Anyone have this?

that price for a 20 ton sounds awesome, but passed it up almost immediately after looking at it for several engineering and design issues.

1. Does not go vertical
2. The Cylinder is hidden in that housing where you are bound to get like a bajillion pounds of bark and debris packed into a tight wad
3. The Wedge HAS to be attached in a way that the 20 tons of force is likely to bend the cylinder piston over time. I could be wrong here, but I'd assume that it would bend over time, then you'd start having issues with it. Most splitters have that wedge at the end of the piston. straight pressure forces.

This does not mean you shouldn't try it

Definitely better than electric.

Enzo's Dad said:

It says in the fine print most cupons would not apply.. I have never bought anything from Harbor Freight, and I dont need a splitter but......It would be nice to throw the uglies in there

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Haha! It always starts with "I don't need one BUT it would be nice for uglies or Elm crotches or to save time or...".

Looks like a pretty solid deal even without 20% off but that cylinder would get super hot seeing that it only holds 2.25 gallons of fluid AND its covered. Still, its $600 bucks.

Enzo's Dad said:

It says in the fine print most cupons would not apply.. I have never bought anything from Harbor Freight, and I dont need a splitter but......It would be nice to throw the uglies in there

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When i stopped to see the preacher splitting wood. He was using one like that. I dont know if it was the same one. I seamed to work good. It speed the process up because it split both ways. But you have to heft the rounds up on it for the initial split. That was the biggest draw back that i saw. I asked him about the bark falling into it. How often he cleaned it out. He said just before he took it home.

Yes Danno, I agree with your comments.

Bart, looks like it should split both ways. It may be there, but I didn't find it in the description.

I don't see the hydro ram. I think this is a Hydro motor running a worm shaft. If so my guess there is a huge cantilevered force. Over the years, I've seen a lot of bent parts on splitters returned to HD.

A lot of good reviews, but.....My issue with this Chinese machines, generally speaking, there a copy, poor quality metal, and no availably parts. Add another 1/3 that price and buy a quality, proven machine you will run for years trouble free.

I know a lot on here like to split vertical but I've only set my splitter that way once in 3 years now. I will go vertical next year some since I have some big rounds I can't lift.

Northern Tool & equipment sells a two way splitter also but there's costs $1000

When you need to split vertically, you need it Real hard to lift a few hundred pound, 24 inch round.

Last year I bucked up 3 huge blow down oaks. I towed the splitter to the tree. I could only roll the rounds from the tree to the splitter set up vertical. Each round produced 10 - 12 large splits. No way could I have gotten them out I one piece.

I have the Northern Tool splitter. Got it from a Northern Tool wholesale store for $925. Works great! I have split about 7 cords with it so far, and no problems. Below are some pics of how it is made.

I

xman23 said:

When you need to split vertically, you need it Real hard to lift a few hundred pound, 24 inch round.

Last year I bucked up 3 huge blow down oaks. I towed the splitter to the tree. I could only roll the rounds from the tree to the splitter set up vertical. Each round produced 10 - 12 large splits. No way could I have gotten them out I one piece.

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I think the way trees up he don't grow real big because of the long and bitter cold winters has something to do with not using my splitter in vertical often. The board manufacturers up here say that the slow growing hardwoods here are high quality though. Nice tight rings and hard.

bwise.157 said:

I have the Northern Tool splitter. Got it from a Northern Tool wholesale store for $925. Works great! I have split about 7 cords with it so far, and no problems. Below are some pics of how it is made.

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Yeah that's the splitter I wanted to get before I got my 22 ton Forest Kimg for a great price at Menards. Nice splitter!

So, I can't quite make out what is inside that, is it a hydraulic ram or some sort of corkscrew/gear drive system?

Danno77 said:

So, I can't quite make out what is inside that, is it a hydraulic ram or some sort of corkscrew/gear drive system?

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Hydraulic cylinder, just like most other log splitters.

Yes, it just splits on the way out and splits again on the way back in. I wanted to "split" the cost of one of these with a long time neighbor but he said no so now he just borrows my new splitter. That's fine but I say no to the other 4-5 that have asked to use it too!