“Log Spiliter Tonnage”

This Post is about log splitter tonnage hope it will help someone. Green logs are freshly cut and still retaining their moisture. They'll look slightly green or yellow in color compared to seasoned wood that looks more brown. Freshly fallen wood is very moist and difficult to cut, so it takes more tonnage (or a little more time aging) to split through it effectively. As wood ages, the moisture inside slowly evaporates, making it more brittle. As a result, older firewood splits and burns much more easily.If you plan on splitting green wood, you’ll need either a more powerful log splitter or some old-fashioned, inexpensive patience. You simply size your log splitter based on the widest logs in your woodpile.
For example, if you plan on splitting 6-inch diameter branches, a small 4 ton log splitter will suffice.
On the other hand, if you plan on cracking 2-foot wide tree trunks, you’ll need a large 20-30 ton log splitter.
Naturally, harder woods - like oak, walnut and poplar - will require additional force. The following is the tonnage required to spit specific wood. My calculations will help you guesstimate how much force you'll need. My calculations may not always correct , but it's usually pretty darn close.
6” seasoned 4 ton...
12” seasoned 7 ton...
12” green 16 ton...
24” seasoned 20 ton...
24” green 30+ ton...
These are all minimum calculations so don’t get confessed, these calculations are mine based on the cylinder size p.s.i. (per square inch) of a known force. By the way there are five different styles of log spitters. Manual, Electric, Gas, 3-Point, Skid Steer. Have a nice day...
Stumper

 

When I was scrounging for any wood I could find I bought a 35 ton to handle anything. My friend and I took trees that were best left alone, full of knots and twists.
Now that I have better choices of firewood supply I would like a 22 ton splitter. Lighter to move around.

 

Some wood splits better green.

 

I have split a ton of cottonwood on a 5 ton electric splitter. Some of those were big rounds. You just start at the edges and whittle it down. No big deal. Also cottonwood does not split easy and sometimes I would just reverse the round and split it from both ends. I guess Stumper I do not agree with your guide for splitters.

 

5 ton.

 

Wedge design and how the wedge or push block move on the beam are both very important. Poor designs can eat up tonnage.

 

I don't agree either

7 ton Electric splittin Hickory

 

There are many different techniques for splitting wood and I knew not all people would agree on my Post, but’s that’s okay. Some of the bigger tonnage splitters will cut through knots like nobody’s business, with sheer power. Slabbing in another technique people use to spit wood. Beech which grows in this area is a wood splitter’s nightmare and takes a 30+ton splitter just to start splitting this wood, more like a minimum 37 ton splitter so as not to keep relieving the pressure relief valve. Thanks again for your input...Have a nice day!
Stumper

 

Thanks Skippy, XXL, for reading my Post...Have a nice day!
Stumper

 

How many tons is a maul?!?
Wedge and Sledge?

 

+1
Birch for one

 

Depends on the crankiness of the sledge swinger. Unless using it on elm, then it is zero.

Brian

 

Is that based off a scale of one to ten?
Crankiness 10
Determination 11
21 ton?

I had some semi dry figured maple that stopped the 27ton Troy built in it's tracks.
Maul just bounced off.

 

Temperature makes a huge difference. The colder it is the easier wood splits. For instance at -50F an ax will almost shatter the wood in half. You can hand split wood 4 to 1 faster than a splitter. Change the temp to+ 50F and the splitter is 4 to 1 faster than an ax. In my opinion anything colder than -20F most would be amazed at the little effort it takes to hand split and the colder the easier. Knots shatter below zero.

 

Thank you Hammy, Skippy,Rope for reading my Post...Have a nice day...
Stumper

 

Thank you blacksmith, Hammy, Rope for reading my Post...Have a nice day!
Stumper

 

Stumper I like your post's and your style of explaining things is a simple fashion so everyone can understand! Just the basics and right to the point! If I didn't welcome you yet well welcome to the club. You and your knowledge will fit in quite nicely!

 

No knee in protest taken in defending this flag nor cutting those logs. Will be splitting that load with an ax.

 

I do not know the upper limit to the 'cranky' scale, lately it seems to be in the stratosphere going by the news..... The one time a batch of firewood made me cranky, it was a fight to the death and for a while, I thought it was going to be my death. Caught an elm tree down on the side of the road and the owner was happy to have us (my brother and me) cut it up and take it away. A good sized tree, we thought we had hit pay-dirt. Then we had that introduction where I tried to introduce the tree to a couple of wedges, and the tree introduced me to 'woven' wood and wedge bounce. Really amazing, I was young at the time and could swing a sledge so of course I hit it harder..... and it bounced the wedge faster and farther. Never did get a wedge into the wood that day and ended up having to sharpen the wedges and start them on a corner rather than centered. Even when the wedge got started, that wood would not split, it just ripped all the way down the cut. All the wedges buried in one piece of wood with no hope of finishing the split by hand. It was like magic wood. Eventually we 'won' and burned the entire tree but if I had known what was coming when we stopped and asked about that downed tree, I think I would have just kept going.

I have a splitter rated at 27 ton also but have not had anything stop it or even really slow it down. Not saying there is not wood out that that won't stop it, just that I have not clanked into any of it yet and frankly, not looking forward to it.

But you are right about determination, that will carry the day almost in any case. Tenacity is a highly underrated character trait in my opinion but unfortunately, unless applied with a lot of care, it looks like stupidity.

Brian