Recommend me a logsplitter

[doobin]

Mine just spins on knotty stuff. It’s an almost brand new cone. 

[Stubby]

16 minutes ago, doobin said:

Mine just spins on knotty stuff. It’s an almost brand new cone. 

There are cones and there are cones . The helix ( buttress thread if you like ) has to be sharp , and hard where it first contacts the bark side of the round . After that it can be tough but not so hard . . If it bites and then stalls the engine then you don't have enough torque . On the other hand , if you do have loads of torque it will churn through , knots and all .Torque is the key as opposed to revs . Similar in a way to a hydraulic splitter with not enough tonnage .

Edited May 1, 2022 by Stubby

[openspaceman]

15 minutes ago, doobin said:

Mine just spins on knotty stuff. It’s an almost brand new cone. 

I haven't used mine for 5 years but found it just chewed a conical hole in knotty holly, most other species it ground its way into and either split the log or stopped the tractor. It also kept trying to rip my arm off.

[doobin]

10 minutes ago, Stubby said:

There are cones and there are cones . The helix ( buttress thread if you like ) has to be sharp , and hard where it first contacts the bark side of the round . After that it can be tough but not so hard . . If it bites and then stalls the engine then you don't have enough torque . On the other hand , if you do have loads of torque it will churn through , knots and all .Torque is the key as opposed to revs . Similar in a way to a hydraulic splitter with not enough tonnage .

Mine is on a Hakke pilke eagle. It is belt driven so can slip on them, but often it just seems to chew a hole instead. 

[monkeybusiness]

I’ve got a hycrack and it chews it’s way through just about anything tbh - bites very hard into timber and rarely just bores a hole. It’s on a Ford 3000 and also only rarely stalls the tractor. We don’t really use it much any more as hydraulic is faster/easier, but I’d definitely recommend them to someone with a tractor with poor hydraulics. 

[MattyF]

You wanna be careful if your stalling the tractor , I've ripped a pto box apart on my old international because the previous owner of a hi crack had welded the shear pins , It didn't occur to me that's why it was stalling the tractor ......Personally I hate the things but would take one over a hydraulic powered or petrol splitter.

[Cosmiccrofter]

I've bought the AMR with it's own PTO pump, the 35 handles it well. I have even tried billeting the logs, I don't know if it involves more work than blocking and splitting right away, any one able to comment?

[MattyF]

I think with the main advantage with billets is it obviously shortens seasoning ... it does involve more work but ultimately I think the billets could provide a better product.
I don't think the AMR would struggle to cut any billets with some of the lumps of gnarly ancient beech I've put through ours.

[Gav73]

I've bought the AMR with it's own PTO pump, the 35 handles it well. I have even tried billeting the logs, I don't know if it involves more work than blocking and splitting right away, any one able to comment?

 

One of my splitters will take a metre length and my preference is to split at that length, it’s quicker to split a large volume - think about how far the wedge needs to go into the wood before it splits, if it’s not too gnarly it will split within a few inches, this will be the same regardless of the length of the round. It’s then quicker to stack and it does dry better as there tends to be more air gaps.

Once seasoned, I load them onto a rack and cut them in bundles to the required lengths.

All round much quicker.

[Martin du Preez]

We’ve got a rock machinery 22t splitter for arb waste. I’ve had it coming on 5 years now. Probably done roughly 1000 cubic metres of crap. Cost peanuts compared to others, few replacements here and there but nothing drastic. For the value I’d buy again that’s for sure