Which Splitter To Get!?

[highleadtimber16]

Hey everyone, I'm having a real tough time deciding on a wood splitter. I've been looking at iron and oak and all wood splitters. I am splitting more wood every year (by hand currently) and need a higher production splitter. Looking at 45-75 cords this year. I am mostly splitting alder, doug fir, and maple. Sizes ranging from 6 inches to 4 feet wide so a log loader or vertical splitter is a must. I really don't know which one to get! Any other good brands out there? Also I'm interested in conveyors any good brands you guys know of? I can't spend more than $4500 on the splitter and would be willing to go to $3000 on a conveyor.
Thanks,

[beenthere]

I'd suggest a serious look at the Logrite splitter. All-in-one to load logs, deck to buck them to length, fast splitting action, and deck to sort the pieces needing additional splitting. All at waist height so no bending.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RwK8zGcWgbE

and there are other vids of the splitter at the splitter

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iAjSylbDRuY

[John_Haylow]

Have you looked at the Splitfire? They spit in both directions, I have had mine for about 6 years and have been very happy.
John

[highleadtimber16]

I have looked at both of those, but with the large logs I am handling I don't think it would work.

[thecfarm]

Timberwolf,sponsor on the left.

[highleadtimber16]

So I think I've decided on a Wallenstein 540 anybody have one of these? It'll be about $3000 with the lights and 4 way attachment.

[bill m]

Don't know anything about the Wallenstein but I do have a splitter from Iron and Oak. Bought it new about 1983 and still going strong today.

[alefland]

So I think I've decided on a Wallenstein 540 anybody have one of these? It'll be about $3000 with the lights and 4 way attachment.

How are you liking the Wallenstein?

[Aussie.firewood]

I'd suggest a serious look at the Logrite splitter. All-in-one to load logs, deck to buck them to length, fast splitting action, and deck to sort the pieces needing additional splitting. All at waist height so no bending.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RwK8zGcWgbE

and there are other vids of the splitter at the splitter

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iAjSylbDRuY

I've wondered about this splitter. Looks very impressive!! But I'm unsure about its ability to handle dense hardwood. I'll be splitting ironbark ( Australian native) which gets it name from bein so hard you can't hand nail it with a 3" nail lol.
Any idea how the flywheel and clutch system would handle this?

[Al_Smith]

Okay my honest take on this .That vid showed about 6 -8 people getting approx 2 cords in two hours .Great but no kidding with that much help I could get the same amount with my homebuilt .Now nobody has to agree with me and I'm not knocking the machine but just how often does the average firewood splitter round up that much help ?

Now again not knocking the design but I'd be more curious just to see exactly how much wood could be processed by one person the way that probabley 90-95 percent of it is done .

[captjack]

I would have to agree with the last post.  There would be a lot of set up to get that machine to really run at peak efficiency.   I own a TimberWolf TW 5 and it is a lot more maneuverable.  If I had all small logs, like in the video, it would be a good choice but I get a lot of very large oak etc and I dont think this machine would save me any time.  The TimberWolf may be slower on the actual splitting action but I could push most of those logs (even with knots)through a 6 way wedge with one stroke.    The hydraulic log lift on the Timberwolf is faster as well.   

If your like me, and dont always get straight - perfect - 1.5 ft dia logs then you might want to look at something like a Timberwolf or similar type

[Tam-i-am]

the bottom line is the splitter is the bottleneck of any system.
the supersplit has 2.25 second cycle time - no one else comes close!!!!!
There are tons of supersplitters in the field being used for production operations all over the country.  (One of the reasons we picked it for our system.)

in our videos you might notice that at most there is really only two people working- one person to buck and one person to split, all the other people are hanging out or stacking wood.

You might also notice that the splitter buries the stackers.

At the firewood shootout I personally split .73 cords in 19 mins 20 secs.  If you were to multiply that out it would be 2.27 cords per hour.
my wood was already bucked.

Two men ran the processor at the firewood shootout: 1 split and 1 bucked.  together they did .62 cords of all the logs that the other machines could not process because of diameter of the logs and they managed to do it 25 mins 39 seconds.

best of all it is all driven by a 6.5 hp engine so it is incredibly efficient!

Tammy

[captjack]

i agree that the splitter is the bottle neck - that is spot on.   The type of wood that people will be splitting will make a huge difference in what will work best for them.   The set up in the video is nice but it wont work for the type of wood and logs I tend to get.    The logger I bought my dump trailer from sold his timberwolf and bought a splitter like this.  He told me its way fast for him than the timber wolf.  When I asked why - he explained that he could cherry pick his logs/wood.  In this scenario this log rite type splitter is hands down a better choice.  For those of us splitting dense hardwood with nasty knots etc it would just be down right frustrating.  The timberwolf type would work better in my situation.   

I not saying one is better than another - im saying each work better in different applications.   

[Oliver1655]

The Wallenstein 540 is a horizontal/vertical splitter. It has a good cycle time approximately 9 sec. Likely a 4: cylinder with a 16 gpm 2 stage pump.  If you are working at a moderate pace, it would be ok.  If you plan to actually make a decent wage, it is not an efficient setup.  I will try to explain:

     - When in a horizontal position, the splits fall to the off side & you have to catch the split on your side to it doesn't hit your toes. 
     - You have to pick up the splits back up off the ground to either move them out of the way or to re-split them. (Wastes time & harder on your back.)
     - Historically these splitter are too low in the horzontal position to work at comfortably.

If you went with a dedicated splitter like the Timber Wolf -TW5 mentioned earlier, once you get the round on the splitter to split, it doesn't have to hit the ground again until you put it there.  Because the wedge is fastened to the beam, it moves the wood away from you enabling you to start splitting right way. (I like to load up the log lift before starting the engine & then can split several in a row before having to reload.)  With the outfeed table catches the splits making it easy to resplit or toss/place them in a truck/trailer or pile without bending over.  Or even better have a conveyer under the table to move the wood away for you.  If you have a helper, they can keep rounds on the log lift for you & keep the outfeed table emptied to where you can keep splitting until you are ready to take a break.

The log lift with the outfeed table eliminates the potential value of a vertical mode.  With that said, there are dedicated vertical splitters with log lifts which allow you to work standing up comfortably.

[Tam-i-am]

When I asked why - he explained that he could cherry pick his logs/wood.  In this scenario this log rite type splitter is hands down a better choice.  For those of us splitting dense hardwood with nasty knots etc it would just be down right frustrating.   

captjack, call me crazy but the wood we process is free wood.  No one gives away good free wood!  We get the crap that the tree service guys can't split or chip. Full of knots, basketball hoops, sweeps, huge.  We do a lot of white oak, elm, hickory.  None of this presents a problem for the supersplit.

[Oliver1655]

If you are still needing a basic hydraulic splitter & have a Menard's close by, right now they have a 22 ton horizontal/vertical splitter on sale for $899 with a $200 dollar rebate (Store credit). You supply some assembly & the hydraulic oil.

[labdad]

I have one of these and love it
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=PRQDYf5B6rE
Made in Illinois, I have had mine for years and lots of wood has gone though it.

[beenthere]

My back couldn't take that, nor my knees.
Glad you like yours.

[sawguy21]

First of all welcome aboard labdad. 8) That is a common set up and works well but my back won't stand rasslin those blocks either.

[Paul_H]

That's because you guys is elderly 

[sawguy21]

That's enough out of you young whippersnapper. >:( :D :D

[labdad]

First of all welcome aboard labdad. 8) That is a common set up and works well but my back won't stand rasslin those blocks either.

Thanks for the welcome, this is a great place, can't believe it took this long for me to find it. My back isn't great either, that's why I sit on a upside down bucket.

[beenthere]

That's because you guys is elderly

You got that right!

[thecfarm]

labdad,welcome to the forum. I have the same set up. I don't get so low,but I split mine kinda like that. I split them small enough to pick up when the splitter is horizontal. This why I brought a spiltter that will tip up.



 

This pile was twice as big. I have a yard stick and a hat for size of the wood.
Your user name,labdad,You have labs?

[labdad]

labdad,welcome to the forum. I have the same set up. I don't get so low,but I split mine kinda like that. I split them small enough to pick up when the splitter is horizontal. This why I brought a spiltter that will tip up.



 

This pile was twice as big. I have a yard stick and a hat for size of the wood.
Your user name,labdad,You have labs?

That's quite a pile! Thanks for the welcome. I have had Labs my whole life. After my old friend of 15yrs pasted I have decided not to replace him.