What Tonnage splitter?

[CaseyForrest]

I live in Central MI. I will be starting to cut and split wood to make a little extra money this winter, but dont yet have a splitter. It is still up in the air as to wether or not Im going to buy one or build one. In any event, I have done my research and know that I will be using an 8 horse motor with a 16GPM 2 stage Barnes pump. Now.....There is quite a price difference between 3.5" to 5" cylinders, which will give me a tonnage of 20 to 27. I know most of what I will be splitting will be Red Oak, White Oak, Silver Maple, and other assorted woods. Do I NEED 27 tons, or can I get by with 20 knowing that some tight areas may have to be split with the saw beforehand?

 

[Davidsinatree]

Caseyforest,
I own a 5HP 20 ton husky I picked up from tractor supply about 6 years.
I really wanted the 8HP 27 ton at the time but didnt want to spend another $400.

I am satisfied that I went with the smaller splitter....it does a great job.
With big dia wood if you split with the grain you will have no problem.
6 years into this splitter.....I do not regret my choice to go with the smaller one.
Good luck.

 

[CaseyForrest]

What type of wood do you split more of?

 

[DanManofStihl]

I would go with the 27 ton I split alot of wood and it is great to have the extra power it will come in really handy. It will be well worth it if you dont have to pry off a stuck piece of wood. In the eternal scheme of things you will be glad you spent the extra money. I am glad I payed the extra money and put a honda motor on my log splitter now that it is broken in and has 56 hours on the meter it starts on the first pull. It was $300 more then the tecumseh but worth it in the long run. I have run a 20 ton splitter and a 24 ton and the 24 is a world of difference. Also be sure to get a vert horizontal That is the best hing since sliced bread my back loves that thing.

 

[Locoweed]

I have a 21 ton MTD that I use for splitting Oak that does the job for me. I would avoid Tecumseh engines.

 

[Davidsinatree]

I have 5HP on splitter and 7HP on ariens rear tine tiller. Both engines are Techumseh.....no problems at all. Have owned many Techumseh engines with very good luck. Whats wrong with them?

 

[Locoweed]

I have a neighbor that is a small engine mechanic. I was just passing on his feelings about them.

 

[yukiginger]

Log splitter

I recommend buying this one here:

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/Displayitem.taf?itemnumber=55258


It is reconditioned (although there is no mention on the site), and the fluid capacity is 2.5 gallons. Cylinder is 4.5" See the model here:


http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/Displayitem.taf?itemnumber=46155


It's a heck of a machine for the money. I just got one and it is splitting some large oak and locust rounds without any problem. Add a bigger motor later and a higher flow pump and you will probably get the tonnage up a little, but I am no expert on these things.

If it doesn't meet your needs turn around and sell it on an auction site for more than you paid (I kid you not - a White (MTD) 20 ton that was 15 years old just sold for $772 on ebay.

Just my opinion.

Mark

 

[ms180man]

$599 splitter

The splitter looks awesome for the money if you could get one! I just called harbor freight and they said it is out of stock for 20 business days, that means the rest of November! The they said a truck item (which it is) is usually 2-4 weeks for shipping! That means you won't see it until X-mas or the beginning of January! What good is that? This is prime wood season! I need this thing NOW! Or within a reasonable time (1 week or 2 at the most).

 

[yukiginger]

How about the bigger models, then?

Harborfreight has the 30 ton with 9hp Robin engine on sale for $1099. That's a good price.

Shipping is said to be a while, but they ship freight and from California to me in Central NY took 7 business days (my buddy picked it up at the freight terminal otherwise I wouldn't have it delivered to me until tomorrow or Wednesday).

Good luck.

MarkG

 

[046]

how much was shipping?

 

[yukiginger]

shipping

Shipping to me (delivered to a residential address) was a grand total of $38.99. This was from CA to NY.

Pretty unbelievable, I think for an item on a pallet weighing close to 600 lbs.

MarkG

 

[CaseyForrest]

Yeah, thanks for all the input. I have had no troubles with Tecumseh, B/S or Honda Engines, so what motor I use is not a big decision maker. I do know that simply putting a bigger engine and higher GPM pump will not raise you tonnage, you must increase the size of the cylinder, unless you raise your max working pressure from the norm of 2500 or 3000 psi. I would rather spend extra money on a frame that will take some abuse and allow upgrades when things break, which is why I want to build one. I can get ahold of all the steel for free, the tank, and a welder. Just not looking forward to scrounging that much. Lowes and Home Depot sell the same splitter under a different name, 27 ton, honda vert shaft 5.5 motor, Barnes 11 gpm pump and auto return on the cylinder for $1300.00. It is built VERY well, with the only weak spot I can see is the capacity of the hydraulic tank being either 17 or 31 pints, I dont remember.

 

[eric_271]

A 20 ton will work. A 34 ton with the 5 inch cylinder works better. What do you have in your wallet?

 

[CaseyForrest]

Id like to keep it in my wallet! I know a 40 ton would work better than a 34 ton too, but thats overkill in my book.

 

[Whiteindustries]

I guess it all depends on how long you plan on doing this(Splitting)

Id like to keep it in my wallet! I know a 40 ton would work better than a 34 ton too, but thats overkill in my book.

If you are just doing this (splitting) for a hobby then buy a home owners model 5hp +-.The smaller machines are great for the four to five cord a year production but are not meant to be run hard.If a new bigger machine isnt in the budget try to find a clean used one rather than buying a new smaller machine.
I've been processing firewood with saw and splitter for over 14 years now(100 cord a year +-).The smallest machine I would consider if you plan on staying in the business would be a 8hp and 16 gpm pump,4 " piston.
Yes, Honda's are far superior to the other popular engines.You wont regret the extra cost of the Honda.I have gone threw two to three Briggs to One Honda,Honda was/is better on fuel ,quieter to run and easier to start for the most part.You might say well the Honda is twice the cost, if you want to waste your time running for replacement engines and installing them then buy all means go for the cheaper engine.Time is money and I have now switched both my splitters over to Honda's.
I do have a bit of a background in this as I was a service manager for a multi line dealership for over five years.
You may also want to consider if you may want to run a four way splitter head/wedge? I think a horizontal machine is the way to go.The Vertical/Horizontal machines that I have seen have the wedge on the piston, not allowing you to run a four way wedge.Maybe someone has seen a vertical machine that can run a four way wedge but I haven't yet.
Another investment is your saw(s),Talking with many loggers and firewood producers they are all pretty much on the same page in that a mid sized commercial saw will save you allot of time and money in the long run.I run a Jonsered 630super which is an old saw by todays standards ,approx 4.3 hp,I have a Husky 40 for limbing.My next saw will be something in the 5.0- 6.0 hp range,Dolmar 7900,Stihl 460,Husqvarna 372xp jump to mind.
Just my two cents,hope it helps as I have made some mistakes on the way.lol
Good Luck with your business.

 

[CaseyForrest]

Thanks for the input. I agree that Honda Engines are by far the best out. I have a push mower thats 20 years old with a B/S motor and still runs, I have had good luck with all small engines I have come in contact with, but I also take care of them.
I have a 8 year old husky 36 with a 14" bar I use for limbing and cuts up to about 10". It handle anything I throw at it but knowing I need a bigger saw I got a Stihl MS310, put an 18" bar on it but may also get a 20" just to be safe.
Im leaning now towards building one. Ive got the beam, tank, and 4.5" cylinder with a 30" stroke. Just need 8 horse motor (I may go with 10 to be safe), 16 GPM pump, and valve and Im off to welding.

 

[WESCOMAN]

I just picked up a 24 ton Northern hydraulic splitter for $500.00 bucks. It a very good splitter and has split everything I have thrown at it so far. Thats the good. The bad. Its a bit slow 13 sec. cycle time and is to low to the ground. That slight bend in the back makes for a very sore back after 1/2 a cord. I also blew the filter housing off. You could tell the filter had been hit by something in the past and that must have put a hair line fracture in the filter housing threads. A $13.00 part with new filter no big deal. I have been cutting wood with my son for a while and I have decided to go full time. Like everyone has said time is money but more importantly why work yourself to death. Get a splitter that has a 5x24x2 inch cylinder or if you can find it 2-1/2" or 3" rod (good luck there) a 22 GPM or Higher pump and at least a Honda electric start 13 HP motor. Go to a higher HP if you get a bigger pump. Your cycle time will be determined by the GPM and HP plus actual line pressure. The 5" cylinder will be slower than a 4" but if you are splitting oak then I believe the bigger cylinder will be best so up the HP and GPM pump for a faster cycle time.

 

[eric_271]

I dont know why splitters are built so low. I would rather pick the wood up a little higher then be bent over all day. Kills my back also. Thats the good thing about building your own, build it to a good working hight. I had a 5 inch cylinder built with a 2'' 3/8 rod at a local shop. I need to get back to work on that project. Its a 34 ton. Seems like all I want to do is play here lately.

 

[keith c raymond]

Ive got a 25 ton from home depot that is made by mtd .works great, with a Briggs industrial 6.5 on it ,good unit.