Electric log splitter

[doctorb]

Since I now heat with wood, I needed a log splitter.  For lots of reasons, some good and some bad, I purchased an electric log splitter from a company named Ramsplitter.  While I had a few service issues, this machine has worked great for me.  It has 16 ton power and has split all the wood I needed for this year's winter  (All oak and locust, with some 18" to 20" rounds.).  It's quiet and almost maintenance free.

I hesitated to post this topic because so many FF members are so very experienced with logging, lumber, and forestry, and I assumed they would just chuckle at the thought of an electric log splitter.  For those of us who are residential and don't have a history in the business, this splitter is a viable option.  I have noticed that there are other electric splitters on the market, but they do not have it's power rating. I am interested in the thoughts of the Forum and any others who have had similar experience.  (Note:  I get no benefit from the sale of this device!)  Video link below.   Doctorb

[doctorb]

Video links for Ramsplitter electric log splitter


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ru4rCDldwg8

[Gary_C]

I hesitated to post this topic because so many FF members are so very experienced with logging, lumber, and forestry, and I assumed they would just chuckle at the thought of an electric log splitter.  

You can get a demo on youtube, if your interested.  I'll find the link and post it.

You shouldn't feel that way just because some of us have testosterone poisioning and think we have to have a 100 HP splitter that will split logs crossways if needed.  :D :D

I have seen some electric splitters and if they do the job, that's all that matters. I would just like to find a good cheap one that will pick up the piece and split it and then stack the wood for me. But so far, no luck.    

[Norm]

I think they are a great idea. One more crappy gas engine to maintain is not my idea of fun unless it's absolutely necessary.

Heck I have an electric chainsaw that I almost use more than my 372xp, and would if I could get longer drop cords.  :D

[Ron Scott]

It does the job; just haven't seen one that size at 16 tons.

[Holmes]

Nice post. I had not given much thought to an electric splitter, your post shows it as a viable option

[Buck]

I have seriously given thought to changing my gas powered multitech to electric. I am sick of working on dang gas motors.  If anyone has experience with this  going the single phase route i would like to hear about it.  I would be replacing 25 hp Kohler.

[Bill Gaiche]

Nothing wrong at all with the splitter. It works for you and thats all that matters. You might consider adding some wings along side where you place the wood to catch the split pieces that want to fall on the floor. Keeps from bending down and picking up all those pieces. I guess that I am just lazy though. Good luck and thanks for the vidio. bg

[doctorb]

Bill-

The wings are a good idea.  The logs tend to fall and bounce off the tires.  I wonder how much of that the tires can take.  The wings would also protect them as well.

They make a slightly cheaper unit that does not have the vertical option.  It can be seen in a separate youtube video, if you are interested.  It's lower to the ground and, as every person who works a splitter knows, that means more  bending.

[LeeB]

What kind of price tag does this litle puppy come with?

[Buck]

Doc, wasnt trying to hijack your thread there, just let my thoughts run wild.  I have always thought electric was the way to go.  Especially if you are using in a stationary location.  I have a splitter similar but gas powered that works both vertical and horizontal.  I have allready beat the fenders off and now bounce the tires and have come close to the motor several times.  Wings would be the way to go.

[doctorb]

My recollection is $1034 through Amazon.  Ramsplitter ships it free.  As this was the first log splitter I have ever purchased, I would be interested if you think that price is outrageous, too high, a little inflated, or as you would have expected.  

Once delivered, you have to atttach the wheels and add about 4 gallons of automatic transmission fluid and you are good to go.  Prettty easy to wheel around on relatively flat surfaces.  You also need a "heavy duty" extension cord.  The smaller diameter extension cords have too much resistance and can cause your circuit breaker to blow.  Found that out the hard way.  They also make a 220 volt model to avoid overload, but I don't have a 220 line in my barn.  

[pineywoods]

Looks to be pretty much the same as the smaller gas powered splitters, just a different motor to drive the pump. Price is in the ball park. I paid about the same for a gas powered one. Not only do you need a good heavy extension cord, the outlet it's plugged into should have heavier than normal wiring back to the service panel. I hope you have learned to stand it up to the vertical position and sit on a log to run it. Lifting big chunks of wood sooner or later can mess up your back..

[doctorb]

Piney-

I am still debating whether the vertical position is better.  Certainly it is for very large rounds.  But for the ones I can lift, I still like the horizontal mode.  Bending over and wrestling with a large round on the ground, trying to position it on the splitter's plate, is as bad, IMO, as just picking it up once.  I have been thinking that I should be standing in a trench to split wood so that my back doesn't wear out. :D  Oh, and you are right about the electric outlet / wiring / curcuit breaker requirements.

I was in HD yesterday and saw a much smaller electric splitter on display.  I didn't peruse it much, but it certainly would not have been able to split some of the rounds that I split this summer.  Doctorb

[MudBud]

Doctor, years ago I inherited...ok just never gave it back....a Super Split log splitter from the late 70's.  It had a gas engine on it and we converted it to an electric motor that does wonders.  Also this is a rack-n-pinion system so no hydraulic fluid at all.  The split time is about 6 seconds from the time it is actuated until its ready to go again.  They still claim to be able to split a cord of wood in an hour...I would agree.  I just need to hire someone to pick up the pieces I leave behind.

[Brucer]

I recently purchased a much smaller 4 ton electric splitter (I believe rebocardo has mentioned them favourably before).

Since starting my sawing business I just don't have time to get the wood in, so I now burn slabs almost exclusively. These burn great as-is, but many of them are a little too wide, so I need to split them. The problem is trying to balance a 2" slab on a chopping block. So after some research, I decided to try one of the little electric units. It works like a charm.

This machine has a 1-3/4 HP motor, which is a weird size, but just happens to draw exactly 12 amps at 110 volts. That means you can plug it into a standard 15 amp outlet, with up to 30' of extension cord.

These are very simple machines: A single acting valve that you depress with one hand, and a push button that you push with the other hand to run the motor. When you release either the valve or pushbutton, a large internal spring drives the piston back.

The units are strictly meant for horizontal use. As sold, they are much too low for comfortable use. In fact the manual suggests placing them on a sturdy 24" high table. At 95 pounds, a couple of people can easily lift one into place. The splitter has a pair of light duty wheels, but these are only meant for maneuvering on a smooth surface.

The manual claims you can split up to 10" diameter x 20" long logs with this machine. I had a couple of 26" rounds of Douglas-Fir that I had quartered in the spring, so I had a go a splitting some of these -- no problem!

These aren't production machines but if you recognize their limitations (and can live with them), they do an excellent job. Barb is already talking about stacking all the slabs as they come, and putting the splitter near the door so we can split the slabs only as needed.

Price? Regular price is $400 CDN but I bought it on sale at $199 ;D.

[Magicman]

doctorb, I see nothing at all wrong with your splitter.  It seems to fit your need perfectly.

I may need to mail you a pair of gloves though.  Even if you don't need to protect your hands for doctoring, you need to do it for typing on the Forestry Forum.   

[doctorb]

Magic-

The guy in the video is Doug (I think), who works for, or maybe is...Ramsplitter.  Due to some minor assembly issues, I had to talk to him on several occasions to get things right.  His voice on the video sounds like his voice over the phone.  Yes, I thought it odd that he didn't use gloves in the clip.

My wife can tell you that I can get upset at things from time to time, but nothing, nothing gets me more upset than foolishly injuring my hands because of laziness or recklessness.  I think, like many people,  I get most upset when I am upset at myself. There's no one else to blame it on....Doctorb

[Magicman]

 

For someone that is always looking out for everyone else's safety, I don't seem to take very good care of myself.  I do always wear full safety gear when sawing on the mill.

I'm glad to know that the guy, not wearing gloves in the video, is not you.   ;)

[Paul_H]

I'd like to see the gloves that would prevent injury on a splitter.
My friend Frank Louis lost his finger to a crushing injury at work a few years ago.I tried to get him to remove his glove but he held his hand to his chest and said "it's gone,I heard the bone crunching".
Sure enough when we got to the clinic,the bone was powder and his finger was laid open like a sardine and the glove was stuffed in there too.He told the doc to cut the finger off and the doc was in agreement but workers comp said they had to try to save it.With in a few days it was removed.
While we waited for the Dr to arrive,the nurse began to cut off the glove and she jumped when she got to another finger and realised it was missing too.(old injury).She removed the whole glove except the part that was stuck in the crushed finger.

When the doc got there he looked at the finger,which was crushed the whole length and asked if he was wearing gloves when it happend.
The nurse deadpanned "no, we just thought it would be a good idea to wrap the finger with a dirty chunk of cotton til you got here" :D

[Magicman]

I had a friend splitting firewood in my back yard after Katrina.  Bad things happen.  When he got back from the hospital emergency room, we turned his glove inside out and sure enough, there was the remainder of his crushed finger.

He just can't point as far as he once could because his finger is missing a joint.  He also only has to cut 9 fingernails.

Certainly gloves will not prevent crushing injuries, but they will prevent splinters, some bruises, etc.  Just because they will not prevent all injuries does not mean that they will not prevent or lessen some injuries.

[tyb525]

I have had several minor injuries due to wearing gloves. One of them required stitches, the side of my hand was cut open by the edge of a bowl I was turning. A splinter caught my glove which pulled my hand in. Another one, I was using the tablesaw, and an angle jig, when my pushing hand slipped. The tip of the glove on my thumb caught the blade, which pulled my thumb into the blade, cutting a good chunk of meat off. There was no skin to stitch, but luckily it healed okay.

Gloves are good for preventing splinters and such (and keeping your hands warm), but it when working with equipment it seems like the good doesn't outweigh the bad by much.

An electric splitter sounds like a good idea, especially when you consider that you don't have a gas engine roaring away the whole time you are splitting- a bit quieter.

[doctorb]

Just read through a thread on electric chainsaws (Oct, 2010), and I noticed that John Mc also has a 16 ton electric log splitter.  I'll wager that we have the same model.  I'll send him a PM for comment on the splitter, just to get another user's opinion.

[John Mc]

Yes, I have a 16 ton Ramsplitter electric.

I bought it thinking I would do most of my splitting right behind the garage. So the idea of a nice quiet electric motor humming along, rather than yet another gas engine to maintain was attractive to me. I do some splitting there, but have since found that most of my splitting ends up being done out in the woods, closer to where I dropped the trees. I bring along a portable generator when working in the woods. It's a bit more hassle than a gas engine on those situations, but I've usually got my tractor along, so it's not that big a deal. I can also locate the generator a bit away from the splitting action, so a normal conversation is still possible when splitting. It makes it much easier to keep an eye (or ear) on the kids while I'm splitting.

The company that makes this splitter (check out http://www.ramsplitter.com) also sells gas engine splitters. THe splitters are identical except for the motor. Their 16 ton gas model comes with a 5 HP Honda engine. My 16 ton electric has a 2.0 HP electric motor. I've noticed that since then, they dropped the motor size for the 16 ton electric to 1.5 HP. I'm not sure if this changed the splitting power or speed much (the design of the windings in an electric motor can affect torque available).

I went with the 16 ton because it was the biggest available at the time that would run off more or less standard 110 VAC. I run mine of the standard wiring in my garage, which has 20 amp breakers. I was told that if you are set up with 15 Amp breakers, you'll pop them from time to time. I've never popped a breaker. I do have 220 in my garage, but wanted the greater portability that 110 volt would give me. I can plug it in just about anywhere.

This is a much beefier splitter than the 4 or 6 ton electric splitters that a some places sell. It has a 2 stage pump, and if I recall correctly, a 12 second cycle time.

I was a bit concerned about the 16 ton rating being a bit on the small side, but I've had no problems with it. I was just out Friday splitting Beech, Maple and Birch in diameters ranging from 6" up to 22". No troubles. For my needs (personal firewood splitting, and working with a small landowner cooperative), it works well. I still do drool over my friend's Timberwolf. If I were doing higher volumes, I'd probably own something like that, but this is working fine for me.

I'll detail a couple of minor changes I made to it in a separate post.

John Mc

[John Mc]

A couple of thoughts on my Ramsplitter HV16 electric splitter:

I did have some problems initially with the splitter wanting to stall out when splitting. Sharpening the wedge helped some, as did grinding down some of the large weld bead where the wedge met the table it's welded to.

I still had a problem on larger logs. Since this runs either Horizontal or Vertical, the wedge moves, and the flat plate is stationary. The wedge is welded to a base plate, which in turn is bolted to a piece which retains it on the beam and allows it to slide. The bolts were just regular galvanized hex head bolts. On larger logs, these would hang up on the log, robbing the splitter of some of it's power. I pulled these bolts, had the base plate countersunk, and replaced them with a bolt-head style that sits flush with the base plate. It made a huge difference. Here's a picture with one of the old bolts still in place:





You can also see where I ground the weld bead a bit to reshape it.

I did not order the log cradles, which in retrospect would have been a good idea. I'll add some when I get around to it. I'd like to make them fold down for when I don't need them... I haven't thought about how to do that yet.

Ramsplitter's optional cradle looks like this (photo from Ramsplitter on one of their gas engine splitters):





This does not interfere with the ability to pivot the splitter to use it in the vertical position (a picture of it in that position is in my gallery).

I did add the high speed tires and the 2" coupler option, since I wanted to be able to easily tow it behind my vehicle. The fender option might have been nice, but it hasn't been an issue for me up to now for towing (I mostly tow short distances). It would protect my tires from falling wood, but when I add the cradle that should take care of that anyway.

John Mc