All Powerful OB Board: Cleaning up a large lot (not ranch) of 100+ acres in the Hill Country. Any recs on a log splitter to harvest firewood from too many to count dead trees/limbs?

Think about ergonomics and a log lifter.

Heats you twice. Get after it, my man!!!!

Too old and fat for that! Thinking more off the shelf from a Box store

Mville Ag said:

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All Powerful OB Board: Cleaning up a large lot (not ranch) of 100+ acres in the Hill Country.

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This is definitely in the top 3 strangest descriptions used for a piece of property but I digress.

At any rate, just about all log splitter companies just buy a bunch of Chinese parts from the lowest bidder and assemble a splitter. Tractor supply, northern tool, will be fine for the task at hand if you want to buy new. If not, then hit up Facebook for a used one. They are often lightly used because people buy log splitters to split a few trees thinking it's going to be easy and after that it sits unused as they sulk in the misery of harvesting wood and seeing their credit card statement after doing so.

Use this to your advantage.

I borrowed a 25 ton Tractor Supply splitter from a buddy. It did a great job splitting my stuff that died 18 months ago. It had a leak from someone else jamming it through much harder would previously

If you need help moving the logs, I can send my 8 year old over there

I have this manual one and it works pretty well

https://www.amazon.com/Sun-Joe-LJ10M-Hydraulic-Splitter/dp/B00VPJAPS2

Log splitter is one of those things you rent from Home Depot and get the insurance if you're splitting oak IMO.

We were splitting some oak and it basically buckled the rail.Glad I didn't buy one.

Best splitter I ever owned was a PTO driven screw type splitter. After about 15 years I needed to replace the screw and found out that they were too dangerous and they quit making them.

Agree on the rental. I stockpile logs in my storage unit then rent one from United Rentals every couple of years. About $90/day. I pick it up Friday morning and return it Monday and get charged for 2 days.

We've had a 20 ton Tractor Supply log splitter for years at the ranch. Works like a charm on heavy, cured out oak.

My super easy oak solution: quit trying to make the logs so damn long. 12-14" and I can easily split cured oak logs with a plain old axe and relatively little effort. A wood splitter would barely notice them.

Yeah, there are more and they're harder to Stack but they burn just as good in a fire or on the pit.

MouthBQ98 said:

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My super easy oak solution: quit trying to make the logs so damn long. 12-14" and I can easily split cured oak logs with a plain old axe and relatively little effort. A wood splitter would barely notice them.

Yeah, there are more and they're harder to Stack but they burn just as good in a fire or on the pit.

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This is truth. The older I get the shorter I cut my logs. Don't burn much wood, so I split it with an axe.

Tx95Ag said:

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MouthBQ98 said:

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My super easy oak solution: quit trying to make the logs so damn long. 12-14" and I can easily split cured oak logs with a plain old axe and relatively little effort. A wood splitter would barely notice them.

Yeah, there are more and they're harder to Stack but they burn just as good in a fire or on the pit.

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This is truth. The older I get the shorter I cut my logs. Don't burn much wood, so I split it with an axe.

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I triple this.

12" logs split pretty easily with an Ax. Usually one smack. The exception is whenever there is a hurricane in Houston, I go on the prowl and collect as many large oak tree branches as I can. Those *******s will not split for anything, due to the wood grain being so wavey. A week or two after the storm, after all the curbs are cleaned up, I will have a cord or two of tree branches, and rent a splitter and get the insurance.

So, if you are doing mostly branches, I would collect and cut everything into logs, and, once that is done, rent a log splitter for a couple of days and just knock that part out all at once. Will save you a ton of money.

+1 on renting it with insurance.

I have a buddy with a log splitter for sale. His description.

"Pop has this for sale. Asking $500 OBO. Needs engine work. Will start with ether but won't stay running. Aside from engine in overall good shape."

You can pm me for contact info.

I don't have PM but I'm interested. Where is it located?

We have one very similar to that....sans color in remote Colorado. It can be extremely finicky. If it's not perfectly level it won't run.

Ennis, TX

I have your number. You can take it down.

Cool. I'm in Conroe so not super close but close enough I'm tempted. I would for sure pay asking price if he knows anyone driving south on 45 and wanted to arrange to bring it to me. If I have to come up there I'll probably kick the tires and heehaw around a bit.

Any OB fanatics out there traveling between Dallas and Houston that want to help out? I'll pay gas money plus a bit.

Possible that he'll be down 45 in early December. Likely to Buffalo.

sunchaser said:

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We have one very similar to that....sans color in remote Colorado. It can be extremely finicky. If it's not perfectly level it won't run.

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That's interesting... does it have something internal that keeps it from working if not level or just a quirk for your splitter?

We bought 5 cords of split wood this year for winter and I'm tossing around the idea to cut that cost down. My problem is finding the time to go cut trees and haul them back. My firewood guy only charges $20 more for split vs rounds.

Something tractor powered makes reliable splitting actually happen, whether it's PTO powered, or in my case, I tapped the FEL lines, to power the splitter cylinder. Two quick disconnects, I'm ready, and my Kubota is never finicky about smooth running.
Gas engine, hydraulic pump, hydraulic reservoir...gone.

I have a tractor mounted splitter that I'm planning to replace with a gas powered. I don't know why but I just don't like the tractor unit. I tried to use it last night and the detent valve leaked. Need to replace some O-rings and then it should be ready to go.

We only have experience with one so I don't know. We loaned it out about five years ago to a friend a couple of miles away. We went up in August to get everything ready for elk camp. We picked it up but messed with it an hour or so and couldn't get it to run. We reached the guy on radio and asked if he had any issues and he said no but "I'll be up in a few minutes."

First comment was, "I found out the hard way that it has to be level or it won't start." A minor adjustment and one pull and we were splitting wood."

coolerguy12 said:

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I have a tractor mounted splitter that I'm planning to replace with a gas powered. I don't know why but I just don't like the tractor unit. I tried to use it last night and the detent valve leaked. Need to replace some O-rings and then it should be ready to go.

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Where are you located? Want to sell the tractor mounted unit? Is it 3 point? My gas splitter leaks a little at the pump, but I can top of the reservoir for the next 4 generations for less than the cost of the pump.

Conroe. I will want to sell mine once I get a gas unit. It's a 3 point that connects to the rear remotes. Not PTO driven. Planning to buy the unit posted on this thread but would be interested in a trade with you depending what you have and where you're located.

281-798-7919

What would you guys do with big oak trunks that you can't burn? Any way to split those to get firewood out of them?

Jason C. said:

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What would you guys do with big oak trunks that you can't burn? Any way to split those to get firewood out of them?

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My brother has an older version of this one from Tractor Supply. We run it in the vertical position and can put big trunk pieces in there. You take a bite out of one side and it will usually split the whole thing in half, then start splitting wedges like pie pieces from each half and keep rotating it around and splitting if that makes sense. We get some of the prettiest split firewood from those trunk pieces. It's a bear moving the trunk sections around but the results are worth it.

WhoopN06 said:

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Possible that he'll be down 45 in early December. Likely to Buffalo.

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coolerguy12 said:

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Conroe. I will want to sell mine once I get a gas unit. It's a 3 point that connects to the rear remotes. Not PTO driven. Planning to buy the unit posted on this thread but would be interested in a trade with you depending what you have and where you're located.

##########

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My gas one is not as nice as the one in this thread. It is most definitely well used, and it does not pivot like the one in this thread, that's a huge benefit. It's my FIL's, so I can't really trade it away. I can, however, purchase your 3 pt hydraulic if you get another one and decide to sell. I am in San Antonio, but go to Houston sometimes and have a trailer. username at gmail when you get it squared away.

I got your number. You can remove it.

My dad has one he inherited from his dad. It was made in the 80s, and has a huge cylinder on it. It's not as convenient, as you need tractor hydraulics to run it. But it's stout enough to split the biggest post oak trunks that will fit. It will even split live oak and mesquite, but it has to be well cured. The really nice thing with it being on a three-point hookup is you can lower it to the ground and just roll the pieces into it, and then raise it up once you've split the really big stuff into more manageable pieces. Saves from having to bend over so much.

This is a joke right?

I don't see how this would split any type of oak, unless you're literally Paul Bunyan.

OnlyForNow said:

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This is a joke right?

I don't see how this would split any type of oak, unless you're literally Paul Bunyan.

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So it could jack up a car, but not split wood? It isn't going to be fast, but that jack has plenty of power to split any wood.

I split oak with it no problem, next time I'm splitting logs I'll grab a video. It's a 10 ton bottle jack and a wedge basically. Super easy