buying a splitter

I got one , it works pretty good. I haven't had anything it would bust through, and I only used it for the nasty pieces. The rest I do by hand, because the troy built is so friggin' slow!! Not any slower than most other splitters, but if I had somebody to split the cost I'd talk him into something faster, like a rapidfire or a supersplit or one of ones that splits on both strokes. They cost alot though.
Also -replace the bolts that hold the cradle on to the I beam before you bust 'em off...and you will...with something stronger. Its a pain to do after the heads are sheared off. But all in all, for the price, its a good little machine. That Honda starts first pull everytime. I've had mine 3 years.

You don't need 27 ton to split wood! A 20 ton will do just as well and sometimes better. The 27 ton Troy Bilt has had somewhat of a bad name around our area. Very slow and not all that stout. Our 20 ton is plenty fast enough and splits all we need splitting. Over 20 years now and no repairs either with over 200 cord split. Whatever you get, get one that splits vertically. Your body will appreciate it and you'll split faster.

something to consider...

my 22 ton has a 4" cylinder, has a pretty quick cycle time and is unstoppable. kohler engine is quiet and starts with 1 pull. when you start getting into the 4.5" and larger cylinders, sure the tonnage increases but without a larger motor with a larger pump, the cycle time suffers terribly. so don't just go by one factor. a well designed machine considers the best balance in all respects. i've used some 20 ton units with 5hp motors and they were quite fast. and plowed thru anything.

i'm sure you'll receive alot of good advice here.

OT

My 22 ton hasn't met a round it couldn't handle. You might consider less tonnage.

I ruled out the troy built since it has that weird method of attaching the ram to the beam. I will not purchase a splitter with a ram that mounts with those goofy little ears and has a short beam. Only the splitters such as the huskee that use a full length beam with ram attachment at the rear of the ram.

Tractor Supply Huskee/SpeeCo 22 ton machine is a better deal @ $1000. Agreed that I don't care for the Troy-Bilt's S-L-O-W cycle time and trunnion mount cylinder.

27 ton is optimistic for that setup anyways. Would have to operate at 3400 psi to achieve that I've yet to see a splitter you can buy from a store that operates at that kind of pressure. Most have the relief valves set @ 2800 psi.

I also looked at the troybilt, for the reasons above I passed on it &
went with the Speeco 22 ton ( + I like the cradle beam & wedge design better, ((don't like the folding tongue stand, finger pinching design))
I think the 22 ton huskee at the TS stores is the same as the Speeco, made by them I think.
95% of the time I use it vert & plenty fast for me.

If you do go with the troybuilt see the manager and offer him $900. Wait til spring. Worked for me.