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how much time to split a cord of firewood?

Started by davidlarson, May 21, 2011, 08:13:19 PM

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tyb525

For those of you with a single-wedge hydraulic splitter, what kind of ram return time do you have in seconds? I haven't timed mine, but it seems like I spend half my time waiting on the return, and I could split a lot faster if it returned faster.
LT10G10, Stihl 038 Magnum, many woodworking tools. Currently a farm service applicator, trying to find time to saw!

WH_Conley

Can't remember for sure, I think it about 15-17 seconds. 35 ton splitter, seldom kicks down in the second stage.
Bill

Al_Smith

Mine is a home made rig with a 5 inch cylinder and 16 gal per minute pump .It cycles at the same speed as my buddy's with a 4 inch cylinder .Never timed it but no matter if it were any faster it would just wear me out quicker .

Oh I've heard them say they can outrun a spliiter with an axe . Maybe so but try outlasting one for more than 15 minutes . ;D

tyb525

Mine's an old Didier, I believe an 8hp, 16GPM, 5" cylinder, 30 ton.
LT10G10, Stihl 038 Magnum, many woodworking tools. Currently a farm service applicator, trying to find time to saw!

Al_Smith

Tonnage ratings are highly exagerated .The only one I know who puts out accurate  ratings is Timber wolf .Sure with a 5 inch and 3000 PSI it could do that much but most likeley unless the pump settings were altered and the relief set way high ,22-24 tons would be more accurate .--Not a bad thing because unless you cut it sideways 22 tons will clip about anything but a steel I beam .

tyb525

It makes no difference to me what the actual tonnage is, as long as it splits everything I put on there, which it does ;D
LT10G10, Stihl 038 Magnum, many woodworking tools. Currently a farm service applicator, trying to find time to saw!

Al_Smith

Timely perhaps .Day before yesterday myself and  helper split and stacked just a tad shy of two cords of red oak .The wood was already cut ,between 16 and 30 inch rounds for the most part .The stack was only about twenty feet from the splitter .It was 94 degrees out so we hit it a lick and rested a spell .

Now keep in mind I'm 63 years old but never the less we had about 3 1/2 -4 hours in it .

Dean186

Quote from: Al_Smith on June 10, 2011, 07:43:30 PM
Timely perhaps .Day before yesterday myself and  helper split and stacked just a tad shy of two cords of red oak .The wood was already cut ,between 16 and 30 inch rounds for the most part .The stack was only about twenty feet from the splitter .It was 94 degrees out so we hit it a lick and rested a spell .

Now keep in mind I'm 63 years old but never the less we had about 3 1/2 -4 hours in it .

Those numbers sound about right to me, especially in 94 degree heat.   I find the stacking to be the slower part of the splitting and stacking operation.

Al_Smith

To further add to this thing ,just recently I had to remove an ash tree at my wifes rental .A double about 65 feet high in a back yard  done in by EAB .

Due to lack of room I had to disassemble one half of that double prior to falling but was able to gun the other half through a 15 foot gate opening .Ha,I can still climb but aren't nearly as fast as I once was .Although most of my bod thinks it 30 years old my knees remind me it's twice that . :D

Time consuming not like tossing a dead one in the woods .It had just a tad shy of a cord but still took 3 hours the time it was brushed out and sliced and diced .

Just pointing out it makes a lot of difference time wise where the wood comes from .

davidlarson

Progress report related to my original question -

I'm learning (by doing) how to retrieve wood from the forest.  In my woods are numerous dead red and white oak trees - I think from lightning or oak wilt or sudden oak death.  Some are still standing and some are down, and I've been cutting them into splittable 18" rounds, which are then transported to my shop using a Kubota RTV 900, and then split with my new hydraulic splitter, and then stacked in my pickup truck to deliver to the people who bought the wood at the auction.  I have been learning how to use the chainsaw, RTV 900, and splitter, and have of course had to clear a trail through the woods to where the dead trees are, and I'm learning as a beginner to do all of these jobs, including periodic sharpening of  the saw.  It all goes somewhat slowly, and has taken me about 8 hours from clearing a way to the dead trees to actually filling the truck with split wood, and so far I've gotten about 3/5 of a true cord.  Probably many FF members can do this more quickly than I, but I sense a real learning curve, and I think I'm getting more efficient and effective as I progress.  Anyway, I'm having fun in the forest, for a good cause, and I appreciate all of the comments submitted.

Thanks - David L. 

clww

Most green oak, 12" to 18" diameter, not too many knots, I can split a cord per hour with my Huskee 28 Ton splitter. The return time on it is 14 seconds.
Many Stihl Saws-16"-60"
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stumper

David, What diameter is the wood? 

I ask this because if you have a road sufficent to get a RTV you could haul the splitter into the woods.  This could be worth it to me if the wood was of a large diameter.  I have ruptured a disk in the past and find way to avoid lifting large rounds.  Bringing the splitter to the wood and cutting a couple of branches to serve as a ramp to roll the wood up onto the splitter would allow me to lift smaller wood and save me some pain.

Al_Smith

Besides ease of spilitting you also leave all that bark in the woods if you take the splitter to the work . Fact is I have so much bark piled up I'm going to have to haul it out with a skid loader .Then again in the location the machine is at it's probabley split 50 cords .Getting to be a mess though .

davidlarson

Stumper -

You're quite right about the advisability of bringing the splitter into the woods if I were cutting very big trees.  The machine is even designed to be able to split very large rounds vertically, so one doesn't have to do any "heavy lifting" at all.  So far, as a beginning firewood processor, I've been only cutting trees 10-12" diameter or less, which my 71-year-old back can manage, but as my skills increase, I'll need to bring the splitter to where the bigger tree pieces lie.  Thanks for the suggestion.

I've also enjoyed learning about the different species of trees in the woods.  I can identify sourwood, eastern white pine, pitch pine, red oak and white oak (Indians and white men), black locust, dogwood, beech, sweet birch, tulip tree, sugar maple among others.

David L.

shelbycharger400

I agree with al_smith
out of the several cords here,   i have 3 piles out back.   one mostly pole wood 10 ft long rows 6 ft high, 3 rows left in it,  and 2 other piles 15 ft long, 6 ft high, one has 7 rows , other has 5 rows ..    and a full cord of pine i sold in the spring.,  now workin on bout a 1/4 cord pine split.    i brought mostly logs home and processed them here, some was cut on site where the logs were before. I have done a combination of burning, and hauling of saw dust and bark.  It adds up REAL QUICK!      I find myself using a 3 in mason chissel to pop off bark whenever i can on the bigger stuff im savin for saw logs. .   

scottyblue

Quote from: Tom on May 30, 2011, 12:57:44 PM
I split a cord of wood a few times.  Being more into pacing my efforts than killing myself, I guess I'll have to say that I probably average a cord every fifteen or twenty years.  Yes sir, I've come to understand that working smart is a lot more amenable to a pleasant life.  Did you know that a two thousand foot home can be heated and cooled just be flipping that little switch in the hallway?   Ever since I found that tool, I've become a lot more intimately acquainted with a glass of sweet tea and the porch.  :)

Sheesh!  some of you guys take yourselves too seriously.  :D :D

I guess practicality comes with age eh? :D
Scotty

Al_Smith

Well on that I wouldn't even fool with the stuff except I come by it easily .

If I had to travel all over hill and dale just to scrounge up a truck load or two I'd give it up .Then again besides what I cut on my own I have two tree service companies that would give me all I wanted ,freebe .When you add all that up it would be foolish of me not to burn the stuff .

If I stayed on it steady  in about 5-6 days I'd have it done for the year ,so that isn't a big deal .

Bandmill Bandit

Quote from: Al_Smith on June 19, 2011, 06:59:35 PM
Well on that I wouldn't even fool with the stuff except I come by it easily .

If I had to travel all over hill and dale just to scrounge up a truck load or two I'd give it up .Then again besides what I cut on my own I have two tree service companies that would give me all I wanted ,freebe .When you add all that up it would be foolish of me not to burn the stuff .

If I stayed on it steady  in about 5-6 days I'd have it done for the year ,so that isn't a big deal .

And the exercise will allow you to enjoy the porch and sweet tea for  a few years longer. Nothing more satisfying or rewarding then knowing you just finished a "job well done" with that sweet tea in hand as you sit on the old rocker on the porch. Good for the heart in more ways then one.
Skilled Master Sawyer. "Skilled labour don't come cheap. Cheap labour dont come skilled!
2018 F150 FX4, Husqvarna 340, 2 Logright 36 inch cant hooks and a bunch of stuff I built myself

Al_Smith

 :D Well yes a nice glass of iced tea goes good but Budwieser seems to go better .

The last week -10 days I've been acting like teenaged Paul Bunyan with all the dead ash trees .Getten-er-done but it seems my old bod is telling me I'm not a kid any more .

Most of the small stuff is done .I'll get to the hundred footers maybe 4th of July week .Those have salvagable saw logs in them .I'll have to get my old dozer fired up to drag those out .I don't think my old Fergueson can quite do it .Kind of hard to steer with the front tires 2 feet in the air trying to drag a 16 foot by 30 inch log  . ;D In addition those large trees will give me a chance to run my 100 plus cc saws of which I seldom find the need for .

stumper

I never take my big saw (husky 3120) in the woods.  It is just too heavy and there is not enough added power to justify the added weight.  In fact for a 30 inch tree I would likely not even bother with the Husky 394.  I would probably just put a 24 inch bar on one of my 372's and leave the second with the normal bar for limbing.  Save your big saws for the big wood and save your back in the process.

Al_Smith

Periodically you have to run them to keep the cobwebs out . If you don't you end up rebuilding the carbs more often .I doubt seriously though if I put more than two hours total on a large saw per year  or rather on all combined .

stumper

If you have troubles running the big saws enough you are welcome to come up my way and lower some stumps for me :D

Every once in a while I get a job cutting up a very large diameter tree (4 to 6 feet in diameter).  It is kinda fun giving the big saw a real work out.  However, I would not want to lug the big boys very far or very often.

Al_Smith

Well the novelty does kind of wear off after a while .It's still nice to have a Clydsdale in the bull pen if you need it . Then too that's one reason large saws last forever,they don't get used that much . ;)

Firewoodtroll-

Hello all,
    Last week had 20 pulp cord delivered on 7-11-11, all cut into 18-20 in. blocks-about 18 hrs using 2 saws- Husky 372XP
      and a 357 XP-gas them both up run till empty -take a 15 min.break and back to making firewood-has taken 5 days,about
    30 hrs to split-just chucked into a pile-I will leave it till Sept.then stacked in the wood garage-We use about 18 face cords a
    heating season-Iam 57 -and the age is showing,20 yrs ago I used to get wood lots 50 pulp cord -have it all felled/brush
    small tops-not using -area cleaned up-Split with a maul-2-1/2 weeks-What a job ! then hauled back home stacked-1 week
    I did have my son help stack-with me-also at the time I was cutting in Red Pine plantations-cut to 102 in.-pile them yourself-
       This was select cutting-12-20 dia. at the stump-easy going-cut every-other one-clear cuts-In pine can get really tangled at
    times in Jack Pines-if your a Novice-I now only make firewood for my home. :)

                  Paul
   
Those That Perfer Safety OVER FREEDOM Deserve Neither.

             Ben Franklin

Al_Smith

During the late 70's early 80's two things happened .One the price of home heating oil and natural gas took a big price jump .Two it seemed the price of farm land did too .

As a result there was a resurgence of wood burning plus a lot of small wood lots fell to the mighty D8 Caterpillar .

During that period of time I saw an opprotunity and sold firewood .I could back up to a bull dozed wind row and fill a 3/4 ton Ford in an hour which is about a half cord when split .By the time I had it split with an axe and delivered to the customer I had about 3-4 hours in it or about a cord a day if I cut split and delivered . Not a record but it paid nearly as well as working my regular job .

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