Ariens splitter

Danno77 said:

Anybody order one of these and had it delivered on a crate? What do I need to be prepared to do? Will I need some fluids? I have fuel. How much assembly will be required?

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I had the same model delivered by crate this past June. Having a couple of mover dollies on hand helped get it into the garage where I unpacked and assembled. Getting it out of the crate was more of a challenge than I expected, but then again, I didn't want to break out the saws since that makes a mess and (with me anyway) introduces a risk of damage to the machine itself. Assembly was straightforward (1-2 hrs because I'm slow and obsess over the instructions) and I'm not particularly mechanically inclined. Also my unit arrived with hydraulic fluid already filled, but there is a precaution in the manual to run the unit for a bit, then check the fluid level again; you will likely need to add some, so have it on-hand.

I've been pleased with it so far. About 16-20 hrs on it and probably 3+ cords split. One thing surprised me though. I was expecting to do most splitting in the vertical position due to very large size of rounds, but that hasn't been the case. I found the vertical position to be somewhat unstable, but I think that has more to do with my yard terrain than anything; on a flat solid surface, it is probably much better. So I still used my maul to split big rounds into more manageable pieces. Also, having read some other comments here, I probably should change the engine oil about now.

Danno77 said:

I spent some time tonight building an overhang off of a building I've been building. This will be where I store the splitter. I really need a place to park the riders, too. I hate just tarping them over the winter. Pics to come in another thread around the weekend, hopefully.

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Hmm sounds like someone needs a garage/woodshed/man cave... I have crews that will build for me in Ill just saying.

So has it arrived??????????

All you want to know about the 22 ton Ariens. I love it.....

https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/ariens-22-ton-log-splitter.120846/#post-1622469

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We'll look forward to hearing it arrived Friday!

Looks good... will look better with some paint wore off and fresh splits scattered around it!:D

Congratulations! And just think, the kids'll be busy with their candy and leave you alone with your new toy!

Danno77 said:

Just split about 3 cord with it. Will know better when it's all stacked. It did a great job and a tank of gas lasts forever! It did struggle on my Siberian Elm. Thank goodness I didn't have to do that by hand. I learned several things. I can pay attention to the grain a lot less and let the splitter do the work where I WANT the split instead of trying to work with the log. Another thing is that I got that elm stuck on the wedge and it will not remove it on its own. All it does is pivot the round and press the front edge against the lever. I had to shut the engine off when that happened. I know my explanation is poor. I might take a picture next time it happens. The third thing is that, when splitting horizontal, I have a tendency to stand to the side of the machine. No biggie except that when some rounds explode, they do so to the side, so right at me. When vertical, that sends a piece to my left and a piece to my right so much safer.

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Yea not good when they get stuck on the wedge. You have the side return guards to push the log off, but they don't work all the time. Some times I hit the log with a large sledgehammer. It may be the wood your splitting, but it doesn't normally happen.

How do you like the log rest ( what ever they are called) on each side of the beam? I been thinking of making them for mine. They should help with large rounds that need to split into 4-8 pieces. I'm always dropping a piece that needs to be split.

You must be splitting tough stuff if it's popping. That's the time you appreciate having the splitter.

Danno,
Your going to want to get and install the work table, it works awesome. When you split a big one, you can move 1/2 to the table, and continue splitting the other 1/2, then move it from the table back to the beam. It saves you having to let it drop, then having to pick it up again.... And, when you are working with regular smaller stuff, you can load the table with 3 or 4 rounds all at once, which makes splitting quicker...

Danno77 said:

I didn't see that when I ordered from Home Depot. How much does it run?

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Think it was $60 or so... Make sure you get the right part number from Ariens web site. The table for the 27 ton unit will not fit the 22 ton, different bolt pattern. I got the wrong one first try...