Logsplitters. Any of you heat with wood?

[Toecutter]

My shoulder's buggered. Screwed it up a year ago carrying poplar out of the woods, got better, and then a month ago... it all went to hell again. Swinging an axe this fall is out of the question. My wife has put a pretty sizeable dent in the winter's supply, but...

I'm looking at gas splitters. Hoping for a decent compromise of cost vs power... mostly splitting spruce 12-18", poplar, 12-20", and some maple, elm and birch when it presents itself. Ranging from green to "one summer seasoned".

The "Champion 7-ton" shows up a lot on "best buy" lists, and I can pick one up for around the $800 mark. My only concerns are power, and the fact it's so low to the ground.  (edit to add: can get the Champion 20-ton for $200 more right now... so that looks the current leader of the pack)

I have considered buying the Splitter for my BCS 749 tractor, but it's a hell of a spendy purchase... worth it, I am 100% certain, but simply more than I care to spend right now.

So, anyone out there have some feedback, it'd be appreciated.

[Ncdan]

I heat with wood and use a 28 ton gasoline splitter that can be utilized either horizontal or vertical. Keep the oil changed and grease before every use. You mentioned using popler, this is a poor firewood as the BTU per pound is low when compared to oak, hickory, maple or even cherry, I do admit it beats using snowballs:)

[Toecutter]

I heat with wood and use a 28 ton gasoline splitter that can be utilized either horizontal or vertical. Keep the oil changed and grease before every use. You mentioned using popler, this is a poor firewood as the BTU per pound is low when compared to oak, hickory, maple or even cherry, I do admit it beats using snowballs:)

Oh, trust me... I know poplar is low energy, poor quality firewood... but it grows like a damn weed, and it's everywhere on my property. The only hardwood I have growing on site is birch. I'd burn hardwood, if I had it. Also means I have to clean the chimney twice a year as opposed to once... builds creosote like a bugger.

[Ncdan]

Oh, trust me... I know poplar is low energy, poor quality firewood... but it grows like a damn weed, and it's everywhere on my property. The only hardwood I have growing on site is birch. I'd burn hardwood, if I had it. Also means I have to clean the chimney twice a year as opposed to once... builds creosote like a bugger.

I heard that! I burn it sometimes just to keep from wasting it. It does produce a lot of creosote just like pine does. I normally clean my chimney every other year. If ones does not choke the stove down excessively and let it burn hotter it seems to be less material accumulation in the chimney walls, I've found.

[Toecutter]

I heard that! I burn it sometimes just to keep from wasting it. It does produce a lot of creosote just like pine does. I normally clean my chimney every other year. If ones does not choke the stove down excessively and let it burn hotter it seems to be less material accumulation in the chimney walls, I've found.

I don't get any "stage 3" creosote", but I certainly get a lot of the light, shiny, bubbly stuff. Comes off with a few applications of the brush. I was trying to get more "time" out of a load last season, and that certainly contributed to the creosote buildup. This winter is going to be shorter, hotter burns... just harder to regulate the house temp that way is all.

Spruce definitely contributes to the buildup. I don't burn any pine. But poplar seems to hold water like nothing else on the planet. I've got stuff that's been sitting for a year, and it's still "wet".

[Bill Owens]

Last year I bought a splitter from Tractor Supply. Think it is 27 Ton, Kohler engine. Be careful with anything to be towed away on the road as this type of equipment if assembled at point of purchased may have been assembled by  someone that may not understand how or why wheel bearings are snugged up. After reading a review by someone that purchased the splitter I was buying where he stated that the wheel bearings failed on his way home, I decided to load it into my truck for trip home. Checked bearings next day and indeed I probably wouldn't have made it home.

[Texas Turnip]

I rent a 32 ton splitter with Honda motor. Will split whatever you feed it. I get it for the weekend and a strong young lad to help.

I'd never buy a splitter. Rent it so I don't have to store it and no one borrows it,

I have a huge pile of oak, pecan etc that I'm burning that is leftover from the tornado. With our heat wood lasts 3 years at the most then it is all dried out.

Tex

[rudyr]

Buy the 20 ton it will split knots and lem stubs.Rudyr

[Aaron D.]

Have you looked at Earth Tools for splitter options on the BCS? I bought a lot from them.
My splitter however is a Case J32 and runs off the Ingersoll 4018. I try to keep down the number of engines in use on the property.

[Perazzimx14]

The neighbor buys a tri-axle of logs every year or so spends countless evening and weekends hours cutting splitting and then has friends over to again cut split and ranking. While I don't begrudge him all the fun he is having I simply call and have the fuel oil truck make a delivery and adjust the thermostat as needed.

I had a wood boiler when I 1st moved into my home and hated ever second of it. 3 times a day going to the basement carry in wood to stoke the fire was blah. Nothing better than every morning getting up and spending 20 minutes getting the fire going again. Years ago (when fuel oil was $1.30 a gallon) I vowed for me to burn wood again as a heat source fuel oil would have to be $8 per gallon. Today I'd up that to $15 per gallon.

[Ncdan]

I don't get any "stage 3" creosote", but I certainly get a lot of the light, shiny, bubbly stuff. Comes off with a few applications of the brush. I was trying to get more "time" out of a load last season, and that certainly contributed to the creosote buildup. This winter is going to be shorter, hotter burns... just harder to regulate the house temp that way is all.

Spruce definitely contributes to the buildup. I don't burn any pine. But poplar seems to hold water like nothing else on the planet. I've got stuff that's been sitting for a year, and it's still "wet".

All true👍

[lucian]

We have built a few over the years, The latest one we made is my favorite to date.  It's built on a hay trailer  so you don't have to bend down while operating. I also much prefer to have the wedge at the end of the beam instead of the way most manufactured ones have ,the wedge on the ram.  This allows the splitter to just continuously push the split pieces off the end into a pile vs. having to throw every piece off. Also, we fit a double detente valve that will run the ram in both forward and reverse hands off, until the end of the stroke .You can chase the next piece without holding the valve.  The ones with the stand up vertical option are good if you have no means to lift a heavy piece up .  My friend has one that we always place up onto blocks so he doesn't have to work bent over.  Also, a two stage pump is the best,  faster when extra power isn't needed and crazy power when duty calls.
  One more note , I would make sure it carries at least 6 gallons of hydraulic oil for cooling purposes.  I'll  get a pic of my baby tomorrow.
PS, They sure beat a go devil.

[Ncdan]

My stove is in the basement, so stays all the nasty stuff. I get two or three free loads of hardwood early in the summer so it has plenty time to dry out by November. I cut and split a wheel barrow load a day which last 24 hours. Good 30 minutes workout. If it's calling for falling weather I cut 3 or 4 loads and put on the porch in a wood rack. Simple and you've got to love that warm dry still radiant heat. I use about 5 gallons of gas for the saw and splitter a season.

[Aaron D.]

Lance, I hear you on the oil-I use the wood on my property that I have to do SOMETHING with and the fireplace insert is a fun place to put it.

Some may not have oil as an option. I think electric would be quite expensive.

[flyerstill]

Look at Supersplit, if you want something faster than Hydraulic.
www.supersplit.com/modelsandoptions/index.html

[larrys]

We have built a few over the years, The latest one we made is my favorite to date.  It's built on a hay trailer  so you don't have to bend down while operating. I also much prefer to have the wedge at the end of the beam instead of the way most manufactured ones have ,the wedge on the ram.  This allows the splitter to just continuously push the split pieces off the end into a pile vs. having to throw every piece off. Also, we fit a double detente valve that will run the ram in both forward and reverse hands off, until the end of the stroke .You can chase the next piece without holding the valve.  The ones with the stand up vertical option are good if you have no means to lift a heavy piece up .  My friend has one that we always place up onto blocks so he doesn't have to work bent over.  Also, a two stage pump is the best,  faster when extra power isn't needed and crazy power when duty calls.
  One more note , I would make sure it carries at least 6 gallons of hydraulic oil for cooling purposes.  I'll  get a pic of my baby tomorrow.
PS, They sure beat a go devil.

I like it... ^^^ I have one I built 25 years ago. Wedge on the end of the beam, 4 way floating wedge, also. Once the pile gets big enough, the splitter will push itself out of the pile. Made the beam high enough so less bending over putting logs on the beam. 8Hp Tecumseh with a big quiet muffler, 16GPH two stage pump, detent on retract only, 4" X 24" ram. Pretty unstoppable with the wood I get road hunting around here. If I were to build a splitter today, the only change I'd make would be to go to a 10 or 12HP motor with a 20GPH pump. Gypsy moths raised hell with the oaks in my part of CT last year, lots o' standing dead trees.
Larry   

[Antietam Classic Cycle]

My father tried to heat my 28 x 40 shop with oil and even back in the late '70s it wasn't economically feasible. My brother Karl tried electric heat in the early '80s with the same result (and it was still always cold). Karl built a "double-barrel" stove - one 55 gallon barrel mounted above the other - and that does a fantastic job of heating the shop.

I'll be splitting some of my own wood this year (from a maple in the front yard that was cut down) with a splitter borrowed from a friend. The rest of my wood is either already about the right size (locust) or I buy it already split from a friend. Far less expensive than any other type of heat. I do always look forward to Spring and the end of heating season, though.

[Toecutter]

The neighbor buys a tri-axle of logs every year or so spends countless evening and weekends hours cutting splitting and then has friends over to again cut split and ranking. While I don't begrudge him all the fun he is having I simply call and have the fuel oil truck make a delivery and adjust the thermostat as needed.

I had a wood boiler when I 1st moved into my home and hated ever second of it. 3 times a day going to the basement carry in wood to stoke the fire was blah. Nothing better than every morning getting up and spending 20 minutes getting the fire going again. Years ago (when fuel oil was $1.30 a gallon) I vowed for me to burn wood again as a heat source fuel oil would have to be $8 per gallon. Today I'd up that to $15 per gallon.

My primary heat source is geothermal, I set it to about 19 degrees, and then burn wood to keep the power bill down. The geo only comes on early mornings that way. Keep in mind, I live where it can spend weeks at -40 or colder in the winter. We're looking at solar to offset our water heating and geothermal costs,  but wood heat is awfully nice in the winter, and gives peace of mind, too, over other "delivery" methods (oil, propane, etc)... considering that the roads around here can be impassable sometimes.

Have you looked at Earth Tools for splitter options on the BCS? I bought a lot from them.
My splitter however is a Case J32 and runs off the Ingersoll 4018. I try to keep down the number of engines in use on the property.

That's my goal, too... I'd prefer to run everything off the BCS if possible... only one Honda engine to maintain, that way. BCS is definitely in the "spend high, cry once" category... high quality, efficient, durable, but pricey out of the gate The splitter for it runs about $2K+ (CDN), all in... with the power coupler.

I'm probably going to rent this year, for a weekend, and kill the woodpile that way, then look at buying next year.

Thanks for the conversation, guys. It's appreciated.

[kirb]

Oh man... memories of splitting wood as a kid. Our house burnt a semi-truck load of fire wood every year. That is how we would buy it...WAY easier to buy it that way. You pick what you want, wood hauler unloads it in a pile, cut and split. We had a bunch of paper mills in the area, so a load of wood was 'cheap'

My father had built a buzz saw using a 4cyl air cooled engine linked to a 36" (or larger?) saw blade. it would cut a single 12"x8' log down in a few minutes.

He also had a log splitter built (this was before you could buy them commercially- late 70's?). This was 2 stage, built on an I-beam, would split the largest, hardest oak we could lift. I have never operated one as good since.  The ram was flat, fixed splitting head was hard/sharp, ram had a 'v' in it to cut the oak splinters in half. The cutting head had 'wings' about 3" down to pop the hardwood once it started to split. Damn fine splitter. I wish I knew where it ended up.

The speed, strength, and cycle times are all important. I would rent one from a local equipment rental place to learn all the pros/cons of the design. The rental place I tried had a major flaw- the hydro valve was in the wrong place- any wood that made it past the small cut head would bash into the valve...sometimes breaking a fitting. Ask me how I know. Splitting that much wood needs speed as much as power. The units that tip vertical are nice, but a big waste of time to set up and use. Too hard to be that low to the ground.

[scra99tch]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_BpAhGSFWXc

[brider]

"Cool" subject!

Renting is OK unless you plan on doing a lot of regular splitting. I split 3-4 cords a year (well, my son does it now...), so a splitter made the most sense, and I think I paid $900 10 yrs ago from Tractor Supply.

I've been heating with wood for the last 10 yrs after heating oil spiked to 4$ a gallon. I suppose I'd be singin' a different tune if I was a man of wealthier means, but I simply cannot afford a winter's heating bill burning diesel fuel every winter, and I'll be damned if I'll suffer all winter wearing 3 layers because the thermo is set at 65 deg (or lower), which MANY of my neighbors do to make it thru the winter, even in their big, fancy houses. I've complained to the family that I'm too old to do the chore(s) of maintaining a woodburner, but they all scream in horror at the thought of not having a glowing stove to back up to in the morning.

AND, mine has a built-in grill on the top to grill steaks when it's snowing outside!

I'm still pissed that the state of CT didn't run natural gas lines throughout the state like my home state of Michigan did back in the 40's or 50's. I grew up on a rural dirt road in the 60's in an old farm house, and we had natural gas and the low cost that it provided. But I digress...

My 22-ton tow-behind vertical/horizontal splitter has been fine all these years, only occasionally straining to a near stall (but not complete stall, yet!) on giant rock maple or oak logs. 80% of my wood is ash, THANK GOD!, because it's arguably one of the best, and pops apart cleanly once the wedge imbeds no more than an inch or 2.

For the first time I will be burning pine this year, just to get rid of a pile of logs that have been accumulating. I'll burn it 50-50 with hardwood. Did a bit of research before committing to splitting the pine, and it sounds like people out west burn primarily pine and "soft" wood, it's just a matter of keeping your burn temps up and cleaning your system regularly. ALL wood produces creosote.

[Aaron D.]

My primary heat source is geothermal, I set it to about 19 degrees, and then burn wood to keep the power bill down. The geo only comes on early mornings that way. Keep in mind, I live where it can spend weeks at -40 or colder in the winter. We're looking at solar to offset our water heating and geothermal costs,  but wood heat is awfully nice in the winter, and gives peace of mind, too, over other "delivery" methods (oil, propane, etc)... considering that the roads around here can be impassable sometimes.

That's my goal, too... I'd prefer to run everything off the BCS if possible... only one Honda engine to maintain, that way. BCS is definitely in the "spend high, cry once" category... high quality, efficient, durable, but pricey out of the gate The splitter for it runs about $2K+ (CDN), all in... with the power coupler.

I'm probably going to rent this year, for a weekend, and kill the woodpile that way, then look at buying next year.


Thanks for the conversation, guys. It's appreciated.

There's a second less expensive splitter that is rated for a higher tonnage. When you're ready check Earth Tools. Good luck!

[lucian]

Here's a few shots of my favorite power tool,,  not for rent.

[Hymes Inc.]

Was just having this discussion with the wife. I've hand split my wood since I moved here, 14 years. Shoulder problem has me looking at splitters. Still something satisfying about doing it with an 8lbs maul.

[Aaron D.]

Yep it is true. But I took down a dead tree last year and discovered it was a large elm. I can use that to win bets with all my woodsplitting friends.

[Socalrob]

This thread leaves me happy living in SoCal where I sleep with an open window 11 months a year and heat the house with piped in Natural Gas.

[Antietam Classic Cycle]

"Every paradise has a price".

[Kent in Upstate NY]

I just call the local dealer and have a couple cords already split delivered.

[Ncdan]

I just call the local dealer and have a couple cords already split delivered.

That's cheating:)

[Rough Edge racing]

 We have been heating 100 % with wood for about 14 years. Burn 12-16 face cords a year...Have a 30 ton Northern Star splitter...We use our own wood and buy already split wood if the price is right. Around here the usual price for 5 plus face cord load of wood is 50-60 bucks a face cord..