Advantages of an Inverted Wood Splitter
- Trailer style log splitters designed to be towed behind a vehicle are awkward to maneuver. The ideal operating position may be some distance from the source of the firewood. With a front mounted system and a vehicle built for difficult terrain, the inverted splitter can often be brought closer to the felled tree. The compact size of the skid steer--on which an inverted splitter is often mounted--makes accurate positioning much easier.
- Instead of manually lifting bolts of wood onto the splitter, the bolts can be shifted into position with a peavey and the skid steer can position the inverted splitter over the log. Without lifting the log at all, the hydraulic ram splits the wood while it lies on the ground. The height of the splitter can be adjusted from the cab to fit the lay of the log. With the horsepower of a front loader or skid steer behind the hydraulics of the splitter, the rig is capable of fast work.
- Inverted splitters remove many of the dangers associated with splitting firewood. By eliminating the heaviest lifting, this style of splitter reduces the risk of back injury and overexertion. With many standard splitters the log sits on a narrow V-rail and falls to either side when split cleanly. Operators stand beside the machine to work the controls and must find a safe position. Because the operator of an inverted horizontal splitter works from the cab of the machine there is no chance of injury if a piece falls in a wrong direction.
- The manual labor still required for standard vertical and horizontal splitters results in many extra hours of hard work. Though that may not be critical for some homeowners, in a commercial setting that reduces profit. Many farms and small businesses already own front loaders; fitting an inverted splitter to one increases the utility of that machine and cuts labor hours.
- While it may not be cost effective unless you already own the equipment needed, the inverted horizontal log splitter is one of the fastest and most efficient hydraulic splitting systems available. This approach greatly reduces the risk of physical injuries when splitting firewood. The worst of the manual labor is replaced by machine operation, and the operator works from the safest position possible.