Tractor splitter

[AIM]

Been thinking for awhile now about buying a small tractor for brush hog work etc. Recently a Ford 2000 has come up for sale that I think could be had for about $1500. I think it would be cool to have a vertical splitter mounted to the 3 point and plumbed right into the tractor hydraulics. Does anybody have or used a set up like this? Does it work as nice as I think it would?

Anybody have any knowledge about this tractor? I don't know the year but it's a Ford 2000 with "select o shift" trans.

 

[Ductape]

Not trying to knock tractor splitters, because i wouldn't mind a small one myself. BUT....... i feel some things really go together, like me and beautiful Asian women, or pizza and beer ! Splitters and two stage hydraulic pumps also go together..... something you'll never get with a tractor splitter. For myself, a stand alone splitter would be first / only splitter.

 

[hanniedog]

If you don't know already know be very careful with those jerk-amatic transmissions. Certain gears have a red line thru them on the shift indicator. These gears will free wheel when hitting a slope. If you get a splitter that runs of a pto pump ok, if off tractor hyds. forgett it, it will not have much power.

 

[bigoak00]

I have a 3pt splitter on the back of a 45 hp tractor, plenty of power but slow cycle time. I split some big stuff and it goes through it all. It is a Speeco, horiz and vertical, but the horizontal is nicer to use if you have your wood at the same level as the splitter. On vertical you have to be on your hands and knees and that's a pain!!

 

[mranum]

We have a home made splitter on a 3 point mounted on a 55HP tractor. Works awesome. With some older tractors you have to run the engine throttle up a bit to get decent hydraulic performance(speed/power).

If you have slow response time you could try and put on the largest diameter hoses possible. I mean if it has a 3/4" line/fitting on the tractor don't run a 1/4" line to the splitter. All you will do is restrict flow and cut performance.

 

[VTMan]

I have a Kelly 3-point hitch splitter that was attached to a 42 HP tractor running off the tractors hydraulics. More than enough power, but the cycle time is a little slow. We have now moved the splitter to an old 430 2WD John Deere that has much less HP and still plenty of power, but the cycle time is still the same. We have split 3 foot lengths of oak stumps that were probably over 20 inch diameter for the OWB with no problems. I am very happy with the setup.

 

[avalancher]

First I will declare my ignorance about tractor mounted splitters. I have never operated one. But a couple of things cross my mind after I read your post.

Like what was posted above, a vertical split is great for the big stuff, a pain for anything else. I dare say you will be tired of spending your days bent over or on your knees. My splitter goes vertical as well as horizontal, and I can count on one hand the few times that I have swung it over to vertical.

Second is fuel consumption. I dont know what that tractor will consume per hour, but I think a single cylinder will in the long run burn less fuel. Since we saw and burn wood to save a buck, I try and limit my production to the least expensive way.
If you can afford only a tractor or a splitter, then spring for the tractor and a 3pt horizontal splitter. You will regret the vertical only. Anything to big to lift on the horizontal can be noodled.

 

[clawmute]

Splitter on backhoe boom. Sets up at waist height w/feed table - very little bending. Have split 30" Oak/Hickory.

 

[avalancher]

Splitter on backhoe boom. Sets up at waist height w/feed table - very little bending. Have split 30" Oak/Hickory.

What kind of wood are you splitting in that picture Clawmute?

 

[flxblx]

Splitter on backhoe boom. Sets up at waist height w/feed table - very little bending. Have split 30" Oak/Hickory.

Would you post a picture of how you mounted the splitter onto the boom.
Backhoes have better hydraulics than older and/or smaller tractors.

A diesel at idle does not take a lot of fuel, might even be cheaper than a poorly tuned B&S.

 

[waterman]

i have a ford 2000 and its a great little tractor. mine is a mid 70's manual shift. they have no hydralics. could easily run a pto unit though.

 

[Sawmill]

Waterman if your tractor has a 3 pt hitch it has hydraulics. You have to add a valve and plum the lines into the side of the trac. I have used a 3 pt splitter since 1972. I made one before there were any on the market and as stated they are kind of slow but it beats the maul. If you are splitting for youself they work just fine. Another thing is you can still have use of the tractor when not splitting wood.

 

[darren_nh]

If you don't know already know be very careful with those jerk-amatic transmissions. Certain gears have a red line thru them on the shift indicator. These gears will free wheel when hitting a slope. If you get a splitter that runs of a pto pump ok, if off tractor hyds. forgett it, it will not have much power.

You're killing me, "jerk-amatic", that is priceless!

Get a stand alone splitter. You will be much happier, and it is much easier to transport a splitter than a tractor.

 

[clawmute]

What kind of wood are you splitting in that picture Clawmute?

That's Green Ash - good ol' Fraxinus Pennsylvanica.

 

[clawmute]

Would you post a picture of how you mounted the splitter onto the boom.
Backhoes have better hydraulics than older and/or smaller tractors.

A diesel at idle does not take a lot of fuel, might even be cheaper than a poorly tuned B&S.

I used the bucket mounting pins & holes. The rearmost pin on the backhoe is removable and fits on the original assembly through bored holes. I made two short pins that fit the original holes. These pins fit bushings I turned that mount in the splitter frame (4 x 4 x 1/2" angle iron) (left on this photo) These stub pins have bolts (keeper bolts) through the inside ends.

The forwardmost pin is part of the backhoe. I just slotted part of the angles as the pictures show so the thing can pivot to get it on and off. I have since made two steel keepers that bolt down over each end of this shaft to keep the whole thing rigid.

a graphic of the whole schmeer;

 

[flxblx]

Thanks Clawmute. Much more detailed than I even hoped for.

 

[waterman]

Sawmill- is that a ford 2000 you have plumbed for splitter. you are correct the 2000 has hydraulics. it even has power steering which is hydraulic also. i sure would'nt be trying to use as a log splitter. i've had the pump apart before and would not recommend that route. a pto pump and resivour would be a different story. i would be real bummed if i missed a short hay making window
because i was using my ford for splitting wood and broke it. a 5 horse + or - honda makes much more sense to me, than lots of extra hours on my tractor not to include amount of gas. thanks

 

[AIM]

I'm curious now about the trans in this tractor (jerk o matic). I take it there are better tractors out there? I don't know squat about them other than I think I want one. (stress the term THINK)

I have multiple things I wanna do. (brush hogging, rototilling a large garden, blading off stone driveway, pushing snow, log splitting, field and yard spraying, booze cruisin, etc)
Plus this tractor already has a front bucket.

As for the horizontal vertical thing. I currently have a big splitter available to use whenever I want and the only time I use it is for logs to big to lift. Usually if I can lift it I throw it in whole. I never use this splitter horizontally. (or at least SELDOM)

A tractor could be one of those items that I think I will use all the time and end up selling it after 2 uses a year later for a loss.

 

[abohac]

Nope it won't work very well. However you can hook a pto pump system up and split about anything you want to split. I built one from a haybine pto pump and it will split anything (it's a little too fast for safety but that can be fixed also).

 

[Stephen in SoKY]

When I finally bypassed the rear remotes and went straight to the pump through the FEL outlets on my JD 2240 the cycle time improved dramatically on the splitter. With a diesel tractor one can split a very large quantity of wood on very few gallons of off road diesel. Gas tractors on the other hand......