OT Good age to run a log splitter?

My wife and I were talking about the proper age of our son to run a log splitter. Not by himself of course. I have found that splitting wood goes fastest with 2 guys. Usually my elderly dad stands there and works the valve on the splitter while I load and unload. The timing usually is such that as the splitting of one log/stoke of the cylinder takes place, I can pick up another log and load it once the cylinder starts to retract. With one person this really slows down the works. Problem now is my dads laid up and barly can walk and has to have knee surgery and is out for 6 weeks. I was thinking with the proper hearing protection safety glasses and training on the "do's and don'ts" a younger person (8 year old boy) could handle the valve operation. Thoughts?? Experiences? My wife thinks its too dangerous and would not keep him interested very long. She may be right?? I wouldnt want anyone hurt either.
 
Bad things can happen to anyone at any age with running a log splitter. I have my 8 year old son run the valve on my splitter. I say go for it.
 
I have had my kids do it at around that age. Now that they are older, they speak somewhat fondly of being able to help. That being said, I made darn sure my hand wasn't between the wedge and the wood in case they weren't paying attention!
 
Hello Fred from MO,

The sense of self worth is proceless! He will be so happy and glade he can help. I'm sure you will guide him. Having the proper protection will drive the point of safety more then words.
Don't forget the gloves. GO ahead and make some fire wood. Be safe and go make life lasting memories............. they are priceless as well!
Guido.
 
depends on the child--some are good with mechanical things and some never have that knack. Had my grandson operate the valve at 6 years old and never had a mishap.Would worry more now if my son in law was operating the valve!!
 
I'm usually working alone. I've found that having my trailer loaded with log sections ready to split, I can pull the splitter up next to the back of the trailer and not lose time going for another piece. The trailer also serves as a platform to keep large sections from falling back to the ground. As the trailer empties I use a garden hoe to pull/roll pieces within reach. It's also helpful to have a second trailer to toss the split pieces on rather than dropping them on the ground.
 
Found a picture of splitter behind trailer as I was trying to describe.
a97292.jpg
 
My son was 5 & very proud to help his father. Still have to watch closely!
Only you can be the judge, all kids are different, some more developed (listen well). Others even when full grown aren't capable!
jerrwoodsplit9.jpg
 
So the wife says the son is too young, grandpa too laid up, so what is she doing Saturday afternoon, SHOE SHOPPING. I don't think so if she wants heat in the house let her run the valve.
 
I would say he should be old enough. When he starts, don"t go any faster than you would by yourself. When my sister whas 13, I was 10, and my brother was 8, we ran one end of the post peeler and Dad ran the other end. It was supposed to be a two man job. That peeler would cause OSHA to go berzerk. We never got hurt at all. We hated the noise, dust, wind, heat, cold, rain, sun,....... which we endured.
 
My seven year old daughter likes to help. The boy was pretty useful at around 8, and much more so now (at 14)--he can stack and enjoys moving the big ones. I split a pile w/out his help this fall and I got less than half as much done.

Make sure everybody wears hearing protection as mentioned, and keep a good eye on the kid. All kids aren"t the same at that age, and you know your kid better than we do, so you should make the call (yes, I would trust my 7 year old more than my 14 year old in many situations--the boys mind tends to drift and he seems to think he"s bulletproof).
 
(quoted from post at 17:09:56 01/18/13) I would say only let him stack the wood, it only takes one time of an accident and it is permanant.

No way.

Hey Wile E, no offense, but if you want to reply use your name. I had my kids helping run the splitter at that age and have had no issues. Another year or two and good luck getting the kids to help.

I had more dangerous jobs as a kid then the kids do now.
 
It ALL depends on the KID! With that said.....I was helping in the wood at probably about 4. I was mowing the yard on a rider mower at age 5. At age 8 i bought my first tractor (allis D17) At 12, dad bought me my first chainsaw for christmas. At age 14 I had rented hay ground (15 acres) and was farming it my own (traded labor to grandpa for equipment.....he got the better end of that deal). after highschool did a electrical apprenticeship at age 21 got married, and at 22 started my own electrical contracting company. at age 23, I earned my State of Ohio Master Electricians license (electrical contracto license) Now my brother who is today 25, I would be scared to let drive my tractor, or be in the same county as him with a chainsaw.....like I said.....depends on the kid! There is no substitute for hard work and hands on work thought....if YOU think HE/SHE is up to it.....GO FOR IT!
 
Kid running the valve, and you loading the wood, is just about ideal- you can watch what he is doing with the valve, and keep yourself safe, while giving him some guidance on how it all works. If the jobs were reversed, you can't stop him from putting a piece in at the wrong time, but you can stop yourself.
 
Hello Playing it safe AKA Wile E,

Whats up with the handle? You should know that you can't hide!
Like Dalet said
Guido.
 
(quoted from post at 14:11:58 01/18/13) My wife and I were talking about the proper age of our son to run a log splitter. Not by himself of course. I have found that splitting wood goes fastest with 2 guys. Usually my elderly dad stands there and works the valve on the splitter while I load and unload. The timing usually is such that as the splitting of one log/stoke of the cylinder takes place, I can pick up another log and load it once the cylinder starts to retract. With one person this really slows down the works. Problem now is my dads laid up and barly can walk and has to have knee surgery and is out for 6 weeks. I was thinking with the proper hearing protection safety glasses and training on the "do's and don'ts" a younger person (8 year old boy) could handle the valve operation. Thoughts?? Experiences? My wife thinks its too dangerous and would not keep him interested very long. She may be right?? I wouldnt want anyone hurt either.

I'd listen to the wife. If you don't and the kid gets hurt, you will never, ever, be fogiven. Not worth it.
 
Go for it- My nephew runs the valve for my brother and he just turned 8 a month ago today.

Heck, I was running tractors hauling manure & raking hay when I was 7.

Donovan from Wisconsin
 
Fred age does not matter it is how mature he or she is. I have seen people that where in there 30s that where not mature enough to be safe running a machine but then also seen ids at 8 who you could let go on a tractor out in a field and be just fine all day
 
(quoted from post at 18:35:05 01/18/13) Fred age does not matter it is how mature he or she is. I have seen people that where in there 30s that where not mature enough to be safe running a machine but then also seen ids at 8 who you could let go on a tractor out in a field and be just fine all day

Let her run it until she thinks the boy can.
 
(quoted from post at 20:58:16 01/18/13)
(quoted from post at 18:35:05 01/18/13) Fred age does not matter it is how mature he or she is. I have seen people that where in there 30s that where not mature enough to be safe running a machine but then also seen ids at 8 who you could let go on a tractor out in a field and be just fine all day

Let her run it until she thinks the boy can.

That would be too easy.. 10 minutes or so..
 
If he's anything like the kid running the loader in China, he should have been helping you 2 years ago! LoL I think as long as he doesn't do anything until you tell him might be OK. Regardless, there's always potential for mishaps and sometimes they are bad.
 
I agree. Not worth the guilt and "I told you so" from your wife if something went amiss.

A splitter is too dangerous to fool around with.

The proper term escapes me at the moment, but the valve on my splitter works where on the return stroke you just hit the lever and don't have to hold it. The lever kicks out at the end of the return stroke. The few seconds it takes the cylinder to retract is enough time to grab another piece of wood and put it in place.
 
I have two Grandsons, 7 & 5 They can both run the valve. Last Saturday their mother ran it, not to bad but had to watch her. The 7 yr old can see how long the piece is and not retract the ram but that much. Our splitter does not have a valve on it. They are siting in a cab running the tractor valve.
 
Most of us of the older generation had to learn to operate certain equipment or do certain things on the farm that would have an element of danger. A horse could kick the daylights out of you, you could fall off the hay wagon or fall out of the hay mow if not careful, etc. etc. BUT, we were told and cautioned about these dangers before we were put into these situations. In other words we KNEW to be careful. Why do people say that operating a log splitter or other machinery is too dangerous and then buy their kid a dirt bike and let them ride it anywhere they want, and when the kid crashes and gets hurt, say "well, that's life" ?
In the olden days children sometimes at the age of 8 or ten were sent to live with a tradesman, ie. stone mason, shoemaker, wood carver, etc. in order to learn a trade for life. If a young person is smart enough to sit and push buttons and play video games, they are smart enough to learn responsibility and learn how to do some honest work.
 
I guess when you see a kid get seriously injured it hits hard and you would never want to see that.
 
Well that answer would be on a person to person basis. Is your son accustom to operating equipment? Long splitters work pretty slow and any person will common sense should be able to operate one as far as how they function. The real danger is some logs don't just split, they almost explode. Your son would have to recognize when he was splitting one of those and stand clear. Last week my 27 year old son put my 19 year old daughter to running my log splitter without my knowledge and when I found out I went immediately there only to get there too late and she had gotten knocked down by log splitting violently.
 
IMO, running a log splitter should be a one-man operation. I don't want anyone else near the valve while I'm loading a log. I need my fingers, thumbs and hands to earn a living.
 
Pretty sad that most kids in this day and age don't have the opportunity to learn and respect machinery. At the age of 7 I was given charge of one of the original Cub Cadet lawn tractors, a 60' or 61' vintage I think. Of course this had all the safety features of a mean dog. The most important safety feature though was Dad taking a little time to explain how to safely operate it and how badly I could be hurt if I didn't follow a few simple rules. I mowed the lawns at the trailer court Dad owned (notice I didn't say "mobile living community") for many years after that. It was my responsibility to mow the lawns and maintain the tractor and I don't remember having taken any damage as a result. We didn't mow the individual lots, so it was easy to pull down 5 or 6 bucks or a baloney sandwich and a soda on a Saturday if somebody needed their lot mowed. Dad found out I was making a little on the side, so I had to start splitting the cost of the gas! That was as much as a dollar a week set back!
No 8 years old is not too young to start someone in learning correct and safe operation of machinery and life in general. Bad habits (via ignorance/arrogance) are hard to break. Good habits learned first are hard to beat.
 
(quoted from post at 18:21:26 01/18/13) I have had my kids do it at around that age. Now that they are older, they speak somewhat fondly of being able to help. [b:6cac448ea2]That being said, I made darn sure my hand wasn't between the wedge and the wood in case they weren't paying attention![/b:6cac448ea2]

That is a good idea no matter who is running the lever.
 
I tend to agree, it only takes one "oh-oh". What I've noticed is the helper operating the valve tends to run the wedge farther than necessary before reversing it and wastes time.
 
How well do you and your son work together on the other chores that you do together? Do you both enjoy working together? Do you both communicate well? Communication will be much tougher with the extra noise of an engine and hydraulic pump, plus both of you wearing hearing and safety protection.

If this is your first time working on something complicated together, I'd pass on the log splitter and start with something simpler and safer.

Explain everything that is important several times. Plan on taking more frequent breaks when starting out with a new person. If your son gets tired, bored or scared the chances of an accident will skyrocket.

Good luck.
 
I was running a parts truck for the Gleaner Caravan in Great Falls, MT, when some company executives came to where I had the truck parked. They were all in a dither because they had gone out to check on a prototype L Gleaner that a custom operator was using that season.

When they got to the L, they saw that the custom operator's 8-year-old son was driving the combine. I calmed them down when I told them that was not really unusual in many farm situations.
 
Wow, what kind of wood do you split? I've never seen one fly apart that bad. I split mainly pine, though, with a little aspen, box elder and russian olive.
 
It all depends on the kid, & how well Dad & Son work together. Some can handle it safely at 8, others not even at 20.
Sidebar: I don't burn wood myself, pellets with nat gas as supplement in severe weather.
Most people that handle firewood work too hard. Have a couple neighbors who started working together this year. The system works pretty good, but I am helping set it up. I have a welder, they don't. Next project is a catch table.
They use the Bobcat with forks to build a pile of logs in a convenient place. When work day comes, load logs onto a waist-high rack for cutting. One guy then cuts logs to stove length & rolls chunks across table toward splitter. Other guy does the splitting & stacks into pallet baskets. When basket gets full, move it to storage area. Later move baskets to house with Bobcat as needed. Only have to handle it once after splitting. Load the whole kaboodle on snowmobile trailer to move from one guy's place to the other, about 1/4 mile. All the work is done at waist level, no bending over using chain saw, no hitting ground with saw, & no picking up chunks from ground. New table will attach to splitter to receive sawed logs & prevent split chunks from falling to ground.
Willie
 
(quoted from post at 20:19:34 01/19/13) II don't burn wood myself, pellets with nat gas as supplement in severe weather.
Most people that handle firewood work too hard.
Willie

Wow. There's a welfare mutt down the road from me that says the same thing.
 
I hate anyone under foot when I'm splitting wood... or when I was. Use a processor now... Splitter should be a one man show tho.
As far as having the boy work it... I don't see why not if you're comfortable he can handle it safely. A good many of us were running tractors solo at that age.

Rod
 
Depends on the kid somewhat, but if you intend to make a good man out of your boy then I think he needs to be out there with you now helping. Sure it's dangerous, but what isn't. Sitting in the house playing games isn't teaching him anything. It seems if a kid isn't interested in machinery and work from a young age they never will be.
 
We have this "too dangerous" attitude, yet we blame video games and external_link for the state our children are in when they enter society.

C'mon, on a "dangerous" scale of 1 to 10, operating the valve on a log splitter is about a 1.3 for the kid. I couldn't have been more than 4 or 5 when I started running the valve.

There are a lot of important things you can teach a young impressionable mind with something that simple. Communication, following instructions, concentration, responsibility. Everything young people coming out of high school lack these days.

You can just as easily mash your own hand in the splitter.

Let the kid run the splitter. Don't TELL your kid about safety, TEACH him about safety.
 

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