Picked up a new/used splitter

[c5rulz]

I wanted a splitter with a log lift and hydraulically adjustable 4 way wedge. I attempted to have Alex of A. E. Metawerx make a custom unit but could not get it done this year. Too bad as his are the nicest splitters I have ever seen. Anyway I picked up a used Iron & Oak Commercial unit with the above features used along with an auto cycle valve. Since this is the fast cycle version it is 22 ton. Honda GX 340 runs like a top.

 

[Tiewire]

Sweet splitter. Hope you stole it. Not five finger discount but cheap!

 

[c5rulz]

Sweet splitter. Hope you stole it. Not five finger discount but cheap!

Not a steal but almost a third of what I was going to spend on a new one.

 

[sirbuildalot]

Nice!!!

Before I bought my Supersplit, I looked hard at that model from I&O as well as the 6 second cycle time model American has.

 

[rancher2]

If you haven't had a log lift before you are going to love it. Makes life so much easier. I sure like that hyd wedge on that splitter. I need to add one to my home built that has a log lift. Sounds like you bought it right also.

 

[Ryan'smilling]

Very nice!! You'll love the auto cycle.

 

[c5rulz]

Very nice!! You'll love the auto cycle.

The auto cycle is awesome, but it is becoming readily apparent that to really make this work efficiently one needs at least one helper to clear splits from the work table.

 

[rancher2]

If you are stacking as your splitting that splitter will kept three people busy. Those auto cycle valves can be a little fussy but they save a lot of time.

 

[c5rulz]

I put some time on it to get the hang of it. Cut a face of oak and dropped a 22" ash in the front yard that had EAB. Pretty impressive, makes a big pile of splits in short order. I NEED a helper.

 

[Ryan'smilling]

The auto cycle is awesome, but it is becoming readily apparent that to really make this work efficiently one needs at least one helper to clear splits from the work table.

Personally I just let them drop off the table. My splitter will push up a pretty good sized pile off the back of the table. Once it starts pushing the machine around, I move it forward a couple of feet and keep splitting. I end up with nice windrows of firewood. I know you make some nice looking stacks, and I certainly like the way stacks look, but I just leave mine in piles until I need to sell it or burn it. I've thought about putting pallets down as I split, but so far I just keep the stuff that's touching the ground for myself. I stack that stuff on separate pallets when I'm loading up a windrows into a truck or whatever and then I keep those pallets for another year. I figure the stuff on the bottom doesn't really season.

 

[Ryan'smilling]

Oh, by the way, how's your apple crop?

 

[rwoods]

Nice. Sure understand the need for a helper. Ron

 

[c5rulz]

Oh, by the way, how's your apple crop?

The apples didn't set the # of apples they should have considering the bloom was excellent and I had a hive of bees. Other orchards in the area had similar results. The reason is unknown. The 3rd leaf trees were not even thinned due to the poor set.

Anyway, to answer your question. I will have apples, just not as many as projected 3 years ago. Zestar should be ready by the end of the week. About half of the Zestar were damaged by birds. (Birds pick out the early apples first) The rest also have some bird damage which ruins the apple. When you have a lot of apples this is not a big deal, but when yield is down, it is a higher proportion. I'll have to take some pics there still are a lot.

 

[c5rulz]

Personally I just let them drop off the table. My splitter will push up a pretty good sized pile off the back of the table. Once it starts pushing the machine around, I move it forward a couple of feet and keep splitting. I end up with nice windrows of firewood. I know you make some nice looking stacks, and I certainly like the way stacks look, but I just leave mine in piles until I need to sell it or burn it. I've thought about putting pallets down as I split, but so far I just keep the stuff that's touching the ground for myself. I stack that stuff on separate pallets when I'm loading up a windrows into a truck or whatever and then I keep those pallets for another year. I figure the stuff on the bottom doesn't really season.

I've got to come up with a better system. The old way of pulling off the splitter and stacking is just way to slow with this machine. I thing that is a hassle is in order to install the work table, the hitch has to come off. When the wood piles up on the ground you can't easily move the splitter. Throwing onto the 6 x 10 trailer might be the ticket to keep production up and then just tow to where it will be stacked.

 

[Ryan'smilling]

I've got to come up with a better system. The old way of pulling off the splitter and stacking is just way to slow with this machine. I thing that is a hassle is in order to install the work table, the hitch has to come off. When the wood piles up on the ground you can't easily move the splitter. Throwing onto the 6 x 10 trailer might be the ticket to keep production up and then just tow to where it will be stacked.

Looking at the pictures a little closer, I can see what you mean about the hitch and the table. There's always lots of ways to skin a cat, but I would think about modifying it so that you can at least pull it along a few feet at a time from the other end. Even just a jack with a wheel on the bottom might provide enough mobility. Having a true hitch on the other end would be ideal though. That'd be safer and handier than just having three wheels on the ground and no way to control it.

The best scenario doesn't involve tossing it after the wedge at all though. A conveyor would be the best. Piling works for me. I've thought about digging a big hole in my woodlot so I can back a truck or trailer into it and put the end of the splitter table over it and load right in.

Here's a view of the result of some splitting.

 

[rancher2]

After you get a splitter that will put out some wood you find you need a conveyor to either stack the wood or in my case load on trailers. I have been using conveyors for years and wouldn't be with out it.

 

[c5rulz]

Looking at the pictures a little closer, I can see what you mean about the hitch and the table. There's always lots of ways to skin a cat, but I would think about modifying it so that you can at least pull it along a few feet at a time from the other end. Even just a jack with a wheel on the bottom might provide enough mobility. Having a true hitch on the other end would be ideal though. That'd be safer and handier than just having three wheels on the ground and no way to control it.

The best scenario doesn't involve tossing it after the wedge at all though. A conveyor would be the best. Piling works for me. I've thought about digging a big hole in my woodlot so I can back a truck or trailer into it and put the end of the splitter table over it and load right in.

Here's a view of the result of some splitting.View attachment 670353

Nice operation.

The jack stand on the ground would have to be modified so it had a wheel, it would tear the stand off trying to pull the splitter backwards.

 

[c5rulz]

After you get a splitter that will put out some wood you find you need a conveyor to either stack the wood or in my case load on trailers. I have been using conveyors for years and wouldn't be with out it.

A conveyor just isn't possible where I live. It would really stick out.

I try and keep things fairly orderly so as to not pi$$ off the neighbors.

 

[Ryan'smilling]

Nice operation.

The jack stand on the ground would have to be modified so it had a wheel, it would tear the stand off trying to pull the splitter backwards.

Thanks. Sometimes it just feels like clutter, but when things are working well, we can put a fair amount of firewood on the ground. I bet northern tool might have a jack with a wheel that would bolt right on.

Bummer about the apple crop. We had the opposite problem here. Almost 100% pollination, and we even asked the guy who keeps bees here to wait until after the bloom was over to bring in the bees. We literally thinned from fruit set until about a two weeks ago. Still the trees are overloaded. I need to head to the woods to make some more props. It will be a big crop for us, but it was a lot of work. My wife spent a lot of time on the ladder in the last few months.

We just brought in the first few bushels of Red Frees on Monday.

 

[rancher2]

A conveyor just isn't possible where I live. It would really stick out.

I try and keep things fairly orderly so as to not pi$$ off the neighbors.

That's one worry I don't have living on a farm. I am my only neighbor.