Super Splitter

[Al Smith]

He died and whoever got it sold out to the above logger. Stripped it down to small saplings. Criminal.

Now right there I could get on my soap box and lecture the whole damned lot of them .You might be able to clear cut those western slopes down to the bare nubbins and replant and harvest every 50-60 years .You can't do that with hardwoods ,doesn't work that way .

Once they screw it up it will take 3 life times before it ever comes back .I've seen so many nice tracts that got so screwed up as far back as the 60's and have as yet to be much more than just a thicket .Now had the landowners not been so eager for a little bit of log money those nice tracts could have yielded prime lumber indefinately .Reminds me of the song "they paved paradise and put up a parking lot "

 

[NeTree]

One of the nicest things about logging by hand felling and using just a small Kubota with a Farmi, is the collateral damage is practically non-existent. A high point of pride for Mike and I.

 

[Al Smith]

It would be nice if more selective cutting were done in like manner but unfortunately most are not .

 

[Al Smith]

I just thought of something .The state of Ohio has a pretty good forestry service .On occasion by the advice of the state forester Tom has been called out to top or in some way remove aerial hazards on selective trees prior to falling .

I'm not sure of the exact situation because the state has certain programs whereby the landowner is paid a subsidy or some tax break on certain timber tracts .The idea came about some time in the 80's because of massive amounts of loss of same when escalating farmland prices which caused many to fall to the mighty D8 Caterpillar .

 

[Al Smith]

Well I had good intentions on this wood splitter business .Moved the splitter to the woods .However even at above 40 degrees and sunny there's an 18 MPH wind with gusts to 26 .Pizz on it it can wait .I'll not freeze my azz off anymore in this life time unless I have to ,which I don't in this case .

 

[brendonv]

Got the splitter today. This thing rocks.

 

[NeTree]

Glad you're happy with it.

 

[sotc]

Thats really all you have for us B?

 

[okietreedude]

boy that is some clean wood. i wish mine looked like that.

im gonna start looking into a processor...ive got tooooooo much wood to do a rick an hour + cut time.

 

[brendonv]

That'll have to do for right now.

 

[Al Smith]

Judging by the bark it looks like a bunch of ash .

 

[SouthSoundTree]

I'll be interested to hear how it does on less than straight grained wood, and larger diameter. Let us know. Glad you're digging it! I've been shopping around for a splitter.

 

[CurSedVoyce]

I outta send you some gray pine Brendon That would make it interesting.

 

[brendonv]

I didn't discriminate on the first batch of wood through it.

I threw some knotty knarly pieces. It surely doesn't handle it like a hydro would, but a couple wacks splits them.

That pile is mixed woods. Ash, maple, cherry, birch, oak, hickory, and everything in between.

 

[CurSedVoyce]

I would have to figure a lift situation for lifting the rounds up to the table....
Does look like it would split strait grain right quick though !

 

[Al Smith]

Ahso so that's one of those kickers with a flywheel then ? If then as long as it works is all that's important .

No big deal FWIW even on a hydraulic in rare cases you have to bang it a few times if it's a knotty piece of crotch wood .Oh it will go through eventually and sure beats a sledge and a pair of steel splitting wedges .

 

[Tobe Sherrill]

I ordered a Super Splitter following Hartford (TCIA) after seeing it again on Logrite's processor. Backordered until Dec.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_zAEps8cCxs

Used to sell these in the 80's and it simply kicks buut. Was great to demo because at 6hp it splits like nobody's business. I'll wager it against anything for "finishing cuts" (not 110 lb. & up rounds).

Can't wait to check in my super spitter, yes spitter, just in time for Christmas.

 

[brendonv]

Logrite made a nice setup for sure. I want to put together a nice mobile table to set next to the splitter so my helper can load it up while I split.

Paul surprised me, mine was BO until after Nov. Someone cancelled an order so somehow mine shipped.

Woo hoo!

 

[Al Smith]

Again it would depend on the application .In this area nobody hauls out logs for firewood .It's all chunked .Further more nobody takes a perfectly healthy tree for fire wood .Either a hazard ,nuisance or standing dead or downed .

That machine looks like the cats meow for some stuff but like the 36" oak I was into yesterday I just don't see it .

Two cords per hour ,don't know about that one .I figure a tad over a cord an hour maybe a tad more two men good hydraulic machine .Tough to keep that pace up for 8 hours though if you're an old fart like me .Realistically maybe 5-6 cord a day two men .

 

[Porkbrick]

just saw this on utube, thought it was pretty different.<object style="height: 390px; width: 640px"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/BjOUk3Hh-1M?version=3&feature=player_detailpage"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/BjOUk3Hh-1M?version=3&feature=player_detailpage" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowScriptAccess="always" width="640" height="360"></object>

 

[sawinredneck]

That looks like a great way to lose some body parts!
I've used a screw spliter years ago, I'll never do it again!

 

[Al Smith]

That contraption looks like something that came from the Brits .They're the only ones I know that burn stuff the size we would call kindling wood .

My dad built a screw splitter some time in the 70's and it actually worked pretty well .It was a "Rube Goldberg " using a Jeep 4 speed tranny ,drive shaft and powered by an Allis Chalmers model B which was 14 HP .Turned real slow and had a remote kill switch attached to the mag of the engine .I doubt that little engine produced much more than 5 HP at idle speed if that .

I split a lot of wood with that thing back in the day .Never had a much problems except every so often a knotty piece of oak would stall the tractor .No biggy just put the tranny in reverse and unscrew it .

 

[stig]

In all of central Europe they split firewood that fine, Al.
Or used to, anyway.

 

[Al Smith]

I wasn't aware of that . I know some of the people on Steves site in GB site mentioned lengths of 8 to 12 inchs .

We normally go 16-18 inchs .16 inchs one stack 4 by 8 is 1/3 cord or commonly called a face cord .Magnus said they usually cut them longer ,maybe 24" so it varies evidently depending on the region .

 

[stig]

I thought you were talking about thickness not length, sorry.

As for length, around here it is 13" for those who have stoves and 20" for those of us who have furnaces.

Some of the newer stoes can only handle 8", which is why I have started to ask the client and then write the length of rounds into any contract, where we are supposed to cut the wood into firewood lengths and leave it, which is pretty much the standard here.
I hardly get asked to haul wood away from a takedown job,