[Closed] LogSplittingTrackWorld

Where's the fun in that?

Keeping my hands intact.... that's fun!

But once the tractors gone on the bay, what will you tow it around with?

Decent size ram. Just the levers to re-jig so that you can run it single handed now.
Everyone does that, don't they?

Sweepy that John Deere is actually the lawn mower - the tractor on ebay is a 'big' 4wd proper job.

The thought did pass through my mind timber .... it's actually not a bad setup and has an autoreturn mode which helps. That said I've only used it for an hour today so I may be tempted in the future and it does look pretty easy.

I've got to take the log arms off as they're in the way when I want to load some of the bigger rings.

Just the levers to re-jig so that you can run it single handed now

Levers? Surely it should auto cycle for all the efficiencies!

Goan mister, 'ow much was it?

Desperate Dan would be laughing at that

Threads like this make me sad that I live ina house with a small garden, no outbuildings and no machinery.....

Still loving my fiskars x27. Gives me a good work out too.

£1500 delivered with a 3 year warranty on the engine - less than a fifth of what the big tractor and cone splitter will realise!

Wynne: I've got 4 broken axes at home.... I'm not a musclebound hunk so it must be my crap technique! Some of the stuff I am dealing with is just too big for an axe - which is why I get it fairly cheap.

Maybe I need a grapple 😉
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Having seen my puny little 5T hydraulic splitter in use two of my friends have bought a share, so it now only owes me 70e. I chain saw down to a size that's easy to pick up and drop on the thing. It rarely fails but when it does I make a little pile to chainsaw again.

As I'm currently battling some 2"6' rounds of ash with the waviest grain going, I'm envious. But i cant justify and tbh, losing makes the battles that i win sweeter. X27 with its lifetime warranty and for the big stuff a stihl pro cleaving hammer. 4 wedges and a sledge occasionally, but i hate them. I'm learning splitting is about knowing technique, where to hit, and also when. If it won't go green, put it aside and try after a bit of drying. With the right technique even 3' crotches can be beaten.... Although i do reach for the 'saw if the battle is going badly.

That looks like a versatile piece of kit. I was going to say that once you've tried hydraulic splitting you'll never go back, but I had to dig out my maul and buy some wedges recently to split some huge chunks of Sycamore that I had no chance of lifting up onto the splitting table.

http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/the-log-fairy-cometh-big-baddass-tractor-content

My home brewed splitter looks like it will need another repair as each weak link is exposed.

*high fives*

We (at the NT place I work at) got the 12 ton version last month

http://www.rockmachinery.co.uk/product/12-ton-venom-compact-log-splitter/

Great bit of kit and seem like a good company with excellent product back up.

I've spent 6 hours today splitting, it's been used 3 days a week running for 5+ hours for the last 4 weeks and it's not missed a beat. It's amazing the size and weight of logs it can get through effortlessly. I wish I knew the tonnage it's split so far. Big thumbs up from a commercial user

Got access to one of these, 20 something ton of split, still challenged it enough to have to chainsaw lumps off it.
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Our regular machine is one of these, about 10 minutes to fill a 12' Ifor Williams.
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We're processing 75-100 cubic m a year.

Houns - where you to? I'm with NT in Brecon.

Kinver Edge and Rockhouses, South Staffs. You're welcome to pop up with your big toys 🙂

What stove have you got, Timber? I'd have to chainsaw those lumps again to get them in my Jotul - it's far easier dicing to the right length before slitting than sawing split lumps.

The big one is making 1m billets for a biomass boiler on a friends farm. Split all his off cut butt ends from saw milling, generally load it with the telehandler. Did hunt out the ugliest, knottiest logs for it, but still split them. Struggles with seasoned branch unions though.

The Riko and Oxdale do regular stove stuff, 8"-24".

mcmoonter

That looks like a versatile piece of kit. I was going to say that once you've tried hydraulic splitting you'll never go back, but I had to dig out my maul and buy some wedges recently to split some huge chunks of Sycamore that I had no chance of lifting up onto the splitting table.

Are those the ones you said wedges would be useless on 😉

.......wanders off to see if the lawnmower has a pto.

Given my use of timber as primary heating fuel saves me about 2k a year I reckon I can justify one of those soon. Just need some spare pocket money...

I usually chainsaw it down to 12" and then an Aldi maul does the rest.

I did consider a hydraulic splitter but still a manual exercise, maybe a simple/cheap electric one would be better, anyone had something like this?

http://www.screwfix.com/p/titan-ttb685lsp-37cm-log-splitter-1-5kw/6054P?kpid=6054P&gclid=CKqA-ti0pNMCFcUp0wodJKgBZA&gclsrc=aw.ds&dclid=CLPd4tm0pNMCFVAC0wodAkkLsQ

A friend has an electric splitter and thinks very lowly of it.... Depends on the logs I guess.

sharkbait - Member

A friend has an electric splitter and thinks very lowly of it.... Depends on the logs I guess.

What are the big tractor ones, 10 or 15 tons? Four tons sounds ok, although it does make me wonder how much an axe or a maul can generate. Some lumps of seasoned hardwood do seem nigh on indestructible.

Big tractor ones basically depend on the size of the ram, but probably >20 tons. A half decent tractor will have a very capable hydraulic system.
4 tons would be fine for certain wood.

yeah but the little electric ones like that all state a capacity of log diameter which is dinky, 10" in the case of that titan. If I can't split a 10" diameter log with a maul then I'd buy one, but I can, always. A good maul helps. I use a Stihl pro cleaving hammer on the tougher stuff.

When we get to the big gnarly rounds and crotches that a splitter would be wonderful for, you need to be able to use it vertically as they are too big to lift. Sharkbaits toy looks awesome.

Massive cynic here - decent maul will do everything I need. Until I tried a neighbour's shitty litttle Clarke 4 tonne electric splitter last weekend...

10 minutes later... "Bring me the Internet!"

Yep, ordered one. Out stove only takes 12-14" logs anyway, so everything gets "ringed" to that length but this thing was ploughing through some knotty sweet chestnut with ease. It was a bastard to spit with maul / wedges. I'm a convert but do realise I need to hand back my "man" badge...

I'm not saying they don't work, I suspect they do. If I were older, less fit, sore or just didn't fancy the exercise I'd go that route. I've spent as much as a cheap electric splitter on my cleaving hammer, x27, 4 wedges and a sledge, well, would have if i hadn't got the cleaving hammer at 1/3 price. However its not in the league of sharkbait's toy, THAT is a proper log splitter!

I think Timber wins the log splitter wars and I suspect MM will have a big one too [missus] 😉
This is what mine will hopefully be tackling next week
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(B R)
I bought that Titan splitter from screwfix a couple of months ago.
Got it for £135, absolute bargain!
Splits some knotty crap that are normally back breakers with the maul no problem.

JimJam - our machines are both 10 ton splitting pressure, the little one runs off the tractor hydraulics, the processor has its own PTO pump for more flow/low revs and clean oil. Friends buggy is 26 ton I think.

Our old 6 ton did fine, was just slow work. There are some big trailed splitters around the 100 ton mark.

That's similar to the one I've got, br, though mine is rated 5T and only cost about 30e more than the 4T version . It's about the same as a 3.5kg maul swung as hard as I could when I was 10 years younger. But the splitter does it all afternoon. Ten all-out swings with a maul now and I remember why I had to have an operation for carpal tunnel syndrome on the left hand and I really don't want to have the right hand operated on.

Edukator

Ten all-out swings with a maul now and I remember why I had to have an operation for carpal tunnel syndrome on the left hand and I really don't want to have the right hand operated on.

Let the tool do the work 😉

Seriously though, that's why I prefer a splitting axe to a maul where possible. Unless you're an absolute beast of a man a maul will beat you up over a days splitting (it does on me anyway). There's a time and a place for it but I find my Husqvarna and Gransfors splitting axes do 90% of the work of a maul for considerably less weight.

I agree a splitting axe can work well, particularly if the wood has dried just a bit but not too much. Too wet and the axe gets stuck, too dry and it doesn't have enough weight. Having used both I bought a maul, but you're right, the vibrations through the (wooden) maul shaft are worse than the axe when the wood resists, and it's a big lump to swing for long.

Yeah - you're all amateurs

There are a couple of commercial firewood producers near me who have this sort of pro setup. I just rent a splitter for 2 x days per year and that has me done for the winter with a wood stove.

Agree regarding maul vs axe. I use the big boy only on big rounds and only bother to chunk them up, then pick up the fiskars to split to stove size. Wearing gloves helps too.

BTW, for those handling wood a bit, I recommend a pickaroon/hookaroon/sapie. I have a 800mm handled bison one which is great for picking up big rounds and I adapted a 15" handled mortar pick to make a hand pickaroon to collect the splits. they save a lot of bending and are real back savers in my opinion.

Sharkbait, what size bar is on that chainsaw? It looks like you have serious timber to cut up!

16".... and that big bit is 30" diameter!

What about these as an alternative to hydraulic? Or would it struggle on stuff a 4 ton hydaulic would handle?

That looks an utter PITA. Looks it it would keep falling over and what do you do when the wedge eventually gets stuck in the log? - which it def would do.

They imply that it replaces wedges? Just how would you use that thing as a wedge?

You really would be much much better of with an axe.

As we're all here, any recommendations for mauls, axes and websites to browse/purchase?

My sycamore was 30" across but I got it sliced into rings by a man with a mahoosive chainsaw. Even so I thought I was going to have to saw each ring up until I learnt how to split them (chipping pieces off the rim rather than radially into wedges).

That toy on the YouTube video looks like a complete waste of time.

For light splitting I love my gransfors bruks small forest axe

Cheap and cheerful maul from screwfix for unsophisticated work

Thanks for the insight on the electric splitter.

Normally I only do enough wood for a week with a maul, and I've a load of wood that I just can't get through - need to slice thinner.

But with a splitter I could just do a full season in an afternoon, I get enough exercise biking.

Houns

As we're all here, any recommendations for mauls, axes and websites to browse/purchase?

For similar money to the Fiskars X27 you can get the Husqvarna* which I am always raving about. It's 95% as good as the Gransfors Bruks splitting axe but the over-strike collar on the Gransfors is useful (some rubber tape does a similar job for the Husqvarna).

I also have a maul I bought from B&Q (maybe) because it was pretty light - it's 3 or 4kg iirc. I really only reach for the maul for really nasty stuff and in most instances where the splitting axe isn't enough, a sledgehammer and some wedges is probably as quick as the maul.

Edit: *Cosmetically similar axes are available from Hultafors and Wetterlings, apparently most of this stuff comes out of one town in Sweden and I read somewhere that Husqvarna traditional axes were Wetterlings factory seconds.

Houns - cheapest maul with a wooden handle, they are very simple tools and money buys no improvement.
Small axe for kindling, whatever takes your fancy, more money can get you nicer with these in terms of weighting, shape, edge hold.

I'm cheap, I use an old 1956 pattern British Army machete for creating kindling.

Also, I bought a cheap £18 splitting axe from B&Q, so far its flying through freshly cut logs, even those I thought were too long to easily split.

For kindling I wedge the maul on the ground between two breeze blocks pointing upwards and use a mallet or similar to hammer bits of wood down onto it. I reckon there's less risk both to fingers and to the blade edge that way. (Got the idea off youtube, didn't make it up myself).

Splitting axe - x27 or x25 if you prefer a shorter handle, that's the super value tool choice. Husqvarna s2800 sightly more, slightly heavier and for some a better tool.
The artisan choice is the granfors.

I disagree completely re no need for a better maul. These tools are hard work and take a toll on your body. Cheap ones batter you through vibration back up a fibreglass handle, plus the overstrikes will break it quickly. Pay more for ash or best hickory stick. Spend more for one with an overstrikes protection. Better tools also have far better steel, and keep an edge, they may also be suitable to hammer wedges, cheap ones won't, they will mushroom badly. Cheap ones will come loose on the handle too. However most of all a bad maul will stick if it doesn't split, alot, and freeing it is hard. Good mauls have a good shape and don't stick. I have a Stihl pro cleaving hammer and it is a beast. The cheap maul from screwfix i had before was awful. I got the stihl for £35 but it's worth the full retail of £85. However, if i could get one, I'd spend my money on a fiskars isocore maul. Except fiskars UK don't sell it and have no plans to (i asked). There are one or 2 sellers that will ship from Amazon.com but it's then well over a hundred quid with import tax and shipping, twice its US cost. However, as mauls go, the isocore is the daddy.

http://www.arboristsite.com/community/threads/splitting-chopping-tool-review-thread.266834/

Our mauls at work were cheap 30 years ago, they fell 100's tons of wood every year and split a fair bit (admittedly more before we got the machines). Few handles in that time, mostly operator error. Even rediscovered one after being left in the woods for 25 years, new lad now uses that.
You can spend more if you like, but the basic design works.

Save your money to blow on bikes.

Pay more for ash or best hickory stick

There's nothin' like a nice piece of Hickory

Timber, either 30 years ago a cheap maul wasn't as 'cheap' as a cheap one today, or you are luckier than me in your experience with them. I find them hard work and appreciate the assistance of better quality one.

Got the trunk ringed up and partly split today. Calculated that each ring weighs about 100kg - no wonder I could barely move them. Thankfully I could tip them into the loader on the mower and place them on the splitter ...... you've just got to love hydraulics!

Wasn't too much of a drama as it turns out the bar on my saw is 18" and not 16 so I had a bit more wriggle room. I'd forgotten that I bought an 18" bar to replace the 16" - I realised when the new chain I bought this morning didn't fit 👿
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As luck would have it I've spent the last few days splitting. Some kind of knotty conifer, cypress maybe. For the first half of the first day I was swapping between the maul and the splitting axe, tweaking my wrist with the maul in the process. Today I didn't even lift the maul and I can honestly say I don't think I'll be using it again any time soon. If you're clever with the splitting axe it can do 90% of the work of the maul for half the weight.

The shorter handle means I can use a taller splitting stump meaning less back ache, more arm and shoulder work, better accuracy and the wooden handle transmits less vibration.
For context this was stuff between 8 and 30 inches diameter. Things that an average man can move or just about move. Easily splitting the small stuff and carving up the bigger bits. And in terms of longevity the maul is already cracked, whereas the traditional wooden axe can be re-handled an infinite number of times making it better vfm in the long run.
So for me at 5'9 and just under 11 stone I much prefer the splitting axe to the maul (the lightest maul I could find). Your needs may vary.

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Here's a cracking forestry trick

Can also just put a groove in the stump if felling in bigger trees that is bar length to stop it twisting.