Splitter Wedge Location

[Carhartt]

So I have had the thought of what location makes the most sense. I have a Troy Bilt 27 ton with a Honda and really do enjoy it and paid for itself many yrs ago. But the wedge is on the ram. Ive often thought that splitter with a flat face ram and a welded permanent wedge would make more sense with a common size wood. That way you could just keep splitting right through the last log and push it forward. With the wedge on the ram you are forced to lift and flip the firewood chunks. I made a shelf for mine, which is a must with a wedge mounted ram. Just thoughts that make a guy with a ruptured disc think.

 

[Homemade]

I think a lot of it has to do with the size wood your splitting. If you only need to split once or are using a 4-way, then split it and send it down the line. But if you are doing multiple splits on the same piece, then wedge on ram is better, so your not always having to chase the splits down. Just rotate and split again.


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[Stump Shot]

^^^^^ Ed Zachery.

 

[kingOFgEEEks]

This is why I like my dual split. Wedge is on the center mounted ram, with foot plates at either end of the beam. I can split, then re-position and re-split without waiting. Or, for easy splitting stuff, stand the round on end, and only have to move the ram a much shorter distance.

Basically, it cuts down on wood handling and re-positioning time by a lot. No vertical mode, though, so there are definitely big rounds that need to be noodled in half, or even quarter, for me to be able to lift them up.

 

[Ryan Browne]

I just bought my splitter this spring. It's got a 4-way wedge mounted at the end of the beam and a flat push block. I use about 15-20 cords of wood per year, so my opinions on the subject may not apply to a guy who only burns 3 or 4.

Personally, I can't see using a hydraulic splitter without a 4 way wedge. They're just too loud and slow to only split a round in two with each stroke. With my 4 way wedge (adjustable, but not hydraulically) I leave it low enough so that I get two pieces of appropriately sized wood off a block, no matter what. If the round was big, then there's two pieces to be brought back for a second cycle. If the wood is between 5-10", then i get 4 pieces. No matter what, though, I get 2 or more pieces every time, and the wood just gets pushed through the wedge, onto the table, and then onto the ground. Excepting the pieces that need resplitting, each round gets set onto the beam, secured until the ram pushes it against the wedge, and then forgotten about as I move on to the next piece.

If I had to use a splitter without a 4 way, I can see where both setups have their advantages, but I think if you can afford it, a splitter with a 4 way on the beam is absolutely the way to go. I love just backing my splitter table up to where I want a pile and watching it grow. All I've got to do is keep the rounds coming. I almost exclusively use my logrite pickaroon to do that, so the vast majority of the wood goes through the splitter without my hands touching it.

 

[Wood Doctor]

One thing I have noticed is that most MFG's using the moving wedge refuse to move the wedge closer than an inch from the fixed ram. That often leaves unsplit wood that is tough to tear apart, especially stringy wood and crotch. I end up carrying a 2 x 8 slave scrap that I place in between to help complete the split, but it fails to last long.

It makes me tend to favor the fixed wedge and moving ram design, but some purists say this is more dangerous. And, the logs fall much further away from the action as Ryan shows above. What says the forum?

 

[Ryan Browne]

I delivered the pile of wood in that picture to my sister's house today. Tried to fit a cord in the F250, but it stacked out to about 120 cubic feet when I got there, so I owe her a couple wheelbarrows more.

Still loving my new wedge-on-beam machine. Probably have about a dozen cords through it to date, but hopefully more soon.

 

[Wood Doctor]

I delivered the pile of wood in that picture to my sister's house today. Tried to fit a cord in the F250, but it stacked out to about 120 cubic feet when I got there, so I owe her a couple wheelbarrows more.

Still loving my new wedge-on-beam machine. Probably have about a dozen cords through it to date, but hopefully more soon.

Packing a full cord of wood in pickup truck, even with side rails, is a rare feat. Even with an 8' bed and 5' wide, you still have to mound it up over 3' to do it. Then you pray that the shocks and springs can handle it. If you carry locust and/or oak, you are going to be flattened out. Your tires will also hate you. Two trips for the full cord makes the most sense to me (or a trailer).

But, this thread was supposed to be about splitter wedge location as I recall. Sorry I wandered off base. My error.

 

[Ryan Browne]

Packing a full cord of wood in pickup truck, even with side rails, is a rare feat. Even with an 8' bed and 5' wide, you still have to mound it up over 3' to do it. Then you pray that the shocks and springs can handle it. If you carry locust and/or oak, you are going to be flattened out. Your tires will also hate you. Two trips for the full cord makes the most sense to me (or a trailer).

But, this thread was supposed to be about splitter wedge location as I recall. Sorry I wandered off base. My error.

It was approaching the limit, that's for sure. 8'x6' bed with 2' side rails. Truck is a single cab 90 F250 2wd with the straight six and a five speed. So it's as light of an F250 as ever there was, making for a very high legal payload. Gross is at 8600#, so I can put about 4000# in the bed. New BFGoodrich e-rated tires at 80 psi. The load was legal and felt safe, but I am glad that it was a short trip. If I did it more often I'd definitely want a dually, or at the very least a set of airbags or overloads.

 

[Homemade]

It was approaching the limit, that's for sure. 8'x6' bed with 2' side rails. Truck is a single cab 90 F250 2wd with the straight six and a five speed. So it's as light of an F250 as ever there was, making for a very high legal payload. Gross is at 8600#, so I can put about 4000# in the bed. New BFGoodrich e-rated tires at 80 psi. The load was legal and felt safe, but I am glad that it was a short trip. If I did it more often I'd definitely want a dually, or at the very least a set of airbags or overloads.

https://my.extension.illinois.edu/d...ucing, harvesting and processing firewood.pdf

According to this, yes your safe but close to the weight limits. Provided the wood is dry. And if you take the 128 cubic foot cord and divide it back from a 8 foot long box that is 5 feet wide (let’s be honest, it’s not 6feet unless you have a custom built box) means the stack only needs to be 3.2 feet high. Which again is possible with side boards. Id say keep the trips short but well within the abilities of the truck.

Now, I’ll just throw this one out there. GVW’s are based on a safe stopping distance. Not so much on the capacity of the springs. That’s why they make bump stops, and overload springs.




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[Wood Doctor]

https://my.extension.illinois.edu/documents/1722110809110911/Nebraska producing, harvesting and processing firewood.pdf

According to this, yes, you're safe but close to the weight limits. Provided the wood is dry. And if you take the 128 cubic foot cord and divide it back from a 8 foot long box that is 5 feet wide (let’s be honest, it’s not 6 feet unless you have a custom built box. That means the stack only needs to be 3.2 feet high. Which again is possible with side boards. Id say keep the trips short but well within the abilities of the truck.

Now, I’ll just throw this one out there. GVW’s are based on a safe stopping distance. Not so much on the capacity of the springs. That’s why they make bump stops, and overload springs. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

A 5 x 8 trailer that may not even cost $500 is the solution. We wear out more good trucks by overloading them with firewood or just plain filling them to capacity. Trailers are easier to load and unload. It takes a little skill to move them around, but in the long run you are miles ahead. Just MHO.