[little blue]

We are eagerly awaiting the installation of a MF Rayburn (will at last have working oven, central heating and hot water ... for the first time in longer than I care to say!!)


We have plenty of wood, and built the freecycle shed as a wood store today-


can anyone recommend a simple, decent log splitting machine?


we are torn between a manual foot operated, or a double-handed pushy-pully one (!)


Can't be trusted with an axe, not all that strong, and don't really want to spend out lots, or have an electrical one, as that kind of defeats the object...


thanks
 

[chrismahon]

We bought a hand operated hydraulic wood splitter Little Blue. The type with the two handles. It has a limitation of log length between 330 and 470 mm I think. But the problem is it takes an age to adjust between different lengths, so all the cut wood needs to be at the same length ideally. Very effective machine and pleased we bought it. Slow, but a lot safer and more effective than an axe. Annoyingly, one season in and the seal on the high pressure piston is leaking slightly, so it won't deliver the full 10 tons force. The main seal leaks slightly as well, so it's a good job I bought extra hydraulic oil. It's a Machine Mart item so we can get the spares, although they are terribly expensive in my experience. It's heavy, so you wouldn't want to be dragging it out of the shed every time it's used.


Don't know what a manual food operated one is Little Blue. But we have needed the whole 10 tons force of our splitter on many occasions. We didn't get an electric one for several reasons, one of which was the much lower splitting force of just 4 tons. From our experience that was a good judgement.

[little blue]

that was the other one we looked at, so thanks for the info

the foot ones have, I think lower pressure, so we'll see how we get on
(to be honest, if the fellas can use it but I'm too weak ... then that's one job that won't fall to me!)