I'd rather be safe and operate at a comfortable speed. After five years and splitting about 30 cords of wood a year, the engine shows no signs of wear and has never overheated as long as the oil level is correct. I also change oil every year. Running full blast seems like a fuel waste and potentially dangerous in my case.

If the engine ever gives up, it's only $100 to replace. I'd rather run safely and save fuel.