looking at a new splitter and want some opinions

Yeap for the manual like Dexter said.
We worked on trying to Finnish most of the wood shed decking tonight so her first fire up will be later.

 

Ok shot a short couple of videos of my son trying the splitter out.
first one she is about 1/2 throttle or less.She is still cold and has not been running very long.
now this is no Timberwolf but I think she will work good for us for now
Dirty Hand Tools 27 ton wood splitter:

This next one is at full throttle.my son was trying to figure out how best to use it.Our other splitter has the wedge on the beam as that's what he's used to.
Dirty Hand Tools 37 ton wood splitter part 2:
He got to a good rhythm and was splitting pretty fast after awhile.He has taken a like to it and has threatened to call it "chucky" lol

 

We ran about 3 cord through her yesterday. Well my wife, mother n law, and kids did anyways.I was working on preparing the wood boiler for the season.
Ran like a top all day.They did try to catch it on fire though! Some debris fell on top of the engine and they weren't paying attention. Shut her down to fill up the tank and they noticed it smoking on top of the cylinder.My son dug the debris out and all was good.Just have to remember to keep an eye on anything that falls off the back of the splitter. The debris comes from when the ram returns and it pulls little stuff back with the wedge.Most stuff just falls to the ground but the wind must've carried it onto the engine.No big deal just something to pay attention to.

 

EXACTLY!! I always see talk comparing the speed of the splitters, and truthfully I have found that to be much less important that most people think. Most of the time splitting is spent loading rounds and unloading/stacking splits. If I were in bidness of selling wood, and was working with 2 or more people, the speed might make a bigger difference, but by myself I find it doesn't really matter. What I find MOST important, are the questions above by 94Bullit. Where do you have to stand to load and unload the splitter? Where is the hydro control lever.... all these are really well placed on the Ariens units! I think they give you the most room to work over any other splitter. Splits can't fall on anything but the cradle or ground, not on the engine, fuel tank, hydro tank, axel, tires, fender... !! The Ariens units are not the strongest built, that is for sure. But they are well designed!

Yep, I just saw it at Lowes this past weekend, also for $999 which is a great price. It looks very well built, beefy! BUT, it was laid out terribly! The axel and wheels seemed dead in the way of where I would stand to load and unload, seemed like a PITA and lots of things right dead in the way of falling splits including the hydro filter.

Ouch, exactly what I would suspect after looking at it at Lowes. What I would like to hear from you now that you have some use on it, how much are the wheels in the way? Is it as bad as it looked, or did you just figure a way to work around them somehow?

 

It is faster to split in the horizontal position.

 

I spent a little time today splitting with a brave h/v splitter. It's better then nothing but there is plenty of room for improvement.

My splitting area is on a hill... I tried splitting vertically with it but to tilt it vertically you have to unhook the hitch from the tractor. More then once I almost tipped the whole thing over on myself.

I never got comfortable splitting vertically so I went back to horizontal. Now my shins are bruised from the fenders. And my back hurts from working crouched over.

A horizontal only with log lift and work table is a world apart from the lower end splitters.

 

I'm not buying a splitter. I don't have a splitter. I was just sharing my experiences and observations with splitters I have been around. One of the reasons I don't have a splitter is because I can split faster than most box store models by hand if I am in good wood. My buddy let me borrow his splitter a couple of times when I had some tough stuff to split. I would bump my shins into the wheels. If a split would fall from it, it could land on the hydraulic filter or engine. When it was raised to the vertical position the hoses would get caught on the piece the beam rested on when it was in the horizontal position. The engine was also mounted low and the plate it was mounted to would get hung up on stuff. I have looked at several other splitters and have seen some of these problems with them. If the splitter is sold as a vertical/ horizontal splitter the operator should be able to use it either way comfortably. I don't think vertical splitting is as fast as horizontal. Look at the commercial splitters and see how many are vertical. I know a guy that has a box store model that people praise about how good it is but he has had a lot of problems with his. It his been used very little too. I think the Ariens/ Gravely splitters are a nice looking splitter for the money. They even have a Subaru engine on them. I have been thinking about getting a splitfire 3403 with a log lift or make my own log lift.

 

Milk crate anyone?


But seriously, I bet if we took a poll, 8 or 9 out of 10 people use their splitter in Horiz mode, and only use vert every now and then when you encounter a big'un you can't really lift. It's just more comfy that way for most I think. Not that it is faster or better, just more comfy to stand than kneel or sit.

So how they are setup for horiz mode is prolly more important to most. And I agree, a tw5 with a log lift would be the shizzle!!! But at 5-6k, I could buy 6 or 7 of my $800 Ariens units.

 

Most of my splitting is vertical.
Faster, easier on my back, no dropping rounds/split etc.
Milk crate is just the right stool (with a boat cushion on it


But when working a waist high stack or from a truck or trailer, horizontal is ok.
Having a work table so the remaining pieces to be split don't fall is a must .

Once you get the vertical method down pat, & get set up, I found it more efficient.
When doing several hours of splitting, Vertical is just easier & faster all around for me .

 

Wow, do you always measure and markup each round??

You also have done some amazing prep work. My rounds never look that neat prior to splitting, they are usually all over the place.

Work table and cradle for me are also a must! Very helpful. Your one of those 2 out of the ten, nothing wrong with that. But I don't think it's the "norm".

 

You mean you don't. I thought everyone would
Weigh, mark & orient for best splits
Then
Catalog with a bar code for tracking seasoning

LOL

 

You don't have to spend the money for a t wolf. The north star h/v splitters are better then any box store ones I've seen for a few hundred more.

When I looked into a tw5 a few years ago it was quite a bit more then 5-6k when you add all the options like a log lift, table and adjustable wedges. I would have been over 8 I believe. Not really worth it unless your commercial or split for more than one household.

 

The northstar with a log lift is $4,500, + shipping which will be close to $500 likely. That's 5k! I would LOOOOOOOVE to have a lift!

 

Since we are on the subject, make sure you vote here: http://firewoodhoardersclub.com/for...draulic-log-splitter-h-or-v.7264/#post-174491