Splitter question

We hoard mainly the trunk of the trees we cut, one because nobody else seems to touch these large diameter pieces, and two it gives us an excuse to buy large chainsaws. The problem is when it come to splitting these big rounds (24"+) a splitter needs to be capable of verticle operation. The splitter we rent is an Iron & Oak 34 ton unit that swings both way but the single wedge fails to split the round completely in half most of the time.

I see I&O sells an adjustable four way wedge unit but it comes with the log lift that wouldn'd work in our situation. Toying with building one but don't really want too. So I guess my question is can another wedge 4-way be retro fitted?

 

I deal with large wood regularly. Very large pieces are tough even with a splitter that will go vertical. I will noodle with the grain, 3/4 of the way through the round and then hit with a splitting maul to break. If it still is very large often the half can be quartered easily with a maul. If you go with a lift, (i.e. triple the price) a 4 way wedge has to be hydraulically adjustable and be able to lower enough as to still be a 2 way.

 

I have a super fat wedge on my splitter that knocks the big ones apart almost every time. Maybe a slipover for the conventional wedge on the horizontal with the lift is the solution?

 

Not enough information to make suggestions here.

What are you splitting for, stove wood, OWB slabs, camp firewood, bundles ?
How many full cords we anticipate needing ?
What other equiptment do we have ?
What is the purpose of firewood ? Selling for chits and giggles, sole source of income, supplemental income ?
What source is the firewood coming from, tree service cast offs ?

 

I know my local Tractor Supply carries a slip on 4 way wedge for he splitters they sell. If one is handy with a welder they could probably make one or make this one fit. Would it be possible to beef up the thickness of the wedge if you buy one? Maybe add some heavy angle iron about 3/4 of the way up the wedge.

 

Honestly i don't think a 4 way wedge is going to help. Might end up being harder on the splitter since it will be trying to drive a 4 way into the edge of a round. I split a ton of large dia stuff with my iron and oak. If it doesn't pop apart with the first try and it's too big for me to spin around on the plate, i just slide it out and bust it with a maul.

Or like Bandit said, just noodle the big rounds into more manageable pieces

 

I too think a 4 way is not going to help getting them in "half". Most wedges aren't that tall because they exert too much strain on the beam. I was told 10 inch max for my beam so that is what I made. I have a 4 way for mine but when working with bigger stuff, i personally don't use it as much as I thought I would.



I split the bigger stuff with the single and basically sort the would, pick and choose style, till I have the pieces that just need to be quarted and the 4 way will do it in one pass.



You get ones like this sometimes but it powers through. For our situation, I don't care for the smalls that a fourway makes if you leave it on all the time.

 

I thought the OP wanted the 4 way to split 4 ways not to help halve the rounds that won't split all the way. That's why I was thinking to add some metal to thicken the wedge and have a removable 4 way.

 

Upsize your wedge and anvil:

 

FTG, that splitter looks like something the mob would use to "influence" opinions

 

I would be concerned the beam isn't going to handle that. If a very large uncooperative round was in that and it contacts at the top of the base plate it would put many multiples of stress on the beam for what it was designed for.

 

A few answers;
1. Wood is gathered from the three city brush lots.
2. Wood use is for two home woodstoves and one shop woodstove.
3. Splitter is a rental.
4. We gather and cut mainly large trunks.
5. We usually net two overloaded trailers or about 2.5 cords per outing.
6. Yes I usually have to pie the round as a lot if this wood is stringy and won't split through.
7. Ok what I really want, is to mechanically pick up a large round, place it on a tray and split it in quarters.
8. We enjoy hoarding wood and are looking for a new to us splitter, building one may be a better option.

 

Ok, I want one of the above.

Kevin in Ohio, do you have a build thread on the crane/splitter?

 

So far, I have about 3 cords of mixed wood, hickory, poplar, pine and tree of heaven through it. The largest was the poplar at about 3' in diameter. I had to do those with the splitter in the vertical mode. Never a problem.

I'm getting ready to cut down a 2' diameter ToH, I'll probably split that next week when the weather improves.

 

Should be just below with a link where it says: Splitter build

I do not have any regrets with it. a warning though, The link will keep you busy for a while!

 

Sorry, I had a senior moment, I knew it was somewhere on the FHC but then I saw the green lawn tractor I didn't scroll down any further.

 

Mine is a simple triangle, about 12" tall. I think the width is more important than the height for the big rounds. It has blown apart all but a few rounds that hung together by the bark and I regularly work stuff in the 3-4 foot range. The only thing I would change on mine is having a knife lead edge maybe 2-3" for the initial split before the spread happens.

 

That's one of the reasons why mine works so much better now. Not only is it wider (by about an inch and half) but it also gets wider faster. In other words, when I added the 1/4"x4" steel flats to the wedge "wings", it moved the wedge about an inch forward. This means the wedge starts earlier and then gets wider than the OEM wedge. Whcih means, I usually don't have to go to full stroke to get a full split, saving cycle time and increasing production.

The extra height just means that I can now stack two splits or two smaller rounds on top of each other, further increasing production and reducing cycle time.

 

Log lift does it for me. <4ft
>48" get noodled and 1/4 rd