Log Splitter Table or

[johnha]

alternative uses for a Harbor Freight motorcycle lift:

Picasa Web Albums - johnha - Log Splitter ...

can't claim credit, it was the wife's idea after watching me wrestle 24" red oak rounds onto the log splitter. Believe it or not its much easier than using the splitter on the vertical.

Oh, and as you can see in the pic, counterweighting the spltter end can be important if the round is big enough.

 

[arlen]

great idea

Wow what a great idea for lifting rounds to the splitter.

I have a splitter where the wheels are in the middle also. I bought two Harbor Freight swing away trailer wheel kits for 1/2 price $19.- It should keep my beam level and stable and I can wheel it around. Rep sent David

 

[iowa]

alternative uses for a Harbor Freight motorcycle lift:

Picasa Web Albums - johnha - Log Splitter ...

can't claim credit, it was the wife's idea after watching me wrestle 24" red oak rounds onto the log splitter. Believe it or not its much easier than using the splitter on the vertical.

Oh, and as you can see in the pic, counterweighting the spltter end can be important if the round is big enough.

I love having my wife around for smart witted ideas like that. They're so cleaver!!!!!!!!

 

[GeeVee]

Your wife is quite smart- but maybe not so much?

What she doing with a goof like you?

Her: "Honey, why don't you use that lifty thingy you bought for the bike and never use?"
You: "I don't want to scratch the paint, the bike won't run right."

That being said-

Your wife deserves a raise in her quality of life- know what I mean?

PS, your oak looks about as good as Promac's avatar. There can't possibly be a bug in it.....

 

[JRepairsK70e]

she was just saving your back [and jewels ] for future projects lol good use of resources imho cheers jk

 

[cassandrasdaddy]

thank you

for great idea it would work for getting big rounds into my truck too

 

[NHwoodguy]

Sometimes all it takes is a fresh pair of eyes in a situation. My wife is good at stuff like this, I tend to "over-engineer" ideas and she is a good check.

I like the idea of using the lift. Using the splitter on the vert is quite difficult. Anything to save the back back is OK in my book.

 

[johnha]

yeah GeeVee, I've been wondering what she's doing hanging around with me for 28 years now....

the tree in question's growth was all leaning towards the house and half of the canopy did not leaf up this year. The stump has a small rot hole in the middle (I've seen much worse on better looking trees), but in general the wood was all good with very few bugs.

Hopefully the Chinese hydraulics will hold up to all the ups and downs.

 

[Johny Utah]

alternative uses for a Harbor Freight motorcycle lift:

Picasa Web Albums - johnha - Log Splitter ...

can't claim credit, it was the wife's idea after watching me wrestle 24" red oak rounds onto the log splitter. Believe it or not its much easier than using the splitter on the vertical.

Oh, and as you can see in the pic, counterweighting the spltter end can be important if the round is big enough.

Pretty innovative concept but would it not be faster to just noodle the big rounds into smaller pieces? Easier on the splitter too.

 

[TonyK]

I like the idea. Your wife is a smart woman. How long does it take to get it from ground level up to splitter level?

 

[johnha]

Pretty innovative concept but would it not be faster to just noodle the big rounds into smaller pieces? Easier on the splitter too.

I did that for probably the bottom 2 or 3 rounds. It was easier to roll them up the little ramp than wrestling with them in the mud.

Tony K asked:
"How long does it take to get it from ground level up to splitter level? "

The HF lift has a foot pump that only rises about 6" that raises the table around 2" per pump. Probably about a minute to a minute and a half taking my time.

 

[Kensterfly]

If you already have the lift, that is putting it to good use. I assume it is rather pricey. I'm going to have a hard time buying a splitter. I couldn't swing a fancy lift.

What I am considering doing for heavy rounds is to roll them into the dirt scoop on the back of my 8N tractor and lift it up to splitter height. It will hold a bunch of wood at one time and would sure save my back. I already have the scoop and the tractor.

You make do with what you have. Great idea for putting the motorcycle lift to double duty.

 

[TMFARM 2009]

couple hoses with quick disconnects & a valve and run it off the splitter's hydraulics..save time pumping it up..

 

[johnha]

Kentster -yes, already had the lift. HF occasionally puts coupons in the MC mags that make them half price. I like your idea better but I don't have a tractor. As you said, make due.

Tony - I need to correct my previous post about time. I measured last night, the lift raises about 1/2" for each foot pump, so a working height of 30" requires 60 pumps. You can do that in a minute if you're motivated.

TMFARM - thanks for the idea. May see if I can do it without blowing up the lift.

 

[preventec47]

I dont think I would take a horizontal splitter if it was given to me.
How can anyone not prefer to work with the vertical splitter where
the rounds never leave the ground. You just roll em to where you need
em and then press the split lever.

I mean everyone figures out real quick that they use a round for a chair
about 30 inches in front of the splitter and you SIT while you split. RIGHT ?

Even with the splitters that have hydralic log lifters, I would still
rather sit than stand while splitting and man handling the split pieces.

Gotta admit that if the only splitter I had was horizontal, the motorcycle
lift was a good idea.

 

[johnha]

I disagree. This is a horizontal/vertical unit. I've been splitting with it for eight years and will always choose the horizontal over the vertical, thus the idea of using the motorcycle lift. And yes, if forced to use it vertical I do sit, using a very small wheeled cart to move around.

I can get through a heck of a lot more wood splitting horizontal than vertical.

 

[turnkey4099]

I disagree. This is a horizontal/vertical unit. I've been splitting with it for eight years and will always choose the horizontal over the vertical, thus the idea of using the motorcycle lift. And yes, if forced to use it vertical I do sit, using a very small wheeled cart to move around.

I can get through a heck of a lot more wood splitting horizontal than vertical.

Yep, no getting up/down to get more rounds, trying to wrestly a round into theproper position with no way to really apply body leverage, have to toss the split out of the way before the next chunk can be positoned, etc. etc.

I'll take horizontal working off my truck tailgate any day over _any_ other system. Lacking that, horizontal. Round to big to lift? - wedge/sledge or noodle but I don't recall ever having one that big. Everychunk going through teh splitter was on the truck originally and it got there by me lifting it. Only as a last resort witll I crawl around down there using it vertical.

Harry K

 

[WidowMaker]

Yep, no getting up/down to get more rounds, trying to wrestly a round into theproper position with no way to really apply body leverage, have to toss the split out of the way before the next chunk can be positoned, etc. etc.

I'll take horizontal working off my truck tailgate any day over _any_ other system. Lacking that, horizontal. Round to big to lift? - wedge/sledge or noodle but I don't recall ever having one that big. Everychunk going through teh splitter was on the truck originally and it got there by me lifting it. Only as a last resort witll I crawl around down there using it vertical.

Harry K

====


What Harry said....

 

[Kensterfly]

I'll take horizontal working off my truck tailgate any day over _any_ other system. Lacking that, horizontal. Round to big to lift? - wedge/sledge or noodle but I don't recall ever having one that big. Everychunk going through teh splitter was on the truck originally and it got there by me lifting it. Only as a last resort witll I crawl around down there using it vertical.

Harry K

Working off your tailgate is a great idea but not everyone has the time or luxury to split by the pickup load immediately upon bringing the wood home. A lot of people split on site in the field, have logs delivered by the truck load, bring home scrounges in trailers. Sometimes rounds are cut and stacked to be split at a later time. All of these conditions will require you to lift the rounds up onto the splitter to split horizontally. I cut 21 inches long and often have fresh water oaks up to 25 inches or more in diameter. I run into rounds frequently that are too heavy to lift. I've quartered rounds with a sledge and wedge and the quarters weigh 75-80 pounds! That's hard enough to lift up to a tailgate on a pickup with 17 inch wheels. I darn sure can't lift a 300+ pound round. But that's just me.

I think, (once I get a splitter) that I would do much of the splitting horizontal but save the heavy mothers to split vertical. However I end up doing it, it will be the way that's best for me.

I think there is a time and place for splitting on both planes (horizontal or vertical.) What works right for one person may not be right for the other guy.

 

[Whitespider]

I suppose it’s all what you get used to but vertical or horizontal/vertical splitters wear my butt out, seem painfully slow to me, and the wedge is on the ram which just makes things harder. I don’t load my firewood until after it is split; I leave the mess laying in the woodlot that way.

I buck the rounds and toss, or roll into a pile, then I position the splitter in front of me with the pile behind me. I set a round on the beam and throw the lever (my splitter doesn’t require I hold the lever, fully auto cycle) and turn to get another round. The wedge is on the beam so splits are pushed off the end and don’t end up at my feet, in the way. When I get a pile of half splits at the end I reposition the splitter (mine only weighs 200 lbs so you can move it with one finger) so the pile of halves is behind me and the splitter and trailer are in front of me. Now I start splitting the halves, and because I don’t have to hold the lever I have both hands free to grab the two quarter splits coming off the end, and toss them in the trailer.

With a vertical splitter (yes, I have used one) the constant getting up from the “stool” to get another round just flat wears me out and the splits are always in the way. When I put a horizontal/vertical splitter in the horizontal position it is way too high, I have to lift large rounds all that distance, which wastes time and effort, wearing me out in a short time… and the splits fall/bounce/roll on, or around my feet because the wedge is on the ram. I have to bend over to pick up the rounds anyway so I prefer the beam about a foot or so off the ground… and it’s quite easy to lift/jerk/hook/roll a large round up onto the low beam, rounds larger than I could possibly pick up to waist height (you’d be surprised the size/weight of wood you can “jerk” onto a low beam, with relatively little energy expended).

Now I have split from the back of a pickup box or trailer on occasion (always smaller rounds because they had to be lifted and loaded at some point), and to eliminate the bending over I just put my (200 lb) splitter on three jack stands (which is easy because I can pick up either wheel or the beam end with one hand).