# How long to split a cord of wood w/hydro splitter?



## byQ (Dec 14, 2014)

I'm curious. Let's say you have the rounds cut to a length that will fit in your splitter. Your splitter is horizontal and the rounds can all be picked up. And the rounds are in a pile. The hydraulic splitter speed is average - (15 second cycle time?). Has anyone timed themselves? Guessimates welcome.


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## claydogg84 (Dec 14, 2014)

It depends on the wood. I can do a full truckload on one tank of gas, which is about an hour. Depending on how high my truck is packed, I guess 2-3 loads of rounds for 1 cord. So... Around 2 1/2 hours for anything decent splitting.


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## Seanm (Dec 14, 2014)

I think they are a heck of a lot slower than the gas ones and splitting by hand. My back cant handle the vibration of manual splitting any more so I do very little by hand. Even though my electric splitter is slower I can do it all day long and not get tired and its fun! I find if I have someone loading the splitter it goes twice as fast as you dont have to move the split rounds off the splitter, get up and grab a fresh round, sit back down and start splitting. I wonder how long it takes as well but have never timed myself.

Edit: my bad,, when I see Hydro I think electricity. Carry on.....


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## blades (Dec 15, 2014)

Variables , size of rounds and size of splits,  I can do about a cord in 1.5 hrs of large say 8x8"  splits, about 2.5 hrs if I want stuff in the 4x4 range and no stacking just tossing into big pile. Type of wood also comes into play nice straight stuff goes quick, once it starts to get twisted up and such lot longer.


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## Charles1981 (Dec 15, 2014)

I think you can split a cord of rounds with a splitter in 90-120 minutes if it is easily stuff maybe more quickly with someone helping.

The crotch and knot pieces really slow things down, they wear you down, and can get hung up in the splitter and you have to attack them a few times to get it to split.

I have rented a home depot splitter for the day once before. Cost 90$. Went from sun-up to sun-down almost. about 8-9 hours straight. It was still back breaking work but got 5.5 cords split up. The wood was knotty and crotchy and many peices I just wasn't going to split by hand (5-6 minutes to knock in 1-2-3 wedges plus the number of swings and effort ... screw that).


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## byQ (Dec 15, 2014)

It sounds like 2.5 hours is a good average splitting time for a cord of average firewood.


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## BCC_Burner (Dec 15, 2014)

5 cords of mixed apple and cherry wood took myself and two friends around 18 hours with a hydraulic splitter.  3-4 hours per cord is a more realistic estimate than 1.5-2.  About 30 hours total to get that quantity split and stacked.  So either a bunch of people here are full of it (which I know is true) or you're working with 80 cubic foot cords.


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## byQ (Dec 15, 2014)

So closer to 4 hours not 2 hours?


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## ClintonH (Dec 15, 2014)

Do 80% by hand and use the hydro for the last bit of crotches and uglies .  I can split with an X27 in circles around a hydraulic splitter.


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## claydogg84 (Dec 15, 2014)

BCC_Burner said:


> 5 cords of mixed apple and cherry wood took myself and two friends around 18 hours with a hydraulic splitter.  3-4 hours per cord is a more realistic estimate than 1.5-2.  About 30 hours total to get that quantity split and stacked.  So either a bunch of people here are full of it (which I know is true) or you're working with 80 cubic foot cords.



A pickup truck takes me around one hour to split. 2.5 - 3 pickup loads of rounds equals one full cord. It's basic math. It also depends on the wood. 2.5 - 3 hours max for pretty much anything besides elm.


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## Highbeam (Dec 15, 2014)

A helper makes a huge difference. As long as I can stay sitting on a round (I split vertical) and running the ram constantly I can split and throw a cord every 2 hours easy. The helper only needs to keep a fresh round available at my left side. A kid could do it.

What's the hurry? Enjoy the day. Stop when you want to and admire your work. If you are renting the splitter then you need to open a can of whoopass and hit it hard. As noted here, 5+ cords a day is possible and you know that these guys aren't splitting for 12 hours nonstop.


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## Charles1981 (Dec 15, 2014)

Maybe it makes a difference with log length. I split about 20-22 inch pieces. Mostly ash. 9 hours work time. No stacking just chucking in a pile. It stacked out to a clean 5.5 cords. About 100 minutes a cord. 28 ton splitter from home depot.


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## Charles1981 (Dec 15, 2014)

Maybe it makes a difference with log length. I split about 20-22 inch pieces. Mostly ash. 9 hours work time. No stacking just chucking in a pile. It stacked out to a clean 5.5 cords. About 100 minutes a cord. 28 ton splitter from home depot.


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## Jonathan70 (Dec 16, 2014)

I run my Timberwolf with combo of using single & 4 way wedges, if material is staged to length & just needs to be split, I can only split horizontal keep in mind, I've done a cord in just over an hours time... My rounds are staged stacked so I can gauge how much I'm producing, my lengths are 22-24.... The large rounds such as seen here weigh 150 to 200 each, I use my 2 x 8 x 8' truck Ramps and rest the aluminum foot on the beam and roll the log up , get the push piston to just get the log into the wedge, then pull the plank out....I've seen & talked to a few guys who prefer to split with vertical.... They all complain though about kneeling on the ground or sitting on a round and getting up & sitting all day.... Back aches etc..... I've split with a friend side by side , me with my wolf , him using his Tractor supply model in vertical , I was in no way envious of his way of splitting....


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## claydogg84 (Dec 16, 2014)

I personally hate splitting vertical. I'm 6'5" so no matter how I do it it's uncomfortable. The big rounds I will quarter or half in vertical and then flip it back to horizontal.


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## Brogan007 (Dec 16, 2014)

BCC Burner has my vote.  The majority of folks here must be splitting wood that is so straight grained...it just pops apart.  And the rounds must be perfectly sized.
I know the wood we have....the damned blade has to go all the way to the end before the split falls open.  Lifting and positioning up 200 lb rounds takes a long time.
If you can split a cord in 90 mins....you're Steve Austin.........


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## mellow (Dec 16, 2014)

I just split some huge rounds of red oak this weekend, had to go vertical.  Anyway I split it small so it will season faster and I would say 2.5/hrs per cord is realistic.

I will say if I have smaller rounds and can use the 4 way I can do a cord in about half that time if it is only 1 pass on the splitter.


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## bassJAM (Dec 16, 2014)

I worked for about 2.5 hours Saturday and I split about 2 cords of ash and silver maple logs that were 16" and under with the splitter horizontal.  On Friday I spent about an hour splitting a half-cord of ash and silver maple logs that were larger than 16" with the splitter in the vertical position.  Both times a helper would have sped things up tremendously.


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## Paulywalnut (Dec 16, 2014)

I take my time and don't kill myself 4 hours is good and I can still move the next day to stack it.


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