Slotta Hedge

[Backwoods Savage]

I attempted to split a couple of these monsters over the weekend. There are 12 total this size, about 8 that are smaller (but still 20" plus). That's a men's size XL glove in the original post...and they are cut to about 18" long.

Put the splitter in vertical, rolled round into position, ram came down, and it stopped dead in its tracks. Huh? Retract the beam....full throttle....drop the wedge again....I hold it down and it groans and eventually stalled. What? Spun the round trying to find a "weak" spot. No dice. The wedge made a 1/4" impression. Thinking I just had one really stubborn one, I rolled all 300lbs of it out of the way...and rolled in another. Same thing. Now I'm all kinds of mad. I wrestled these out of the woods...and it wasn't for my health...I'm going to have me some firewood.Grab the 361, noodle in half. Finally got it to split. I got 16 splits out of one round....but it was a hard fought 16 splits.


I guess I'll have to noodle all of them. These are the first rounds that ever stopped the 22 ton Huskee. In all reality I was probably asking too much of it.

Now that surprises me about the splitter. Does it have a 2-stage pump? If so, it should have done the job.

 

[chvymn99]

That's a whole lotta of Hedge right there. Great stuff

 

[lukem]

Now that surprises me about the splitter. Does it have a 2-stage pump? If so, it should have done the job.

Yep 2 stage. It dropped into granny gear for several seconds before it gave up.

 

[Paulywalnut]

Thats some nice hedge. I could burn hedge, mulberry and locust forever.
Come to think of it, they're all kind of related

 

[Bret Chase]

Now you know why I built my big boy. Between twisted elm and big hedge, I got tired of the fight. Now I don't fight it. The splitter doesn't stall. Period. Ever.
But that is some fine burning stuff when you do get it broke down.

We don't have hedge here.... and all the Elms died in the 80's... My splitter was home made by my uncle... and I have yet to see a piece of wood rejected by it... the meanest thing I have come across is a big green Black Locust knot..... the ram will stop.... but just hold the lever and stand out of the way... then all of a sudden BAM! :D

 

[Gasifier]

Nice Lukem!

 

[bioman]

Yep 2 stage. It dropped into granny gear for several seconds before it gave up.

Maybe you could turn up your relief pressure a little & see if it will split then !

 

[bioman]

Yep 2 stage. It dropped into granny gear for several seconds before it gave up.

Just find somebody that has you of them Supersplit Machines & turn them lose. Should have cordwood in no time.

 

[lukem]

Just find somebody that has you of them Supersplit Machines & turn them lose. Should have cordwood in no time.

Who's going to pick it up for me? These are at least 300 lbs. I dont think it would have a chance anyway.

 

[bioman]

Who's going to pick it up for me? These are at least 300 lbs. I dont think it would have a chance anyway.

Just kind of a jab at the superplit folks, they always have perfect wood. I have some monster hedge on my place. I'll prolly just admire it. good luck with yours.

 

[lukem]

Just kind of a jab at the superplit folks, they always have perfect wood. I have some monster hedge on my place. I'll prolly just admire it. good luck with yours.

Supersplit commercial:

Guy in unusually nice khaki pants, brand new boots, and out of place looking flannel shirt approaches splitter. He places hand on splitter and says, "Whenever I need to split veneer quality timber into firewood, I reach for my supersplit log splitter. You should too."

Guy puts on ridiculous amount of PPE, starts splitter, and grabs a pristine 8" round.

 

[Redlegs]

These are the first rounds that ever stopped the 22 ton Huskee

I have used a 34 ton Huskee on some in the 18-20in range and it grunted, but finally won.. Those are HUGE for hedge.

 

[Redlegs]

It can't rot. Amazing resistance to rot anyway.

It's wierd, but as it ages it just sorta turns into a black-iron shaped log. There is some up behind the house with moss on that you would swear was a carved rock shaped like a tree.

 

[Paulywalnut]

People that don't know about hedge think its like boxwood hedge.
Nothing further from the truth It's like iron gate!

 

[lukem]

It's wierd, but as it ageds it just sorta turns into a black-iron shaped log. There is some up behind the house with moss on that you would swear was a carved rock shaped like a tree.

I think I posted this before, I dug out an old gravel driveway. Under about 6 of rock I found a 5" hedge stump that had been there for at least 30 years, probably more. The 85HP skid steer had no chance of getting it out...30 years under ground and strong as ever.

 

[Redlegs]

The big pieces you had would be prized out here as a corner post of a fence line. The fence builders will bury 6-8 feet and tamp them in hard leaving 5 feet or so showing, then run 5 stand barbwire off them for a mile in two directions.
I was not too surprised to read that a 22 ton splitter struggled against those monsters.

 

[Redlegs]

Here...I made that last post, and then stumbled upon this CL ad.
(broken link removed to http://topeka.craigslist.org/grd/3665370488.html)

 

[lukem]

This *might* be why it is giving the splitter trouble.

 

[Redlegs]

This *might* be why it is giving the splitter trouble.​

yep...that will do it. That twisted and wavey grain is neat to look at.

 

[lukem]

Not looking forward to this one.

 

[jeff_t]

I've read it can throw sparks when cutting. How is it to noodle?

 

[lukem]

I've read it can throw sparks when cutting. How is it to noodle?

Definitely throws sparks. Noodling is terrible. I'm leaving stuff this size in the woods from now on. I just don't have the equipment for it.

 

[chvymn99]

Thats a nice chunk there a whole lotta BTU's. Can you rent a bigger splitter? Or take smaller edge bites & work it that way?

 

[osagebow]

Grenade. Not "grenade wedge"mind you, but an actual grenade. Or C4 if you can get it. Good Luck!

 

[Bret Chase]

Grenade. Not "grenade wedge"mind you, but an actual grenade. Or C4 if you can get it. Good Luck!

or bentonite clay and water...... it splits granite.... I think it might work on hedge....