New log splitter time, which way to go?

Yeah at 140° there would definitely burning of skin. I've never gotten the old Didier splitter, or any really, above the bare hand test even with that tiny tank Didier.

 

I have a pair of these stuck on my cylinder and on the aluminum filter head of my splitter. The filter head is generally always one "marker" higher. The hottest I've seen mine is 122° on the cylinder and 131° on the filter head. I also don't use it continuously, as I shut the splitter off to stack as I go once my trailer is full. I also don't split in warm temps.

The cylinder is never hot to the touch, even at 120°. It's just warm to me.

 

Yes.

 

You have to read the wood and learn how it splits. I split by had for 20 years, starting when I was 12. Splitting by hand can be far more efficient with the right type of wood. It's when you get into certain species it can be a problem. And it can be hard on the body, good workout though.

 

Made a quick video of what I'm dealing with this spring. For me, it's quite a bit of wood all at once.

 

Moot point then...140* is fine...many big box splitters (like most people have) will run hotter than that if used hard for a while on a warm day, quite a bit hotter if pushed...

 

You do have a good point there...

 

Looks like pretty nice stuff...you should see some of the ugliness I get into sometimes! (although I have been on a pretty good run as of recently)

 

Good clip of wood there. When the rounds get too big to lift, my saw does the work of resizing them. Squeezing the trigger is easier than swinging metal or wrestling all that weight.

 

I half/quarter the rounds in the woods with my maul that are too big/unsafe for me to lift into my trailer. You can see some here that I split by hand from the haul my nephew (seen on top of the pile with his saw) & I cut between xmas and new years. We added a bit more to it the following weekend, as it was out to the stump you can see at the bottom left of the photo when we were done. I'm thinking there is somewhere between 10-15 cord here (including the stack of small rounds on the left in which I don't split). I'm about 3 1/4 cords into splitting and stacking it so far with A LOT left to go.

 

And it's more funner.

 

My MTD splitter, box store 22 ton h/v hasn't gotten any hotter than the Didier, and that was running it pretty hard. It has more capacity though, but not a lot.

 

I'm guessing those are also lower volume pumps, which also makes a difference.

No doubt in my mind my 40 ton/25GPM pump will heat up if ran continuously in warmer temps. It has a 10 gallon hydro capacity.

 

Yep. Even the big commercial unit that one of the guys brought to Denny's a couple years ago when I was there, you had to watch the crotch pieces. That big splitter, especially with the 4 way on it still got stuck. That was it's point that it needed to be run without the extra way wedge and just let it eat with 1 cutter. You learn a lot splitting by axe/ maul, but it's always about each machine's capabilities.

 

X2...never seen a fast MTD...maybe they made some that were respectable, but the ones I've seen/used (mainly at GTG) were s l o w !
No way they were pushing any return line back pressure on the return stroke!

 

I quarter them up too. Those larger ones rolled down close to where they are.

 

Dang nice pile there.

 

I'm actually considering the 30T CL now, the weight of the 40T is scaring me a bit, I'm not getting any younger. The 30T only has a 6 gallon tank, that seems really small for a 19-gpm pump. But it's like 200 lbs lighter.

Make up your mind Andre!

 

True, it's not fast, in respect to others, actually probably slower than the Didier after I predator modded that.
I wonder if a predator mod swap will speed up the MTD as well. I think it will. Too bad the Tecumseh is a vertical engine because that will make the predator swap much more difficult. The old Didier was powered by a worn out and even more stubborn to start than typical Briggs 5hp, and the Tecumseh on the MTD is 5 hp as well. Putting that 6.5 tq or however they rated it predator on the Didier was like throwing a v8 in a Miata.

 

I have the Huskee splitter just like yours , mine was bought in 2003. today it would not start for the first time in 21 years of hard use. a new coil was ordered for $20 , I can't see paying $130 for OEM part from Briggs and Stratton.