Cost effective to build own splitter?

[roundhouse]

Greetings, a newbie here.


Im looking for a horizontal/vertical splitter, we heat with a Lopi revere and for the past few years have rented a splitter, but the place we rented it from is outta biz and Home Despot, the only other place that rents them nearby charges double the price for the exact same machine, over $100 a day.

So its time to buy or build.

Cant find a deal on a used one, I guess no one ever sells a splitter huh?

Anyhoo, the 22 ton for $999 at Tractor Supply will do us fine.

But at that price is it even worth it to build your own?

I have a friend that is a great welder & fabber that will do it for a friendly fee.

Even getting the matls at scrap prices and the welding done cheap The pump, cylinder, valve, engine & oil, add up quick.

 

[TJ-Bill]

If the 22ton will do it for you get it.. you cannot build one for less. Most people that build their own want something with more power and better built then the Big Box Store splitter.

 

[Mntn Man]

Buy the one from tractor supply. I have had one for 3 years and no problems yet. It'd be tough to build your own for that price.

 

[lone wolf]

Greetings, a newbie here.


Im looking for a horizontal/vertical splitter, we heat with a Lopi revere and for the past few years have rented a splitter, but the place we rented it from is outta biz and Home Despot, the only other place that rents them nearby charges double the price for the exact same machine, over $100 a day.

So its time to buy or build.

Cant find a deal on a used one, I guess no one ever sells a splitter huh?

Anyhoo, the 22 ton for $999 at Tractor Supply will do us fine.

But at that price is it even worth it to build your own?

I have a friend that is a great welder & fabber that will do it for a friendly fee.

Even getting the matls at scrap prices and the welding done cheap The pump, cylinder, valve, engine & oil, add up quick.

If you build one it will be stronger because you can choose your components better. If you have time to build winter is coming soon. I dont care much for box store splitters they break . How many cords a year do you split?

 

[roundhouse]

If you build one it will be stronger because you can choose your components better. If you have time to build winter is coming soon. I dont care much for box store splitters they break . How many cords a year do you split?

3 or 4 maybe.
Its not like Im running a biz selling firewood.

I didnt mind when I could rent a splitter for $65 a weekend, 2 weekends with a decent helper and I was done, but that store closed and all Im left with is $105 for 24 hours, and at that rate I might as well buy one. Im in a suburb of Atlanta, not a lot of wood burners around here,


I get all of the wood from tree services that I see working nearby,
A couple of years ago one brought me a 6 wheeler load, AND brought me their splitter to use for a month.
Thats how bad they didnt want to pay landfill fees to dump the wood.

I saw an ad the other day for a tandem dump load of oak, probably green, already split for $500, should have just bought that.

What commonly breaks on the storebought splitters?

I know that if I built my own, the engine & pump would be better quality than a storebought one, which typically has the cheapest available.

 

[lone wolf]

3 or 4 maybe.
Its not like Im running a biz selling firewood.

I didnt mind when I could rent a splitter for $65 a weekend, 2 weekends with a decent helper and I was done, but that store closed and all Im left with is $105 for 24 hours, and at that rate I might as well buy one. Im in a suburb of Atlanta, not a lot of wood burners around here,


I get all of the wood from tree services that I see working nearby,
A couple of years ago one brought me a 6 wheeler load, AND brought me their splitter to use for a month.
Thats how bad they didnt want to pay landfill fees to dump the wood.

I saw an ad the other day for a tandem dump load of oak, probably green, already split for $500, should have just bought that.

What commonly breaks on the storebought splitters?

I know that if I built my own, the engine & pump would be better quality than a storebought one, which typically has the cheapest available.

Pump than all the metal goes into the system . i had a yard machine NG at all . I would build one or spend more money and get a solid machine.

 

[blades]

big box store splitters are built to a price point - minimum specs, max profit. That said an awful lot of burners have them and most have no issues. Keep the size of the rounds down and do not try to bust thru big knarly pieces and it will be fine. Use the chainsaw on the ugly stuff. Most people get into trouble when they try to bust up crotch pieces, that is when the problems develop as they exceed the limitations of the components.

 

[4seasons]

3 or 4 maybe.
Its not like Im running a biz selling firewood.

I didnt mind when I could rent a splitter for $65 a weekend, 2 weekends with a decent helper and I was done, but that store closed and all Im left with is $105 for 24 hours, and at that rate I might as well buy one. Im in a suburb of Atlanta, not a lot of wood burners around here,


I get all of the wood from tree services that I see working nearby,
A couple of years ago one brought me a 6 wheeler load, AND brought me their splitter to use for a month.
Thats how bad they didnt want to pay landfill fees to dump the wood.

I saw an ad the other day for a tandem dump load of oak, probably green, already split for $500, should have just bought that.

What commonly breaks on the storebought splitters?

I know that if I built my own, the engine & pump would be better quality than a storebought one, which typically has the cheapest available.

There are numerous threads here about best splitters for the price and Huskee/ Speedco splitters seem to win the argument hands down. Use the search to find these, if you add the price of the components up it comes to more than the price of a new splitter. The guys building their own splitters usually got an old splitter to rebuild or came across a free cylinder/pump/engine/ beam.

I don't know how much wood is on a tandem dump, but for $500 it better be 3 or more seasoned, 4 or more if it is green. If it is green you wont be burning oak this year anyway. Lots of stuff here about craigslist ads for a truckload of firewood that people got a little nice hardwood with a bunch of rotten chunks of mystery wood dumped in their driveway as soon as the driver had cash in hand. Again use the search.

You said you are on the southside of Atlanta. There has to be more than one rental place there. You may have to drive past 4 Home Depots to get to it but I would call around and check prices before I went out and spent $1000 on a tool to use 2 weekends a year.

Just a thought here, but if you only split 3-4 cords a year, why not do it by hand? I have busted well over 10 cords in a winter working a few hours some weekends using nothing more than a maul and wedge, with a little help from the saw on the tough ones. Great exercise too, cant wait for the weather to cool of so I can pick up my axe and get back in shape.

 

[TreePointer]

If I were a welder and had access to decent scrap metal, maybe I'd build one; however, I'd still have to find the time to do it. I think the general consensus here has been that building costs more, but you get exactly what you want.

For 5-10 cords/year, I'm happy with my Huskee/SpeeCo 35-ton from TSC (and a 10% off coupon).

 

[BlueRidgeMark]

If I were a welder and had access to decent scrap metal, maybe I'd build one; however, I'd still have to find the time to do it. I think the general consensus here has been that building costs more, but you get exactly what you want.

For 5-10 cords/year, I'm happy with my Huskee/SpeeCo 35-ton from TSC (and a 10% off coupon).

:agree2:


roundhouse, what is your time worth? Yes, you can build a better splitter, for probably not much more money, but you won't SAVE money. You'll be buying all the parts at retail. THe manufacturers buy in mass quantities at wholesale prices. How can you compete with that?


Just call me another satisfied Huskee/SpeeCo 35-ton owner. (BTW, it uses the same pump as the "big boys" splitters.)


OTOH, I have to agree with the "spit it manually" comment. That's not much to split. Get a few wedges, a Monster Maul, and get a good workout. Split a half hour a day and you'll have all the wood you can use!

 

[curlybirtch]

make vs. buy

I am right at the end of my splitter build. I have about $850 into it.

That being said, the things that I bought were:
Hydraulic Hoses + fittings = $130
cylinder = $290
hydraulic pump = $120
Prince valve = $100
Wheels and axles = $60
6"x"10" x 48" Beam for Hydraulic tank = $80
12 gallons hydraulic oil = $80

I got all of the rest of the steel for free and I had a 10hp motor on hand that I didnt have to pay for.
If you have access to steel and a welder you can get a pretty good splitter for less than what you would buy it for in a store. Its also a fun project to tackle, if you have the time to put into it.

 

[roundhouse]

Pump than all the metal goes into the system . i had a yard machine NG at all . I would build one or spend more money and get a solid machine.

The filter dosent catch it??

 

[roundhouse]

Just a thought here, but if you only split 3-4 cords a year, why not do it by hand? I have busted well over 10 cords in a winter working a few hours some weekends using nothing more than a maul and wedge, with a little help from the saw on the tough ones. Great exercise too, cant wait for the weather to cool of so I can pick up my axe and get back in shape.

My hand eye co-ord is the same as a 3 yr old if I put any power into it.

And all the wood I get for free is always 24-30 inch dia, the stuff thats too big for them to run thru the chipper.

Ive tried splitting a 27 inch dia with a couple of wedges, takes about 30 minutes.

The 12-14 inch stuff is easy to split with a maul once its no longer green.

 

[lone wolf]

The filter dosent catch it??

No what a mess it was.

 

[TJ-Bill]

My hand eye co-ord is the same as a 3 yr old if I put any power into it.

And all the wood I get for free is always 24-30 inch dia, the stuff thats too big for them to run thru the chipper.

Ive tried splitting a 27 inch dia with a couple of wedges, takes about 30 minutes.

The 12-14 inch stuff is easy to split with a maul once its no longer green.

the trick to splitting the big stuff by hand is to not try and split the whole thing in half but take smaller pieces off the side. I normally try and take about 3-4" peices at every 90 Degrees and then you end up with a square (kind of) then you take the corners of the sqaure off the square and then same again if you have to. Then maybe fianlly you can split the remaining piece in 1/2.. I've only been spittling byhand for 4 years now but you learn the hard way when you start.

 

[bucko64]

cost effective???

Roundhouse It can be cheaper to build your own depending on the deals you can come across. You definitely get more bang for your buck building it the way you want it.900.00 invested and bring on them knots and crotches

 

[bmcdjohnson]

I bought a Huskee 27 ton splitter w/ 5.5hp Honda motor from TSC 4 years ago. I have split probably 150 face cord with it over the 4 years, have not had any problems except a broken throttle control spring (part of the govenor), replaced spring and back in business. Also, I have forced it through countless knotty chunks of hard wood & it has never failed (knock on wood). Anyhow, for the average homeowner, firewood burner, these splitters are all you will ever need.

 

[biggenius29]

I built my own.

I dont have to much into it, the engine was free, cylinder 6" er was $50, beam was free, valve was about $100, pump was around $150, there is about $200 into the hydraulic hoses and fittings (that #### aint cheap) wedge was about $30 with a 4-way slip on for $100. Then the wire and gas for the welder.

So I have right around $600 in mine. And that isn't including the hours I spent building it, and the hours I spent chasing parts. Oh yea, and the torch gas to cut because something wasnt right.

So yea $1000 for a already built splitter aint bad. If I had to do it all over again, thats what I would do.

 

[gandrimp]

If the 22ton will do it for you get it.. you cannot build one for less. Most people that build their own want something with more power and better built then the Big Box Store splitter.

What He said!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[4seasons]

the trick to splitting the big stuff by hand is to not try and split the whole thing in half but take smaller pieces off the side. I normally try and take about 3-4" peices at every 90 Degrees and then you end up with a square (kind of) then you take the corners of the sqaure off the square and then same again if you have to. Then maybe fianlly you can split the remaining piece in 1/2.. I've only been spittling byhand for 4 years now but you learn the hard way when you start.

link to a pic of how to do this
http://www.arboristsite.com/showpost.php?p=2232365&postcount=47

No one is born knowing how to swing an ax. My grandfather can hit the same crack in the wood with his ax 10 times in a row. But he has been doing it for 70 years. I couldn't hit the round 1/2 the time when I started, but after spending one winter splitting wood by hand I can bust almost anything using the above method and a 6# maul. If I can't bust it with the maul I noodle it in 1/2 with the saw and then reach for the maul again. It just takes a little practice.