New Addition to the Shed

[shallowwatersailor 3,216]

Helping the economy on Small Business Saturday and finally able to convince my wife with the cost of fuel these days, I bought a log splitter today. Partial to the Midwest (plus USA made) and having had good luck with my Ariens snow blower, I was looking at the Ariens version due to design. What I bought at my local M-F tractor dealer was a RED Gravely 27 Ton version. Believe me - it is red! Gravely has standard the cradle and table which are must-haves in my opinion. I worked it about three hours today and so far so good. It is a nice medium-priced unit with plenty of power. I do like the Subaru Robin engine as it is quieter than the B&S Intek and uses a chain for the OHC as opposed to a belt on the Honda GC.

Two choices of tow vehicles that both display Wheel Horse. On my C-105 I'm using Scott Moreau's hitch that I got last year which works great! It's also Stormy Kromer weather again!

[AMC RULES 37,232]

Nice looking addition John, with the price of fuel oil these days, should pay for itself in no time at all.

[KC9KAS 4,744]

A Nice splitter...

2 buddies and myself built a splitter back in 1978.....It was un-stoppable!

[midnight rambler 36]

matches the tractor perfectly.

[rydogg 186]

Looks like a very well built splitter that should last a long time, you did good getting the Subaru Robin instead of the Briggs they are a far better engine. I have a "semi-vintage" splitter I think it is at least 25 years old I remember using it as a kid when I went to visit my cousin my uncle quit selling wood a couple years ago and gave it to me it runs off the PTO of the tractor and uses a Ford manual transmission so you can get good pump speed without running the tractor over idle speed. My son likes to run the controls here is a picture from a couple years ago.

[Tankman 3,523]

Looks great Sailor!

Does the ram move to the vertical position? Used horizontal but, large logs get tiring in short order. Too much lifting 'n bending for this retired Jarhead nowadays.

Nice match your Horse 'n Splitter. Hitch looks great, exactly at the right height.

[shallowwatersailor 3,216]

That looks great, rydogg. Ideally a splitter run off the PTO is the way to go. That is one less engine to maintain.

I've got a LOT of firewood thanks to the derecho this past summer, and now Sandy. I've got all of this plus two trees on the other side of the house as well to harvest. Nothing has hit the house - Knock On Wood! My carport has been hit twice though. The nice thing is that whatever is unusable can return to the earth without the need to haul it away.

I may need to look at adding a stove to the house. Of course with that comes the need for more toys!

[welderman85 53]

nice spliter i have been thinking of getting one myself.

[Wheel-N-It 2,976]

Yes that sure is a nice piece of equipment you have there! I will probably be in the market for one in about five or six years. For now I'm still splitting wood the old fashioned way, by hand :)

[Jake Kuhn 1,581]

nice splitter! Looks like the horse does a great job of pulling it too! :)

[shallowwatersailor 3,216]

The splitting head is designed to first split and then spread the log so it is more efficient. I also liked that the engine was far forward so I wouldn't be sucking the exhaust, and no split logs would be falling on it. Strangely enough the reviewers commented on the travel time being slow but it manages to keep up with my lifting speed though. Yes, the ram does flip up vertically. That was one reason that I needed the splitter. I have some 30" diameter oak that has been waiting to be split. The trouble is I now have two trees that fell in the way to get the splitter in there. The 518xi is still setup for the Cyclone rake on leaf patrol so I will need to use the Johnny Bucket on the 312A to help get the trees out of the way.

The C-105 has been a lot of fun this year cutting the grass. I finally took the mower off yesterday so I could go dump the spoils from splitting. It probably gets worked the most!

[Ken B 3,202]

That is a very nice splitter you have there! I picked this one up via a trade from another member here on Redsquare. After welding closed a few pin holes in the cylinder it has been trouble free. I've split at least 12 cords with it thus far. I'd say its about a 15 ton or so, I've put some pretty big stuff on it and it has split all of it. I had it up to the Ponderosa this weekend (Stevebo's) and we split about a cord and a half with it. We split some apple wood and I believe that was the toughest wood it has split so far. I usually back it up onto a set of car ramps and prop the front up with a jack stand, much easier on the back! I'm always on the hunt for something newer like the one you just scored.