Horizontal vs. Vertical Log Splitter Use?

[Rckymtnhigh]

Hey Y'all

This weekend I was doing some splitting with my buddy's 22T Huskee in the vertical position for some larger rounds, and dang it was kind of a pain in the back. So that got me thinking. How much do you use your splitter in the Horizontal position vs. the Vertical position? And further I guess, how many cords per year are you doing? Just seems like there has to be a better way for large rounds.

 

[greenskeeper]

90/10

if I can't lift it then the splitter goes vertical, which is about 10% of the time.

when splitting vertical, I only do enough to get it to where I can lift the pieces for horizontal splitting.

 

[greendohn]

100%

Horizontal, always...'course my splitter will not go vertical.

I have split with buddies who tilted up vertical and I couldn't believe the loonacy. Always bent over, on your knees, the rounds wanted to tilt off the base plate,,,whatta' pain in the ass and back!! Reached the point I insisted on horizontal splitting or I was done helping them. They were somewhat new to the game and we were working some very nice walnut. I do hope they have wizened up,,haven't worked with 'em since as they are beer can wood cuttin' hacks.

( I'm also a wood-cuttin' hack, minus the beer when running saws)

 

[DSS]

Horizontal, always...'course my splitter will not go vertical.

I have split with buddies who tilted up vertical and I couldn't believe the loonacy. Always bent over, on your knees, the rounds wanted to tilt off the base plate,,,whatta' pain in the ass and back!! Reached the point I insisted on horizontal splitting or I was done helping them. They were somewhat new to the game and we were working some very nice walnut. I do hope they have wizened up,,haven't worked with 'em since as they are beer can wood cuttin' hacks.

( I'm also a wood-cuttin' hack, minus the beer when running saws)

My thoughts exactly. If I can't lift it, it gets noodled. Takes maybe 10 seconds with a good saw.

I'd like to have a log lift.

 

[spike60]

Well, first off you have to find a comfortable position to work in. In the vertical mode, I just sit on a round in front of the splitter while working. That saves all of the bending over, which obviously does a number on the back. On soft ground the base plate will sink in enough that pieces won't fall off. If on a harder surface, a piece of a 2x6 or whatever works OK. But there's no doubt that it's far more comfortable to split horizontally.

Now while the vertical position can come in handy for some big stuff, I hardly ever use it that way anymore, and much prefer to split horizontal. One reason is that after many years, it dawned on me that a round that was too heavy to lift onto the splitter was also too heavy to lift into the truck! Now when I'm cutting, anything big gets halved or quartered before loading. (usually with a 288 or 930 super with a 24") So, I hardly ever have anything big enough that I even think about using the splitter vertically.

 

[sunfish]

20 cords a year. Never vertical for me. Tried it, didn't like it! Pieces get halved or quartered in the woods to load in the truck. So I never have any rounds in the wood lot that I can't lift...

That said, my current and the only splitter I'll ever own doesn't go vertical. :msp_biggrin:

 

[dakotalawdog]

I probably do 80% horizontal, 20 % vertical, though I have been doing more vertical lately, especially on the larger chunks.

When I split horizontally, I back up my Ranger right to edge of the splitter, so when I split a large chunk that needs to be split multiple times, I have a place to set things down right next to me and don't have to bend down quite as much.

When I split vertically, I've been putting a low chair next to the splitter, and sitting down when I split. That way I only really have to squat down or get up when I need to get another chunk. On the big ones, that may be every 8-10 splits. It seems to help with the back.

 

[Kevin in Ohio]

I've run verticals before and didn't care for it. I lift them with a cordless remote and have at it with no wrestling.

 

[stihl023/5]

I have done some very large rounds vert. So about 90/10

 

[Fifelaker]

Only the big stuff and when they get small enough to lift it goes horizontal. So 90/10 or there about for me also.

 

[avalancher]

I have a speeco 35 ton that goes vertical as well, but have NEVER SWUNG the thing down for vertical use. Just a plain pain in the butt. usage varies from year to year, as high as 70 cords a year, as low as 25 last year, and I just plain wont do a vertical split. If I cant lift it, it gets noodled until I can lift it. Generally I dont even noodle as the majority of my wood comes in on my flat bed trailer, and the rounds roll right from the trailer across a ramp on to the beam. But for the occasional round that hits the ground and cant be lifted, it gets noodled.

 

[brenndatomu]

I guess I'm not gettin why everybody is so down on a combo splitter?! I probably am like you guys 90/10 maybe even 95/5, but dang it, that vertical sure is handy to quarter up some monstah rounds (like 1-2 minutes each) then finish 'em horizontal with the resta the wood pile. I take my splitter to the woods with me sometimes and a quartered (or more) round is the only way some of those bad boys is gettin in muh truck! Screw noodlin, too much time, mess, wear and tear on my saws, so easy with a combo splitter!

 

[huntindog1]

I run my Huskee 22T verticle all the time.

I got me some of those contractor knee pads at lowes works like a charm.

Bending down on one knee is comfy now.


Splitting Horizontal I was always bending over picking up pieces that were halfed to split again.

Vertical saves all the bending over but if you dont have knee pads its hard on the knees.

 

[ChoppyChoppy]

If it's too big to lift I'll usually just hop on a piece of equipment to stick it on the splitter.

It would have to be the deal where no one is around and no equipment is around for me to tip it vertical.


I know a few guys that split vertical. They sit on a log or milk crate and work at about the speed of grass growing. Might take a week or so to split a cord of wood :msp_scared::msp_scared:

With me cutting and another guy running the splitter we can usually get about a cord in 1-2 hours (depends on log size) cut, split and loaded on the truck.

 

[avalancher]

I guess I'm not gettin why everybody is so down on a combo splitter?! I probably am like you guys 90/10 maybe even 95/5, but dang it, that vertical sure is handy to quarter up some monstah rounds (like 1-2 minutes each) then finish 'em horizontal with the resta the wood pile. I take my splitter to the woods with me sometimes and a quartered (or more) round is the only way some of those bad boys is gettin in muh truck! Screw noodlin, too much time, mess, wear and tear on my saws, so easy with a combo splitter!

Well, I reckon thats why they say, "different strokes for different folks", whatever works for you my man. Personally I would rather chew my way through a round with a dull spoon to get it small enough to heave on up to the horizontal beam rather than get down on my knees and split the dang thing. We got a feller in town that sells firewood right along the highway, and he splits all his stuff vertical. Gets himself a little stool and hunkers right down at that thing, and just about any time of day you can drive by and he is out there splitting stuff getting ready for winter sales. And his total amount sold? Never stopped and measured his woodpiles, but from the looks of it there aint but a dozen cords out there at any given time. It just looks plain ole slow,and i hate slow! Name of the game in firewood is "how fast can I make a ton of firewood and get it dumped on someones driveway and get the heck out of there with a chunk of change in my pocket. It bothers me to no end when something goes sideways in a day and I see my hourly wage dipping down into the teens as it is!

 

[ChoppyChoppy]

EXACTLY! I figure my labor is sort of free (I pay myself only after everyone gets paid and the bills are paid) but when you have a guy or two working for you, you start doing the "well there went $100, 200, 300, etc"

Well, I reckon thats why they say, "different strokes for different folks", whatever works for you my man. Personally I would rather chew my way through a round with a dull spoon to get it small enough to heave on up to the horizontal beam rather than get down on my knees and split the dang thing. We got a feller in town that sells firewood right along the highway, and he splits all his stuff vertical. Gets himself a little stool and hunkers right down at that thing, and just about any time of day you can drive by and he is out there splitting stuff getting ready for winter sales. And his total amount sold? Never stopped and measured his woodpiles, but from the looks of it there aint but a dozen cords out there at any given time. It just looks plain ole slow,and i hate slow! Name of the game in firewood is "how fast can I make a ton of firewood and get it dumped on someones driveway and get the heck out of there with a chunk of change in my pocket. It bothers me to no end when something goes sideways in a day and I see my hourly wage dipping down into the teens as it is!

 

[stumpy75]

As already mentioned here, I split about 5% vertical. If it's too big to lift, I'll turn the splitter vertical. I split about 10 cords a year, and try to get all smaller stuff, but every once in a while, someone drops off a big chunk. My saws usually are not big enough to noodle some of the rounds.

 

[avalancher]

As already mentioned here, I split about 5% vertical. If it's too big to lift, I'll turn the splitter vertical. I split about 10 cords a year, and try to get all smaller stuff, but every once in a while, someone drops off a big chunk. My saws usually are not big enough to noodle some of the rounds.

That right there is an ready made excuse to get you a bigger saw!! Here goes my logic.....

"Well hon, I dont really NEED a bigger saw. After all, I know you dont mind me being laid up with a really sore back. After all, I know only after a really bad sprain does my real sun shiny personality come out. Specially when i got a sore toe cause I figured I would just run out in my sneakers and bust up a few rounds instead of puttin on my boots, and dropped a round on em. Then sprung my back cause I was trying to chunk a 400 lb chunk of red oak on the splitter. Specially since I know you like it 87 degrees in here in the winter so I was tryin to lay up a good bit more firewood than last year. Nope, dont need that Husky 395 I been yacking about till you puked in your dinner plate like the other night. I will just make do with that really long bar on the 372, even though a slow saw kinda makes me cranky and we gotta go over to your folkses house that night for dinner. Im sure your mom will understand when I snarl about the taters being a might lumpy. She'll understand, after all, sometimes a real cranky guy at the dinner table can really liven up the mood, specially if you like shoutin and all. Whats that? You just discovered an extra $1500 in the budget?Well......I guess I can go ahead and buy that bigger saw, although I will feel guilty the whole time runnin it, seeing as how that was your bucks you socked away for some perfectly good piece of computer gear that you didnt have the slightest ####ing need for. I mean, bucks you socked away for a rainy day."

 

[sunfish]

My splitter has a work table, at the right height for me not to have to bend over. Once a round is loaded the whole thing gets split without anything hitting the ground.

 

[jthornton]

My splitter has a work table, at the right height for me not to have to bend over. Once a round is loaded the whole thing gets split without anything hitting the ground.

Ditto on mine + log lift = no bending over or squatting.

JT