Splitter advice?

[jetsam]

Okie dokie.. here's a quick review based on about an hour of splitting.

I towed my dht-22 home without reading the 'do not exceed 45 mph' bit in the manual, but we made it home nonetheless.

I had some buyer's remorse on the way home- am I REALLY so lazy that I can't split wood the way I always have anymore?

Welp, allow me to answer that question with a photo.

Splitting that took 20 seconds. If you have spent any time behind a sledge'n'wedge, you are quite possibly on my wavelength at this point.

I gave this thing every gnarly-assed crotch and elbow I could find, and it crunched through them all quite cheerfully.

No hydraulic oil leaks. It did need a bit less than a quart of 10w30 engine oil.

Early days, but it was kinda love at first split. I foresee many cords being split with this beast.

I will hopefully continue to split most of my wood with a maul, but I think the splitter has replaced 100% of my sledge'n'wedging. It's an order of magnitude easier and faster.

 

[DoubleB]

I will hopefully continue to split most of my wood with a maul

Why?!?! If I had that, the only time I'd use my maul would be if I ran out of gas or if I scrounged only a couple rounds I could swing at easier than drag out the splitter.

Whatever floats your boat.

Glad you like your splitter. I'm jealous.

 

[jetsam]

Why?!?!

There's an inherent satisfaction in whacking wood in half in one well-aimed whack. It's also great exercise (I know, as if dropping the tree, limbing it, dragging the tree out of the woods, cutting it to length, stacking it, moving the stack close to the house in a year or two, and then lugging it inside to burn- as if all that wasn't exercise enough.)

An inspection of my waistline reveals that I DO need more exercise though.

I think I also sort of enjoy the maul because I've been using one since I was tall enough to swing one, and it reminds me of days and people gone by.

That's not to say that nostalgia prevents back injuries or shoulder aches (or gets the job done faster), so I'm not going to take this too far!

 

[snavematt]

I can usually split faster by hand than the splitter, that said, depends on species, round size, ect. But Im lazy, I use the splitter

 

[Dobish]

I just keep the splitter in the driveway, where the wood goes... i picked up a maul the other day and swung it at a couple of rounds. They popped open and i felt like john henry, beating the splitter. Then i got to a piece of elm that the maul just bounced back and the round laughed at me.

i put the maul away, gave the round a swift kick towards the splitter and laughed back at the round. I do enjoy splitting by hand, but only when its easy

 

[woodhog73]

I'm going to be blunt.

I get enough exercise on the job.

Splitting by hand sucks. Give me my splitter and in an hour I've got a very big split wood pile on the ground. Much bigger than I could do with a maul or axe.

Mauls suck ( kidding no actually I'm not)

Mine collects dust. I do however bring it with me camping

 

[TreePointer]

Yeah, exercise is great, but not all activity is smart exercise for everyone. When we reach a certain age, our muscles and joints don't appreciate certain activities. After shoulder and elbow surgeries, I prefer to use hydraulic muscle.

 

[Hasufel]

I'm with @jetsam right now. I like splitting manually because I need the exercise, and there's something very satisfying about it. It's more peaceful and allows me to enjoy nature. Also it makes it easier to split a little bit at a time, sometimes just a few minutes each day between when I come home and when it gets too dark. And right now I just don't have room for more gas-powered equipment. But I'm getting older, and I recognize that my body might force a decision at any time. So I think I'll enjoy manual splitting while I can!

 

[Jags]

So I think I'll enjoy manual splitting while I can!

This is where Jags gets all opinionated and stuff....

Doing something till your body becomes injured doesn't make a lot of sense to me. Chronic pain sucks. Get the splitter (or tool or whatever) BEFORE you wreck your body. Ask any old timer....

---sliding the soap box back under the desk---

 

[snavematt]

I'm with @jetsam right now. I like splitting manually because I need the exercise, and there's something very satisfying about it. It's more peaceful and allows me to enjoy nature. Also it makes it easier to split a little bit at a time, sometimes just a few minutes each day between when I come home and when it gets too dark. And right now I just don't have room for more gas-powered equipment. But I'm getting older, and I recognize that my body might force a decision at any time. So I think I'll enjoy manual splitting while I can!

I thought just like you till I got a splitter, now my Fiskars just makes kindling

 

[Hasufel]

Doing something till your body becomes injured doesn't make a lot of sense to me. Chronic pain sucks. Get the splitter (or tool or whatever) BEFORE you wreck your body. Ask any old timer....

Understood, and I appreciate the advice. But in my case I'm not talking about a huge amount of wood at present, and splitting by hand (well, by hand tool) allows me to do it at a more leisurely pace that hopefully will give me some fresh air & exercise while minimizing the risk of injury. The bottom line is that I actually ENJOY splitting by hand. Down the road, if I find myself having to process a lot of wood fast or have to deal with a lot of knotty rounds, then I can see a splitter becoming a necessity.

 

[jetsam]

Then i got to a piece of elm that the maul just bounced back and the round laughed at me.

I've split a ton of elm with the old sledge'n'wedges, and I am very pleased to say "Never Again" to that particular task.

(Though it IS particularly satisfying to split elm when it's 30 below zero... makes you feel like superman, albeit a retrograde superman with a cold face and numb fingers. )

 

[woodhog73]

The bottom line is that I actually ENJOY splitting by hand

If you enjoy it than who cares what anyone else thinks.

I previously said mauls suck. For me. Doesn't mean they suck for everyone. I used to have a desk job. Now I do physical work. So when I come home the last thing I want is to swing a heavy maul or axe.

That said I can see the value in a maul or axe for some people. If your stuck at a desk all day for work, coming home to split wood by hand with a maul is indeed a good workout. It's cheaper than a gym membership. I get it. If it works for you then great.

 

[BrotherBart]

I decided in 1988 that that equal and opposite reaction thing was real and that my shoulders didn't need to absorb it any more. Splitter is the best money a full time wood burner will ever spend. Love that Fiskars. Six or seven times a year. For re-splits. If you need exercise, get it lifting and humping rounds and splits. Low impact stuff.

(Full disclosure. For the last four years the little electric splitter does most of those re-splits.)

Like my wood cutting partner says "If ya got 'chinery, use 'chinery.".

 

[CheapBassTurd]

I'm liking the way BroBart worded his message. Jags too.

Ironic as I sit here in a sling in the middle of the nite reading that posts are leaning towards
saving body part wear and tear. Torn rotator repair was done two weeks ago and the pain
is finally backing off a bit last few days. Hence the reason I'm even reading up on splitting machines.

I love hand splitting and the satisfaction that goes with making a 90ft wall of wood with these two hands.
Don't see it happening again. I may do a few here and there to retain my man card, but the machine
wins this job bid over the long term. Dr. Scissorhands even specifically said to get a splitter. LOL

CheapAndRunningLowOnUsefulAppendages

 

[jetsam]

Have we reached harmonious consensus on the internet???

Something is wrong here.... maybe the trolls are just off today.

 

[Hasufel]

Have we reached harmonious consensus on the internet???

Something is wrong here.... maybe the trolls are just off today.

This debate actually seems more constructive than most you'd find on the internet. It looks like this forum is divided among people who haven't injured themselves yet, and those that have and are trying to keep it from happening to others. I put an axe into my shin last winter so maybe I form a third category of those who learn slowly. I appreciate the advice and I'll definitely keep it in mind. And some day, when I post about the shiny new splitter I just bought, I'll be sure to link back to this discussion. I'm not trying to be stubborn about postponing that eventuality, I'm just not there yet!

 

[Handsonautotech]

I am surrounded by soft pine where I live. I can smash through most of it very quickly with my maul. My wife says she wants a splitter but she can not cut rounds as fast as i can split them.

 

[Dobish]

I am surrounded by soft pine where I live. I can smash through most of it very quickly with my maul. My wife says she wants a splitter but she can not cut rounds as fast as i can split them.

if your wife wants a splitter, get her a splitter. Talk to Keri at DHT. My wife didn't want a splitter, but when I got one, she started splitting.

(broken link removed to http://denver.craigslist.org/tls/5695722130.html)

 

[redyute]

I love my splitter, it's like my right hand heavy duty little sucker

 

[Handsonautotech]

if your wife wants a splitter, get her a splitter. Talk to Keri at DHT. My wife didn't want a splitter, but when I got one, she started splitting.

(broken link removed to http://denver.craigslist.org/tls/5695722130.html)

My wife got what she wanted. We picked up one of those DHT's from Lowes with our card, I used my military

discount. Looks like I could have done a little better at DHT's warehouse, but we are pleased as punch with our purchase. No buyers remorse at all. I did have to work on the unit a bit to get it to run at 7,600'. We stopped by our friends house right after the purchase and knocked out a little over 1/4 cord in about 20-30 minutes. It was a bear to push up the hill at our house, we really need an ATV. Once we got it into position I plowed through the Aspen I cut a few months back, then started on the cedar tree. It strained on some of the larger cedar pieces (24" round or more) but got it all done. Had the neighbor over to admire it also. I am glad we got it now instead of waiting, probably saved my shoulders for a few more years.

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[Dobish]

did you put the high altitude kit on there? I haven't done that yet, since i'm right below 6000', but was thinking about it.

 

[CheapBassTurd]

If Laura can do it, so can Heather.

Ladies+sawdust= Shwing! (more heat)


Dobish,
This is coming from KLRforum.com, the adventure m/c site I co-manage.
Only mentioning being a moderator to show I read everything on there.

What applies is that the KLR is a single cylinder engine, single carb, and not much
different than a lawnmower or garden tractor on the inside where the bangin' goes on.
With 9.5-1 compression you are at the altitude where the guys mention leaning out their mix.
That's under load with varying throttle. I'm guessing you are running fine but also rich.
If the spark plug is darker than tan go a size smaller on the main jet. Optimal mixture
will give you back the power it's wasting, sending some unused fumage right out of the
muffler. An educated guess says it's just above bogging. It's not like you are wasting a
measurable amount of gas, but a good AFR (air-fuel-ratio) will wake that thing right up.
A noticeable amount of punch, btw.

CheapDirtBiker

 

[Handsonautotech]

did you put the high altitude kit on there? I haven't done that yet, since i'm right below 6000', but was thinking about it.

No, Interestingly enough I was not getting enough fuel and had to ream out the jet a bit. I know this should be the opposite of my problem but that was the thing that solved it. It also seems to help if you do the slow pull until you feel compression as they suggest in the manual. I am dreading trying to start it in the winter. Have you been able to find the kit?

 

[Dobish]

there are a couple of places that would order it, but you can buy it online. I am thinking I will pick one up one of these days. I have had mine start on the 3rd pull or less every time.

https://www.kohler-engine-parts.ope...high-altitude-kit-40008000-14-755-15s-p-14319