Buying a Wood Splitter?

[VirginiaIron]

Mine has a weird noise also. Like @blades said,possibly the pump. Hasn't blown up after about a 100 cords. Knock on wood I'm going out to split now.

I wonder if that wine noise is coupling noise? If it is, a tiny squirt of wd40 should eliminate it.

 

[sean donato]

I wonder if that wine noise is coupling noise? If it is, a tiny squirt of wd40 should eliminate it.

Silicone spray would be a better option for the rubber. We have some big love joy style couplings here at work. Only thing recomended for them is silicon spray.

 

[Hexa Fox]

Since this thread has touched on every other redneck topic known to man. Here is the tractor I referenced earlier.

 

[sean donato]

Been a long time since I seen a big wheel ford...

 

[Hexa Fox]

Okay so I just got a log catcher and I was a little confused by the hardware. It came with two bolts, nuts, washers and lock washers. I used all of it besides the nuts. I am guessing that is there in case you are installing on a different log splitter? I am going to be like that guy that installs this wrong and breaks it.

So I installed it on the same side as the engine and used the bolts on that same side. They thread through the log catcher holes, then through the log splitter beam and into the nuts welded on the other side? At least that is the way I did it. Also got a cover over it for the chance of rain tomorrow.

 

[jolj]

Went & got the 26 ton with the 6.5 horse OHV engine Splitter.
I told him that at least one person thought I paid to much for a five year old splitter that was used two season, but I think I got a good deal.
He replied that it was only four years old & he split one truck load the first year & a half load the second year.
It fire up the pull & sounds good
I found the Hydraulic Fluid at Tractor Supply in quart bottles($5.00).
Other oils where two gallon($39.00) & ($64.00) five gallon.

 

[JRM]

Kinda makes the 5 gallon pail seem like a deal!
Congrats on the new rig.

 

[jolj]

Kinda makes the 5 gallon pail seem like a deal!
Congrats on the new rig.

Yes, but I do not need that much oil for one little splitter.

 

[blitzen]

Here is a video of the log splitter I use it has a 36-inch opening. I usually run it just above idle and increase for the type of wood I split. If you go to split-fires web site they list the rental companies that have their splitters. You could rent one and save some money vs. buying. Unless you have lots of wood to split then buying may be your best option.

 

[VirginiaIron]

I need one of those pickeroons

 

[blitzen]

The blue one is a Log-Rite it has a little barb in the hook part and that really makes a difference in how it holds the wood. I have other makes, but they don't hold like the Log-Rite.

 

[jolj]

My son went out to use the log splitter & it was cold & would not crank, it turned over, but no spark.
It was 12F & tonight it is 22F, so maybe when it warms up.
Someone said to heat up the engine with a torch, anyone done this trick? Sounds like it could go wrong fast!

 

[kspakland]

These things work GREAT to warm things up.

 

[quahog]

My son went out to use the log splitter & it was cold & would not crank, it turned over, but no spark.
It was 12F & tonight it is 22F, so maybe when it warms up.
Someone said to heat up the engine with a torch, anyone done this trick? Sounds like it could go wrong fast!

You should have no problems starting a small engine above zero. 12 or 22 isn't really cold.

No spark would be an indicator of something other than the ambient temp. Is it really no spark as in pull the plug and see it?

Torch would be great. Right on the gas tank, but open it first. J/K, don't do this.

 

[VirginiaIron]

My son went out to use the log splitter & it was cold & would not crank, it turned over, but no spark.
It was 12F & tonight it is 22F, so maybe when it warms up.
Someone said to heat up the engine with a torch, anyone done this trick? Sounds like it could go wrong fast."

I would use a light bulb under a tarp to warm the engine and oil reservoir. With the proper oil, it should start. But you must reach a certain rpm for the engine to start and get spark. Another problem can be the control valve is not in the center or neutral and it would cause the engine to spin under load, plus the thick oil.

 

[GeeVee]

I just happened upon this thread and noted a similarity and it currently has me stumped. I was at Home Depot on Saturday and they also had an Oregon 30ton splitter that had been returned to the store. I went home with it with a 15% discount. Seemed about as good a deal as any in this market. I have run about half a tank of gas through it and nothing seems off about it...I am not sure why it would have been returned and hope I'm not missing something before the window closes for me to return it if there are issues i am missing.

No sir! Charles Town (where I am) is located on the Eastern Panhandle. I am about five minutes from Virginia and an hour and a half from D.C. People often make the horrible mistake and get them confused. My father used to work at the local casino and you cannot imagine the stories he would tell. For example, one time a car full of women came in and were asking for directions for a wedding and scared they were going to be late. Well they were definitely going to be late because my father had to inform them they were in Charles Town and not Charleston.

Anyway, now that my little story is over. I could not be happier with the County Line 25 Ton Log Splitter. It is an amazing piece of equipment. I was at Tractor Supply today and they only had the new County Line or that used Oregon. The Oregon just keeps getting worse. The lady there today said she would take an additional $150 off it. So a discount of $350 all together but like I said there were too many red flags. Today I took off the crankcase dipstick and oil came pouring out before I even got it out. Also the hydraulic filter on the Oregon is an "internal" one. I am personally sick of internal filters. I closely inspected it today and the finish on the Oregon really is inferior to the County Line. This may not be the case for all but if you read the reviews people say similar things.

Also the first thing I did today was take an adjustable wrench and check as many of the fittings as I could. I may go over them again too. So I have some concerns I was hoping to share with you gentlemen.

1.) The hydraulic cylinder seems to get very hot. Too hot to touch, is that normal?

2.) I took out the oil dipstick on this Kohler as well and it started dripping a little. Does that automatically mean it is overfilled? It was no where near as bad as the Oregon unit.

3.) I have already covered the vent cap, should I make certain it is uncovered while in use?

4.) Anyone want to talk about maintenance? Like do I need to lube the wheel bearings somehow? I have not seen a single zerk fitting anywhere.

This thing is so cool. I am literally scared of running out of wood to split around here now. I can already see and agree with what people have said about towing it. You can get it up to 45 MPH on perfect rode conditions. I think one user pointed out when you are going over bumpy roads you need to slow to a crawl and this is true. When you are on a rough road you can tell by the banging it makes that it is in need of a suspension.

I can also see the dangers already. When the wedge comes into contact with wood but does not split it right away the wood binds against it and the metal plate. The wood is literally under all that pressure. I have a couple pieces 'explode' on me today and can hopefully learn what to look out for.

Can you do that? As in the wedge is totally solid and can have material removed? So you just take an angle grinder down the side to get an edge?

Yes grind it, but be prepared for it to take a while, they are hard.

So my initial impression of the Kohler SH 6.5 is that I am impressed. It starts easily and sounds relatively good. It also looks nice and well built. However, there is a slight hum to the engine. It is hard to describe but it sounds like it is coming from somewhere else but becomes apparent after awhile that it is coming from this engine. Don't think I have ever heard anything quite like it, might describe it better as a whistle. I always wear hearing protection now, even while using smaller walk behind push mowers. So could be that but still strange to me.

So I bought a 4 way wedge from Tractor Supply with the splitter as well. Honestly, I know some warned me but I am thinking about trying to return it. Because it makes the logs harder to handle (may change with a log catcher), the wings are not long enough to completely separate the wood into four pieces and it does seem like it could be heavier. I find some logs are perfect to be rolled 180 degrees after being split to get split into four pieces all together and works out pretty good.

So the fuel capacity looks like 0.85 gallons. So should I shut off the fuel for storage or just treat the fuel for storage and make certain some of the treated fuel gets into the carburetor? Again sorry if you guys mentioned this before. I think a couple of you did. I have been going back through and reading but there is a lot here lol. It is fine because it is the kind of stuff I enjoy reading. I haven't had to weld since high school and to be honest I do not have any extra room for anything else. I need to get rid of some of the junk we have collected over the years.

A 4 way wedge is kind of a one trick pony, unless you have tons of just the right diameter, its just a hassle. You can never go wrong with splitting ANY round or piece, in HALF to save steps/time. Although I will cut triangles for a while, then cut a round by going around the outside and cut half moons, just to get to the center a nice big square for making cribs for the ends of stacks. Or I want the square to cut 1 inch "slabs" then "re-assemble four or five, and cut those 1" wide for kindling. When I get nice hickory that splits with a pop that i dont have to chase the wedge all the way down, I look for opportunity to make these square rounds and get my kindling cut- I do not swing a hatchet or axe any more.

Since this thread has touched on every other redneck topic known to man. Here is the tractor I referenced earlier.

You go get that machine, he's offering it, even if you have to cover it in lots of tarps for a while till you get aorund to it. Sitting there isn;t doing anyone any good. LOTS of tractor salvage yards around you might can source a FEL for it. and the Shibaura rebadged Ford is not a bad little 19 horse machine. I'll give you or him $500 for it as it sits. and come up from FLorida to get it. Running, without the FEL, its maybe 1800 to 2k. Maybe. 2 wheel drive or 4, I didnt look at the pitcure that close.

 

[GeeVee]

I see it now- 2 wheel drive, still offer you or him $500, it will need gone through pretty deep. Clutch worn/wear, Hydro fluids take a couple of cycles and changes to clean out the old, particularly if it has gotten ANY water in it- which means rust INSIDE. Gears, bearings, seals, Starter, alternator, and of course injector pump. Tires that sit might hurt your feelings after you have gone through the mechanicals only to have them dryrotted and not holding air, and or rims with rust you can't see. Not super money pits if you are handy at doing your own work, but parts add up. OTOH. If you do the work and source used or salvaged parts where you can instead of brand new, you could wind up with a nice machine. IF you do some internet searching for that tractor with a FEL already on it and running- it may only cost you around 3-3500, for comparison, and may only need a clutch in its future- or tires..... You might wind up with 3k in that one if you found a FEL from a salvage yard. Maybe, maybe more.

I would take that machine and couple it to a bushhog and never take it off, for my use. I have an ASV RC30 CTL, and a Mitsubishi 372D 4wd (no FEL) and my 15 hp Mits is currenlty only on BH duty. I'd let my Mits pull a box blade with ripper teeth (and it uncouple from the 3pt quickly, and haul a trailer the rest of its life)

These Sub and Compact Ag tractors are prevalent and can do alot of work for their size, but I would always be preferring a 4wd unit- PARTICULARLY if its the only tractor or tool of its kind I owned.

 

[Bob_w]

I have a Troybuilt 27 ton with a GC160. No real problems in 20 years. I elected to use ATF instead of Hydraulic oil to run at colder temperatures. No problems there. Changed the carb on the GC160 this year. Always outside. mostly covered with a tarp. Has probably logged a year uncovered. Can be run vertical. Installed a work table of 2' wood over the engine, with a hinged door to gas up. Goes vertical, have split 3 foot rounds vertical. Put a piece of plywood on the ground to help with log maneuvering ... better than the ground.

Good machine. Troybuilt has kept their reputation as far as I know. Currently running the machine about 1 hour per day, 4 days a week.

Always split problem logs up the tree, and do Y's vertical the first time.

 

[Hexa Fox]

I have a Troybuilt 27 ton with a GC160. No real problems in 20 years. I elected to use ATF instead of Hydraulic oil to run at colder temperatures. No problems there. Changed the carb on the GC160 this year. Always outside. mostly covered with a tarp. Has probably logged a year uncovered. Can be run vertical. Installed a work table of 2' wood over the engine, with a hinged door to gas up. Goes vertical, have split 3 foot rounds vertical. Put a piece of plywood on the ground to help with log maneuvering ... better than the ground.

Good machine. Troybuilt has kept their reputation as far as I know. Currently running the machine about 1 hour per day, 4 days a week.

Always split problem logs up the tree, and do Y's vertical the first time.

So I thought about buying a piece of plywood, tarp or something to go on the ground where I am splitting just to help with cleanup. It would be a plus if it made maneuvering the logs easier. As far as I know those companies have always been made by MTD. They have ranged in quality over the years and definitely gotten worse with time. So I cannot imagine a new one would be as good as the one you are talking about now. Having that said, the Craftsman I discussed earlier was definitely an impressive machine. I would have definitely bought it over my County Line if I would have known about it. Much larger cylinder, splitting wedge and engine for not much more than my County Line. Anyway, I don't want to hurt my County Lines feelings because so far it has been an awesome machine. It has struggled with some logs but never failed to split them.

I recently bought a tarp from Vinyl Billboards and I am very satisfied with it. The only thing is that it is clearly used, has some slight tears in it and no eyelets. I have an eyelet installation kit and wondering if it is going to work. I guess I could always sharpen the piece that is made to penetrate the tarp. I saw people using them on YouTube and it looks like it takes several hammers to get it through paper thin stuff you buy at Harbor Freight. This stuff is noticeably tougher. I was worried it was going to weigh a lot more but it doesn't.

I am having a 'building malfunction' at the moment so my most expensive machine is sitting outside with one of these tarps over it. I am very, very satisfied. It keeps the machine completely dry. So embarrassingly I bought a cover years ago for about $400 for my zero turn. I disliked it right away and should have sent it back. It was heavy bulky, hard to get over the machine and definitely was not completely waterproof. This $30 tarp puts that cover to shame.

 

[Hexa Fox]

You go get that machine, he's offering it, even if you have to cover it in lots of tarps for a while till you get aorund to it. Sitting there isn;t doing anyone any good. LOTS of tractor salvage yards around you might can source a FEL for it. and the Shibaura rebadged Ford is not a bad little 19 horse machine. I'll give you or him $500 for it as it sits. and come up from FLorida to get it. Running, without the FEL, its maybe 1800 to 2k. Maybe. 2 wheel drive or 4, I didnt look at the pitcure that close.

It is funny you mention it because I sold it to a guy from Florida. He was giving me advice for working on it and offered to buy it. It was a 2WD and really too small for anything I wanted to do. Sourcing a FEL for it was going to be tough and then I figured I would be displeased with it. Since it had no implements I was going to be working on it and sourcing implements. So he had a friend come get it for him. He picked it up a couple weeks ago.