Firewooding 2020-2021 Season

[indyjohn]

While we're on the subject of turning trees into heat, I'd like to pick a few brains. I'm looking at getting a splitter and this one has my eye...https://www.logsplittersdirect.com/YardMax-YU3566-Log-Splitter/p68198.html?icn=PED&icl=product+page
After doing some reading, this is probably a bit oversized for my needs. However, I feel the price increase from a "standardish" 20- 25 ton to this is fairly small.
This one has a Briggs engine so parts, if needed, should be easily sourced.
To help with efficiency, it has what I believe is a fast cycle time compared to others.
After reading some of the reviews the only complaints seemed to be that it has a heavy tongue weight.
I don't think this company offers a 4-way adaptor for the wedge, but I don't know if that's something that most folks use anyway...???
It will be getting used for wood for our fireplace insert and our daughter's "new to them" stove.
Another reason for looking at this size over a smaller one is that we will be splitting... the cost of it with them. It makes it so we can both have one in this higher grade for the cost of a basic one.

Are there any other things I should be considering while shopping for a splitter?

Keep reading everything you can about the make/model splitter you're shopping. Like forums for guns like ours, there are vast communities that talk about splitters, saws, axes, etc. You'll see a bunch of different opinions but should see a trend on the one your shopping as well as other options that may suit you better. Keep in mind some people abuse the crap out of their tools and then write bad reviews.

I did no research 3 years ago and bought a Menards Forrest King 22 ton splitter because it was on sale. I later learned that they stopped carrying it because of all the problems customers reported. Fortunately, ours has had zero problems, no leaks and the OG can start it on the first pull every time. I run stabilized gas through it always.

I think you'll be glad with going bigger. We sometimes wish ours was bigger but that is only when we are trying to split 30" oak rounds. I like having the option to switch between horizontal and vertical but don't use the vertical much at all (but we don't split rounds bigger than 30" anyway).

We wish ours had a bigger shelf (ours looks just like the ones on the YardMax you're looking at), that would save us a lot of time and muscle but I've not found one for it.

If you plan on routinely splitting rounds that are 12" in diameter & larger, get a 4-way wedge. It's save you a ton of cycles and time.

That's all I can think of right now. Good luck!

 

[t-squared]

Thanks John! They do make an extended table/plate for the engine side that gives you more real estate for logs and is long enough to cover the engine.
https://www.logsplittersdirect.com/YardMax-YUS850/p71249.html

 

[paintman]

We have a hardy outdoor boiler. We split a lot of wood. Luckily my dad is a logger so we bring logs in tree length on log A log truck. Unload with my backhoe and then we split and stack by the boiler. Lots of work but we love the heat. It also heats our water.

 

[rhino400]

While we're on the subject of turning trees into heat, I'd like to pick a few brains. I'm looking at getting a splitter and this one has my eye...https://www.logsplittersdirect.com/YardMax-YU3566-Log-Splitter/p68198.html?icn=PED&icl=product+page
After doing some reading, this is probably a bit oversized for my needs. However, I feel the price increase from a "standardish" 20- 25 ton to this is fairly small.
This one has a Briggs engine so parts, if needed, should be easily sourced.
To help with efficiency, it has what I believe is a fast cycle time compared to others.
After reading some of the reviews the only complaints seemed to be that it has a heavy tongue weight.
I don't think this company offers a 4-way adaptor for the wedge, but I don't know if that's something that most folks use anyway...???
It will be getting used for wood for our fireplace insert and our daughter's "new to them" stove.
Another reason for looking at this size over a smaller one is that we will be splitting... the cost of it with them. It makes it so we can both have one in this higher grade for the cost of a basic one.

Are there any other things I should be considering while shopping for a splitter?

I just bought the half-beam 35-ton Yardmax a couple weeks ago. Same engine as the one you are looking at just slightly more compact frame.
https://www.logsplittersdirect.com/YardMax-YS3567-Log-Splitter/p75324.html
I have used it to split two cords of wood so far and have nothing but good things to say about it. I also bought bigger then I thought I needed and am glad I did. The wood I was splitting was some knotty black walnut and hackberry. It ran through everything with ease. I opted for the half-beam because it puts the controls on top. For my use that felt much more comfortable and also you to operate it from either side.

 

[indyjohn]

Thanks John! They do make an extended table/plate for the engine side that gives you more real estate for logs and is long enough to cover the engine.
https://www.logsplittersdirect.com/YardMax-YUS850/p71249.html

You will really appreciate having that when you're quartering rounds. Just like the picture shows put the 2nd half on the table while you split the 1st half. Without it there's not enough room to keep the 2nd half up on the splitter while you cut the first half, so if you're by yourself the 2nd half goes on the ground forcing you to bend over & pick it up. Remember, it's about minimizing the number of touches.

 

[t-squared]

I just bought the half-beam 35-ton Yardmax a couple weeks ago. Same engine as the one you are looking at just slightly more compact frame.
https://www.logsplittersdirect.com/YardMax-YS3567-Log-Splitter/p75324.html
I have used it to split two cords of wood so far and have nothing but good things to say about it. I also bought bigger then I thought I needed and am glad I did. The wood I was splitting was some knotty black walnut and hackberry. It ran through everything with ease. I opted for the half-beam because it puts the controls on top. For my use that felt much more comfortable and also you to operate it from either side.

Thanks for the reply rhino. The controls being on top is something I never considered.

 

[t-squared]

You will really appreciate having that when you're quartering rounds. Just like the picture shows put the 2nd half on the table while you split the 1st half. Without it there's not enough room to keep the 2nd half up on the splitter while you cut the first half, so if you're by yourself the 2nd half goes on the ground forcing you to bend over & pick it up. Remember, it's about minimizing the number of touches.

 

[indyjohn]

Saturday and Sunday were sunny and dry with decent temps. High winds a week ago gave us new harvesting opportunities.

An 80+ ft tall oak broke in half and the crown wound up in a 25 ft deep ravine. I cut two 5 ft sections and pulled them out for rounding and splitting.

Cleared the work area.

Log one.

Log two.

[video=youtube_share;2EYG9-980BQ]https://youtu.be/2EYG9-980BQ[/video]

On day two we found this mess at a junction of one of the lanes. The tree with no bark had previously fallen across the lane on the right and got hung up on an oak, absolute widowmaker. Thanks to the high wind event a week ago, the barkless tree finished its trip to the ground and brought with it part of that oak.

The OG wanted rounds, so she got rounds.

We pulled 3 loads out. This is hard, dense, heavy, stringy wood. I am guessing the average weight of each round to be 20-50 lbs, making each load easily 700 lbs. This effort netted almost a face cord.

It was a good day.

 

[canebreaker]

Mom remarried and needed someone to oversee his property. I was going through retirement so I had free time. 4 acres and a big garden. They decided to build on it. All the trees behind the old house in a 75X120 ft area were pushed down the hill. A 32X32 music cottage was built, no house before mom died.
A lot of hickory, oak, some gum and elm were pushed away. I posted ads everywhere I could, Yours to cut, load all you want, $10. My sons and I had cut some of the hickory and oak. A month later I get the first and only call. The guy had a truck and a 6X12 trailer. I said load it down and I went to work in the garden. 4 hours later he hands me a $10 and said I got a good load. He had 1 layer of 18" logs on the trailer. I told him to come back for the rest of his load, never did. Most of the gum and elm was hauled to the road for trash to pick up.

 

[indyjohn]

Mom remarried and needed someone to oversee his property. I was going through retirement so I had free time. 4 acres and a big garden. They decided to build on it. All the trees behind the old house in a 75X120 ft area were pushed down the hill. A 32X32 music cottage was built, no house before mom died.
A lot of hickory, oak, some gum and elm were pushed away. I posted ads everywhere I could, Yours to cut, load all you want, $10. My sons and I had cut some of the hickory and oak. A month later I get the first and only call. The guy had a truck and a 6X12 trailer. I said load it down and I went to work in the garden. 4 hours later he hands me a $10 and said I got a good load. He had 1 layer of 18" logs on the trailer. I told him to come back for the rest of his load, never did. Most of the gum and elm was hauled to the road for trash to pick up.

I think people don't want to do the work or don't have the experience and/or tools. A guy down the road from me puts a 4x8 foot stack of firewood at the end of his driveway with a sign that says $60. Half the time I drive by, the frame he puts the wood in is empty. He's been doing this most of the year. The gas station a mile down from him has the same setup, half the time they are empty. People will buy it so long as it is convenient.

The difference is we truly enjoy the activity. It's hard work, no doubt, but we get a lot of reward from it. The OG and I both sit in front of a computer 5 days a week; this is therapy to stay sane and fend off the cabin fever.

 

[fordfarmboy]

Dead ash all over the farm to clean up ,sold 38 Rick this year ,I bring all that the scraps to the house to heat the shop .

 

[csaws]

My dad has a ton of down trees in his woods with a bunch already cut up and stacked. He cannot get anyone to take it. Is there that many people who burn wood still for heat?

We do

 

[bcannon]

Im in the Lafayette area and have a couple piles of wood if anyone wants it. Its what is left of a maple and a willow I had cut down this year. Some is cut small but there is a few larger pieces and would take 2 people to load. Its free for the taking if anyone is interested in it.

 

[tmschuller]

I was able to try the new to me saw out today.. love the power and so far it’s not much heavier than the 029

 

[tmschuller]

Just a fun picture courtesy of woodpeckers.. found this in the woods today

 

[indyjohn]

I was able to try the new to me saw out today.. love the power and so far it’s not much heavier than the 029

Nice. I'd like to get a 441 or 461 with a 32" bar for the bigger stuff we have.

 

[tmschuller]

Nice. I'd like to get a 441 or 461 with a 32" bar for the bigger stuff we have.

yes! I also have a ms460 and prefer to run it.. it took a little to get used to running and let the saw do the work. You can and will cut more wood faster and more efficient. It likes fuel but I always get more wood cut with it.

 

[sheepdog697]

How do you like that side by side?

 

[indyjohn]

How do you like that side by side?

You probably already know it's not the cheapest one on the market. I like it a lot. Bought it from Reynolds in Fishers 4 years ago at their fall sale, it was a demo model with 9.5 hrs on it and nice options like the highback buckets, electric dump bed, skid plates and the front, side & rear bumpers (which I'm very glad I got them). I added the 3500lb Warne winch that will pull that 1800lb machine across the ground with ease.

It has done everything I've asked of it and acted as if it didn't break a sweat. I use it more as a tractor / hauler so it really never gets hotrodded around (except for that one time I let my adult stepson take it out). My neighbor has a 2 mile trail around his property with lots of hills, washouts, mud bogs, off camber turns, etc. When he took me for a tour he asked if the winch worked to which I replied yes. It had no problems with any of it and was fun. Afterwards, my neighbor remarked he was surprised I didn't need that winch anywhere on the trail, I said "Oh! I thought you were asking in case YOU needed pulled out".

It starts every time in any weather, it doesn't leak oil anywhere, and I'm coming up on 100 hours. I've replaced one rear tire because I put an 1-1/2" stick in it, that was $100 (the tire size is proprietary so they are hard to find outside of the dealer). I would buy another one. Is it a better value than a Polaris or Kaw? I grew up around green machinery so you're probably not going to get an objective answer from me on that.

Edit: The roof and windshield are also add on options. I added the spotlights on the roof from Amazon for a lot less than I expected and upgraded the stock lights to LED. It now throws a ton of light.

 

[indyjohn]

The OG and I went out this morning with the intention of finishing a face cord stack. We were there 6 hours and didn't split one single round. Upon arrival, OG saw there were shenanigans afoot near the storage shed.

Well heck. Thank God it got hung up in other trees and saved (so far) the shed.

After talking through the options we elected to empty the shed and attempt to move it out of the way as it wasn't anchored to the ground.

We tried numerous times to pull it down with the winch but it was hung up on a beech and a sassafras.

So I tried, unsuccessfully, to bring down the sassafrass first. I knew it had a ton (literally) of tension on it and to make matters worse I for some reason I can't explain I didn't plunge cut it and yes, it barberchaired. Now the original problem (a white oak, 22" at the base) and the sassafrass are in the air. A really unsafe situation. I can't get to the beech because both trees are hanging over its base.

I decided to cut the oak 15' from the base, hoping that with the winch pulling on it that will cause it to roll off the beech and bring the sassafrass with it. Plunge cut successful but both trees only moved a few feet and were still in the air.


I ended up cutting sections of the oak, moving up the tree. It never came all the way down, the crown is still hung up as is the sassafrass. But on the bright side we pulled out 40' of logs for some premium firewood next year.

I know some of you will tell me what I did wrong, and I'm interested to see what you all would have done differently. As I've stated before the winch is rated at 3500 lbs and the Gator weighs around 1800 lbs wet. It just wasn't enough to pull that oak off the beech.



I cannot think of a more compelling reason to have a modest sized tractor.