Manual log slitter

[cornish wood burner]

you can get a electric one for not much more than that and a lot easier plus you can sell it when you get your pto one

 

I'm a forest master fan but I could never see the logic in that manual splitter. Must be quicker and easier to run the saw down through the pieces you can't split. Alternatively as above.

Unless you're thinking of selling logs a pto splitter seems ott to me.

[Paul in the woods]

Electric is out as we live at the end of the power supply and the voltage fluctuates whenever we turn anything on! It would also be useful to use it where there's no electricity.

 

Long term plan is to provide all our heating and cooking etc via wood burners so I'd like to process about 20m³ a year, possibly much more if chalara hits the large ash I have. Selling/haggling logs is a possibility v. long term.

 

As I need a small tractor about the holding a PTO splitter seems logical and cheaper than a decent petrol splitter.

 

I could wait until I have the finances for the tractor and PTO but I'd like to start building up the logs in my spare time and my OH would like to help. Plus I like the idea of getting something I can learn with so I get the most suitable PTO splitter for my needs.

[gdh]

It would probably be worth hiring a processor in for a day, if the wood is reasonable you should easily get 20 cube done in a few hours.

 

If you enjoy cutting the wood your self or can't get a big lot at once you could look at getting an electric splitter and a small generator, I'm sure that would be cheaper than a tractor.

[Breezeblock]

looks a bit of a pain in the back to me

 

 

the word crap springs to mind if your timbers that bad and you can't split it with a decent axe throw it to the back off the pile or cut it further with your chainsaw save your money that looks pretty poor to me

[Paul in the woods]

If you enjoy cutting the wood your self or can't get a big lot at once you could look at getting an electric splitter and a small generator, I'm sure that would be cheaper than a tractor.

 

I have a thousand other uses for the tractor, not just log splitting otherwise I'd have sorted a petrol splitter out by now.

 

Hiring a processor might be an option but, at the moment, I'm producing small amounts of logs each week which could be split and stacked rather than piling up for several months.

[cornish wood burner]

If you are really set on a manual splitter then the forest master is probably one of the better ones. My FM16 electric seems well built at about 83kg so I expect the manual one is built in the same style just slow.

Alternatively you could cut the difficult pieces down further as we've suggested and consider how much chainsaw time you can buy with £170 or whatever you spend on the splitter.

Why not try with the saw first and see how you get on.

[cornish wood burner]

Electric is out as we live at the end of the power supply and the voltage fluctuates whenever we turn anything on! It would also be useful to use it where there's no electricity.

 

Long term plan is to provide all our heating and cooking etc via wood burners so I'd like to process about 20m³ a year, possibly much more if chalara hits the large ash I have. Selling/haggling logs is a possibility v. long term.

 

As I need a small tractor about the holding a PTO splitter seems logical and cheaper than a decent petrol splitter.

 

I could wait until I have the finances for the tractor and PTO but I'd like to start building up the logs in my spare time and my OH would like to help. Plus I like the idea of getting something I can learn with so I get the most suitable PTO splitter for my needs.

Slight derail this but if your voltage goes below 116 then it might be worth talking to your electricity provider. Should be 230 +10% -6% Talk of -10% but not yet I believe.

[Paul in the woods]

Slight derail this but if your voltage goes below 116 then it might be worth talking to your electricity provider. Should be 230 +10% -6% Talk of -10% but not yet I believe.

 

I assume you mean below 216v? Thanks for the details, I am talking to them about a few other concerns so I'll mention it when I next speak to them.

 

It still puts me off buying anything with a large electrical demand at the moment though.

 

With your FM16, do you find it works well with a blade/wedge at each end of the splitter?

[GreenGui]

Electric is out as we live at the end of the power supply and the voltage fluctuates whenever we turn anything on! It would also be useful to use it where there's no electricity.

 

Long term plan is to provide all our heating and cooking etc via wood burners so I'd like to process about 20m³ a year, possibly much more if chalara hits the large ash I have. Selling/haggling logs is a possibility v. long term.

 

As I need a small tractor about the holding a PTO splitter seems logical and cheaper than a decent petrol splitter.

 

I could wait until I have the finances for the tractor and PTO but I'd like to start building up the logs in my spare time and my OH would like to help. Plus I like the idea of getting something I can learn with so I get the most suitable PTO splitter for my needs.

 

We were in the same situation but already owned a small tractor. Had a small electric splitter then went over to a pto screw splitter - never looked back, the electric splitter now sits redundant. I process approx. 40m3 every 4 years during winter. My advice would be to not waste your money on the electric splitter no matter how cheap, just go direct to the tractor pto splitter (of your choosing)

[cornish wood burner]

I assume you mean below 216v? Thanks for the details, I am talking to them about a few other concerns so I'll mention it when I next speak to them.

 

It still puts me off buying anything with a large electrical demand at the moment though.

 

With your FM16, do you find it works well with a blade/wedge at each end of the splitter?

Sorry yes 216. Biggest problem is the starting current which will be a few times normal running so you're right to be concerned. Low voltage is not good for motors anyway as I guess you probably know.

The double wedge works well as it splits from whichever end is weakest. It does save reading the wood and turning the log around for a single wedge (or maul). Also occasionally a log might have a hidden burr or knot which makes it split from the unexpected end. I have read different specs of the manual 10T splitter suggesting 5 or 8 tonnes force. My Fm16 is 8 tonnes so the force might be worth verifying. Those ads seem to show very easy splitting wood which made me wonder.

A step up from a maul if you have a lot of knots or big diameters though.