I have a 22 ton Northern splitter, about 15 years old. I have been kicking around the idea about putting a 4 way wedge on it. Do you think a 22 ton splitter should be able to split with a 4 way and for those of you who have one, is it worth it or is it more hassle?
Oak, maple [soft and hard] some ironwood and elm. Ash. I try not to get anything bigger than 20-24 inches.
Straight grained oak and ash I'd say would be no problem and probably the maple too. When you get into any crotch or twisted wood, more tonnage would be helpful. I've never had ironwood and the elm, well . When I started out, I borrowed a 22T a couple times and with the original wedge, it cut through crotchy apple just fine. I honestly don't think it would have been very happy trying to make 4 pieces at once in that scenario. Feed it the proper diet and sure, go for it. If you get a lot of those more challenging pieces, dealing with them won't be as easy. I've pondered it for my 34T and decided against.
I purchased a slip on four way wedge for my splitter a few years back , it sure looks good on the front of my splitter trailer. If I had all 12"to 14" diameter straight grained rounds it would be the cats rear end. I don't very often put it on and if I had it to do over I probably won't spend the money. Then again firewooding is my hobby and I've spent money on other things that didn't pan out
The Axeman Commeth Do you mean you have the North Star 22 ton from Northern Tool? I have the 37-ton from them (2012) and grabbed the 4-way when I picked it up. I found I don't enjoy using it as much as anticipated. I'm sure it'd be fine but I like to leave my wood chunks larger and with the 4-way, they're a bit on the small side for my needs.
