First off, I have been out of town, for Easter visiting family. I am still out of town but using a computer at relatives house for now. I will also be out of town thursday-sunday night next week as well. This doesnt mean I am "out trolling" or avoiding anything. It means that life doesnt allow me to get on here. As I said above I wouldn't be able to get pictures of mine until at least Monday. Mine is welded like shown, but when the 2 welds on the back broke, they must serve some purpose because as you can see the pivot pin is welded behind the flat plate of steel. Normally, the pin tube is about an1/8th of an inch away from the other plate, the 2 spot welds hold the pin pivot away from the other plate there in the back. When the 2 spot welds broke, the pin tube then rested against the plate on the back. Aka if you think about removing those 2 spot welds and then the pin tube 'bends back' and rests on the plate behind it. I agree the weld on the front should hold it, but who am I to say? I saw that normally that pivot is held up off of the other plate in the back. The welds were there and broke and the pin pivot had moved. I took it to the dealer who agreed it should not be like that. If the tack welds were merely a step in the assembly process, that should have been explained to me by the servicing dealer. I was told by the dealer, the plug had came like that from the factory, but now after talking to the dealer many times I am starting to disbelieve him more and more. I don't know who screwed up the threads with the plug. I personally think it is both of their problems, spee co for shipping the unit with the wrong plug and the tech for not noticing it and sending me home with it wrong and cross threaded. I have never said that I don't use this machine. It is not used every day but does get used. I do have another splitter that I use for anything big and for anything that is real twisted or gnarly. I used to have a 30 ton model. I dont need a 30 ton model. I have another splitter for the big knarly stuff. Why spend big money getting a 30 ton machine when I dont need a 30 ton machine. I dont need that much force. Chances are if I need that big of a machine, I can't lift the round onto the splitter anyways. I dont like using the machine vertically unless I have to, and chances are if I need that big of a splitter ill set it aside and get it with my other splitter. I decided I really didn't need that big of a machine and went to my local farm store and told them flat out what my intentions were and what the machine was going to be used for to produce firewood for sale. I am not a tree service and dont have a guy on the machine all day every day. It was going to be used, not every day but quite often. I have the other splitter on my tractor that would get the real big stuff and the gnarly stuff. If I wanted speed and production and had a few guys working with me I will take the time to hook up the tractor and dig the tractor out and use that. This splitter would be for when I am working alone and doing smaller stuff anything under 18-20". I did state to him how much I intended on using the machine etc and he told me that the machine which I purchased would be fine. He told me it had a 3 year warranty on all steel components, knowing full well I sell firewood. The salesman knew that. No where on line nor in the manual does it distinguish between residential use and commercial use. If they have a problem standing behind their product for 3 years under commercial use then it should be stated. My aggravation is through the fact that I bought a splitter with a 3 year warranty and now the company is trying to back down and back out of their commitment. I have never said I don't use it, and use it to split firewood for sale. The dealer that sold me the product knew this and didn't say anything. I am not having buyers remorse. I was would love a processor, but that is not in the cards for me right now. I have bought some log length wood that I am going to have a processor come in and work up for me. I am not unhappy with the machine when it is working. For when I am by myself, and for branch wood, not having to hook a splitter up to a tractor and not running a tractor when I am by myself and don't have someone who can help me go get rounds etc this splitter works fine. I think it has its weak points, but when it is working it does its job. I wouldn't have any problem having a 3 way conversation between me spee co and the servicing dealer. The part that aggravates me is that spee co is trying to back out of their warranty now when as I said the dealer never stipulated it was a residential unit. The manual doesn't stipulate. IF spee co isn't going to stand behind their product then buy me out, buy it back. IF spee co doesnt believe this machine is made to handle splitting as much as I do or is made for commercial use put an hour meter on it. I am aggravated because spee co didn't stipulate between commercial and residential use in their warranty and now all the sudden they are just dropping the ball.
