# Countyline 25 ton or 30 ton



## NCPT (May 28, 2018)

My local Tractor Supply has one of each of these splitters. The 25T is $900 and the 30T is $1500. Which one would you guys recommend? Thanks.


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## sb47 (May 28, 2018)

I bought the countyline 40 ton unit from TS last January and I love it.
Don't buy till you look at the 40 ton unit.


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## NCPT (May 29, 2018)

sb47 said:


> I bought the countyline 40 ton unit from TS last January and I love it.
> Don't buy till you look at the 40 ton unit.


I looked at it too but it's $2000 and not carried in stores. Are bigger units faster with cycle times or faster when busting gnarly chunks? Or are they just more robust and will hold up longer? I used the 22T Dirty Hands splitter earlier this year for a day, and it was nice with fast cycle time. I also used a Troybilt 27T for a few days, it had good power put kinda slow with cycle times. Thanks.


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## sb47 (May 29, 2018)

NCPT said:


> I looked at it too but it's $2000 and not carried in stores. Are bigger units faster with cycle times or faster when busting gnarly chunks? Or are they just more robust and will hold up longer? I used the 22T Dirty Hands splitter earlier this year for a day, and it was nice with fast cycle time. I also used a Troybilt 27T for a few days, it had good power put kinda slow with cycle times. Thanks.



Mine was in store and ready to pick up the day I called. They only had 1 out of the 5 stores I called, so I did have to drive a little bit farther, but well worth it. They had a selection of DHT's and Countyline in stock so I had a chance to see them side by side. When you see them side by side there is no comparison. DHT 35 next to a countyline 40. The countyline is hands down better. in every way. Yes there 2 grand but well worth it. I have a little over 80 hours on it since January and I love it.
I was using a Husky 22 ton, but this 40 ton unit works circles around my old one. They advertise it to have 9.5 sec cycle times, and man they weren't kidding. The extra tall wedge is great, That extra few inches helps get through the stringy stuff where I use to have to pull them apart. I wouldn't have thought a few sec per stroke would make much difference. Boy was I wrong. My production times almost doubled over my old 22 ton unit that had cycle times of about 15 sec. Spend the extra 500 bucks, you wont regret it. As for the big gnarly chunks, not a problem. If it wont split, it will crush it or simply cut right through it.
I'm not going to bash DHT but you can find lots of threads about DHT owners having issues with there units. To be fair DHT always steps up and replaces parts without question. However my countyline unit has worked flawlessly with no issues at all. My old 22 ton husky would just stop on live oak, the 40 just rips right through it with no problem. If you can wait till you can find a 40 you can look at, it will be well worth the wait. I'd call around and see if they might have one coming in that you can go look at, or when they will get one in stock. Even if you have to order one and wait, I think it would be worth it. Good luck!


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## Jwilliams (May 29, 2018)

I was searching earlier this year for a splitter was looking at the countryline yard max. And dht. Spoke with Dan from dht and he hooked me up with a great deal on a 30 ton I couldn’t turn down and for an extra 100 I added a Honda motor. Yes about 8-10 hrs the seal on the cylinder around the ram started a very small leak from the dirt getting on the ram but dht customer service sent me a brand new cylinder no questions asked and had it to my door in 3 days. That’s a customer service I would want with any product you bought. But anyways I’ve used my 30 ton for about 20-25 hrs right now and couldn’t be happier with it. Best of luck with whatever you decide on I’m sure Dan will chime in at some point and may be able to help you like he did for me


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## philoshop (May 29, 2018)

I've had a 22 ton Huskee from TSC for about 7 years now. I got it at the $900 sale point and added the bolt-on shelf (necessary), and it's been the best money I've spent on firewood gear next to my 260 Pro. I've never seen anything it wouldn't split and I cut some pretty gnarly Black and Honey locust among other things. It's not super fast or anything, but just about right for the three full cord I split and burn every year. It does get 'loaned out' quite often to friends who I know will take care of it, so it probably runs through 6 to 8 cord a year in reality. 
Before I even started it I replaced the spark plug with a non-generic, put a fuel shutoff in the line for towing, and filled the crankcase with a high-end synthetic oil. It has the Briggs engine without a choke and can be a pain to start when it's really cold out, but other than that, not a hiccup so far. It probably wouldn't fare well in a commercial or other heavy-use operation, but it's a tough little SOB.
Just my thoughts on the matter. Best of luck to you.


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## sb47 (May 29, 2018)

philoshop said:


> I've had a 22 ton Huskee from TSC for about 7 years now. I got it at the $900 sale point and added the bolt-on shelf (necessary), and it's been the best money I've spent on firewood gear next to my 260 Pro. I've never seen anything it wouldn't split and I cut some pretty gnarly Black and Honey locust among other things. It's not super fast or anything, but just about right for the three full cord I split and burn every year. It does get 'loaned out' quite often to friends who I know will take care of it, so it probably runs through 6 to 8 cord a year in reality.
> Before I even started it I replaced the spark plug with a non-generic, put a fuel shutoff in the line for towing, and filled the crankcase with a high-end synthetic oil. It has the Briggs engine without a choke and can be a pain to start when it's really cold out, but other than that, not a hiccup so far. It probably wouldn't fare well in a commercial or other heavy-use operation, but it's a tough little SOB.
> Just my thoughts on the matter. Best of luck to you.



My first splitter was a Husky 22 ton. Paid around $900 if memory serves me. I split 40/50 cord a year with it for over 10 years and sold it for $550 just after I bought my new one. The only issues I had was a carb problem that took one carb rebuild (70 bucks) only to show up again the next year. Spent $35 on a new carb and she ran fine from then on. I also had to replace the hand valve about 5 years in. Other then that, it was a good unit.
I didn't realize how slow the old unit was until I got my new one. I'd say all in all it was a good splitter, just slow and not powerful enough to split stuff like pecan, hickory or live oak. It would split it but it was hard on the old girl. My old one wouldn't split live oak at all.
For most people a 22 ton is plenty good enough for home use. Mine served me well for years and even gave me a good return on the resale.
By the way, most are just speco units, re branded under a different name.


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## philoshop (May 29, 2018)

sb47 said:


> My first splitter was a Husky 22 ton. Paid around $900 if memory serves me. I split 40/50 cord a year with it for over 10 years and sold it for $550 just after I bought my new one. The only issues I had was a carb problem that took one carb rebuild (70 bucks) only to show up again the next year. Spent $35 on a new carb and she ran fine from then on. I also had to replace the hand valve about 5 years in. Other then that, it was a good unit.
> I didn't realize how slow the old unit was until I got my new one. I'd say all in all it was a good splitter, just slow and not powerful enough to split stuff like pecan, hickory or live oak. It would split it but it was hard on the old girl. My old one wouldn't split live oak at all.
> For most people a 22 ton is plenty good enough for home use. Mine served me well for years and even gave me a good return on the resale.
> By the way, most are just speco units, re branded under a different name.



Not much different than wood-working machinery. Table saws, planers, jointers, etc. Almost all of it is built in the same Chinese factory and directed towards different spray-paint booths before it's shipped. Lawn-n-garden stuff is much the same. Troy-Bilt put themselves out of business by building roto-tillers that would last a lifetime. Oops. Troybuilt today comes off the same line as every other brand, just with different paint.


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## sb47 (May 29, 2018)

philoshop said:


> Not much different than wood-working machinery. Table saws, planers, jointers, etc. Almost all of it is built in the same Chinese factory and directed towards different spray-paint booths before it's shipped. Lawn-n-garden stuff is much the same. Troy-Bilt put themselves out of business by building roto-tillers that would last a lifetime. Oops. Troybuilt today comes off the same line as every other brand, just with different paint.



When I hauled dirt it was the same way. #1/#2/#3 all came from the same pile of dirt.


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## philoshop (May 29, 2018)

Laughing with you buddy, not at you.


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## farmer steve (May 29, 2018)

I'll add my 2 cents. I had a Troybuilt for about 15 years. No problems. Just wore it out. Ran a borrowed 22 T for a winter until it went home. Split everything i threw at it. I was going to buy one until I stopped at TSC and they had a 25 T on special for $629. Probaly split close to 25 cords this winter. So far so good. For the OP i guess it would matter how much and what kind of wood you are splitting.


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## DHT (May 30, 2018)

NCPT said:


> My local Tractor Supply has one of each of these splitters. The 25T is $900 and the 30T is $1500. Which one would you guys recommend? Thanks.



As mentioned we have some special deals for forum members so PM me if interested. Either way....best of luck!


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## farmer steve (May 30, 2018)

farmer steve said:


> I'll add my 2 cents. I had a Troybuilt for about 15 years. No problems. Just wore it out. Ran a borrowed DHT 22 T for a winter until it went home. Split everything i threw at it. I was going to buy one until I stopped at TSC and they had a 25 T on special for $629. Probaly split close to 25 cords this winter. So far so good. For the OP i guess it would matter how much and what kind of wood you are splitting.


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## Canyon Angler (May 30, 2018)

I got mine at TSC and I think it's 23 ton. Never came across anything I couldn't split. (The pump automatically goes into a lower "gear" for the really hard to split stuff.)

I never even use it at full throttle (as the manual instructs) because it's not needed and I don't want to listen to it (or feed it).

I'd go for the cheaper unit. I see no benefit to the more expensive unit.


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## sb47 (May 30, 2018)

Canyon Angler said:


> I got mine at TSC and I think it's 23 ton. Never came across anything I couldn't split. (The pump automatically goes into a lower "gear" for the really hard to split stuff.)
> 
> I never even use it at full throttle (as the manual instructs) because it's not needed and I don't want to listen to it (or feed it).
> 
> I'd go for the cheaper unit. I see no benefit to the more expensive unit.




Run some twisted live oak through it, then get back to me.


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## Canyon Angler (May 30, 2018)

sb47 said:


> Run some twisted live oak through it, then get back to me.



I have. Plenty of it, actually. It just slows down and makes funny noises.

Just saw you say pecan is hard to split? We must have some different pecan out here...I always found pecan easy to split.


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## sb47 (May 30, 2018)

Canyon Angler said:


> I have. Plenty of it, actually. It just slows down and makes funny noises.
> 
> Just saw you say pecan is hard to split? We must have some different pecan out here...I always found pecan easy to split.



Not all pecan is hard to split, you do get some strait grained pecan from time to time but even then the grain is usually intertwined and tends to be stringy. 
Not all live oak is hard to split ether. If your cutting out of thick woods, the trees tend to grow tall and strait and are easy to split.


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## Deleted member 117362 (May 30, 2018)

Canyon Angler said:


> I have. Plenty of it, actually. It just slows down and makes funny noises.
> 
> Just saw you say pecan is hard to split? We must have some different pecan out here...I always found pecan easy to split.


^+1


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## ChoppyChoppy (May 30, 2018)

I don't get why they are built with such slow cycle times. Something in the area of 3-5 secs is the slowest I'd consider.


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## Canyon Angler (May 31, 2018)

The most miserable wood to split that I've encountered is sweet gum. If you try to split it by hand, no matter how hard you hit it, your maul will bounce right off. Somewhere around the 40-45th whack, the maul will start to stick in. Then it becomes about like trying to sledgehammer ROPE.

It's about 10,000 times worse than the worst live oak log I ever saw. The grain of sweet gum is so interlocked, braided, twisted and intertwined with tyloses or whatever, it's like fiberglass-reinforced plastic or Damascus tungsten or 3-dimensional Tyvek...I usually leave it in the woods nowadays.


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## Satchmo1960 (Nov 22, 2018)

TSC Black Friday...Countyline 25 Ton......$699....Hard to beat that !!!!


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## philoshop (Nov 22, 2018)

Satchmo1960 said:


> TSC Black Friday...Countyline 25 Ton......$699....Hard to beat that !!!!



WOW!! I believe those are rebranded Huskees. I could be wrong, though.

My 25 ton Huskee has easily handled some of the nastiest honey locust I've ever dealt with including 3 foot diameter twisted trunk pieces.
I put a decent spark plug in it and filled the crankcase with full synthetic oil before I even used it. I also installed a simple gas shutoff to keep it from flooding during transport and I use only non-ethanol gas. The only complaint I have is that it doesn't start very easily when the temps are in the single digits, but I don't split wood under those circumstances anyway, so it's no big deal.


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## Big Briggs 37 (Nov 22, 2018)

farmer steve said:


> I'll add my 2 cents. I had a Troybuilt for about 15 years. No problems. Just wore it out. Ran a borrowed 22 T for a winter until it went home. Split everything i threw at it. I was going to buy one until I stopped at TSC and they had a 25 T on special for $629. Probaly split close to 25 cords this winter. So far so good. For the OP i guess it would matter how much and what kind of wood you are splitting.



I have a 25T countryline and it's great. Starts first pull everytime (Kohler motor), sips fuel, and splits everything I have put through it. I have about 25 hrs of runtime on the unit. I'm sure the cycle time is slower than a larger unit and I can say I would appreciate the larger wedge


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## MontanaResident (Nov 22, 2018)

$600 is quite the difference. My 25Ton is plenty of splitting force for my purposes, pine, fir, and tamarack.


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## MontanaResident (Nov 22, 2018)

I once thought that as well. If you are going the full length back and forth, then the cycle times matter. My 16" logs split in 4 to 5 inches, and I can reload before the auto return goes back fully. So 3 to 5 seconds is usually less then 2 seconds.



ChoppyChoppy said:


> I don't get why they are built with such slow cycle times. Something in the area of 3-5 secs is the slowest I'd consider.


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## alderman (Nov 22, 2018)

My 16" logs split in 4 to 5 inches, and I can reload before the auto return goes back fully. So 3 to 5 seconds is usually less then 2 seconds.[/QUOTE]

My experience with the wood I cut (which is mostly Alder) is a very short cycle of a few inches will split it. The 25 ton cheapy splitter I use works plenty fast and will power through the rare knotty pieces of Fir and Maple I throw at it. I just don’t know how long it will hold together. 
If I needed a full cycle all of the time, I would do some research and go with the one with the power and speed to do it at a faster pace. Nothing is more disappointing than to throw down a good chunk of cash and not being happy with the result. 




Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


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## Satchmo1960 (Nov 22, 2018)

So folks thinking the CountyLine 25ton At $699 isn’t a great deal ? I have reviewed many splitters and gone between the DHT, Black Diamond which is made by DHT and watched tons of videos and overalls people seem very happy with their 25 ton CountyLine.


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## farmer steve (Nov 22, 2018)

philoshop said:


> WOW!! I believe those are rebranded Huskees. I could be wrong, though.
> 
> My 25 ton Huskee has easily handled some of the nastiest honey locust I've ever dealt with including 3 foot diameter twisted trunk pieces.
> I put a decent spark plug in it and filled the crankcase with full synthetic oil before I even used it. I also installed a simple gas shutoff to keep it from flooding during transport and I use only non-ethanol gas. The only complaint I have is that it doesn't start very easily when the temps are in the single digits, but I don't split wood under those circumstances anyway, so it's no big deal.


I called the #that came with my county line and they answered the phone Speeco.???


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## Satchmo1960 (Nov 22, 2018)

farmer steve said:


> I called the #that came with my county line and they answered the phone Speeco.???



Well great reviews on both


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## NCPT (Nov 22, 2018)

Well I ended up getting the countyline 30 ton because it was $100 off when I got it. I have also got to run a 25 ton countyline and I can say without a doubt, my 30 ton splits gnarly rounds easier and way faster than the 25 ton. But $699 is a great deal for a new splitter.


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## sb47 (Nov 22, 2018)

Satchmo1960 said:


> So folks thinking the CountyLine 25ton At $699 isn’t a great deal ? I have reviewed many splitters and gone between the DHT, Black Diamond which is made by DHT and watched tons of videos and overalls people seem very happy with their 25 ton CountyLine.



I have a countyline 40 ton and I love it.
Not to bash any brands but there is one brand that is a sponsor on this site and I have seen many threads about issues with that brand. Bad pumps, bad hand valve, broken I beam, motor wont start, leaking cylinders, are common on that brand. They do have great customer service but if there machines were any good, they wouldn't keep having those same issues over and over again.


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## ChoppyChoppy (Nov 22, 2018)

MontanaResident said:


> I once thought that as well. If you are going the full length back and forth, then the cycle times matter. My 16" logs split in 4 to 5 inches, and I can reload before the auto return goes back fully. So 3 to 5 seconds is usually less then 2 seconds.



My little splitter has the wedge on the cylinder end, so can't do that. That's a pretty common setup I believe on the splitters that can go vertical.

I've kept it around for busting up the big stuff that won't fit through the processors, though looking at a skid steer mounted one, as handling the big blocks and splitting them at bending down level is a real SOB on my back.

On my processor is has to go near to the end so there's enough room for the next block to fit in the splitting chamber, I have room to do about a 22" piece, but it gets real tight doing that.


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## ChoppyChoppy (Nov 22, 2018)

sb47 said:


> I have a countyline 40 ton and I love it.
> Not to bash any brands but there is one brand that is a sponsor on this site and I have seen many threads about issues with that brand. Bad pumps, bad hand valve, broken I beam, motor wont start, leaking cylinders, are common on that brand. They do have great customer service but if there machines were any good, they wouldn't keep having those same issues over and over again.



We have 2 splitters at the shop, an Iron and Oak from the 90s and a Swisher from mid 2000s that is mine.

The Iron and Oak was used as a rental for several years (the shop used to rent out a few splitters, rototillers, chainsaws, backhoe, etc). It's gone through hell and back. Honda engine has enough hours it burns almost more oil than gas, muffler internals are blown out, gas tank smashed to where it holds probably 1/2 it's supposed to, usually needs ether to get started, especially if it's cold out.
Hydraulic filter last changed probably 15 years ago (owner is "real good" about keeping up on this stuff... still works, don't touch it guy haha)
Anyhow, still works, doesn't leak. Been a darn tough machine.

My Swisher is built about the same, just a 11hp vertical Briggs with belt drive though. The only thing I hate is that it never came with a log stripper. I've had guys running it and break the control valve off the cylinder a few times from that.
I probably should make one for it, but I don't use it much anymore. Maybe have put 10 hours on it in the last 5 years.


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## Rickochet (Nov 23, 2018)

I have a beautiful ginger Speeco 22 Ton splitter that has performed flawless for over 10 years. The only issue I've had with her is I have to clean her carb every few years in the Brigss 650, but that's more of a maintenance/engine manufacturer issue than Speeco's. The light and shapely easy to handle 22 tonner will spit anything I have ever placed in front of her. Her two stage pump will shift to a slower, more powerful mode that will slowly and powerfully charge ahead to split the gnarliest, knottiest, nastiest wood I can find. She may not be the fastest, but she is faithful and I can not out work her... she will definitely be around when I'm long gone. 

Dang, after re-reading my post I realized I've have really become attached to the ol' girl since I kept referring to her as a female. But I'm kinda like that, my Harley's all have lady like names, so I will have to come up with a name for her. 

I leave you with this point to ponder... Predominant quality of human female; fragility of beauty, yet the immense strength to carry and deliver a life! Vehicles are built to carry you safe and deliver!


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## NSMaple1 (Nov 23, 2018)

It has dawned on me from using mine the past few years, how handy it is to have a machine with a layout & controls so it is equally easy to work it from either side. But I didn't realize how many of the 'box store splitters' were not laid out the best for that. I've been checking out some manuals on line now & again whenever an interesting splitter thread shows up - I think all of them show an 'operating zone', and most all of them show that to be only on one side or the other.

Now that isn't to say that they can't be used from either side, but I would think it would indicate that one side is harder to work from than the other. Which is something that might not seem so important at the time you're looking for a new one and might be easy to overlook, but I would definitely take it into consideration.

It also plain might not matter to some, but I find it pretty important when I use mine.

(That plus engine vulnerability to stray wood and a couple other factors...)


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## lindnova (Nov 23, 2018)

Rickochet said:


> I have a beautiful ginger Speeco 22 Ton splitter that has performed flawless for over 10 years. The only issue I've had with her is I have to clean her carb every few years in the Brigss 650, but that's more of a maintenance/engine manufacturer issue than Speeco's. The light and shapely easy to handle 22 tonner will spit anything I have ever placed in front of her. Her two stage pump will shift to a slower, more powerful mode that will slowly and powerfully charge ahead to split the gnarliest, knottiest, nastiest wood I can find. She may not be the fastest, but she is faithful and I can not out work her... she will definitely be around when I'm long gone.
> 
> Dang, after re-reading my post I realized I've have really become attached to the ol' girl since I kept referring to her as a female. But I'm kinda like that, my Harley's all have lady like names, so I will have to come up with a name for her.
> 
> I leave you with this point to ponder... Predominant quality of human female; fragility of beauty, yet the immense strength to carry and deliver a life! Vehicles are built to carry you safe and deliver!


LOL When I was reading this I was thinking that you must have split with a maul for a long time and you were so thankfull for this splitter as a back saver. It is good to have good equipment.


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## philoshop (Nov 24, 2018)

I split with a maul and wedges for one year before I had that light-bulb in my head come on. "_Buy a splitter...dumb-azz_"
I worked in construction and spent all day swinging a hammer or running tools. Coming home to a pile of wood that needed to be tackled with a really big hammer was downright depressing. With the splitter and a big pile of wood it becomes almost a party for family and friends.


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