Ramsplitter

Ramsplitter builds log splitters in the United States, and the range is unusually broad for a single manufacturer. You can get the same splitting job done four different ways: towable gas machines, 3-point tractor splitters, skid steer attachments and plug-in electric units. That matters because most people already own the power source, and Ramsplitter lets you buy the splitter that runs off what is already in your yard rather than buying another engine.

Start from what will power it. If you own a compact or utility tractor, the 3-point range runs from the 16-ton 3PT16H at $1,350 to the 30-ton 3PT30HV at $2,776, and all of them take a Cat 1 or Cat 2 hitch. If you run a skid steer or mini loader, the SSUD upside-down splitters go from the 16-ton SSUD16 on a Dingo plate up to the 30-ton SSUD30-32. If you have no host machine, the gas towables cover it, from the HV20-3 on a Honda GC160 up to the H34 commercial at $6,275. And if you split near an outlet and want no fuel or fumes, the HV16-4 and HV20-4 electrics run off household power.

A conventional splitter asks you to lift the round onto a beam. An upside-down splitter inverts that: the wedge comes down from above and the round stays on the ground, so you roll it into position instead of lifting it. On big, wet rounds that is the difference between a manageable day and a sore back. The SSUD range covers 16, 20 and 30 tons, and the 30-ton models come in both attached-wedge and sliding-wedge versions with 26-inch or 32-inch capacity.

An H model splits horizontally only. An HV model pivots so the beam stands upright, letting you roll a heavy round against the wedge instead of lifting it onto the beam. On the 3-point line the jump is small, roughly $100 to $200 between the 3PT16H and 3PT16HV or the 3PT30H and 3PT30HV. If you regularly handle rounds over about 18 inches or anything green and heavy, the vertical mode pays for itself in the first season. If you mostly split pre-cut rounds you can lift comfortably, horizontal-only is fine and saves you money.

It depends which machine you pick, and this is where the commercial models separate themselves. The HDFC Heavy Duty Fast Cycle runs a 30-ton ram on an 8-second cycle, and the HD34 does 34 tons on a 14-second cycle. Cycle time matters more than tonnage once you are past about 25 tons, because very little of what you feed a 30-ton machine actually needs 30 tons; what limits your output is how many times an hour the ram can come back. If you are producing firewood to sell, buy on cycle time. If you are heating your own house, tonnage and log capacity matter more.

Yes, on the skid steer line, and the wedges are model-specific rather than universal. The SSUD 4-way wedge fits the SSUD30 and SSUD30-32 at $475, and there is a separate 8-inch main wedge 4-way for the SSUD20 at $195. The SSUD30-6 also ships with a 6-way wedge from the factory. A 4-way turns one pass into four pieces, which roughly halves your handling time on straight-grained wood, though knotty or stringy rounds still split cleaner with a single wedge.

Both Ramsplitter grapples open 55 inches and lift 2,000 pounds. The difference is the mount: one is a universal quick attach for skid steers, the other takes a Cat 1, 2 or 3 tractor hitch. They are the same working end on two different interfaces, so choose by what you are running rather than by capacity. To compare against other brands, the full range is in our grapples collection.