Vertical or Horizontal

[rarefish383]

I always get in arguments with my cousin about which way is best to split. He swears he can split faster than me, him sitting on a bucket, vertical, and me with an adjustable 8' long feed table, horizontal. With my replaced knee I can't sit on a bucket and reaching out to pull blocks to me would kill my back. He says standing by the beam kills his back. Back in the 70's he bought a Vermeer vertical splitter, one of the first on the market. I had a Bliss horizontal that went on a 3 point hitch. It took 40 HP to run it and would cut in both directions. He got 40 years of use out of his old Vermeer and just bought a new 14 horse splitter form the local Kubota dealer. I now have a TSC 22 ton. My feed table will lower to 7" off the ground with a 24" ramp, so I can roll big rounds on it, then raise it to beam height. So, virtually no lifting. So, anyway, how do YOU prefer to split? Joe.

 

[olyman]

horizontal...done it for years....

 

[Ryan'smilling]

Horizonal for me. I'm using Sawyer Rob's style of cutting on my trailer and then parking the three point splitter right next to the trailer. Like this:



Edited to add: I have two tractors and I usually use the splitter on my other one, which leaves this one free to move logs. My little New Holland doesn't have a loader, so it's a better fit for the splitter. Also, it makes 540 PTO RPM at a lower engine RPM, and is quieter in general, so it's not as loud as the tractor in the video.

 

[NSMaple1]

Yes.



I go vertical when they are bigger than what I want to lift onto the beam. I usually only halve or quarter them, depending on how big they really are, then go back to horizontal to finish. Once in a while I stay upright, say if it's softwood I am splitting big.

Otherwise, it's horizontal - that position is easier for my back. Unless they are too big, then it's ^.

 

[blades]

Horzontal, depending where i am spliting either i use the tractor to lift big stuff or the forklift.

 

[turnkey4099]

Horizontal. I get enough back aches that way without working down near the ground and having to get up/down to move more rounds to within reach. I hae had the splitter since about 2008 and it has never been vertica. I have to bust big rounds down to s ize I can load to bring home anyhow

 

[Cody]

Horizontal. Only way I would split vertical is if it was with a waist height table splitting rounds. I've looked at Powersplits and they are intriguing.

 

[rarefish383]

I meant to say not to include the commercial verticals because the are used standing at about waist height. I think I would use one of them with my feed table and be OK. I only tried my TSC vertical once and that was enough.

 

[T. Mainus]

Once you have split firewood with a Powersplit you will wonder how you ever used a horizontal type splitter before. We switched from a TW-5 to a Powersplit this year and there is no comparison. The ergonomics of the Powersplit are just about perfect. Your back does not get sore any more. I can stand in front of ours all day no problem. Not so much with the Timberwolf.

 

[cantoo]

I don't think I ever had my Speeco vertical. Max log size for me is under 30" and I'm tough (stupid) as old leather so I lift everything and I cut to 32" long too. I did have a vertical splitter but it was the type that is about 30" off the ground. I really liked it and if I had kept cutting 16" wood I would have made a power split type one. I also used a staging table or dump trailer with it so not much lifting of big stuff. My brother in law has one of those low low horizontal splitters and he sits on his knees. No way could I do that. I also use a conveyor.

 

[Jwilliams]

Use the fiskars to half or quarter the big ones then horizontal

 

[rarefish383]

Once you have split firewood with a Powersplit you will wonder how you ever used a horizontal type splitter before. We switched from a TW-5 to a Powersplit this year and there is no comparison. The ergonomics of the Powersplit are just about perfect. Your back does not get sore any more. I can stand in front of ours all day no problem. Not so much with the Timberwolf.

Power split doesn't count for this poll. I'd love to try a Power split. My cousin just thinks he can out split anyone sitting on a block bent over. I tried my TSC vertical one time, and it was more work getting a 200 pound block of Oak under it than noodling it down to manageable sizes. I had to build a 2X6 platform around the foot so the block would sit square under the wedge, or get a second person to push the block against the beam. To me, it was just way more work, Joe.

 

[Marley5]

If i gotta go vertical, it stays in the woods.

I split everything horizontal and catch the sides so i don't have to bend over. Lol

 

[laynes69]

I used to only do horizontal, but I have lower back issues from two car accidents. For me, to stand up the beam, I can roll large rounds and sit for an extended amount of time splitting without back strain. I pull up a round for a seat and go to work.

 

[sundance]

Horizontal. I'll admit I've never tried vertical......but I'll claim that's because I'm smart enough to see the correct way. Noodle/split as needed.

 

[bartman23]

Just bought my first gas splitter a couple weeks ago and have only had time to use it once but had to try the vertical option out. Was pleasantly surprised how well it worked with 2 guys. Wood wasn't huge 20ish" box elder but fairly heavy compared to me at 130lb. Me and buddy just sat in the snow and Had a bunch standing end wise that I could just spin onto splitter and buddy would just keep turning it while I worked the hydraulics than he'd get the splits out of the way while I rolled the next one on. No need to stand up, stayed comfortable and busted alot of wood real quick with 0 effort. But anything easy to lift I'll just stay horizontal but it's nice to have the option.

 

[ChoppyChoppy]

Vertical, but we just used the splitters to bust up big pieces.

Now just run the big logs through the sawmill to make them small enough for the processor. Much less work than cutting with a saw and splitting with the little splitters.

 

[stumpy75]

Vertical for the big pieces, then horizontal to finish them.

 

[rarefish383]

Just bought my first gas splitter a couple weeks ago and have only had time to use it once but had to try the vertical option out. Was pleasantly surprised how well it worked with 2 guys. Wood wasn't huge 20ish" box elder but fairly heavy compared to me at 130lb. Me and buddy just sat in the snow and Had a bunch standing end wise that I could just spin onto splitter and buddy would just keep turning it while I worked the hydraulics than he'd get the splits out of the way while I rolled the next one on. No need to stand up, stayed comfortable and busted alot of wood real quick with 0 effort. But anything easy to lift I'll just stay horizontal but it's nice to have the option.

That's what I kind of found, to work vertical you need two guys. Mabe with a bigger machine than my 22 ton it will work better. My foot is small enough that when you try to set a big round on it, it just tilts away from the beam. So, I need to build a platform level with the foot so the round will sit square, or get a second guy to push it back against the beam, Joe.

 

[stihl ms]

I split horizontal but if I got real big ones I lay them down flat, use a maul and wedge them in half. I guess I do things the hard way!