Blazer1
ArboristSite Lurker
First I would like to thank you guys for sharing your expertise, I am really struggling with this purchase.
To give you guys a little history I am an out of work heavy equipment mechanic that started selling firewood to keep the lights on. I have always burned wood and even sold a load here or there but never on the scale I have had to this winter. I sold 50-60 chords this winter and hope to sell 20 or so more before summer all of it has been split on my grandfathers NorthStar 22 ton splitter that worked great just a little slow.
I need to invest in my own splitter but I am having a hard time finding the right one. I mostly deal with large Red Oak, White Oak, and Hickory, and by large most everything is over 30" at the base. I quarter it by hand on the ground and load it into the splitter. What I am looking for in a splitter is speed, even with the little 22 ton NorthStar I never had a problem splitting anything I wanted to. I have looked at several today at Home depot, Northern Tools, Lowe's and all of them have the wheels in the wrong place.
I am struggling with purchasing a $1500 or less splitter or stepping up to something like the Timber wolf. Most of you know profit margins in the firewood business are small so the less I have to spend on a splitter the better!
So, should I maximize profits and purchase a $1500 or less splitter and witch one or should I spend more and get a commercial splitter, is there an "in between" splitter?
To give you guys a little history I am an out of work heavy equipment mechanic that started selling firewood to keep the lights on. I have always burned wood and even sold a load here or there but never on the scale I have had to this winter. I sold 50-60 chords this winter and hope to sell 20 or so more before summer all of it has been split on my grandfathers NorthStar 22 ton splitter that worked great just a little slow.
I need to invest in my own splitter but I am having a hard time finding the right one. I mostly deal with large Red Oak, White Oak, and Hickory, and by large most everything is over 30" at the base. I quarter it by hand on the ground and load it into the splitter. What I am looking for in a splitter is speed, even with the little 22 ton NorthStar I never had a problem splitting anything I wanted to. I have looked at several today at Home depot, Northern Tools, Lowe's and all of them have the wheels in the wrong place.
I am struggling with purchasing a $1500 or less splitter or stepping up to something like the Timber wolf. Most of you know profit margins in the firewood business are small so the less I have to spend on a splitter the better!
So, should I maximize profits and purchase a $1500 or less splitter and witch one or should I spend more and get a commercial splitter, is there an "in between" splitter?