Buying a Wood Splitter?

[lone wolf]

I never know when I will be splitting again,so I usually just run my splitter out of gas when I can. The Honda GX 390 on my post driver does have a fuel shut off . I once forgot to close it and took off down the road,had almost a half gallon of gas in the oil when I got where I was going.But that was 60 mph and around 50 miles. Fuel shut off or petcock ( hate using that word) should be pretty cheap depending on the fuel line routing.

I'm thinking in a pinch a pair of Hemostats clamped to the line.

 

[Old-Feller]

Going in with friends/partners is never a good idea on equipt of any kind.

If you buy a log splitter that is too small you always regret it. I wouldn't consider anything smaller than the 28 ton and would buy the 34 ton If I could swing it. And using the vertical option on a log splitter sucks bad, It's best to add a log lift of some kind, There are some pretty good ones that use an electric winch and mount to the front of the beam.

I have a bad back, A long time ago I had a store bought splitter with the vertical option, It about Killed me! Anyway I built my own with a log lift. Here is a pic with my 82 year old Dad, I took my splitter down the mountain to split up a tree they removed, The wood was wet and stringy sitting just a few days. Utah has 80mph speed limit on the freeway and it tows just fine. All Log splitters I have seen at the box stores have a 45mph speed limit. Even if I did buy a box store splitter, I would weld on a trailer axle so it could be towed with out worry and get the stupid thing up off the ground, These companies that make log splitters and pressure washers act like we live in a world full of midgets!

This splitters got well over 50 cords on it and it it's only 3 or 4 years old.

 

[samhop]

@VirginiaIron​

havent had any luck posting video. the SS uses a sharp knife not a wedge so it cuts as much as it splits. i added 3" to the top of the knife so i rarely have to roll the wood. with a table if the wood is not completely cut all you need to do isroll the wood back so its standing on the round end that jest got pushed, hit it again and if there still some strings roll it again. you can see the size of the wood i split so i still have to roll back sometimes even with the higher knife. i made the push plate bigger and went full mental on power. the belt systom is app. 16:1 and the extra power works great the engine jest dogs down and the 16:1 jest push right through most of the stuff that used to take more than one hit. my hydro splitter has not been used since i got the ss going. my splitter was an old one that needed new push arm and drive gear i got it for free put some work into it and its the best splitter i have ever used. heat with wood only no backup anything. i would buy a new SS if i needed a splitter befor using hydro.

 

[Bubster]

@VirginiaIron​

havent had any luck posting video. the SS uses a sharp knife not a wedge so it cuts as much as it splits. i added 3" to the top of the knife so i rarely have to roll the wood. with a table if the wood is not completely cut all you need to do isroll the wood back so its standing on the round end that jest got pushed, hit it again and if there still some strings roll it again. you can see the size of the wood i split so i still have to roll back sometimes even with the higher knife. i made the push plate bigger and went full mental on power. the belt systom is app. 16:1 and the extra power works great the engine jest dogs down and the 16:1 jest push right through most of the stuff that used to take more than one hit. my hydro splitter has not been used since i got the ss going. my splitter was an old one that needed new push arm and drive gear i got it for free put some work into it and its the best splitter i have ever used. heat with wood only no backup anything. i would buy a new SS if i needed a splitter befor using hydro.

What about knots with a kinetic splitter. My whole purpose for buying a splitter was the really gnarly stuff. Straight grained wood I use a maul or poll axe. I do like the speed of the kinetic splitter, but I am still faster than it is with a maul.

 

[Hermio]

Yeah it is a lot to think about. In my opinion people are asking way too much for used log splitters. Why in the world would you spend $1,000 on a used splitter when you can get one new for a few hundred more bucks? Like I said, I just got a 10% off coupon from Home Depot. So definitely going to stop there and look at theirs again. It would be nice to locate a splitter with a ram/wedge that I can get a 4-way over. They seem like they can save a lot of time.

I thought about asking some of my friends if they want to go half on one and maybe consider a larger one. Just I can already see this causing some trouble. Especially after hearing how against people are here on renting them out, which by the way I do not blame one bit. I am no stranger to how people treat other peoples equipment. I think it is a big reason you constantly hear not to buy vehicles or equipment that has been rented out.

EDIT:
and as I post that statement I locate this on YouTube. This thing sure seems to have a lot of movement when it was forced up against that log though. How often do these things come flying out and end up in your brain do you think?

IMHO, a 4-way splitting wedge is pretty much useless unless it can be shifted up or down to match the center of the log. I bought one as an add-on, and it was set up to work well with about an 8-10" log diameter. It did not save any time when splitting larger rounds, as I would have to keep repositioning the log to avoid tiny scraps at the end. I don't use it anymore. I guess I could use it as a door stop.

 

[Hexa Fox]

IMHO, a 4-way splitting wedge is pretty much useless unless it can be shifted up or down to match the center of the log. I bought one as an add-on, and it was set up to work well with about an 8-10" log diameter. It did not save any time when splitting larger rounds, as I would have to keep repositioning the log to avoid tiny scraps at the end. I don't use it anymore. I guess I could use it as a door stop.

Yeah I see people welding them to their log splitters and wonder what they are thinking. So I was thinking it may be perfect for certain logs or if you have someone helping you. So one of you can position the log and the other can use the hydro lever. I thought about what you said already and it makes total sense. If you plan to use it a lot you are probably going to end up with a lot of kindling or undesirable pieces of wood. Having that said, I like the ones that have the little chain 'lanyard' thing that you can put around the cylinder arm too. Methinks it would significantly reduce the need for brain surgery.

Okay so made a lot of progress today.

1.) Talked to Rural King and my local one does not have any splitters on sale right now. They said all you can do is call back and check.

2.) I went to Tractor Supply today and someone brought back an Oregon 30 Ton and they reduced the price $200 to $1,600. I talked to them about it and told them I wanted to do more research on the Kohler. It is an SH series and I was told long ago to not screw with modern Kohler unless it is in the Command Series. Also they could not get the story straight on the splitter either. The manager said it has never been used but 100% has. You can see the stains from it splitting wood. He was a nice guy but insisted it never had fuel in it. I ensured him I already checked and it was full of fuel. He said the guy brought it back because he put the log catcher on the wrong side and broke the welds off of it. They said they may consider taking a little less for it. I love Oregon, I really do. I think you guys already know they make awesome aftermarket commercial chainsaw chains, bars and even lawn mower blades. However, the quality of this wood splitter is questionable.

3.) Also stopped by Home Depot and their Champions seem to be in the lead. The Oregon has a protruding neck and the hydraulic cap is plastic whereas the Champion is not protruding and metal like all the others I have seen. They have a 27 Ton for $1,499 or the 34 Ton for $1,899. They do simply put look like more quality machines. The Oregon looks like it may be a little heavier. I also heard you guys saying that their engines are cloned Honda's? The 27 Ton out front clearly has some kind of residue on it. It is like a brown film and definitely oily. I am not certain if it is hydraulic fluid or what. It says they have others in stock.

By the way, thanks for all the awesome feedback. You guys have given me a lot information. As always any thoughts on anything I wrote here is much appreciated.

 

[Hexa Fox]

Additionally, this is the wedge I found that should work with the Champions. So if you follow the link and read the last statement in the description it says "manufacturer recommends for use with softwoods only". So my thought process on that is... wtf? I want to try it so bad but you know it is going to have to be modified when it that is there.

https://ecoimplements.com/product/huskee-s401443tsc-35t-slip-on-4-way-wedge/

 

[JoshNY]

I would not worry at all about the Champion engine. They actually make their own engines, they are clones of the Honda gx series. They are regarded in the small engine forums as the best of the clones.
I have had a couple of their generators, one being over 10 years old and it's never gave me a lick of trouble. Always starts in 1 or 2 pulls.

Honestly I've been hearing mostly good things about the Kohler splitter engines of recent years. They look pretty similar to the Honda clones.

 

[sean donato]

Not going to lie, I mostly skimmed through the thread.
Had a really good laugh with the kohler engine bashing. The issues they had were years ago now with the courage series engine. Biggest issue they have lately is with the big blocks sucking oil. Most the smaller twins and singles are pretty good to go any more. I wouldn't pass up a splitter just because of a kohler engine.

Clone engines 80% of the time run just as good as the Honda they knocked off. Added bonus is honda parts typically fit.

Best advice is get a log lift or plan to add one. I'm a little older then you and have worked heavy duty diesel most my life untill recently. Back issues suck... vertical splitting logs still needs lots of man handling. Log lift just needs you to roll the log onto it.

4 and 6 way hydraulic wedges are great too. You won't get that option with home depot or tsc splitters. The bolt one 4 way wedges are a bad joke. Tried that a few times and just didn't care for it. Too much handling with bigger rounds. I get too much big and ugly stuff for a fixed 4 way.

I ended up building my own splitter. The cylinder, pump, and valves I had to buy. Had an engine here for it. Scrounge up the beam and had moat the steel laying around. Ended up having under $1k in it.

 

[GrizG]

I consider this brand one of the better splitters on the market, and even paying several thousands won't isolate you from problems. It does appear the line was damaged when the round came back @12:14. For this money, IMO, it should be more protected.
Anyway, those larger rounds are why I have a log lift.

Joe is good at "testing" things... I wouldn't use him as a barometer for the durability or performance of anything!

 

[Hexa Fox]

Not going to lie, I mostly skimmed through the thread.
Had a really good laugh with the kohler engine bashing. The issues they had were years ago now with the courage series engine. Biggest issue they have lately is with the big blocks sucking oil. Most the smaller twins and singles are pretty good to go any more. I wouldn't pass up a splitter just because of a kohler engine.

Clone engines 80% of the time run just as good as the Honda they knocked off. Added bonus is honda parts typically fit.

Best advice is get a log lift or plan to add one. I'm a little older then you and have worked heavy duty diesel most my life untill recently. Back issues suck... vertical splitting logs still needs lots of man handling. Log lift just needs you to roll the log onto it.

4 and 6 way hydraulic wedges are great too. You won't get that option with home depot or tsc splitters. The bolt one 4 way wedges are a bad joke. Tried that a few times and just didn't care for it. Too much handling with bigger rounds. I get too much big and ugly stuff for a fixed 4 way.

I ended up building my own splitter. The cylinder, pump, and valves I had to buy. Had an engine here for it. Scrounge up the beam and had moat the steel laying around. Ended up having under $1k in it.

Yep the Courage was the one I heard to watch out for. I wish I would have heard that before I bought my MTD with one of those engines though. I cannot complain though that machine is still running strong. I know it was going around that they were doing a lot of questionable things with engines around that time. Having that said, all manufacturers do it. Some people love their Briggs engines. I was told the same thing about Briggs that I was about Kohler, only go for the Vanguard engines. When you are spending that kind of money on a zero turn, you want a strong engine to back it up.

I would have never passed up the Oregon just because of the Kohler. They just 'concern' me, which you have relieved a great deal. Just go to Tractor Supply, people seem much happier with the County Lines than they do the Oregon, which alone is concerning. I really did not like the location of that hydraulic cap either. People say the drawback of the Champions is having that stuff (lines, filter etc) exposed on the side you are working on. However, I can see a log coming off the splitter and hitting that protruding cap and causing a nightmare.

Yep I am 33 and have a pretty roughed up lower back already. Anyway, I may go with a Champion and try that Speeco slip over 4 way. It looks like it can be removed in seconds when you are doing larger rounds. I am also leaning toward the 27 Ton because it is about 120lbs lighter and have been reading that it has plenty of power, faster cycle time and will obviously be a little easier to move around.

I have a Toro snow blower that was probably the biggest regret of my life. It was exactly $2,000 and the engine was "Toro" branded. I heard that it was a Honda clone and very reliable. I had to replace the carburetor on like the second or third season of owning it. I put Star Tron in it and decided to leave fuel in it which I guess was my mistake. Anyway I do dislike this thing. It is heavy as a rock, bottoms out in a foot of snow and is just all around difficult. I also hurt myself pretty bad one year trying to use my bodyweight to push it forward, which to be fair was operator error.

 

[GrizG]

Yeah I see people welding them to their log splitters and wonder what they are thinking. So I was thinking it may be perfect for certain logs or if you have someone helping you. So one of you can position the log and the other can use the hydro lever. I thought about what you said already and it makes total sense. If you plan to use it a lot you are probably going to end up with a lot of kindling or undesirable pieces of wood. Having that said, I like the ones that have the little chain 'lanyard' thing that you can put around the cylinder arm too. Methinks it would significantly reduce the need for brain surgery.

Okay so made a lot of progress today.

1.) Talked to Rural King and my local one does not have any splitters on sale right now. They said all you can do is call back and check.

2.) I went to Tractor Supply today and someone brought back an Oregon 30 Ton and they reduced the price $200 to $1,600. I talked to them about it and told them I wanted to do more research on the Kohler. It is an SH series and I was told long ago to not screw with modern Kohler unless it is in the Command Series. Also they could not get the story straight on the splitter either. The manager said it has never been used but 100% has. You can see the stains from it splitting wood. He was a nice guy but insisted it never had fuel in it. I ensured him I already checked and it was full of fuel. He said the guy brought it back because he put the log catcher on the wrong side and broke the welds off of it. They said they may consider taking a little less for it. I love Oregon, I really do. I think you guys already know they make awesome aftermarket commercial chainsaw chains, bars and even lawn mower blades. However, the quality of this wood splitter is questionable.

3.) Also stopped by Home Depot and their Champions seem to be in the lead. The Oregon has a protruding neck and the hydraulic cap is plastic whereas the Champion is not protruding and metal like all the others I have seen. They have a 27 Ton for $1,499 or the 34 Ton for $1,899. They do simply put look like more quality machines. The Oregon looks like it may be a little heavier. I also heard you guys saying that their engines are cloned Honda's? The 27 Ton out front clearly has some kind of residue on it. It is like a brown film and definitely oily. I am not certain if it is hydraulic fluid or what. It says they have others in stock.

By the way, thanks for all the awesome feedback. You guys have given me a lot information. As always any thoughts on anything I wrote here is much appreciated.

Those Oregon splitters are the same as the SpeeCo splitters... rebranded. I've got a 35 ton SpeeCo Split Master.

 

[StihlsawuserMS361]

My Two cents:
Don't rule out Tractor Supply Splitters (County Line). I bought their 25ton splitter last May. Back then it was slim pickings on everything. I looked at Lowes and Home Depot offerings also. I chose the County Line / Tractor Supply version over the Champion offering. To me, the Tractor Supply was a bit heavier duty, stronger beam, and its' splitting height is taller than the Champion. The Champion @ HD on display was rusting at the welds....not a big deal, but to me reflected on quality. The Tractor Supply's welds even looked stronger and more complete. (Yes, they are mostly Chinese anymore).
Mine has the Kohler SH Series engine, so far so good. Changed the engine oil @ 5 hours, some expected metal break in particles etc. Just changed it again yesterday, oil clean@ less than 100 total hours. Also, as recommended, changed the hydraulic oil filter @ 25 hours. I cut it open, no metal particles inside.
This splitter has split everything thrown at it with ease. I believe I paid $1150, and now they are $1550. I made my own log catcher as the store bought wasn't big / strong / quality enough.
Whichever you do purchase, look how the unit is stored on their lot. It's all over the internet that these engines will take in rainwater if not covered, rusting the internals of the motor, carb and gas tank. Not a good way to start out. I was lucky, as mine was crated and wrapped.
Hope this helps.

 

[Hexa Fox]

My Two cents:
Don't rule out Tractor Supply Splitters (County Line). I bought their 25ton splitter last May. Back then it was slim pickings on everything. I looked at Lowes and Home Depot offerings also. I chose the County Line / Tractor Supply version over the Champion offering. To me, the Tractor Supply was a bit heavier duty, stronger beam, and its' splitting height is taller than the Champion. The Champion @ HD on display was rusting at the welds....not a big deal, but to me reflected on quality. The Tractor Supply's welds even looked stronger and more complete. (Yes, they are mostly Chinese anymore).
Mine has the Kohler SH Series engine, so far so good. Changed the engine oil @ 5 hours, some expected metal break in particles etc. Just changed it again yesterday, oil clean@ less than 100 total hours. Also, as recommended, changed the hydraulic oil filter @ 25 hours. I cut it open, no metal particles inside.
This splitter has split everything thrown at it with ease. I believe I paid $1150, and now they are $1550. I made my own log catcher as the store bought wasn't big / strong / quality enough.
Whichever you do purchase, look how the unit is stored on their lot. It's all over the internet that these engines will take in rainwater if not covered, rusting the internals of the motor, carb and gas tank. Not a good way to start out. I was lucky, as mine was crated and wrapped.
Hope this helps.

Yeah I was hoping to see County Line at Tractor Supply but they only had the Oregons.

 

[Old-Feller]

I did a lot of research on the chinese honda clones and from what I found the "Lifan" is the very best of them and they have better USA support too should you need it. I have been very impressed with the 13 HP Lifan I have on my splitter, It starts immediately and chugs all day, I have had the throttle on half way since I have owned it and I have never met a log it couldn't split yet. The engine does not use oil or smoke and is a pretty smooth runner for a single cylinder engine, It also charges my battery very well and I can lift a lot of logs using the winch without running the battery down, And it will start again if I shut it off even after lifting quite a few logs, I did use an automotive battery though. I think most of the chinese engines are pretty good now, I have a Kohler on my pressure washer and it's chinese, Starts right up and runs good too.

 

[samhop]

What about knots with a kinetic splitter. My whole purpose for buying a splitter was the really gnarly stuff. Straight grained wood I use a maul or poll axe. I do like the speed of the kinetic splitter, but I am still faster than it is with a maul.

go back and look at the stuff i split every thing on that table went through ss. nothing got noodeld with a saw. and thatswith the smaller upgrade power. you can see the stuff in the forground that was to wanky to stack it went on top of the load and ended up in the stove also.

 

[Hexa Fox]

I have always wanted a tractor, skid or something with some kind of frame I could use to move around the property. My father believed in not stacking wood around our foundation. So carrying in wood is cumbersome to say the least. I would love to have something like in that picture that I could temporarily put next to our basement door.

I have been looking at Ventrac's for years but they have done nothing but raised the price of them. Especially since Toro bought them out. What turns me off about them is the machines try to do everything and they do lack a good bit in a lot of the stuff they try to do. Like lifting capacity for instance maxes out at 500lbs and I heard that includes the bucket and pallet forks. Still may be able to do what I want to do with it though.

I ordered a 4 way slid over wedge several days ago and found out it is coming from Florida and has not actually shipped out yet. So I might be waiting awhile on that and that is okay. I was going to look around a little more this weekend but cannot now because of this hurricane coming through.

 

[jolj]

Told the wife I wanted a wood splitter for Christmas, she went on Fb & found one for $200.00
I said it is manual & I can cut more with an ax.

 

[VirginiaIron]

I have always wanted a tractor, skid or something with some kind of frame I could use to move around the property. My father believed in not stacking wood around our foundation. So carrying in wood is cumbersome to say the least. I would love to have something like in that picture that I could temporarily put next to our basement door.

I have been looking at Ventrac's for years but they have done nothing but raised the price of them. Especially since Toro bought them out. What turns me off about them is the machines try to do everything and they do lack a good bit in a lot of the stuff they try to do. Like lifting capacity for instance maxes out at 500lbs and I heard that includes the bucket and pallet forks. Still may be able to do what I want to do with it though.

I ordered a 4 way slid over wedge several days ago and found out it is coming from Florida and has not actually shipped out yet. So I might be waiting awhile on that and that is okay. I was going to look around a little more this weekend but cannot now because of this hurricane coming through.

"...What turns me off about them is the machines try to do everything and they do lack a good bit in a lot of the stuff they try to do...."
Size is determined by need and better than doing it by hand. Some people specialize in small equipment landscaping and do well. A mouse will take the whole slice of cheese one bite at a time.

 

[lone wolf]

"...What turns me off about them is the machines try to do everything and they do lack a good bit in a lot of the stuff they try to do...."
Size is determined by need and better than doing it by hand. Some people specialize in small equipment landscaping and do well. A mouse will take the whole slice of cheese one bite at a time.