My wood splitter is not up to the job-splitting pecan trees, that is

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clinchscavalry

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I bought a new wood splitter two seasons ago, a Troy-Bilt 27 ton unit, powered by a Honda engine. It was the Honda power that attracted me to it, and I couldn't be happier with the engine. It starts usually first or second pull every time, and I've had no issues at all with it.

The splitter itself has also been a good machine, although I did have some free warranty work done on it a few weeks after buying it.

My problem is the type of trees I split almost exclusively. I manage 148 acres of pecans, and I seem to have an almost unlimited supply of firewood, mainly from large limbs that constantly break off, but also from trees that blow over and others that die. Some pecan splits relatively easy, similar to hickory, but other trees have twisted grain that gives the log splitter all it wants and more. So far, there have been only a few pieces that it stalled in, but it's very, very slow in some of the rounds that are bigger than 12 inches in diameter.

I'm now working on cleaning up my fourth blowover, and I filled my woodshed completely to the top with just two of the large trees. I think I need a faster, more powerful splitter and wanted opinions on this board of what to look for. Will the Husky 35 ton units do the job and are they faster cycling than the Troy-Bilt ? What other brands might be suitable for my purposes ?

Thanks in advance for the answers, and I also have a splitter for sale in very good condition:msp_wink:
 
Huskee say's it is faster by a few seconds. I know mine will just cut through what it can not split. Love the machine, but wish (a little) I had waited a year as they moved the engine to the other side of the unit. But I still love the machine and know it will be around for a very long time.
 
I bought a new wood splitter two seasons ago, a Troy-Bilt 27 ton unit, powered by a Honda engine. It was the Honda power that attracted me to it, and I couldn't be happier with the engine. It starts usually first or second pull every time, and I've had no issues at all with it.

The splitter itself has also been a good machine, although I did have some free warranty work done on it a few weeks after buying it.

My problem is the type of trees I split almost exclusively. I manage 148 acres of pecans, and I seem to have an almost unlimited supply of firewood, mainly from large limbs that constantly break off, but also from trees that blow over and others that die. Some pecan splits relatively easy, similar to hickory, but other trees have twisted grain that gives the log splitter all it wants and more. So far, there have been only a few pieces that it stalled in, but it's very, very slow in some of the rounds that are bigger than 12 inches in diameter.

I'm now working on cleaning up my fourth blowover, and I filled my woodshed completely to the top with just two of the large trees. I think I need a faster, more powerful splitter and wanted opinions on this board of what to look for. Will the Husky 35 ton units do the job and are they faster cycling than the Troy-Bilt ? What other brands might be suitable for my purposes ?

Thanks in advance for the answers, and I also have a splitter for sale in very good condition:msp_wink:

Ill tell you what, you couldnt ask for a better person to ask than me, because I am exactly in your shoes.I recently bought the Speeco 35 ton after shearing off the trunnions on my troybilt log splitter, and just came in after running it for the first time.

The Speeco makes me wonder why I waited so long to buy the dang thing.I have four cords of pecan on the ground right now, and the first thing I did was hoist the knarled round up on it that destroyed the troybilt cylinder.It went through that thing like it was hardly there.It dropped into low gear for two seconds before plowing right on through.

The sad part, the Speeco really doesnt cost much more than the troybilt. The troybilt runs 1400 and some change, and the speeco with a four way head and a log table was 1900 delivered. Google omni manufacturer and tell Rock that Ed from Newport sent you.
After the day is done, I will come back here and give you a full report, but for now I have wood to split!
 
Here are a couple pictures of the knarly stuff, but it sure burns (and cooks) great ! This wood is from just one medium sized tree, and I didn't bother with the small limbs or main trunk (too tough to split).

avalancher, I'll be looking forward to hearing your report on the new splitter. In the meantime, I'll just have to stuggle through with mine, since there's much wood on the ground and more falling every day :msp_sad:

View attachment 196777View attachment 196778

BTW, that pine in the foreground was dead from beetles when we came back from a weekend trip:( It's over 100 ft. tall and 90 plus years old. I hate to see it go, but they don't last forever. Anyone up for a climbing/topping job ?:msp_biggrin:
 
The DR?

We just had that new DR splitter featured here in a thread. Sounds like your wood would give it a workout.

Man, all that pecan..that's a license to print money there. Look at the thread on selling to restaurants...they need small pieces of good quality smoke wood....you need a new splitter, something strong and fast...put all the puzzle pieces together, you could maybe wind up with a free splitter after selling some cords.
 
I had a 27T (4 1/2" bore) with the Honda and it did small stuff great. I had some 3' tan oak and it took fore ever and strugled. I got the 35T Speeco (5" bore) and it goes right through the larger stuff.

The paper cycle times are about the same, but not the real world cycle times. The Speeco powers through the big stuff. The Troy built bogged down for 5-10 seconds and then it split most stuff.
Both splitters worked much faster than I can work, but the bog down was a pain.

I bought the factory cradle and it works well.
 
I've used my Huskee 35-ton for over two years now, and it splits everything. No pecan here, but I've split it's other family members--black and English walnut and various hickories without issue. I've split some really hard and stringy wood, but the nastiest stuff (even worse than elm) has been dry yellow birch. What it doesn't split, it will cut through.

Depending on the year, they usually have a 14-15s rated cycle time. It's fine for a one-person operation, but there are times that I wish I had a 3 second flywheel model or a 4-way wedge to make things go faster. There is a 4-way wedge that SpeeCo makes for it, but I haven't tried it, and it's specified "for use with soft wood only."

SpeeCo 4-Way Wedge

What I like in the SpeeCo over the MTD/Troy-Bilt/Cub/etc. clones:
- log cradle built into beam
- higher beam for horizontal splitting
- beefier log dislodger and optional table
- SpeeCo customer service
 
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35 Ton Huskee

I wouldn't think a pecan round 12" in diameter either staight grain or twisted grain will be a problem with the 35 ton.

I split a lot of Elm with no problems at all. Last year I was given some sweet gum and the 35 ton handled it easily.

I cannot give you an opinion on the speed of each as I have never compared mine to any other splitter. I only split wood for myself - not commercially - I'm glad I bought this splitter and have had no problems with it.

Nosmo
 
Here are a couple pictures of the knarly stuff, but it sure burns (and cooks) great ! This wood is from just one medium sized tree, and I didn't bother with the small limbs or main trunk (too tough to split).

avalancher, I'll be looking forward to hearing your report on the new splitter. In the meantime, I'll just have to stuggle through with mine, since there's much wood on the ground and more falling every day :msp_sad:

View attachment 196777View attachment 196778

BTW, that pine in the foreground was dead from beetles when we came back from a weekend trip:( It's over 100 ft. tall and 90 plus years old. I hate to see it go, but they don't last forever. Anyone up for a climbing/topping job ?:msp_biggrin:


Mmmmmm.... Pecan..... Pecan pie, candied pecans, pecan ice cream, pecan smoked pork butt.... Got to be one of my all time favorites... Oh, and as far as the speeco??? Just get it...
 
As promised, I am going to give a review of my impressions of the shoot out between the troybilt 27 ton against the speeco 35 ton, given that my situation is muck like of the OP's.

First off, I know comparing the troybilt to the speeco is hardly comparing apples to apples.The tonnage is higher on the speeco, and the build of the splitters is hardly comparable. But I think that if you are using a mid range consumer model, its important to realize the vast difference between a true commercial grade splitter to a homeowner's version.

Here goes.

After my Troybilt splitter suffered a tragic end by tearing the trunnions from the ram, I made the repairs to the splitter and sold it on Craigslist for $700. It sold within the first two days, and I had no problems getting my asking price.I found a splitter on Craigslist earlier that had a good cylinder, but the engine was blown.I swapped the good cylinder to my splitter, sold the unit, then sold the remainder of the purchased splitter for scrap and actually came out ahead.I then purchased the speeco splitter for $1900 delivered, and used it for almost 19 hours this weekend.

My first impression of the speeco was, "oh ####, this thing is heavy". My garden tractor actually had a problem towing the thing up our gravel hill to my wood processing area, the tires spun most of the way up and I was pretty sure I wasnt going to make it up there.Creeping the last ten feet, I made it to the top.My tractor never had a problem towing the troybilt up that hill.

A total of eight cords of pecan lay up there, a species that had destroyed my troybilt, and I was anxious to see if the speeco would live up to its name and bust the wood without any complaining.
The speeco is faster in cycle time by a mere three seconds, but the difference in splitting time was astounding.Rarely did the speeco slow by dropping into the low gear, and when it did it did for a few seconds until the split began, then it plowed right through it in high gear.With the troybilt, I normally could split a cord in about two hours unless I was dealing with knarly wood, and with the pecan I was averaging about three hours plus per cord. After two hours of steady splitting, I stopped and stacked my pile, and discovered that I had indeed split almost 1.5 cords of pecan.

The height of the speeco seemed to be about six inches taller than the troybilt, making it much more comfortable to split on. With the troybilt, I had to lean over most of the time, and it was tiring on my back.I am not overly tall, I stand right at six feet, but the height of the speeco was just right for me.By days end I had sore wrists and shoulders, but my back was still in good shape.

The speeco has a much better wedge shape than the troybilt. The TB has a very short and broad shape to its wedge, and although it provides good pop for easy to split wood like red oak, it makes the splitter work for every inch in hard to split species like pecan. The speeco has a very long wedge, and is very narrow and sharp to begin with, and flares out as it approaches the point where it joins the ram.Very efficient, and very well designed.

The speeco's beam incorporates a built in log cradle by the shape of the tunnel that the ram travels in, and it provides a neat area to throw up a round and holds it until you run the ram forward.With the TB, you had to throw the round up and hold it there while you walked around the beam if you were loading from the opposite side. With the flat beam of the TB, rounds would not stay in place, and any uneven ground would make the round slide right off.Not with the speeco. Chunk a round up, and it stays centered right where you need it.

The jack stand on the TB has always been a joke.Its nothing more than a wobbly leg that falls down, and is held in place with a pin.On uneven ground, it can be a real pain to lower the leg and have it stay, and on steep ground I have often bent the pin making it impossible to pull back out when it is time to head to the house. The speeco has a real crank jack stand, and makes leveling the splitter painless.With the TB, I have always left the splitter hooked up to the the tractor for several reasons.It worked better than the jack stand, was quicker to set up, and above all it held the splitter down when dropping large 24 inch plus rounds on the beam.With a heavy round,it was nothing unusual for the round to topple the splitter right on over, and the weight of the tractor held it in place.On Saturday, I hefted a 28 inch round of heavy pecan on the splitter, and the speeco stayed right where it was supposed to.A big plus for me as most stuff I haul back is big stuff.On really heave rounds, I often will drop a plank and roll the rounds right out of the trailer on to the splitter.

The log retractor on the TB has always been a source of aggravation for me.Its made of thin material, and if the round is slightly off centered, will bend the extractor if you are forced to pull the ram back after its stuck.After pounding the extractor back into shape several times, I have found that is easier and faster to beat the round back off the stuck wedge with a maul rather than count on the extractor to do its job. The speeco has very sturdy built extractor welded to the beam, but in all honesty I never had to use it this weekend.No matter what i threw up there, I was never able to stop the wedge in anything, but there is little doubt that if I did need it, it would hold up fine.

Now, for the things I did not like about the speeco.

First off, the Briggs engine has a metal mesh screen over the muffler, just perfect to trap small scraps of wood. Three times I had to stop and extract burning pieces of wood from the muffler, so I will be taking a grinder to the screen and opening up the sides so that stuff can pass right on down instead of hanging out on the muffler.

The muffler also points straight to the ground, and I actually managed to catch a good bit of noodles on the ground on fire.I dont know if was just the intense heat from the muffler over long periods of time, or if a spark actually made it past the spark arrestor, but the fact remains I had a nice little fire going on the ground.Not good.

Fuel consumption.The speeco gobbled up a full six gallons of fuel this weekend, where as for the same amount of wood split I would have burned a little over 2 with the TB.Was it worth it?You bet. But still, if you are watching your pennies, its something that some folks may consider but I felt it was well worth the extra bucks.

Location of the hydraulic fluid filter. Where it is at, its begging to get busted off the tank by a heavy piece of wood. Located on the operators side on the front of the tank,it has no guard over it, and twice I managed to drop a chunk on it. I will be welding a guard over it to help protect it.

The channel where the ram travels in loads up with bark and debris.Occasionally you need to clean it out.Not a big deal, but something you have to watch out for.

Other than that, I liked the Speeco, and considering that I spent only $1200 after selling my TB I consider it one of my best investments.Its a very strong splitter, well made, pretty fast, and Speeco has an excellent reputation for standing behind their products.
 
Get the factory log cradle. It makes off loading from a pickup to the splitter much easier and the pieces that need a second or third split stay put and ready to split.

It is amazing how much difference there is between no load cycle time and real world cycle time. The 5" ram makes it happen.
 
Get the factory log cradle. It makes off loading from a pickup to the splitter much easier and the pieces that need a second or third split stay put and ready to split.

It is amazing how much difference there is between no load cycle time and real world cycle time. The 5" ram makes it happen.


I got the factory log table, but I wasnt impressed. With large rounds they just dont fit on the table and ended up dropping off the table.When I get some time I am going to enlarge the table with a chunk of diamond plate steel I got laying around.
 
I got the factory log table, but I wasnt impressed. With large rounds they just dont fit on the table and ended up dropping off the table.When I get some time I am going to enlarge the table with a chunk of diamond plate steel I got laying around.

Go ahead... Just keep making it heavier there Ed... Just go ahead and get a 4 wheel drive ATV to pull it around with...
:msp_wink::laugh:
 
Go ahead... Just keep making it heavier there Ed... Just go ahead and get a 4 wheel drive ATV to pull it around with...
:msp_wink::laugh:

Yeah, I dont make a lot of sense there do I?##### about it being to heavy, then add another 100lbs of steel to it...but you know what they say.......


Anyone wanting a superb splitter, google Omni manufacturing
 
Good report on the Speeco. I have about 1/2 cord or so left to split before moving to another orchard where all I have (so far) is big limbs. No trees have blown down yet on the place we're moving to. The splitter shouldn't have to work so hard this time.

Incidentally, I've read all the reports about trunnions breaking on the TB splitters, but I also read that some seem to be welded better. I must have one of the better ones since I went into several rounds where the wedge was moving so slowly it had to be referenced against a piece of sawdust or similar. Some pieces simply wouldn't split at all, and the ram stalled out. I assume there's tremendous pressure on the trunnions at that point, so they must be welded properly.

"Normal" firewood like oak splits with ease, and the TB has no problem even with knarly pieces. I think the average woodcutter getting up his or her own supply would do just fine with the Troy-Bilt, but it's not suitable in the pecan orchards. The only wood I ever found that is worse than some of my pecan is elm, and, even then, certain pecan trees will make elm seem easy.

As for the B&S engine, I thought that Speeco offered Honda power as well, and that's the engine I would prefer. I don't have anything against the Briggs, but Hondas have always been super reliable for me.

Now, one more thing, are the Huskee 35 Ton units as good as the Speeco ? The reason I ask is that we have several stores in the area that sell them, and I've never seen the Speeco machines anywhere in this neck of the woods.
 
Good report on the Speeco. I have about 1/2 cord or so left to split before moving to another orchard where all I have (so far) is big limbs. No trees have blown down yet on the place we're moving to. The splitter shouldn't have to work so hard this time.

Incidentally, I've read all the reports about trunnions breaking on the TB splitters, but I also read that some seem to be welded better. I must have one of the better ones since I went into several rounds where the wedge was moving so slowly it had to be referenced against a piece of sawdust or similar. Some pieces simply wouldn't split at all, and the ram stalled out. I assume there's tremendous pressure on the trunnions at that point, so they must be welded properly.

"Normal" firewood like oak splits with ease, and the TB has no problem even with knarly pieces. I think the average woodcutter getting up his or her own supply would do just fine with the Troy-Bilt, but it's not suitable in the pecan orchards. The only wood I ever found that is worse than some of my pecan is elm, and, even then, certain pecan trees will make elm seem easy.

As for the B&S engine, I thought that Speeco offered Honda power as well, and that's the engine I would prefer. I don't have anything against the Briggs, but Hondas have always been super reliable for me.

Now, one more thing, are the Huskee 35 Ton units as good as the Speeco ? The reason I ask is that we have several stores in the area that sell them, and I've never seen the Speeco machines anywhere in this neck of the woods.

As far as I know, Huskee 35 units are one and the same as the Speeco, Speeco makes em and just stamps em "Huskee" for Tractor Supply etc. They are one and the same.However, if you are looking at the Huskee, you can get a better deal with Rock from Omni mfg. For 1900 I got the four way head, the splitting table, and the splitter delivered and last I checked TSC wanted $2000 for just the splitter plus tax.

Speeco offers the splitter with a Honda engine, but I think it runs $300 more, and in my opinion not worth it.for that $300 I can run this Briggs till it drops then bolt up a Honda clone and still be ahead of the game, assuming of coarse that the Briggs puts in a few years before giving up.Time will tell, but this weekend it ran like a top, started on the first pull even with a dry tank, and only time will tell how it holds up over the long haul.

By the way, on your TB splitter and the faulty trunnions. Its not just pressure that causes them to fail, its time and wear.As the splitter ages, the mount that holds the trunnions wears unevenly, allowing the cylinder to put more stress on one trunnion or the other.If you take a look at your mount right behind the trunnion, you may note that the metal is starting to mushroom out, and that is your first sign that problems are starting to show up.Once the mount fatigues to the point that one trunnion is taking more of the load than the other, you either fix the problem or you end up with a catastrophic failure, and the rams arent cheap.Anywhere from $300 on up to $600 shipped depending on where you find one.
If you are going to keep your TB, then look it over.Examine the mount behind the trunnions, and look from the back of the splitter.By sighting down the barrel of the cylinder, your cylinder and shaft should be in a perfect straight line with the beam, once it gets a little cockeyed your through unless you take immediate action.Mine failed with a bang and an explosion of hydralic fluid, and I ended up cleaning out my shorts as well.

Just my opinion, but if you split pecan and any other high stress woods like hickory, elm etc then the TB will have a significantly shorter life span than what you expect.
 

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