wood splitter ?

[moocow]

I am looking at getting a gas powered wood splitter. I don't know how many ton splitter to get. I was thinking of a 20 ton is that too much or too little?
Any thoughts or brand recomendations would be appreciated.

[davel745]

I have a 30 ton and very seldom do I have to back off and re try to split a piece of wood. It just bulls its way through and manages to either split it or mangle it. Got it at Northern Tool. I run mine at just above idle and it uses about a gallon to a gallon and a half a year to split about 6 to 8 cords of wood, each measured to 128 cubic feet. This is the first year I had problems and took the carburetor off and sprayed it with carb cleaner and it runs fine. I change the spark plug every year. That’s it.
Overall I am very happy with it.

[agmantoo]

20 ton would be the lowest I would want.

[Old Vet]

I have a 20 ton and it does a good job. Mine is a yard prow made by MTD. The main thing to look for is the pump and the engine. Mine has a Brigs and Striation engine that will start on the second pull every time. This is the 4 year on it. I always use no ethanol gas in it.

[foxtrapper]

What are you planning on splitting?

[paddler]

20 tons would handle pine or other softwood but i think it might struggle with some gnarly, twisted maple.

i have a 26 ton and its great for birch and maple.

[Cabin Fever]

I have a 20-ton from Northern Tool. Does just fine on white and red oak.

[rhome]

I purchased a new 13 ton MTB/5hp B&S engine at an estate auction for $300.
Rebuilt the carb and serviced the rest of it.
10 years later and servicing every season the splitter works great for my oak, locust, ash and cherry all cut at 16" length with the average diameter of 12"-18".
Knarly forks and yokes I take care of with the chainsaw.
If you plan on splitting larger wood a 20 ton would work just fine, consider a splitter that has the vertical/horizontal splitting option...vertical can really save the ol' back.

[Countrybumpkin]

I've got a 22 ton splitter, and only had one piece of wood in all the years I've been splitting that was too tough for it to crack. If I recall, it was a big maple log with a crotch in it.

[fixer1958]

I have a 20 ton that I've had for about 12 or so years. It will split anything I put in there. About all I burn is hedge if that means anything.

[Ross]

I've got a home made beast with a 3 inch rod in a 6 inch cylnder that plugs into the tractor Even with 90hp tractor running at 1800rpm I can bind and twist that splitter on elm and some maple. No idea how many ton that is, but it will crush a car rim easily.

[agmantoo]

Ross
At 2900 PSI at the pump that unit would be roughly 40.9 tons USA. At the higher rpm the pressure bypass valve would simply bypass. That tractor has a very high pump pressure. I seldom see more than 2500PSI and often less.

Pi x radius Square x PSi divided by 2000 (USA ton) = tons pressure on hydraulic cylinder piston face.

[Ross]

Tractor data says its 2900 psi 17 gal per minute. Thanks for the math answer but how do you get the result? Its a cylinder off a payloader I think. I didn't build it.

[agmantoo]

Ross,
I corrected the original post above.

[Ross]

Thanks for the math equation that could prove useful! Its a John Deere 6415 its almost frightening to use the splitter on it compared to my old Fords.

[Qhorseman]

I have a Brave 22 ton. It has split everything I have ever asked it to split. I have split oak up to the diameter of a 55 gallon drum with it. Its got a 6.5hp Brigs on it that starts on the first pull unless it is below zero out, then a short shot of starting fluid will get it to take right off.

[Allen W]

Originally Posted by Ross

I've got a home made beast with a 3 inch rod in a 6 inch cylnder that plugs into the tractor Even with 90hp tractor running at 1800rpm I can bind and twist that splitter on elm and some maple. No idea how many ton that is, but it will crush a car rim easily.

You haven't tried a splitter out until you though a chunk of p elm on it.

[alleyyooper]

No one here knows what your buget can stand, only you know that answer.
Buy the most tonnage you can afford and you will not regret it if it is 25 tons or more. With the smaller (18 & 20 ton) machines you still will not regret the purchase of a wood splitter. You will also learn to read a chunk of wood as to how it will split and just how it won't.
If you have to noddle a few blocks a year it is still not as many as with out a splitter.


Al

[flewism]

I've got a 22 ton Husky from TSC, built by Speeco. It has failed to split a piece maybe 10 times in the years I've owned it. I bought it in 2002 and it had done well over a 100 full cords as we process 10-15 a year for me and my sister with some extra. It has cause me no grief.

[Vickie44]

I use the same 22 ton as above from TSC and find it satisfactory . Last year when I was working on the gnarly Ash that was 48 inches accross I borrowed a 27 and still had some problems.