Veteran Woodsplitters...I need ides

[sixgun]

I'm looking for ideas to save work and my body. I process about 8 cords/yr, starting when the log truck drives away. My tools include 2 Husky saws - a new 357xp and a 20 yr old 50 Special, a Kubota compact tractor with a 3pt American splitter (and loader) and a 5'x8' utility trailer. The splitter is a horizontal only model w/o a table to catch splits.

Last year's wood was huge - most rounds between 16 and 24 inches in diameter, so I had the splitter sitting on the ground and made a crude ramp to roll the rounds up to the beam. This was a real backbreaker. I did move the splitter frequently so I didn't have to move the rounds very far. Then I'd periodically use the loader to collect the splits and move them to the stack pile. I didn't use the utility trailer in any way last year.

This is what I'm thinking for this year.
1. Ask my wood supplier for some slightly small logs.
2. Set up the splitter so that it is about waist high.
3. Build a table to catch splits.
4. Throw splits into the utility trailer, which will be set close to the wedge.
5. When the trailer is full, use the receiver hitch on the tractor bucket to move and dump the splits near their final resting place.
6. Use the loader bucket and another table to stage the heaviest rounds.

I figure I can make split catching and staging tables by stacking pallets in the right spots. I use my tractor bucket to get the wood to the bulkhead door when needed during the mean season.

Does this seem like a reasonable plan given the equipment that I have? Any ideas for improving the suggested system using my current tools or suggestions for additional tools to make life easier?

 

[Billy_Bob]

Each piece of firewood does NOT need to be 18 inches long or whatever.

You can have 4 inch long pieces of firewood and they heat/burn just as well!

That is what I do with heavy rounds. I cut them thinner. Then easy to lift. Can't stack the wood in a nice neat pile, but I don't care...

 

[Woodcutteranon]

6 gun...welcome to AS! It's nice to have new members. I like your plan and how methodical you are. You must be an efficient person at work.

Here at AS we use a term called "noodling" when we deal with large rounds. That XP of yours would be a good saw for noodling. You will get done faster and save your back.

Good luck.

 

[Suz]

Infeed table?

You could build a infeed table that is about 24 inches wide by say 4 or 5 foot long, something that you can haul with your bucket, and just a tad higher than your splitter height. Then when you want to split wood set it in your working area. (You could make this out of 4x4's and some 2x6's if you don't want to make it out of metal.)
Then you can use your tractor FEL to line up a bunch of rounds on the infeed table, put your splitter next to the infeed table and roll each round onto the splitter as needed.
When you get all the rounds split, you can repeat the process. Also, if you could pick up a set of big lifting tongs you could chain this to your loader or bucket and then you could pick up and set down the rounds without getting off the tractor.
OR you could make a boom type log lifter that is mounted to your splitter.
The third option is to have your pulp wood supplier bring nothing that is over 16 inches.

But, I guess you had thought of all of these options already.

 

[Marc]

16 - 24" is huge?

You could block em down into halves or quarters with a maul and wedges. Or rip them with your chain saw.

 

[goof008]

I was going to suggest the same thing Suz said. Make something out of 4x4's and plywood to set several rounds on with the tractor...or line them up in your trailer and put the splitter right next to it and roll them on. Us the machine as much as you can! It might be a bit more of a hassle to keep moving the tractor to lift the rounds, then move it back to split them...but I think your back will thank you.

Good Luck

 

[Coldfront]

I put a lot of thought into the least amount of handling the wood, sometimes I don't know if I am better off hauling the rounds and splitting them next to where I am going to stack it, or splitting them right where I cut them and haul all the split pieces to where I am going to stack it? Hauling the rounds are heavier to lift but splitting next to where I stack seems like less handling?

 

[sixgun]

I like the infeed table idea as you propose it. I was originally thinking of just standing a bunch up on end at the same height as the beam, but the idea of having them in a position to just be rolled on sounds better. If there is enough room and if I have many monstrous rounds I could make the table wide enough to hold two rows of "rounds in waiting".

Marc, one or two (or even half a dozen) 16-24" rounds may not seem "huge" but I'll tell you, they seem bigger with every lift.