Transporting log splitter

My wife and son just picked ours up about a week ago and towed it behind our Tahoe. She stayed off the highway and didn't get over 40mph. I checked the hubs for heat when she got here and they were warm but not warm enough to the point where you couldn't hold on to it. She towed it about 7 miles. I wouldn't tow it over 45mph.

Regulations on this vary from state to state. Your police dept. that hands out tickets for such things would know for sure.

Here in PA, my understanding is it's legal to tow "as is" if it has proper reflective materials on it (active lights are not necessary) and it doesn't cover your vehicle's tail lights.

Most of the limitation is the unsprung weight of the unit bouncing around on the solid axel or axel stubs. Should be able to tow it home just keep speed down to about 25mph tops so it isn't whipping around like a fresh hooked fish in the bottom of the boat.

I've driven down the parkway with my Troy Bilt for 10-15 miles @50/55 mph no issues.

I towed my DHT about 30 minutes home doing 45-50 mph. I hit 55 a few times, and it wasn't bouncing too much.

I did skip the highway though. That would have cut the commute down to 20 minutes, but I don't want to be the a hole doing 55 mph in a 65 zone when there's only 2 lanes.

Tow it home - if possible go back roads and just don't hammer on it but it will be fine at 55 on clean roads. Pot holes are another story.

I lucked out by having mine delivered for free when I bought it, but (I'm making an assumption here) why don't you take this thing and put it on whatever you use to haul wood?

Just read your other thread about using a Mercury Milan and looking for a trailer! I guess that's why I shouldn't have assumed!

My Surge Master is plated and has lights
It is built to tow

The owner manual for that splitter (TSC "CL", aka Huskee) says up to 45 mph. I kept mine down to that for the 40 minute drive home, using backroads except for a half mile or so of the interstate, which wasn't busy anyway. That machine rattles a lot over anything but the smoothest road, which was mainly the wedge rattling on the beam, since it's not a tight fit at all.

Yea the jackstand up inside the tongue is pretty rattly. We noticed rattling quite a bit when running it while it was still hooked up to the front hitch on our JD X720. Might be able stick a wooden wedge between the lockup pin and the jackstand to quieten it down or maybe just a wooden block and bungee cord wrapped around the tongue to hold it up.

I trailered my splitter behind my truck when I first brought it home -- maybe 3-4 miles.

Since then whenever anyone has asked to borrow it though I've had them load it up in a trailer or the back of their pick up . . . my own feeling . . . without a real suspension, having the axle part of the hydraulic fluid reservoir and being so light it wouldn't take much to damage it. Again, only my own feeling, no real evidence for thinking this way.

I towed mine home about 25 miles. I kept to 45-50 and used mostly back roads. I tow it around here but if I go and distance I use a boat trailer.

yip 45mph. that is probably the rating on the tires.
I bought it to take with me when I cut wood.
I will be pulling mine on the highway, in the slow lane.

Mine goes in the back of the truck or on a trailer, the hydro tank sits to close to the ground for my comfort towing it on any highway or bad back road. I can't even see mine behind the f250 to know if it is bouncing around.

mellow said:

Mine goes in the back of the truck or on a trailer, the hydro tank sits to close to the ground for my comfort towing it on any highway or bad back road. I can't even see mine behind the f250 to know if it is bouncing around.

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. . . or if you took a corner too tightly and the splitter is now dragging down the road on its side?

I have towed mine once, and I will never do it again, the only way I would be able to see it is if I take off my tail gate. I would rather just load it up the truck on ramps and strap it down and be done with it. If you get a good running start it ain't to bad

When we bought our Troy Built a couple of really nice guys helped lift it into the bed of our pickup. My husband used motorcycle tiedowns to secure it to the truck's cleats for the trip home. When we got home we used a pair of steel ramps and by slowly lostening/ratcheting the tiedowns got it into the yard. Impressed the heck out of me! We are going to help a neighbor split/stack in a few days, but we can tow it up the road for that job.

When considering towing a log splitter at any speed look at the rims, if they are attached to the spindle by a single nut and cotter key they are no different than a wheel barrow or coaster wagon rim with a press fit bearing. Just food for thought.

triptester said:

When considering towing a log splitter at any speed look at the rims, if they are attached to the spindle by a single nut and cotter key they are no different than a wheel barrow or coaster wagon rim with a press fit bearing. Just food for thought.

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A lot of cars and trucks used that method of securing the front wheels for many years, as do most trailers built today. A lot of what limits the speed is the tires themselves, both size and construction and the bearing itself. Those little wheels are very busy at speed.

Had to move a splitter about 75 mi, wasn't about to tow it that far.
Did it like this:
https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/log-splitter-in-truck-loading-unloading.127420/

Not sure of the one you bought, but my Huskee 22 uses the Oil Tank as an axle....gotta becareful over bumps and pot holes to avoid cracking the Tank

I pulled mine home, about 3 miles.

With the reservoir being the axel, I wouldn't take it anywhere else.

I think a ball hitch mounted on my 6 x 10' frame rail would work great for transport in the trailer. Then just tie the back end down once the front is secured by the ball hitch.