I'm thinking of buying a log splitter, does anybody have any advice or pointers that I should know about. This is for my own use so I don't want a big machine and I only want to cut a few logs when they become available, like the occasional trailer load when somebody has cut down a tree and dumped the logs on the nature strip. I am wondering if something like a 7 tonne machine would be up to it or are they pretty much a toy?
Hi Norm
I have had a ROYOBI five ton electric machine for the last 3 years and split dry Jarrah with it. I have found that there are very few logs that it wont split and need chainsaw cut to help (Like one in a trailer load) I have split wood for myself and family members and would estimate that the total of wood split to by the machine to be in excess of 15 ton and it is still going fine. I have made a steel push piece to speedup the process as the ram moves slow and takes time to get to the log. From memory I paid $248.00 for it at Bunnings and I saw the same looking one with a different brand name in it there for about the same money last week. For an old fella like me it makes the job easy and even the kids who thought that I had bought a toy now borrow it to cut their wood.
A Seven tonne machine would be that much better I would think
The Parkland (s / er) petrol log splitter is the worst product I have ever had the displeasure of assembling (including Ikea furniture). For the first half of the manual (it turns out) showed pictures for another model. So I put the entire back half (axle, engine, etc) on backwards. The kohler engine had the id engine tags supplied on a piece of paper and you physically stick the id numbers on - thats worse than briggs stamping it into the cowl.
The welds looked awful, and one entire bracket was welded on backwards (the arrow that pointed forward in the manual was actually welded on to face rearwards. The rim for one wheel was warped from the factory.
I have heard some good things about the homelite 5 tonne (probably same as ryobi), but I was just at bunnings and they do look a bit of a toy. But would probably do the work as exfarmer says
Thanks exfarmer and Tyler,
Most of the logs I end up with that I can't split with wedges and an axe are the ones that have/had branches/knots in them and these are the ones I'm not sure the log splitter will handle. I can get an 8 tonner for under $300 just not sure if it would handle this type of logs
Has anybody had any experience with these manual splitters, I know they are slow but I'm not looking at volumes of logs to split, my main issue is splitting these knotty/branch type of logs that I can't split with my block splitter or wedges and sledge hammer. Also I don't think that method I should be using because of my recent hip replacement.
They look like a big car bottle jack layed sideways
What about the kinetic splitters - more expensive but might have the shock type jolt that will split the knoty type logs.
Hi Tyler,
What are the kinetic splitters, I have seen plenty of the home made splitters in America but most are too big for the amount of wood I need to split. Cutting them with the grain using my chainsaw is hard work
Of course Max, I had a brain fade, so obvious, I had seen those but never gave them any thought. Back to my Stihl chainsaw, I was looking at it and it has a label on it saying 40:1 fuel mix, never noticed it before. I bought it new in 1984 and I have always run it on 25:1 using engine oil of whatever I had in the shed at the time and when I had a think about it I have never had the spark plug out of it. From memory when I bought it, it cost me 2 weeks wages at the time.
I've always done the same mix Norm 25:1 it's only if you use the special oil (synthetic 2 stroke oil) you would
use less oil in the mix.
https://www.stihl.com.au/mixing-2-stroke-fuel.aspx
I also run my chainsaw 25:1 even though Victa say 50:1 with their oil (I am using penrite synthetic so it is even better than their oil JASO rating wise). Personally, I believe all this 'can run at 50:1 with our special synthetic oil' is balderdash.
If its not fouling plugs or making smoke clouds after 35 years of use on 25:1, then the extra oil probably isn't making enough carbon in the ports and under the rings to worry about. Probably a sign of a high quality engine that it can handle the bit of extra oil.
I have to keep 40:1 due to my McCulloch leaf blowers condensing oil severely out of the muffler if run on 25:1. But I really don't hesitate to use 25:1 in any of the Ozitos, MTD or GMC that want either 40:1, 35:1, 32:1 or 30:1