Horizontal vs. Vertical Log Splitter Use?

[Dieselbreath]

I don't think we are going to change any ones mind here. Its a personal preference. I've tried splitting in the vertical position but after about 10 minutes my back says no more. Now, I can split horizontally all day long even if it does mean bending over many times because of the change in activities. But at 70 yrs old I needed to make my life easier, especially with the large pieces. What I do now is push the larger rounds into the 7' bucket of my tractor, drive it over to the splitter and just roll the rounds onto the beam and throw the splits back onto the bucket of the tractor which I then dump where needed. Works for me and saves the back. (something you younguns should think about)

 

[AIM]

I might just split horiz also if this was what I was splitting. I gotta say though that I don't see a single piece in that pile that I would split. If their already that small they go right in the boiler.
View attachment 302767

 

[Hedgerow]

I might just split horiz also if this was what I was splitting. I gotta say though that I don't see a single piece in that pile that I would split. If their already that small they go right in the boiler.
View attachment 302767

It all got quartered... Round wood don't sell...
But if I had an OWB, I'd just half everything and roll with it...
Or not at all... Just toss it in..

 

[sunfish]

I might just split horiz also if this was what I was splitting. I gotta say though that I don't see a single piece in that pile that I would split. If their already that small they go right in the boiler.
View attachment 302767

We roll with stove wood around here buba! :msp_wink:

 

[Hedgerow]

We roll with stove wood around here buba! :msp_wink:

Yeah... Everything gets split here... I got customers that pay 150 a cord and pick it up themselves... Just because the Mrs. Of the household likes it split small...
I don't do deliveries...
:msp_wink:

 

[AIM]

Guess it sucks to have a stove... Whole different debate though....

 

[Hedgerow]

Guess it sucks to have a stove... Whole different debate though....

Yup... Both have their place...
Just need different fuel...
I got 1 customer that has a big Taylor OWB...
He burns 15 cord of strictly hedge a year. Burns year round, and I cut it special for him...
If I can get it on the trailer, he'll take it... 24" long...
Great guy... But not the norm for this region...

 

[sunfish]

Guess it sucks to have a stove... Whole different debate though....

Nope! You couldn't run fast enough to Give me a wood furnace, outdoor, indoor, or otherwise.

:hmm3grin2orange:

 

[zogger]

Absolutes! Extremists!

Never any compromise! Country going to heck in a handbasket! Partisan discord, radio talk show hosts having fits!! Civil war!!!

and etc.....

..no one splits at a 45???

%^)

 

[stihl023/5]

Guess it sucks to have a stove... Whole different debate though....

Not really.

 

[AIM]

Guess it sucks to have a stove... Whole different debate though....

Just to be clear. I "REALLY" don't have a problem with stoves. I heated my shop with one for many years and loved it. I just like my OWB wayyyyy more.

Back to splitters. Another thing that I have noticed in this little debate is that many of you take your wood to the splitter.
I take the splitter to the wood. I seldom split at home. I drop the tree. cut it up and back the splitter right up to it. I never have to lift a piece off the ground until it is split.
Again with LARGE rounds,, it seems to make sense to me.
View attachment 302897
This is an employee of mine with my splitter. We had to take down a few maples for an addition to a carry out. I let the guys split up campfire wood for themselves. That's why the rounds are so short

 

[half]

wood to splitter

I find that I can get a lot more wood on my trailer if it is just big rounds than I can split, Its the old story, thrown cord or stacked, and in rounds it is like stacked wood, Plus my splitter is not road legal, IE no rego or warrent ,so it does not go far from home

 

[stihl023/5]

I dont take mine down the road either. I Load up the rounds and bring em home.

 

[half]

splitters

And if you bring them home, and split on the drive ,You get all the splitter trailings for kindling, and a wee time to dry and they are ideal

 

[turnkey4099]

Just to be clear. I "REALLY" don't have a problem with stoves. I heated my shop with one for many years and loved it. I just like my OWB wayyyyy more.

Back to splitters. Another thing that I have noticed in this little debate is that many of you take your wood to the splitter.
I take the splitter to the wood. I seldom split at home. I drop the tree. cut it up and back the splitter right up to it. I never have to lift a piece off the ground until it is split.
Again with LARGE rounds,, it seems to make sense to me.
View attachment 302897
This is an employee of mine with my splitter. We had to take down a few maples for an addition to a carry out. I let the guys split up campfire wood for themselves. That's why the rounds are so short

That makes my back hurt just looking at it. All that bending over, repositioning chunks for more splitting while bent over, etc.

I'd rather lift the round once and split it up at about thigh height.

Harry K
Harry K

 

[Whitespider]

This is an employee of mine with my splitter.

Is he... is he just standing there, hunched-over a bit, neck bent over, holding the lever??
Too funny... and no-thank-you-very-much.

Forget about the horizontal/vertical thing for a moment; if'n I had to hold the operating lever on a log splitter... well... I push it in the nearest sinkhole and get something else.

Let's see now... after he gets that round halved he needs to bend over, squat, or sit down to reposition the halves?? When he's done with that round, he needs to get back up and move another round over to the splitter, likely needs to get on his knees to position it (that's after he moves the split stuff out of his way)... and then start the whole up & down, up & down, up & down thing over again. Yeah, I don't blame you... I'd make one of my employees do it before I would also! L-O-L

 

[sunfish]

Good call spiddy.

If I had employes splittin wood, I'd want them to be a bit more efficient. Ya know, me havin to pay them and stuff!

 

[Kevin in Ohio]

Is he... is he just standing there, hunched-over a bit, neck bent over, holding the lever??
Too funny... and no-thank-you-very-much.
L-O-L

That's the same thing I see with yours but you say it's not a big deal. Yours is what, 18 inches higher? Your lever may be the same level or LOWER from what I see. Everything has it's pluses and minuses and that's why there are so many different ones out there. Mine a monster that's too big to move easily(to you) and yours is too low. (for me) After dealing with wood as long as you and I have, we get our own ideas on what works best for OUR own situations. Like someone said earlier, comparable to a Ford/Chevy debate I guess.

I'm happy you like yours and I'm happy with my set up so all is good. It's just nice to see different views and setups to address the same end result and learn from them.

 

[Whitespider]

That's the same thing I see with yours but you say it's not a big deal.

Huh??

I don't need to hold the lever... I don't even need to bend over to reach it... I don't even need to touch the lever to retract the ram 'cause it's automatic. I certainly never need to get on my knees to position a round, but I do need to bend-over to grab the next one, just like anyone else splitting wood with any sort of splitter (unless they loaded it in a pickup box, but they still had to bend over to do that). While that guy is "just standing there, hunched-over a bit, neck bent over, holding the lever" I'm retrieving the next round. While that guy is retracting the ram I'm already splitting my second round and retrieving the third at the same time. While that guy is retrieving/positioning his second round I'm splitting my third and retrieving my forth at the same time. While that guy is "just standing there, hunched-over a bit, neck bent over, holding the lever" splitting his second round I'm splitting my fourth and retrieving my fifth at the same time. While that guy is moving splits out of his way, and rolling more rounds over to the machine I've already moved my machine to the wood with one hand, started splitting, and have a new pile of splits started.

Yeah, my splitter is low, but if ya' don't have to stand there bent over holding something, if ya' can always be moving and doing something else, if the machine is always sitting right next to the wood and if ya' have to bend over to pick up the rounds (at some point) anyway... what difference does it make how high or low the machine is?? Heck, my thinkin' is the lower the better... after-all I already have to bend over to retrieve the rounds, why would I want to lift (or carry, or roll, or whatever) them more than a few inches if I don't have to?? Most of the time I don't even need to bend over to pick up the splits... with both hands free I can grab 'em coming off the wedge and toss 'em in the trailer.

I don't see where you find the comparison... I'm never "just standing there, hunched-over a bit, neck bent over, holding the lever."

 

[stihl023/5]

Mine is not automatic because my kids use it.