Speeco 5 ton electric splitter $249 at Tractor Supply - has anyone tried it?

I've read a lot about the Task Force 5 ton electric splitter from Lowes, but has anyone tried this Speeco one?

http://www.tractorsupply.com/saving...rs/speeco-5-ton-electric-log-splitter-2152594

It is on sale for $249. It draws 13 amps versus 15 for the Task Force. Speeco seems well-respected for their other splitters.

I split by hand but think something like this might be good for splitting things like the smaller-diameter rounds of wood like birch which are stringy and elastic and take repeated blows to split by hand, a very inefficient way to do it.

Tractor supply is having a demo days this weekend and I will probably bring some wood over and test it out.

Ok, here is what I did Sunday.

First I stopped in Home Depot and saw that they carry a Homelite 5-ton Electric Splitter that is identical to the Task Force splitter that Lowes carries (other than the markings such as the inches scale on the Task Force). Price = $299

Then I went to Lowes to take a look at the manual for the Task Force. Because of the high current draw (15 amps) the manual recomends using a 12 gauge extension cord up to 50 feet and lengths over 50 feet are "not recommended." I also saw in the manual that the hydraulic pressure is listed at 16 MPa.

Then I went across the road to Tractor Supply's Demo Days with my pickup truck of oddball pieces of wood that would be tricky to split by hand. There was some dry hard maple with a knot, some crotch pieces of white birch, a round of birch that was slanted at both ends, and so forth. The Speeco electric split them all. I was very impressed, as were people going into and out of the store who stopped to watch. An employee told me that he has one and had recently split 5 full cords with it, and there was only a little that he couldn't split (he motioned with his hands and it looked like maybe 3 cubic feet that he couldn't split).

Looking at the manual it says to use a 14 gauge or lower extension cord, but not to go over 25 feet. The Speeco website specifies 12 amps, not 13 as I said in my first post. To me this seems like I should be able to use a longer cord as long as it is 12 guage, since the Task Force draws 15 amps and says a 50' 12 guage cord is ok. I measured the usable length to be 1/2" longer than the Task Force, even though the Task Force says 21" (it's really more like 20 1/4") and the Speeco say 20" it's really more like 20 3/4".

I think the biggest advantage of the Speeco over the Task Force is that it is one-handed operation from the ram end so that you can run it with one hand and steady an odd-shaped log with the other.

I was unable to buy it on the spot, though, because they had sold out and even had a sold sign on the demo unit. But I got a raincheck at the $249 price and hope to have my own soon.

Sorry for the delay in response. I just got back at a computer after being off for Thanksgiving.

I am quite happy with the Speeco. I have been able to split most everything (but not all) with it. I don't imagine that it is any better or worse that the Task Fore as far as what it can split, but has the very distinct advantage of letting me stay in a position behind it and let me steady a piece of wood with my free hand. This is safer and also allows me to go faster because I can grab a piece as it falls away with my free hand and get it in position before the ram retracts fully.

The only problem I have had is that it doesn't work if the motor end is angled higher than the wedge end. Reverse the position and it is fine. Maybe this means I need to add hydraulic fluid, but I haven't checked the level.

The only thing that I think could have been designed bettter is the side rails that guide the log. On the Task Force these are tubes. I've had a stubby branch get in between the side rail and the I-beam and with 5 tons of force pushing the round behind it that guide rail was bowing out pretty bad when I released the advance lever and repositioned the log to get the branch out of the space between the I-beam and side rail. On the other hand, maybe it is supposed to "give" like this where it might have permanently mangled a tube.

I have split 24" rounds of straight grained wood easily with this splitter. On the other hand, it refused to split a 8" twisted interior piece of bone dry sugar maple (20" long). It balked at a 13" round of apple (19" long) but split short pieces of the same diameter. (The apple round I couldn't split with a wedge either. I cut a notch with a chainsaw to start the wedge, but 40 blows later with a sledge hammer and it was no closer to splitting than when I started. I put it on the 10 ton manual hydraulic splitter and it split.) I have been using it on some big 18-24" diameter pieces of fresh cut juicy white pine and spruce with a lot of success. Even big forked pieces I can chip away at. You get pretty good at reading how to tackle a piece. I think the bottom line is that 5 tons does have its limits, but you can do a surprising amount with it. The few pieces it won't split I can either cut in half (noodle or crosscut to shorter length), use a maul and/or wedges, or use the 10 ton manual hydraulic splitter.

If a the unit bogs down, the overload protection stops it from advancing and the ram retracts on springs. To reset the overload, just push the power button off and then on again.
I've been using a 100' 12 guage extension cord with no trouble.
There is a wing nut on the end that you have to open to relieve pressure inside while you are using it. This is not in my manual, but the support people at Speeco said that it is in an updated manual and in the online manual. I called them to ask a few questions and it turned out that I have an old manual.

Overall, if you don't mind fussing with a few pieces and generally split pieces smaller than 20" diameter and length, I'm sure you will like this splitter. If you are routinely tackling large quantities of hard to split wood, especially greater than 20" diameter and length, get a more powerful gas one.