Log Splitters - what's important ?

[gensetsteve]

We have a sheppach ox 9 or something about 10 tonne. German made was 3ph now running off a 11hp honda petrol engine. We sometimes stall the engine on nasty bits so will fit a bigger engine sometime. Important to me speed rather than excessive power. ours will do 1115mm long, we have tried billets but did not work for us as we do not have a saw bench just used to bung through processor seemed like alot of double handling big stuff we chain to 10" then lift onto stool. We have a removeable stool so can cut rings on the floor. Came with a 4 way which either gets stuck or smashes beech into trash so dont use it. The auto return with adjustable stops is excellent. Does not do horizontal but if I went for that would spend 15k and get a 30 tonne machine with log lift.

[joc]

We have a sheppach ox 9 or something about 10 tonne. .

 

10 tonne

 

I have one of these as well

Log Splitters

 

I can get about 15t out of it You can take to the log and split before moveing it

[gensetsteve]

10 tonne

 

I have one of these as well

Log Splitters

 

I can get about 15t out of it You can take to the log and split before moveing it

 

Can you get 6cu of 10" logs done in 6 hours

[windfall]

Id gor for a splitter that can be used both horozontally and vertically, but if you have to pick one then vertical would be more versitile for the rental market.

 

Speed over power for me, i find 10tonne does me well for Ash, Sycamore, Birch and Beech. So long as the rounds are fresh or a year or so old then its fine. Only had issues with notty wavy Elm.

 

A ten tonne ram is way quicker than a 20tonne jobby. But its all down to what you intend on splitting, i only split 8 - 10 inch rounds and occasionally 16inch for some clients.

[MikeTM150]

I built my own splitter so can't comment on brands, but cycle time is the key, i use the oil flow from our big tractors so use a 75mm ram which provides about 15t of pressure and cycles the full 500mm travel in about 4second including the return trip. What this doesn't split which isn't much i put the saw through then split it. The few bits you won't split and have to saw is tiny in comparison to the time wasted waiting for a big unstoppable splitter to cycle up and down.

[gensetsteve]

I built my own splitter so can't comment on brands, but cycle time is the key, i use the oil flow from our big tractors so use a 75mm ram which provides about 15t of pressure and cycles the full 500mm travel in about 4second including the return trip. What this doesn't split which isn't much i put the saw through then split it. The few bits you won't split and have to saw is tiny in comparison to the time wasted waiting for a big unstoppable splitter to cycle up and down.

 

Half the words and better worded than my effort

[MikeTM150]

Half the words and better worded than my effort

 

cheers, i guessed it was what you were trying to as well.

[Andrew Chester]

Moto

 

Just got a container in of all the latest models. Please feel free to call me and I'll arrange a demo for you.

 

Regards

 

Andrew

 

[email protected]

 

Wallenstein UK Forestry Equipment

[rowan lee]

Same question for vertical. I know vertical is easier with big stuff but do the vert & horizontal models create compromises compared to horizontal only?

 

One thing I did notice on the vert/hor combi's is the awkward positioning of the controls on some models. In most cases the vertical positioning controls seem fine, but the horizontal work position lever controls looked to be a little awkward to access comfortably for long periods of work time. May not be the case with all models but if you go for a combi, look at the control ergonomics in both working positions.

 

From what i can tell, horizontal splitters are good if you get a big tonnage one with a hydraulic log lifting flap as a standard and you are planning predominant billet production. there just seems to be less bending involved, everything happens at waist height (for re-splitting, you can just slide pieces around the deck on top with a cant hook etc).

 

Vertical splitters big and small with waist high tables under the blade are better for rings as you can centre the pieces more easily, especially the more irregular shaped farm spec timber that a lot of potential hires would have. vert is also easier for knotty rings as you can pull the log right out to the tip of the blade for better penetrative power etc.

 

If I was thinking of the hire market myself, I would want a mobile vert splitter with 1m stroke (10-15ton), and removable table. One that folds up into itself like the Thor mobile unit,for ease of transport and setup. With a long stroke of 1m the blade can reach the floor, thus if there are some heavy brutes left at the end, the removable table can be separated and the big bits split on the ground into smaller pieces first eliminating any manual lifting. This type of splitter also opens up the posibility of billet production as well.

[Moto]

Agreed. I found the demo I had of a vertical & horizontal model, the controls did not fall naturally to hand. It seemed a touch awkward, largely due to the 2 hand levers rather than having a single hand lever. Seems to me that when working horizontally, you really want a lever either side of where you stand, not both levers on one side. I can't tell if any product has this as all photos are of non-EU machines that only have one lever operation.

 

I do like the Wallenstein WX980 & 920, other than the levers position, both are a very nice piece of kit. Just a case of whether having vert & hor benefit or a longer stroke will service more demand.

 

I am also looking at the Thor Multiuse 18t but it doesn't seem to be quite as robust and having to remove mudguards and lighting boards increases the chances of damage.

 

Thanks Windfall for feedback on splitting lengths. Helpful

 

Decisions, decisions eh!