Wood splitter recommendations

[KiwiBro]

This is what i will get when i decide i dont need $3,000

http://www.supersplit.com/

Sent while firmly grasping my redline lubed RAM [emoji231]

One of my favourite tools. However the OP wants to tow a splitter through the woods to the log. Unless he also wants to modify his ss, he'd be better off towing an epileptic elephant.

 

[U&A]

One of my favourite tools. However the OP wants to tow a splitter through the woods to the log. Unless he also wants to modify his ss, he'd be better off towing an epileptic elephant.

[emoji23][emoji23][emoji23][emoji23]


Sent while firmly grasping my redline lubed RAM [emoji231]

 

[Natster]

We all want a super split.
Or two!

 

[Rabm03]

This may save you some time---good luck!

I hope so! I just bought a 22 ton half bar one week ago. It already quit running. No spark. DHT had me take it to a local small engine place and the guy there said he had never heard of that brand and it didn't surprise him it didn't run. Told me it would be a long time before he could look at it? I'm thinking I made a bad decision?

 

[Husky Joe]

Got an update on this?

 

[Rabm03]

Got an update on this?

Yes. Still on going. DHT stopped responding to my e-mails after I told them I wanted my money back. I filed for a return with ebay and filed for a refund with pay pal. DHT still hasn't responded. The shop it is at still hasn't been in contact with DHT. I asked DHT customer service what I should do but they wont respond back! I reccomend never buying anything from DHT!

 

[homemade]

That blows

 

[spike60]

Would like to add my 2 cents without offending anyone, but strong opinions, good or bad, based on one person's experience with one machine can only be given so much weight.

Husky Joe for instance has had bum luck with his Kohler engine. Ate a push rod or something?. Haven't checked the therad to see where that's at lately. So, yes, he certainly would never recommend a Kohler based on that experience. But we see so many of them out there, and sell that motor with a lot of confidence. Usually to re-power a splitter, that we rank it with the better Honda motors. Similar to what is happening to Rabn03, this type of experience is EXTREMELY frustrating for the end user to have to deal with. And no one wants to find themselves in the same boat as either of those 2 guys. But some easy lessons can be learned, cause there's a pattern to what they are going through.

Online/direct ship splitter purchases should TOTALLY be avoided IMO. It's fine if you get a splitter with no issues, but if you encounter problems, the help on the other end of that 800 number is an awful long ways off. Unlike many other products, the size and weight of a splitter kill the option of shipping it back. It's all on you to get it done. Dealing with the manufacturer, the "local shop" who is only going to have minimal, if any interest in getting involved. Let's face it, they don't want to deal with the same manufacturer that is giving you the run around either.

If you can't buy from a dealer with a shop, at least buy from a store like TSC or whatever where you have a physical place to return the splitter to and actual people you can talk to. Some stores have an arrangement with a local shop to provide some service. But the main thing is, you're not out there all by yourself with a dead splitter.

We sold a lot of the Ariens 22 ton splitters til they stopped making them. Not really looking for another splitter brand right now, so we are telling our customers that the best place to get a splitter is TSC, and we recommend the Kohler motor as well. Nothing wrong with the vertical Briggs units either.

The engine brand thing is another deal. I think you gotta get a name brand engine like Kohler, Honda, Briggs, Kawi, or whatever. The support network for these motors is already in place for these brands, and most dealers are signed up with them and have access to parts and what not. That's not the case with all of the odd ball "looks like a Honda" knock off engines that are out there. NOBODY should buy any Champion product with a Champion brand engine on it IMO. There are no parts in the country to support this stuff. See a lot of strange engines on generators. Why expose yourself to this kind of uncertainty just to save a few bucks? People sometimes think we are just blowing them off when we turn away something like that. But we are a busy shop and have neither the time or interest in working on something with an unkown engine on it.

 

[Deleted member 149229]

Would like to add my 2 cents without offending anyone, but strong opinions, good or bad, based on one person's experience with one machine can only be given so much weight.

Husky Joe for instance has had bum luck with his Kohler engine. Ate a push rod or something?. Haven't checked the therad to see where that's at lately. So, yes, he certainly would never recommend a Kohler based on that experience. But we see so many of them out there, and sell that motor with a lot of confidence. Usually to re-power a splitter, that we rank it with the better Honda motors. Similar to what is happening to Rabn03, this type of experience is EXSTREMELY frustrating for the end user to have to deal with. And no one wants to find themselves in the same boat as either of those 2 guys. But some easy lessons can be learned, cause there's a pattern to what they are going through.

Online/direct ship splitter purchases should TOTALLY be avoided IMO. It's fine if you get a splitter with no issues, but if you encounter problems, the help on the other end of that 800 number is an awful longs ways off. Unlike many other products, the size and weight of a splitter kill the option of shipping it back. It's all on you to get it done. Dealing with the manufacturer, the "local shop" who is only going to have minimal, if any interest in getting involved. Let's face it, they don't want to deal with the same manufacturer that is giving you the run around either.

If you can't buy from a dealer with a shop, at least buy from a store like TSC or whatever where you have a physical place to return the splitter to and actual people you can talk to. Some stores have an arrangement with a local shop to provide some service. But the main thing is, you're not out there all by yourself with a dead splitter.

We sold a lot of the Ariens 22 ton splitters til they stopped making them. Not really looking for another splitter brand right now, so we are telling our customers that the best place to get a splitter is TSC, and we recommend the Kohler motor as well. Nothing wrong with the vertical Briggs units either.

The engine brand thing is another deal. I think you gotta get a name brand engine like Kohler, Honda, Briggs, Kawi, or whatever. The support network for these motors is already in place for these brands, and most dealers are signed up with them and have access to parts and what not. That's not the case with all of the odd ball "looks like a Honda" knock off engines that are out there. NOBODY should buy any Champion product with a Champion brand engine on it IMO. There are no parts in the country to support this stuff. See a lot of strange engine on generators. Why expose yourself to this kind of uncertainty just to save a few bucks? People sometimes think we are just blowing them off when we turn away something like that. But we are a busy shop and have neither the time or interest in working on something with an unkown engine on it.

Agree 100%. As many Kohler engines that are out there you’re bound to get a bad one now and then, nobody is perfect, but yes, if it happens to you it sucks. I have a County Line, TSC, 22 ton, had it for 7 years, zero issues other than learning to turn the fuel shut off valve to off when towing or the bouncing on the road puts fuel into the cylinder. First time that happened I found out by yanking the recoil handle and dang near ripping my shoulder off when it didn’t move. Also, the 22 ton has split anything I have put in it, no matter how big or gnarly. Oak, elm, ash, maple, it doesn’t matter.

 

[Husky Joe]

I had a happy ending. A lot of people have a lot of good to say about Kohler engines, including my local small engine mechanic. I'm hoping that my troubles were the exception to the rule. The stuck valve was the straw that broke the camel's back. I got in touch with Kohler and they were aware of my issues. They gave me no BS and my new engine will be delivered by FedEx on Monday. Props to Kohler for their service. Closure!

 

[spike60]

Great the hear there's a happy ending to this one Joe!

How many weeks did you lose trying to get this sorted out though? A mini-GTG with some local members would get you caught up. All ya need is a wood pile and some food. And a cooler for when the saws are put away.

 

[babybart]

My wifes zero turn has a Kohler Courage motor on it, about 8 years old. I had no time to mess with a recurring issue so we took it to the local repair shop. There was some kind of internal issue and Kohler was aware of it so they gave us a new motor, no questions. That was pretty impressive service I thought since it was way out of warranty. So I had no problems buying a County Line 25 ton splitter with the Kohler on it. No problems in 4 years except that fuel shutoff I never used until I realized what was happening every time I moved the damn thing.

 

[92utownxh]

After just spending another two hours trying to get my DHT/Kohler to start (unsuccessfully), let me say that I would NEVER consider another Kohler. I’m somewhere between dragging this POS back to the shop again or just yanking it off, replacing it with a Honda, and selling it on Craigslist as a mechanic’s special. It’s been sitting for a few months out of the weather but the best I can get it to do is backfire. Buy the best and cry once!

I have a dht 20 ton with the Kohler. It starts first pull everytime. Never a problem. Its split a lot of wood. has dht helped you at all?

 

[Husky Joe]

How many weeks did you lose trying to get this sorted out though?

The saga began on 9/26/18. I would hate to guess how many hours or days were spent troubleshooting and pulling that damn rope (so much that it broke).

A mini-GTG with some local members would get you caught up.

I'm thinking a proper sendoff would be to set the old Kohler on the splitter and pull the lever. BYOB!

has dht helped you at all?

I didn't get a reply from the DHT guy the last time I PM'd him asking about warranty coverage, so I just went straight to Kohler. I have been in touch with both companies often since I purchased the splitter nearly a year ago.

 

[Andyshine77]

Sorry to hear about your bad luck. I myself will not buy anything with a Kohler engine, they had many issues on a commercial mowers I've ran. Supposedly in the last five or so years they fixed all that in the mid to late 2000's they were junk, so everyone went to Kawasaki.

Anyway I have an old huskee 22T Briggs I bought I bought in 07 and it's has never missed a beat, even after being stored outside the whole time, I do cover it most of the time. I was at Lowe's a while back and I looked over the DHT splitters, and they seemed very lightly built compared to my little Speeco Huskee. The only issue I had with my splitter was the valve started to ooze a little hydraulic fluid after the first few months, I contacted Speeco and they sent me out an o-ring set ASAP it hasn't leaked sense.

 

[homemade]

KOHLER courage engines have known internal issues that they are willing to make good with new long blocks. My FIL has a 22hp in his cub cadet riding mower. He took it in for some minor work and the mechanic heard a noise, said it was junk and replaced the engine. Told him they are only 500 hour engines.

 

[al-k]

I have been thinking about this one.

 

[Deleted member 150358]

Log lift would be nice. Gonna try n talk a buddy into building a box wedge splitter this winter. Just can't justify a Easton, TW or ABSbiomass for 1 household. Productivity would be worth some parts and time.

 

[KiwiBro]

Log lift would be nice. Gonna try n talk a buddy into building a box wedge splitter this winter. Just can't justify a Easton, TW or ABSbiomass for 1 household. Productivity would be worth some parts and time.

I wonder what this would cost in US$ given it's made with our banana republic dollars:

 

[Deleted member 150358]

I wonder what this would cost in US$ given it's made with our banana republic dollars:

Good question! $8,000 maybe that looks like a prototype?

We'd be a little/lot cruder but was thinking along that design. We have an old tractor driven beam splitter that's clapped out and ready for a revamp. I don't see it being overly difficult.

Have a couple new pumps but not sure the pressure/flow rate on those. A few used ones too. Not as big as he's running for sure. Don't see the need for twin rams really either but will be a learning curve for sure.