Looking at building a log splitter, kinetic or hydraulic?

[tree cutter 08]

I started building one the other day. I'll snap a few pics soon. Going to have a worktable on the back about 30 inches high and a log lift arm.

 

[muzzy17is]

I started building one the other day. I'll snap a few pics soon. Going to have a worktable on the back about 30 inches high and a log lift arm.

Awesome, get some pics up...I'm scrounging for parts right now. Decided I'm gonna go with a 13 gpm pump on this one paired up with 6.5 Preadator motor from Harbor Freight. I've heard good things about those motors and the price is awesome! Got a shorter cylinder I'm gonna switch out with the one that's on it. Got me a 15 gallon stainless steel tank for my Hyd. oil. I'm gonna do a little bit of mod to the main frame, the way it sits now my log lift will hit the tire so I either have to move my beam backward or put a work shelf on it then attach my lift to the outer edge of the shelf. I'll be posting more pics as I go.

 

[muzzy17is]

Hydro all the way. Look at a timber wolf tw 6. I run this machine daily. If I were going to build one, I'd pattern it after this machine. Or, if I had a bobcat, I'd build one to attach to the front of it.

I like the Timberwolfs they are solid simply well built machines. When you say you run your machine daily, do you sell firewood? Reason I'm asking is I'm planning on putting my splitter to work. Gonna sell firewood and split for people if they need it as well. If you got any tricks to the firewood business as far as handling or what not I'd like to here them. I'm planning on selling bundles mostly for the ease of hauling and delivery.

 

[brownhounds]

I work for a big tree company, and I'm in charge of firewood. We sell about $50-70,000 a year in firewood. We sell by the row, truck load, 1/2 cord or full cord. We don't sell pine or poplar although I burn poplar. As far as all other wood, that splitter never slows down. I've busted some pretty rough hickory with it no problem.

A lot of people are using more wood nowadays even if they don't need it for heat. They buy it for outdoor burn pits or kitchens. As cold as this winter was, we sold out of seasoned wood 3 weeks ago, and some people are still buying green wood.

 

[brownhounds]

We build half cord boxes with skids underneath to pick up with a set of forks. We stack the wood in the boxes and dump it into a 450 dump truck. When we get to the customers house, we just dump and go unless it's a widowed woman or the man tips extra. You will lose time and money stacking. The money is made before cold cold days or snow days. If you stack every delivery, you'll lose money. We had a $3000 day right before the last snow. I will probably buy out the firewood business when the boss retires from the tree work

 

[tree cutter 08]

We build half cord boxes with skids underneath to pick up with a set of forks. We stack the wood in the boxes and dump it into a 450 dump truck. When we get to the customers house, we just dump and go unless it's a widowed woman or the man tips extra. You will lose time and money stacking. The money is made before cold cold days or snow days. If you stack every delivery, you'll lose money. We had a $3000 day right before the last snow. I will probably buy out the firewood business when the boss retires from the tree work

How long does it take you to split a cord of wood with that splitter? Been thinking about selling wood just because we have so much chunk and scrap oak its hard to give it all away. Only way I'd do it is to split into a big shed and load with a grapple and sell by the dump truck load.

 

[brownhounds]

How long does it take you to split a cord of wood with that splitter? Been thinking about selling wood just because we have so much chunk and scrap oak its hard to give it all away. Only way I'd do it is to split into a big shed and load with a grapple and sell by the dump truck load.

With 2 guys, we can bust a cord in about 2.5-3 hrs. I normally saw wood one or 2 days and bust the other days. If we split wood all day and really get after it, we can pile up some wood. That machine more than paid for itself in the 1st year. It's about 7 years old right now and starting to get a little slower but she's been rode hard and put up wet with minimal issues.

 

[tree cutter 08]

You should look into a super splitter for your good wood. With fairly clean wood, that's close to the splitter, 2 guys can bust a cord in under a hour. That's wide open and you can go. I timed it one time helping a friend and we had a cord in 45 minutes. 12 to 16 inches diameter is the best size. Smaller will slow you down and bigger will to.

 

[brownhounds]

You should look into a super splitter for your good wood. With fairly clean wood, that's close to the splitter, 2 guys can bust a cord in under a hour. That's wide open and you can go. I timed it one time helping a friend and we had a cord in 45 minutes. 12 to 16 inches diameter is the best size. Smaller will slow you down and bigger will to.

If we have the wood piled right beside the splitter or we have another guy moving it to the splitter, we could get a cord done quicker. Normally, we have one guy splitting and one guy feeding the conveyor belt. We lose time moving more to the splitter.

We also have a timberwolf wood processor that takes whole logs. It will not take anything bigger than 18" or anything really crooked. If we have a good straight load of logs prepped and ready for that machine, we can split 3 cords in an hour.

Our target average is to get 2-3 cords busted everyday so we have 15 cords a week. At $220 a cord, that's a good number for us. We work steady and hard. I would probably buy a super split for the house, but for a firewood business, timberwolf is the way to go. The size of the wood or the type of wood never slows us down.....only the process of getting it to the splitter. But, we cheat with a grapple and a splitter on the bobcat for the big pieces. We use this to quarter up a pile next to the splitter.

 

[tree cutter 08]

Got the beam in last night and tacked into place and when I get it back up right on its wheels I'll snap another pic

 

[brownhounds]

looks good so far....not bad at all. Will you leave the single wedge on it or put a 4 way on it?

 

[RinggoldGa]

I work for a big tree company, and I'm in charge of firewood. We sell about $50-70,000 a year in firewood. We sell by the row, truck load, 1/2 cord or full cord. We don't sell pine or poplar although I burn poplar. As far as all other wood, that splitter never slows down. I've busted some pretty rough hickory with it no problem.

A lot of people are using more wood nowadays even if they don't need it for heat. They buy it for outdoor burn pits or kitchens. As cold as this winter was, we sold out of seasoned wood 3 weeks ago, and some people are still buying green wood.

I found out my tree guy was selling hickory to local restaurants and walnut to local woodshops. We had to renegotiate the rate I was paying him to take out any valuable hardwood since he was making good $$ on them after he took them off my property. I still let him have those but I keep the oak and others to hand split for my own firewood.

Older I get the more attractive those splitters look to me.

 

[muzzy17is]

Got my engine for my splitter last night. Went with a Predator 6.5hp from harbor freight. They get some good reviews and you can’t beet the price. Next comes my pump and my control valve and we’ll be right there. My goal is to have the splitter ready by April so I can start piling up some wood for this winter. I’m also gonna offer mobile splitting service.

 

[NE GA Pappy]

build us one of these muzzy

 

[muzzy17is]

build us one of these muzzy

That would be fun! Country boys on a budget gotta scale down a little bit though. Mines gonna turn some heads when it’s done though...and hopefully turn out some firewood too.. lol

 

[tree cutter 08]

Getting close. Got to finish log loader arm, plumb hydraulics then test it out.

 

[OmenHonkey]

Tree cutter, I ain't trying to tell you what you may have seen already but I would put more steel behind that I beam. A good piece of wood will buckle that tubing. The ram is pushing against the table and it's gonna try to go somewhere. Up or back would be my guess.

 

[OmenHonkey]

It looks good tho!!

 

[tree cutter 08]

I didn't snap a pick but I got 1 inch plate under the table with 2 8 inch triangles under it that are welded to the beam under the table. I'm hoping that will be enough. I was a little more worried about the top until I decided to box the top of the beam in.

 

[tree cutter 08]

Got it up and running today. Bust some 24 inch diameter blocks of wood and it did good. Need to run several cords of wood through it to get a good feel for how its going to do. I'll snap a few pics after I get it painted. Also need a carb kit. Sitting with old gas for 3 years has taken a toll on the carb. Anyone know where to find one? I've searched high and low and found several but don't think their the right ones. I can't match up the kits with any number on the engine.