How many cords per year until you break down and buy a splitter vs renting one?

[Jags]

but could I do 2 cord in 4 hours with a 20 ton splitter?

I would say "probably not". But that is from a one person work crew's point of view. And I am old. And fat. And like beer.

 

[Dobish]

I would say "probably not". But that is from a one person work crew's point of view. And I am old. And fat. And like beer.

hmmm. so i'll take a couple of points and trade them for having a toddler that would need to be entertained far away, and scrawny on the outside, fat on the inside. I will not change the last one

I can do a day rental for $100, and 4 hours for $69. Or, I could do $400 for the week. that doesn't make any sense to me....

 

[Ashful]

I have done as much as 5 cords in a day, when I was just splitting and tossing, and all the wood was small enough to do horizontally (all under 18" diameter). More often, I average only a cord per day, since I usually get big stuff that requires noodling or working vertical, and I stack while splitting. I'm not old, but I don't push myself like I'm 25 anymore, either. So, it all depends on the size of the wood and how you work it.


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[Dobish]

my wife and i have an agreement that everything that I split, she stacks, but most of the time I end up splitting and stacking at the same time. I think that might be different if I rent the splitter.... then it will be all about the agreement at hand

 

[bad news]

If I were paying for the splitter rental I wouldn't worry about stacking anything. I'd have one person operating the splitter and the other fetching and loading rounds. Have the operator toss them in a pile and stack it later. The ram should almost never stop moving. After a bit you'll get things smoothed out and you can get a lot of wood split. (Note that by loading I mean bring it over, dump it on the splitter, and step away while the other person positions the round and operates the ram. It's obviously unsafe to put your hands on or near the machine without being the person who is manipulating the controls. Communication is important here.)

 

[Babaganoosh]

I split into the back of my dump cart and then drive it to the stacks. Stacks are about 100 yards away. Occasionally I'll split into a pile and then take runs with the garden tractor and cart. All depends how I'm feeling that day. Sometimes I am cruising and don't want to stop to drive the tractor to the pile and stack. Don't want to lose my rhythm

 

[Texas123]

A newbie here has a question. I have seen some advertisements for electric splitters. Are there any brands which y'all can recommend or perhaps better stay away from? thank you very much.

 

[sportbikerider78]

my wife and i have an agreement that everything that I split, she stacks, but most of the time I end up splitting and stacking at the same time. I think that might be different if I rent the splitter.... then it will be all about the agreement at hand

My agreement with my wife is that she leaves me alone when i'm outside. LOL

Naw..she is a really good helper. But I do like my 'me' time.

 

[Ashful]

Ditto. Neighbors ask why I spend so much time working outside. Answer, "because my wife is inside." They assume I'm joking.


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[CheapBassTurd]

LOL on post 129, 133, and 134 !!

I've always liked wife jokes, them married one worth joking about.
I like these multiple but pointless color choices too.

As I sit here recovering from rotator cuff surgery, don't think I'll
be without a splitter ever again. This is our first full season and
it's been all by hand.

Then again it's always been by hand, speaking of wife jokes.

Raced the clock and got this whole season done before surgery day.
Luckily, churchguy offered up his splitter "any time I need it" which will
be about a week per year. Even the Doctor told me no more axe-slinging.
Gonna buy one but it's nice to have access to one while saving my pennies.

CheapMark

 

[Dobish]

i went ahead and bit the bullet when DHT was having a factory sale... i went to split 1 piece by hand the other day, but by the time I walked past the DHT-22 with the piece in my hand, it was easier than walking all the way to the shed to get the x-27..... I bet you can guess how that turned out....

 

[rowerwet]

A newbie here has a question. I have seen some advertisements for electric splitters. Are there any brands which y'all can recommend or perhaps better stay away from? thank you very much.

as far as i have seen, they are all just about the same thing, probably made in the same communist factory.
the real difference being the buttons, levers, handles, wheels, and possiblility of leg extensions that bring the splitter up to a level that won't kill your back.
my friend has one that claims 7 tons, I have a homelite 3 ton that looks identical. If you run the numbers you find most splitter manufacturers are a bit optomistic about tonnage, the cylinder might take the pressure, but in almost every case the bypass valve on the pump will open before that.
My homelite is a little slower than splitting by hand, but beats dealing with arm and shoulder pains. it also cannot handle bigger wood. Now that I have the 20 ton predator, I let my son run the electric on the 6-8" rounds that only need one split.
i've heard good things about the HF electric splitter, and know you can get good deals when they put out coupons, if you are on their mailing list.
there are some good threads on how durable the splitters are, and some have mentioned that the casting for the pump can be split by dropping big wood onto the splitter, but replacing the casting isn't a major problem, and fairly cheap IIRC.
To me they aren't really worth it, unless you have arm and joint issues, or have plenty of medium sized wood to split. For all the hassle of renting a splitter, it really is the best way to go until you can score a good used one.