What kind of a sick person....

[bama]

goes out and splits wood in -15F with 30 mph. wind? I guess it is me! It took over an hour to warm the splitter up enough to start it. I used a 600w halogen lamp and a battery charger. I run synthetic oil, so it spins pretty nice, but I even had to heat the spark plug to get it to fire.

So, after I let it warm up for 15 minutes, I started splitting my 22-24" oak and ash. Ran it for about 1.5 hours and went inside when I got real cold. Finally, I was in the middle of a log and the motor started belching black smoke and ran rough, then I shut it off. It wouldn't start after that. Just a bit of popping.
Checked compression and it is at about 100 lbs. Looked like oil on the spark plug. It is a very old 8 hp. briggs(30-40 years) with electric start, so I think I will try to fix since they were made decent back then.

Moral of the story....do something else when it is that freaking cold out!

 

[BaldSawRunner]

Should of been swinging a maul with it being that cold...those rounds would have popped like glass!

 

[coog]

Should of been swinging a maul with it being that cold...those rounds would have popped like glass!

I second that.Perfect time to split that Elm.

Bama, if you need a good mechanic up your way, I might know of one...

 

[nitro]

heck with goin out in that cold without burbon and my ski-doo.
i would just tell my wife we're out of wood and send her out ....then pick the remote up

 

[magna19]

same sick person who cuts wood in the rain,me!i would rather cut and split wood in the fall when the temps are cooler than in the 100 degree days of summer!!years ago we had the gas boiling in the tanks of the saws!

 

[Nailsbeats]

I was out a few days ago at -10 and the wood was splitting like glass. I try not to run equipment below 0 if I can help it, though I did have my splitter going. Gotta do what ya gotta do.

 

[cityevader]

I spent the last three weeks each evening after work for 40 minutes before it got dark clearcutting someones small lot of locust. Today was gonna start splitting, and the first real rain of the season hits.....sighhh.

 

[thejdman04]

At least it wasnt the middle of summer w/mesquitos to deal with

 

[Nuzzy]

I like it. Cold weather rules!

 

[mtfallsmikey]

Was watching the Weather Channel when I got up this morning....Fargo N.D. blizzard...you guys in the U.Midwest are getting a blast; Wash. DC area where I work, 67 deg. today.

 

[woodbooga]

Should of been swinging a maul with it being that cold...those rounds would have popped like glass!

Not as cold as where bama is at, but I was out last week in circa 5* weather swinging a maul. Stuff that wouldn't budge in Sept. yielded unto me with minimal effort.

 

[Zodiac45]

I was out a few days ago at -10 and the wood was splitting like glass. I try not to run equipment below 0 if I can help it, though I did have my splitter going. Gotta do what ya gotta do.

+1 too that Nails. It's tough on hydraulics in those temps. If I absolutely have too run the splitter, I'd make sure I cycled the ram fully back and forth with no resistence for about 20 cycles first. Murderous on the pumps in sub zero weather.

 

[coog]

yielded unto me with minimal effort.

Maybe a cold spell is a good time to try other things as well...

 

[woodbooga]

Maybe a cold spell is a good time to try other things as well...

I'm all in favor of taking advantage of any/all alternative heating strategies.

 

[coog]

Still, it's all about the wood.

 

[bama]

I had a coke while I was splitting and set it down while I was splitting. I grabbed it to take a drink and the dang thing froze to my lips. Walked inside for a minute and it let go. I learned the hard way on a church rail many, many years ago NOT to pull your tongue off if you stick it on.

Not sure what happened to the splitter. Thought I maybe blew a hole in the piston, but the compression is still good. Oil on the plug can't be good. At least there is Christmas break coming up. It needs to get warmed up before I take it apart.

 

[cleanburn]

Hey Bama, you live about an hour from me

I had to chop some wood this Saturday too....about froze my :censored: fingers off

 

[leon]

wood splitter

I had a coke while I was splitting and set it down while I was splitting. I grabbed it to take a drink and the dang thing froze to my lips. Walked inside for a minute and it let go. I learned the hard way on a church rail many, many years ago NOT to pull your tongue off if you stick it on.

Not sure what happened to the splitter. Thought I maybe blew a hole in the piston, but the compression is still good. Oil on the plug can't be good. At least there is Christmas break coming up. It needs to get warmed up before I take it apart.

It sounds like you may have a broken piston ring or two-easy enough to check with the head off and the piston top dead center.

I am going to add another post with a downloadable image and parts list for the folks who want to be able to keep their splitter oil hotter during operation as the cylinder takes forever to heat up due to the sam oil cycling back and forth in the hoses to the valve body.

I still use my salamander to keep me and my timberwolf warm during winter useage.

leon


givebeer: opcorn: :

_________________________________________________________________

I told you not to leave the car keys out where the cats can get to them, now I have to go clean up the mess that they made with the beer cans, pizza boxes, potato chip and pretzel bags, skid marks in the neighbors yards from burn outs and drag racing ruts in the road and refill the gas tank-talk about kitty littering!

 

[Patrick62]

Black = fuel

If it was blue then it would have been oil.

Something happened to the carburetor. Probably not a big problem.

I have also been known to split on really cold days. When the wood is frozen it pops really nicely.

My splitter lives inside during the winter, so starting isn't a issue.

-Pat

 

[streeter]

goes out and splits wood in -15F with 30 mph. wind? I guess it is me!
Moral of the story....!

The moral is....You one SICK puppy LOL