I went to the wood lot today, searched for morels, found 3 big blonds and cleared the top part of the trail so the trailer to be able to be towed by the 4 Wheeler. Then I split the shoulder wood I gathered- pine and box elder. Probably a face cord worth. Then back to home for lunch. Notice my elm chair? It's no milk crate with a cushion, but it worked, until I split it. This splitter doesn't work vertically, but my buddy bought it from our friend for $200 this spring. It started on its first pull today. I didn't even start the ATV as I had to get home so I could rest my pancake with bacon lunch at noon. The second row in from the right was the split elder and pine, but I split a few of my mid grade wood rounds too to the left of the shoulder wood, and a couple rounds to the right as well. I am dividing my wood into 3 grades, like gasoline. Regular= box elder, pine, and cottonwood, and poplar Mid grade= elm, ash, cherry Premium= sugar maple, beech, shagbark hickory. I still have to get a load(1/2 cord per trailer load) or 2 of a big sugar maple out of the woods yet this year to be burnt this winter as it's starting to punk and won't be as good as it is this year, and split up a1/2 cord of elm rounds, and another half cord of beech and hickory rounds yet. I burned 2.5 cords of wood this year in my fireplace, so going to an insert this year I will get what I used last year, and know I won't use more than that, but should use a lot less.
That splitter is probably as old as I am, but it started on the first pull. The quad works great, it just has a couple of quirks, mostly due to the carb needing a little work, but it's stone dependable, which is why I got it. I got a cover for it, it fits great and covers all the way down to the wheels.
Horkn, I like the idea to divide the wood by type. easier for what to grab depending on the season we are in.
I like the look of the old splitter, solid and dependable. You can probably get another 10 years out of it. How do you get the larger rounds onto the beam?
I have the same splitter made by didier. Mine is every bit of 30 years old and just changed the original motor 2 years ago. They are a nice little stout splitter just low to the ground!
I bet that old splitter would be chugging along in another 20 years without doing anything but changing the oil, a plug, and not much else. We plan on upgrading the splitter with a bigger newer motor- my buddy has an 8 HP Tecumseh laying around, and a larger hydro tank this summer. We just have to get my wood split for next winter and we can get working on that project. We will raise it up higher, possibly make it a horizontal/ vertical too. Getting big rounds on it is simply s heavy lifting exercise. That's where it's good that the splitter is low now. I Should use a car wheel ramp, or even a small plank to make a ramp. Those big hickory rounds are heavy.
Horkn, I was thinking, Tecumseh engines get sort of a bad rap. We had a 8 hp Tecumseh on a portable cement mixer. That thing sat outside for years with tarps on it and we would always just check the oil, put in some fresh gas and pull the plug and spray with starting fluid and away it would go. We abused that motor on that mixer. It just kept going. year after year. When we went to sell the mixer everyone complained, it doesn't have a Honda or Briggs. Right now on one of the online auction sites there is a Craftsman air compressor with a Tecumseh motor on it. Going to close in few days and only $5 bid so far. I am interested in the compressor for the pump. I guess what I am saying is buying something with a Tecumseh motor isn't all bad as most people think.
My buddy's dad retired from Briggs, and worked at evinrude omc, before that. His family has a slant of buying Briggs stuff. A few weeks ago, his dad told me that as an engineer at Briggs, they always wanted to get the Briggs to start as well as a Tecumseh. They did, eventually, buy buying out Tecumseh. Tecumseh's were made in Grafton, Wisconsin, just a few minutes north of me. For years the Tecumseh's easy starting features made the snow king line the preferred motor in snowblowers.
Nice work man , looks like that little short bugger is getting the job done , maybe if ya have a set of car ramps laying around you could get it up to a little better working hight
We have an old Troy Bilt rotor tiller that came with a 6 hp Tecumseh engine. It went for many years before finally giving up the ghost. Overall, I would say it did as good as any other engine we've had. btw, it now has an 8 hp Kohler on it and running fine still. It is something like 38 years old.
Dennis, I have had that 8 hp Kolher on air compressor long time ago. Solid cast iron motor. Runs, runs and runs. Big green or black in color.
This is very similar to the didier splitters and about the same age. 15 inches from the ground to top of beam is way too low when you want to split 10 cords in a weekend. Raised it to 27 inches added 3 1/2 feet to tongue and a wood catcher. Side trays so you don't wore much about throwing wood on and it falling off. Going to do a hydraulic lift soon. It's a mongrel but it was free and in rough shape.
I'll be patient, and I like the idea of what you did. That's what I've been thinking. A pickeroon would help a lot too. I've got an old pickaxe from my grandpa that would be much better off as a useful pickeroon than a pick Axe. I think the sawzall and the grinder will get used pretty soon to make a better tool.
I finally made it work. There's the mongrel. Kickstand has since been updated to a fold down stand and hitch has been lowered so it tows level.
That's about what I was thinking. Easy to do, but it will really help in using it. Did you add a bigger hydro fluid reservoir? Splitting when it's over 60°, the tiny reservoir that's on it gets very warm, and the vented cap goes off like a tea pot at boil. That tells me it needs more capacity to cool the fluid off. I mean, it gets a workout from hickory, elm, and crotchety box elder, but it still did it.
I've never had it overheat. It's probably a 2 gallon tank on it and for the last 10 years or so it's been fine. Usually cut and split in the fall but when it runs it's usually 8-10 cords straight out of splitting. I own it with my cousin who splits a little bit at a time all summer long. He doesn't complain but would if there were issues.
