How do you like the wedge on the cylinder? I’ve only used a push through type splitter before. How does that lift work? Is it mounted to the splitter or a stand alone unit?
Thinking of a new splitter
- Thread starter husky455rancher
- Start date
Help Support Arborist Forum:
The first thing I like about the wedge is it's 10'' tall instead of the standard 6 or 7 inch found on most hydraulic splitters. That extra height helps cut more of the stringy stuff that a shorter wedge doesn't. With a shorter wedge I had to flip some rounds and cut the stuff the wedge missed. The front of the wedge is slim and has a nice taper to a razor sharp edge. It widens about 3 inches back from the narrow 3/4'' tip to about 3'' wide about 5'' back. By having a very narrow edge in the front, I can sink the wedge in deep before the wider part pops the round open. My old splitter had a more blunt wedge and got wide to soon. That made the pressure build up to high and when the wood would finally give, it would pop open more violently and be quite dangerous.
This one works much better then most the other splitters I have used.
Witch ever brand you look at look at the wedge and stay away from one with a wide blunt wedge and the taller the better.
The lift is attached to the splitter and it has a base that I can adjust with a crank up foot. That makes it very stable and gives the whole unit a 4 point ground contact. It has a 2,500lbs 12V winch. The upper part is removable and so is the stabilizer jack so it's easy to move it around and set back up.
It does have a weight limit of 250lbs so your not gonna lift huge giant rounds but it will lift quite a bit. I ordered an optional recover hitch adapter that allows you to use the lift to load heavy stuff in my truck bed. The whole unit is only 3 pieces and it very easy to set up.
It's called The Gorillabac log lift.
Looks pretty cool. My wedge is on the end so I don’t know how I could set it up on my splitter. I didn’t get a chance to mess with the splitter today. I ended up cutting up the rest of the tree that fell in the neighbors yard. Then crap load of noodling so they we’re manageable. I used my electric yard cart to bring them into my yard. After that I was outta energy.
Socalmisfit
ArboristSite Operative
If you are looking for something that splits 4 & 6 ways it’s gonna be $$$$$. Depending on what type of wood you split. If it’s knotty nasty stuff it takes lots of power, and if it is oversized stuff like more than 16” in diameter it’s multiple passes. I had a Hudson hdh-5 and it was a descent machine, but it did not like the nasty eucalyptus we had out here. Also out of the box, not much splitting power with a 4” ram working at 2000 psi. I actually was gonna trade mine in for a hdh-6 but when I got there and looked at it and tried to split some rounds I brought with me and no go. It’s a nice machine, ITS HUGE, but still not enough for the stuff I brought out there with me.
If you are splitting straight grain wood, that doesn’t put much of a strain on the machine you might be alright with an hdh-5. It is a 2 man machine to make total use of the speed. Going back and forth from the log lift side to the operator side gets old. But 2 guys working 16” and under, easy splitting wood can make 1 to 1 1/2 cord an hr. I actually just got out from under mine and bought a 40 ton county line from tractor supply. It’s a beast and if you split vertically nothing much can stop it, I haven’t had it stop or get stuck once in any wood I’ve split with it. Get yourself a nice little stool and go at it. I understand vertical splitting sucks if you are use to standing and splitting horizontally. But having a log lift, on some machines, it gets in the way of splitting from the same side as the lift.
I did take the remainder of the $$$ I had from the Hudson and put a down payment on a wolferidge 35 ton SHO
There is a local guy out here that has one, and if it won’t go 4 ways in some knotty stuff it will go single. They are production machines for sure, same with Eastonmade, & Allwood I believe is the name. They can be worked from both sides, auto cycle valves, oil coolers, but BIG $$$$$. I got the 40 ton for time being, January is when the wolferidge is suppose to be here.It really depends on what type & how much wood you are splitting, and how fast you want to get it done. Bigger motor means more time before a rebuild or replacement and bigger pump u can use. Bigger ram = more splitting force, bigger pump = faster cycle time. Then how much $$$ you are willing to spend. If you are happy with the splitter you have, you might be able to put a log lift on it for a reasonable price if you can weld, and cut metal. Doesn’t need to be pretty just as long as it lifts the logs. Some mounting brackets attached to the I beam, with a lift bolted to it, with a small ram. Some hoses and another detent and you are good to go. You can add a pressure regulator in line before the lift detent to slow it down, or just slowly work the handle. It will launch a log if you’re not careful. Or just keep an eye out on Craigslist, face book, and offer up for something used. Just need to be ready to go get it, they go fast. Not sure where you are located but they do come up more back East. Out here in CA it’s tough to find a production machine, without having to drive 20 or more hrs to pick it up. I drove to Colorado to get my Hudson, and then back to get the other machine. Only to come back empty with a check worrying about how I was gonna keep splitting wood
.There are a lot of machines out there, I would definitely watch a lot of YouTube and Google search production wood splitter, every way possible. Ask about warranty’s and maybe ask if you can get in touch with people who have bought their machines. If you have pics of the wood you split I can give u more insight on the Hudson hdh-5, but it is a 7000$ machine. You can get a wolferidge compact commercial with the 35 ton package for 2000 more I think and be way happier. Or their 28 pro model will go 4 ways for 6495$. That’s before you add anything else u might want. If you are close to Canada and want to wait at least 6-8 months eastonmade axis, or 5-11 are fairly priced. Both should be able to do what you want. Delivery gets pricey the farther you get from them though. 2000$ to get one here.
Hope this helped a little, I’m babbling now
I was looking to buy a splitter-like you, I found a rental of a split-fire 4490 it has a single wedge and a 4-way wedge with a log lift that can lift 500 pound rounds. It will keep 3 people busy and it has a 36 inch opening. they have others to rent as well 24 inch opening. Very pleased with this splitter it is built like a tank and has a Honda engine. I see on Split-Fires website that there a couple rental places in Conn. Best of luck with what ever you decide...
Similar threads
