Split rounds all day with my new to me Champion gas hydro. I mounted a u bolt to keep my Fireside Friend handy. It payed dividends. A few observations. I wish both sides of the log holders were level. There is not enough room to store half round on this side. It was a pain. I’m going to flip the short side up side down before I split tomorrow. The side I am pointing to cannot be flipped. I may devise something flatter and about two inches wider. Winter project. And I wish the “chaff” cut outs were bigger. Debris clogs here all the time. I may torch them out but have to analyze the structure first. Then I was splitting on a side hill and the relief valve started spewing hydro oil. Some dumb arse had the hole pointed right at the engine. And that was me. Had to go home and clean things up and point the plug a different direction. Completely covered it with ATF. The same guy may have over filled it or I was too uneven. It blew two times for about 20 seconds each then it settled down. According to the sight glass it’s not over full now! That black locust was so heavy I had to go vertical. I got a lot done. Sure is easier than splitting by hand. I wish there was a way I could cobble in a relay or something to enable to engine to idle down when not splitting. Maybe another winter project. It would sure be handy to have two people when going vertical. One guy could wrestle the next round over when you’re halving a big bertha. Overall I like it but still thinking of ways to make it better for me.
I noticed the log holders were weird on the last champion I had, I flipped them around and it was a lot better...I feel like they were a bit different than those though. Yeah if you are on a hill, make sure the vent is on the high side or it'll spew oil
Note to self: make sure you are level bonehead. I have a lot to learn on this contraption but I am up for the challenge. One thing that is puzzling is if you shut it off with kill switch, it is a bear to start 5 minutes later. The previous owner told me to always shut er down with the fuel shut off not the off switch. “otherwise it is hard to restart”. I thought that was weird but he was right. No problems re starting if I just kill the fuel. Always starts on the first or second pull hot with no choke,,
That kinda sounds like the float needle is leaking, just a bit. Not an issue if you continue to operate it as you stated.
Got back splitting today in my woods. Did not get done won’t be back in the woods til Monday. Started on some black locust. Then some oak. I thought some of this would be campfire wood but I was wrong it’s good. I flipped the log tray on my side it worked better. And kept a close on that red dot. (hydro level) Hickory. It would have been impossible to split this hickory by hand. It gave the hydro a good workout. Then I had to set up in guillotine mode. These oak rounds were so heavy I couldn’t pick them up. all this came from one tree got a nice jag Finished up on another oak. I was whupped. I hope I don’t get run out of town but do not care for vertical splitting. It just seems unnatural to me. I will only do it when I have to,,,
I'll die on this hill... I don't like vertical splitting either. When dealing with rounds too big to lift, I'll half, quarter or even sixth them into smaller chunks that I can pick up and split horizontally.
I don't care for vertical splitting either...that's why I built the log lift for mine...the only time it goes vertical now is if it's too big for the lift! (Which would be rare...at this point I'd be more likely to noodle the round into manageable pieces...but I'd did make sure to leave vertical as an option when I built the splitter)
Just spent 3 wonderful days at our cabin. The deer were everywhere. Then got back into my woods. Finished splitting about 200 rounds. I had help! This is not my hand. My wife spent 5 hours on handle duty. All oak. Had to go vertical for 30 rounds but we got it done. Those suckers were heavy even after splitting them in half. I need to fill the garage with this winters wood. That is next.
200 rounds?! At this point in my life, I'm going to go take some Tylenol as my back hurts after just reading that. Freaking firewooding awesomeness! (And the deer pic is the icing on the cake.)
Today’s project was not in the woods but it was tree related. I have a huge black walnut in my yard and every year I pick the nuts up and deposit them in my woods. I let the small furry rodents plant them for me. Today I hired 3 Amish sub contractors and we got the job done. Took us a half hour. For wages I played a game. I laid out three HUGE Snicker bars and three ten dollar bills. I said your choice? After thinking about 10 seconds and some Pennsylvania Dutch gibberish between the three sisters they each picked the Snickers. I knew they would they have zero knowledge about money. ( they got the money and candy both) Should have took a before pic but forgot. That big old walnut is a good provider . dont tell their folks I took a picture
You got a bargain for your labor! Around here IF you could even find a young person willing to do the work it would likely cost at minimum $50 each
Why does my gravel drying pad have zero pieces of firewood on it? Because it’s all crammed in the garage and basement. I have about 2 face cords in the basement. This reminds me that I need to change the oil and wash that Scooter. And put it to bed. After that I will re fill the drying pad with my 27/28 personal stash. We usually burn between 2.5 and 3 cords depending on temps.
There was no Packer game at noon so I got the gravel drying pad restocked with my 27/28 stash. About 30 pieces short I said screw it Im done. Not quite 2.5 cords. Some of it is already under 20% moisture. I know for sure it will all be under 20% in twelve months.
That personal stash stack is a thing of beauty! Any problems with water splashing on it from the roof drainage?
Hasn’t been a problem so far. That inside row dries faster than the outside row. When the summer afternoon sun hits that shed, it’s like an oven there.
Fantastic work. You and your wife make a great team. Well done, my friend. Ya'll have certainly moved a lot of wood in a short time...
