Looking for a log splitter now.

[fishercat]

Call American direct.

That is another problem, I don't have any dealers around this area! I've looked at all the manufactures and nothing other than Iron and Oak 75 miles away! All I get to see are the Speeco and Huskee variants with whatever they sell at the box stores.

Yes, I have learned to walk away from the gnarly pieces, it's hard! It was easy on the crap wood we sold and got for free, but driving 100 miles each way to cut and haul it back, that took some time to sink in!!
This is also going to be a production thing, I don't know if that comment was meant for me or not, but I want to get this simplified as best I can. I saw the Hud-Son Badger, neat setup, really ideal for me! I am hauling back 8' logs, plop them in front of it, slic an dice!!!! BUT money is tight right now! Where do you draw the line? I told the wife around $2k, I can't find jack worth owning for that. The Badger is $16k, I can't justify that to her. Long term it might be the ticket, but I think I would either want bigger, or break it in a few years.
To get a Timberwolf that will do what I want and expect, I am dumping a large chunk.
I like the sound of the American, but can't see one.
The super split looks neat, but again, no one can explain the differences between the models, and I wouldn't get anything but a Honda, so that ups the cost.
The Brave, for the money I would up to an Iron and Oak or an American and get the cycle time. Brave has left me unimpressed. They seem to sell the "common" versions of the I and O splitters.

So, I want production, $3k is really a stretch (wife is still mad about the mini skidsteer purchase, but starting to understand) NO DEALER anywhere near me (type in 67210 for a zip) and cycle time. What do you do?

they will ship to you.

http://www.americanmsr.com/home.htm

 

[sawinredneck]

they will ship to you.

http://www.americanmsr.com/home.htm

Not like you are trying to sell me on these or anything:hmm3grin2orange: :hmm3grin2orange: :hmm3grin2orange:
I know they will ship, they all will, it's just looking at pics vs. seeing them in person, and testing the heigth etc.

 

[modn]

Not like you are trying to sell me on these or anything:hmm3grin2orange: :hmm3grin2orange: :hmm3grin2orange:
I know they will ship, they all will, it's just looking at pics vs. seeing them in person, and testing the heigth etc.

Ok, ok you talked me into it. They are only 15 minutes away from me.....send over your money and I will take pics of me next to it for you (next to my wood pile of course) Then I can send it on its way to you. Hell I will even take a video for you!!:monkey:

 

[sawinredneck]

Ok, ok you talked me into it. They are only 15 minutes away from me.....send over your money and I will take pics of me next to it for you (next to my wood pile of course) Then I can send it on its way to you. Hell I will even take a video for you!!:monkey:

One little problem! I, like most of America right now, have NO CASH!!! Mama has to sign off on anything first. And right now, I'm not sold, so it's hard to sell her!

 

[fishercat]

i just want you to be happy.

Not like you are trying to sell me on these or anything:hmm3grin2orange: :hmm3grin2orange: :hmm3grin2orange:
I know they will ship, they all will, it's just looking at pics vs. seeing them in person, and testing the heigth etc.

you always seemed like me.wanting a quality piece of equipment without spending more than necessary.these are the best bang for the buck.
i like TW too but the only way to buy them is used.

 

[fishercat]

i like the height.

i'm 6'0" and it's perfect.this was a big issue with me.

one of our local Dolmar dealer carries some yellow splitter.he says they are the best and they look well made.the also look like i would literally have to be on my knees to operate the damn thing.

i love the 13" tires on mine.it tows like a dream.

 

[modn]

One little problem! I, like most of America right now, have NO CASH!!! Mama has to sign off on anything first. And right now, I'm not sold, so it's hard to sell her!

I hear ya!!! It is always easier to beg for forgiveness than ask permission, but this presents a problem......

 

[STLfirewood]

Take a trip to St. Louis and I'll have a nice pile of wood for you to run through the SS. Don't worry about the Robin engine on the SS it's a great little engine. I have well over 1000 ranks of wood without a problem. The biggest SS runs a little heavier flywheel for more power. It just takes a tad longer to get them spinning up to speed again. The middle uses 2 75lb flywheels and a 6.5hp engine(I think could be a 5.5) The j model uses a 4.5 engine. I think it uses the same 75lb flywheels but I'm not sure. It will really put you ahead of your firewood competition because you have something that will be so much faster then them. Then you an check into just buying rounds off someone and splitting them and selling the final product. If you find the right person to supply you there is money in doing that. For 3k the SS is the best you can get.

Scott

 

[Swamp Yankee]

you always seemed like me.wanting a quality piece of equipment without spending more than necessary.these are the best bang for the buck.
i like TW too but the only way to buy them is used.

+1
If when I was ready to buy a couple months ago, I hadn't stumbled into a like new used TW-P1 on a Tuesday an American was coming home on Friday.

Take Care

 

[capetrees]

Is there a price list on the Americans? How about local distributors or are they all shipped from one place?

 

[capetrees]

Out of my range for distance but how does the price match to factory brand new?

http://burlington.craigslist.org/grd/977350650.html

 

[sawinredneck]

I hear ya!!! It is always easier to beg for forgiveness than ask permission, but this presents a problem......

And I DID mention I just passed off the purchase of the mini-skidsteer to help things along! Not cheap!! She is the one pushing for the purchase of the splitter, within reason.

Take a trip to St. Louis and I'll have a nice pile of wood for you to run through the SS. Don't worry about the Robin engine on the SS it's a great little engine. I have well over 1000 ranks of wood without a problem. The biggest SS runs a little heavier flywheel for more power. It just takes a tad longer to get them spinning up to speed again. The middle uses 2 75lb flywheels and a 6.5hp engine(I think could be a 5.5) The j model uses a 4.5 engine. I think it uses the same 75lb flywheels but I'm not sure. It will really put you ahead of your firewood competition because you have something that will be so much faster then them. Then you an check into just buying rounds off someone and splitting them and selling the final product. If you find the right person to supply you there is money in doing that. For 3k the SS is the best you can get.

Scott

I would love to, but too far to drive to come home empty handed!!

Is there a price list on the Americans? How about local distributors or are they all shipped from one place?

I am trying to find "local" dealers myself, I was just googling when you posted this actually! I have been "given" a partial list price, but not for all of the equipment.

 

[maplemeister]

That Craiglist splitter in Burlington looks exactly like mine. However, the machine I purchased brand new last December, also included an extended tongue and an outfeed table to catch the splits for the same money as the one in the ad. I also question the 30 ton claim. My machine has the 8 hp Honda as well. There are many dealers who handle American if you check around. If I were in your shoes, I would find a way to try the top 3 machines I was interested in, either through a dealer or a friend who allready owns one, then go from there. At least you will know what price range you need to be in to get what you want, and if a good used unit shows up you can be prepared to jump. Unfortunately, I cannot offer any advice on how to sell the lady of the house as I am still fine tuning that problem myself.

Maplemeister:

 

[fishercat]

seems about right based on my dealers price.

Out of my range for distance but how does the price match to factory brand new?

http://burlington.craigslist.org/grd/977350650.html

you should be able to get a new one with the front pans for around that price.

he is at $3,050 for that machine.he also has that same machine for his personal splitter. he is American biggest dealer.

 

[sawinredneck]

Sorry the pic isn't the best, the sun was killing me, but this is an idea of what I am bringing back, if it helps?

 

[STLfirewood]

Sorry the pic isn't the best, the sun was killing me, but this is an idea of what I am bringing back, if it helps?

Looks a little tongue heavy. How do you like the mini skid I have been thinking of getting one.

Scott

 

[Wet1]

If I had to have a 2 splitter setup I would get a cheap 20ton brave,swisher,yard machine,ect and a Super splitter. A Supper splitter can handle crotches and knotty stuff. It just doesn;t have a log lift so the big ones could give you trouble getting them up there. That's where the cheap splitter works in vertical mode to slit them on the ground in half or quarters. Then run them through the SS. I had that setup at first then had a upside down splitter made for my skid steer. Now I don't get off the machine to split the big boys. Here is the real break down though. You don;t need to worry about the big boys because you have a chainsaw you can rip them with. Problem solved. If your just cutting wood for yourself and don;t cut that much save your money and get a big box store splitter and it will serve you for years. If you want to sell wood and make some money get a Super Splitter. It's hands down the best 3k splitter you can get on the market. If your really selling firewood and trying to do production if you come to a problem piece you should just toss it aside and keep going. There is no reason to spend 5 minutes jacking with a knotty crappy piece when you could bust 6 or 7 other pieces in that time. You do not realize how good the SS is until you use it. Also the splitters don't have trouble with crotches and knotty pieces they will do them just fine. I have a friend with a TW-2 it's a nice well built machine but very slow compared to my SS. I can out split him 3 to 1 easy. More then that if I'm in good wood. Think about what I'm saying in this next statement and compare it to your hydraulic splitter. If the rounds are stacked up ready to go. I can split faster then you can stack it in the truck and that's the truth.

Scott

The man speaks with infinite wisdom!

Take a trip to St. Louis and I'll have a nice pile of wood for you to run through the SS. Don't worry about the Robin engine on the SS it's a great little engine. I have well over 1000 ranks of wood without a problem. The biggest SS runs a little heavier flywheel for more power. It just takes a tad longer to get them spinning up to speed again. The middle uses 2 75lb flywheels and a 6.5hp engine(I think could be a 5.5) The j model uses a 4.5 engine. I think it uses the same 75lb flywheels but I'm not sure. It will really put you ahead of your firewood competition because you have something that will be so much faster then them. Then you an check into just buying rounds off someone and splitting them and selling the final product. If you find the right person to supply you there is money in doing that. For 3k the SS is the best you can get.

Scott

Again, he's correct. I believe Scott has the HD model, I have the J with the 4.5 Robin on mine. When I asked what the difference is (other than the engine), I was told there's a slight difference in the mechanism that allows the rack to ride on the beam. I've never seen the HD in person so I can't say what the actual difference is, if any. The flywheels and R&P are the same on both of these models. I've never had a lick of trouble with the Robin engine. In fact, it's very smooth, quite, and it has been 100% trouble free. I certainly wouldn't pay a premium for the Honda. The 4.5hp on mine absolutely sips gas. I can split several cords on a single fill up, and it's a small tank. The 4.5 has plenty of power. In fact, I typically only run mine at about 2/3 throttle unless I have some large or tough rounds to deal with.

The SS would work very well for splitting the wood you have pictured. It might struggle with some real nasty crotches, or some large elm, but as Scott said, just toss those aside or take the saw to them (which is what I do). But for the 95% of the wood I come across (in CT), there's not a better/faster splitter on the market for your money.

BTW, if you do get a SS, make sure you get the production table as it's worth every penny in use.

 

[sawinredneck]

Looks a little tongue heavy. How do you like the mini skid I have been thinking of getting one.

Scott

Yeah, I set this load a little too much to the front, the last load was a little light on the tounge and wanted to sway.

I LOVE the mini!! I have a log grapple which is how I load the trailer. Don't like where the tree falls? Grab it with the mini and move it! The last tree I droppd yesterday I just drug it back to the trailer cut it up there and loaded it! For what I paid there is NOTHING I could have gotten that would have worked any better!!
The downfalls with the mini's, they don't lift all that high, mine maxes out at 42", they are squirly to drive and ten times more likely to tip than a regular skid steer.

 

[ducati996]

I picked up a Northstar 37 ton with the Honda motor (9hp) and its been flawless. Nothing stops it not even the 36" rounds in the vertical position.
Cycles times are perfect and plenty fast for a two man operation. We have split easily 60 cords already, and have many , many more to go!

I just saw the Lowes TRoy built units (33 ton), which appeared to be a real nice unit at around $1900. Very similar builds with a Honda motor along with vertical/horizontal ability. It looks like it would be fully assembled (huge plus) compared to ordering from Northern tools (it will take you a number of hours to put the 37-ton together). It has a inline hydraulic filter which looks to be a plus, where as the Northstar is a screen inside the tank. Apprantly because of too much restriction/cavitation.

I dont think anybody could go wrong with the Troybuilt unti (33 ton model) sitting at lowes. I know the Northstar is a great unit - yeah maybe Im biased but there are many great reviews on this splitter

http://machineunderground.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=2212&d=1229268068

 

[kgreer]

Northern Tool splitter cons that I see

Two things I see about the Northern Tool splitter that stand out vs. the speeco. The first is that the beam surface is flat while SpeeCo has a built in cradle for the log. There's is a channel wedge design. Also, the splitting wedge is flat. No spreaders to pop the log apart so you have to split alot further through most pieces before they break apart. Either way they both look like decent splitters.