Log Splitter

[drummerboy]

Guys, iam looking for some advice , i maybe go through 3 ton of firewood per year, just wondering what type of log splitter to get , iam not looking for anything Flashy, just a good value reliable one, any views would be appreciated.
Neil

 

[wirehair]

I probably use 4/5 tons a year and bought a mitox log splitter a few years ago, good machine that splits almost anything.

 

[243 Stalker]

Neil,

I bought a Titan hydraulic 1.5KW log splitter with a 4 Ton splitting force and capable of splitting logs 25 x 37cm.
This was purchased from Screwfix for £150 and following many days of splitting logs with it, I would recommend this piece of kit.

ATB 243 Stalker.

 

[Kalahari]

Get one on a stand for the sake of your back!

David.

 

[Woodsmoke]

Get one on a stand for the sake of your back!

+1 on this!!!!!

I've used a 4-ton Machine Mart splitter for the last 6 years or so. Cost me £80 second-hand, and it's not put a foot wrong in all that time. The manufacturer recommends you don't split anything larger than around 10" or so, but I found that with careful handling a round of 2 or 3' in diameter could be split if you take your time and 'nibble' around the edges

 

[Alantoo]

Do you want to buy a self contained one? Petrol or electric. Or do you have a hydraulic pump on a tractor or other implement to run a simple ram from?

I have a simple ram type I modified/bracketed to fit on the piped dipper of a little mini digger and just lift it up onto a steel stillage which all the split logs then fall into...no stacking...but you do need a forklift, tele handler or pallet truck to then handle the stillage!

Scroll down and have a look at the similar threads list at the bottom of the page.

Alan

 

[John Gryphon]

I went for years in longing for a splitter and never bought one until age dictated "you must" buy one.

I would prefer a superaxe brand but $7000 is way too much for me.

Do you have units like these in the UK,cheap and split anything made of wood..30 tonne force. I bought one and saved my back.
It will split tons of wood per hour with no effort.
Heavy 30-40 inch rounds I do with the splitter in the vertical position,roll them over to it and zap!

Bloody cheap.

RedGum GX200 Log Splitter - RedGum Log Splitter

 

[JTO]

If you have a tractor, then a rotating worm type will be the quickest.
Log Splitter - Hydrocut Limited

 

[Alantoo]

If you have a tractor, then a rotating worm type will be the quickest.
Log Splitter - Hydrocut Limited

A contractor friend of mine rated those very highly. Have you used one? What are they like on non-straight grain wood?

The reason I bought my splitter was to convert a 50 metre hedge run of mature Leylandii which was impossible to split by hand it was so twisty and knotty. Burnt beautifully. Anything will split nice clean ash or poplar...but its the "trousers" and twisty stuff which are the problem I find.

Alan

 

[JTO]

A contractor friend of mine rated those very highly. Have you used one? What are they like on non-straight grain wood?

The reason I bought my splitter was to convert a 50 metre hedge run of mature Leylandii which was impossible to split by hand it was so twisty and knotty. Burnt beautifully. Anything will split nice clean ash or poplar...but its the "trousers" and twisty stuff which are the problem I find.

Alan

Back in the 70s, I had a lot of Elms to come down, some were about 4 feet diameter. Anything that was splitable with an axe while still sappy, was fairly easy, when I was 40 years younger, but the trunks got left a few years. I got a Hycrack to go on a MF35. I cut the trunks in rings about 6-8 inches long/thick. I would say that if you can lift it, then the Hycrack will split it. You can guess what the grain was like within Elm.
The Hycrack splits from the side, not with the grain. You don't have to try to go through the full width at first, you can nibble away around the edge. DON'T TRY SPLITTING WITH THE GRAIN.
For logs 6-8 long that just need to be split in half to go on the fire, the Hycrack will split them as fast as you can put them on the table. Just touch the point and by the time you have turned to pick up the next log, the first one is in two pieces.

 

[John Gryphon]

A contractor friend of mine rated those very highly. Have you used one? What are they like on non-straight grain wood?
Alan

I am interested as to how the worm splitter would go on heavy grained wood also.
It looks to be an easy use machine on the straight grained wood as shown,very simple indeed.
I don't know if such a machine is in Aussie at all,we have some ferociously tough indigenous woods here and I have an idea that the worm may just screw into without splitting or stall the tractor lol.

 

[JTO]

I don't know if such a machine is in Aussie at all,we have some ferociously tough indigenous woods here and I have an idea that the worm may just screw into without splitting or stall the tractor lol.

I'll leave others to comment on the toughness of dried out Elm.
I never had the tractor stall, even when nowhere near high revs, which would have been 40 bhp.
You would probably want to cut at no more than 6 inches if you had doubts due to tough grain, or you might find that the log did not fall apart, needing you to try again at the other end. The finished product is not always a pretty sight!

 

[Alantoo]

Back in the 70s, I had a lot of Elms to come down, some were about 4 feet diameter. Anything that was splitable with an axe while still sappy, was fairly easy, when I was 40 years younger, but the trunks got left a few years. I got a Hycrack to go on a MF35. I cut the trunks in rings about 6-8 inches long/thick. I would say that if you can lift it, then the Hycrack will split it. You can guess what the grain was like within Elm.
The Hycrack splits from the side, not with the grain. You don't have to try to go through the full width at first, you can nibble away around the edge. DON'T TRY SPLITTING WITH THE GRAIN.
For logs 6-8 long that just need to be split in half to go on the fire, the Hycrack will split them as fast as you can put them on the table. Just touch the point and by the time you have turned to pick up the next log, the first one is in two pieces.

Sounds excellent. I think it must have been in the 70s and for Elm when Les told us about them.

To paraphrase Mrs Beeton...first get your MF35!

Luckily for me I already have one...unluckily for me though it is a bit sorry for itself at the moment...part stripped ready for splitting to get at the rear crankshaft oil seal which I noticed when it commenced pouring oil out of the starter motor of all places! The clutch/bell housing drain plug was blocked otherwise I may not have noticed for ages.

Alan

 

[MattJ]

I bought a Handy 6 ton electric splitter with a stand a few years ago. A robust piece of kit and highly recommended, available online from several providers. A quick search found this:

https://www.diy.com/departments/handy-horizontal-log-splitter-with-stand-2200-w/1077319_BQ.prd

(I also have an MF135 tractor, but no splitter to go with it, but that's 4 times the price!)

 

[John Gryphon]

A good old Aussie timber for building or firewood is Grey Box it is around 1100 kilos per cubic metre and let me say that it is effing hard! Curly bits will jam a splitter!

It was my fave firewood at my old place,that and Yellow Box some of which is impossible to split by hand,maybe putting a chainsaw cut into it then belting a steel wedge into it with a 14 pound spalling hammer will work as I have done..no wonder my back is ****ed!

Ironbark is 1000 kilos a cube,great wood too but get a bent grain and you will be at it with a hand splitter for a while!

 

[JTO]

The main advantage of a Hycrack is the speed of it.
I've watched people using hydraulic ram splitters and they seem to go at snail pace in comparison. If your fireplace or stove will take stuff over 18 inches long then a hycrack might not be the thing, but worth a try.

 

[JTO]

You could always make your own, but don't forget the wedge that is fixed to the table.
Make sure you get a cone with a replaceable tip, that are possibly made of tungsten.
Log Splitter Screw Kit for Electric Motor Screw Splitter Wood Cutter 65 mm New | eBay

 

[reloader54]

unless you have a really heavy duty,[I'm talking like the one below]





you really need to pick your wood size,type and grain to suit the smaller machines, the odd tough piece can be cut smaller with the chainsaw,
I have one similar to this, works great even the missus enjoys working it. [which is a bonus] as you can see the grain makes a world of difference.

 

[JTO]

1 min 57 sec on this one,

 

[The Croc]

I have and rate this one