Ok, ....fess up....

  • Active since 1995, Hearth.com is THE place on the internet for free information and advice about wood stoves, pellet stoves and other energy saving equipment.

    We strive to provide opinions, articles, discussions and history related to Hearth Products and in a more general sense, energy issues.

    We promote the EFFICIENT, RESPONSIBLE, CLEAN and SAFE use of all fuels, whether renewable or fossil.
Status
Not open for further replies.

suprz

Member
Sep 24, 2012
219
Rhode island
Who here uses an electric logsplitter? I am seriously considering one and am looking for advice/reviews . Thanks
 
I process my wood too far away from any outlets for an electric splitter to be an option.
 
I use one. I have the 5 ton Taskforce model from Lowes. It's been quite handy. Sometimes my back can't handle an 8lb maul splitting on consecutive days. My electric splitter will break that up and give my back a rest. It's handled most of what I throw at it. Larger rounds sometimes you got to work a chunk off the side to get it to split.
 
i pondered it for a bit but then decided for a gas powered one. more tonnage.....and i didn't want to be bound by a cord.

cass
 
Like others, I would be too far away from an outlet. I get a fair amount of big, gnarly stuff, too. If I had a small lot, and lots of nice, straight rounds to split, it would be an affordable option.

If I had money to burn, I'd consider one for the garage. I run out of smaller splits quite often, and need whittle down bigger ones so I can fill in for a full load. For now, I use a Fiskars and a short splitting block.
 
i've heard good things about the oregon electric splitter although i've never used one, nor do i know its price/tonnage, but it might be worth researching. i read a review by some guy who used a ryobi and loved it. i couldn't even imagine...
 
I've used one, I think it was a 5 ton. Not real impressed, I could maul circles around it
 
I think it's a good idea if you do all your splitting near a power source.
Some nice ones out there, quieter & no gasoline needed.

I could see replacing my gasoline engine with an electric motor if it ever wears out.
Gas engine & being portable is nice
but with the right elec. motor, a little quieter might be nice too.
I found I bring the rounds home, 95% of my splitting is close to the house.
Wiring 30 amps 230v to the wood shed wouldn't take much.
 
I like mine. It's a 6 Ton Iron Horse. It doesn't owe me a dime. It won't take a real thick round through the middle, but it will take pieces off the outside just fine. It probably does 90% of what I throw at it. The rest gets put through the sledge and wedges.

Matt
 
i have the task force 5 ton..its pretty nice for the price...it comes in super handy in the summer. i just cut rounds load em up and haul em home...split in the driveway with splitter sitting on my tailgate...when its hot i use the splitter when it cools down i use the maul..i enjoy the maul and as long as its straight wood im faster with the maul..my son sets em up and i bust em up..i actually enjoy this way better...u will get ur moneys worth out of a electric splitter...
 
I try to speed the process up by not letting the piston return to the stop position. If you can keep it at the approximate size of the wood you are splitting it goes much faster. This is where the pieces shaved off the sides helps me. As soon as I'm done adjusting the round, the splitter has retracted enough to cleave another piece off.

Another thing is to put a spacer in front of the piston to shorten the travel.

Matt
 
I have a Ryobi 4 ton electric splitter it is a monster. My splitter will split just about anything you set on it aside from the knottiest rounds and is fairly quick. It is easy to go fast for me because my hands a large enough to run it one handed ( SAFELY ) without getting in the way of the ram. I have found that you can go fast because the round will almost always split before it is halfway through the wedge which really makes it go fast. The power cord is no issue for me because I don't have a ton of land so a 100ft cord goes where I need it. When I use it I set it on my saw horses with a 4*4 board so I can split standing up and the pieces fall on the table so you don't have to bend over a lot. When I do large peices it goes to the ground and you can roll them right up onto the splitter and not lift them. I have split up to 24" rounds on it however with hard wood it is usually good to 18" rounds. Over all that thing is a life saver for a budget and for home use.

Pete

 
  • Like
Reactions: milleo
I have the 5 ton homelite and its split 95% of what I throw at it, most of my 11 cords was split by hand and with the electric splitter, Ive since bought a 12 ton gas model since I got a good deal but still use the electric on small jobs and to make kindling. I back my truck up to my wood area and put the splitter on the bed, its 80 feet from the house so I got a 100 foot cord and I split right on the bed as I pull wood off, I got mine used but would be worth the money new IMHO. Ive split some huge rounds of oak and maple, I think they were close to 30 inches and it did the job.
 
I forgot to mention for the record, that I've been able to run my 5 ton electric off a 3000 watt generator. Not as portable as a tow along splitter but still portable none the less.
 
Suprz,

I brought a Speeco 5-ton electric splitter from Tractor Supply and used it for the first time today. It worked well, and I recommend it. I particuarly liked the one-hand operation, plus it has side rails that keep the rounds firmly in place. This is our first year burning with a BK Priness insert, so I could not justify the expense of alarge gas splitter, becasue I do not know bow much wood we will use. We will see.

Remeber, you get what you pay for. It did not compare to my father-in-law's 20+ ton 2-stage gas splitter, which we used last year to split about 2 cords in almost no time. As mentioned above, you have to shave off smaller pieces from the sides of larger rounds with the electic splitter, rather than just attack them straight away as you can with a larger splitter. That said, the Speeco took care of 95% of the rounds we threw at it today, and I was pleased.

Adam
 
The DR double split electric is intriguing. They also offer a kit to switch to gas. One of the reason I dont own a gas splitter is the noise and fumes. Sure a chainsaw puts out worse but usually its not continuous lile a splitter. I have a surplus of solar power so it would be way of burning up the surplus.
 
Well yesterday i scored a Taskforce 5 ton electric splitter off of Craigslist for 100.00 the owner said he used it twice. I looked at it and there were no scuff marks, and the wedge still had the paint on it, we threw a log i had brought with me onto the splitter just to make sure it worked and it worked great! So yesterday i got to splitting about 1/2 of the pine i got. I really like it, and if it ever breaks, i will get another in a heartbeat! No more manual splitting for me...
 
Oh yeah, I know....no pics and it didnt happen, I will post pics today a
 
And here are the pics
 

Attachments

  • image.jpg
    image.jpg
    177 KB · Views: 169
  • image.jpg
    image.jpg
    185.9 KB · Views: 212
  • image.jpg
    image.jpg
    175.6 KB · Views: 174
Interesting. I see these are not the tool if you're looking for speed, but seem sufficient for making big splits smaller??

Big question, how do they deal with gnarly stuff, like crotches?? Like the ones that are extremely tough to impossibly to split by hand. I can borrow my neighbors gas splitter but want to wait until I have a few hours worth of work to do so. I have a pile of tough stuff, some of which I've made valiant attempts with the maul, but that crotch wood just loves to deflect the maul off to the side! Is the electric only good for straight rounds?? Would be annoying to run extensions (yeah, I have way too many) to my processing area, but easier than borrowing equipment.
 
suprz, the Super Split I have is electric. It is fantastic. Very quiet. I have a light in the area I process so I have done some splitting in the morning before it is light out with no worries of bothering the neighbors (or my wife or son). http://www.supersplit.com/
 

Attachments

  • Super Split resized image.jpg
    Super Split resized image.jpg
    86.5 KB · Views: 160
  • Like
Reactions: Pallet Pete
Who here uses an electric logsplitter? I am seriously considering one and am looking for advice/reviews . Thanks

a) this thread should be in the "gear" forum, not "wood" (I've asked the moderator to move it);

b) if you use the search function, you'll find many threads on electric splitters within the last year. They'll tell you pros and cons of electric vs gasoline, different brands, etc. Many folks have taken the time to write pretty detailed reviews of their electric splitters.

c) never mind...I just reread and saw that you've already bought one. Nice Mini, though (or is that your neighbor's?)
 
[quote="DanCorcoran, post: 1248937, member:
c) never mind...I just reread and saw that you've already bought one. Nice Mini, though (or is that your neighbor's?)[/quote]

The mini is my next door neighbors, we are a Jeep family...i drive a 96 cherokee country edition, the wife drives a 2004 grand cherokee special edition, and her daughter drives a 2005 Jeep Liberty limited edition....
 
I'd definitely consider a big electric motor on a standard-size splitter. I split away from the house so rarely, the ability to split quietly would definitely be an advantage. In fact, this thread has me thinking now - I may have to look into swapping a motor in place of the engine on mine...
 
Status
Not open for further replies.