Troy Bilt 27-ton

[sixminus1]

The other day while I was in Lowe's I saw the 27-ton Troy Bilt for $1300. I sent a pic to the wife, who gave the green light to go ahead and bring it home. The floor model looked to be in good shape, with the exception of a small crack in the plastic pull-start cover. I mentioned it to the sales guy, who took $100 off the price. So, for $1200+tax, I hooked it up to the truck and drove away.

The reviews I have read on Amazon look pretty good. Does anyone here have this splitter, or the equivalent model of a different name? Any advice or gotchas that I should watch out for?

Also, I will have to store this outside, as I do not yet have a large enough shed for it, and there's no way in hell I'm going to be able to store it in the basement. Is it enough to tarp the motor, or should I tarp the whole thing?

Any advice is appreciated.


EDIT: Duh, I should learn how to search. Seems to be a lot of info already out here. Sorry!

 

[smokinj]

I have one with 100+ cords one it. Quick in the big rounds slow in the small ones. No issue's that I have found. Others my have another story but a very very solid unit imo.

 

[firefighterjake]

I have owned a MTD Gold (company that builds the Troy Bilts and other splitters) for the past two years.

Only real issue I have had with it -- and others have had the same issue -- is that if you're not careful -- heck, even if you are careful -- a split can get wedged in between the beam and log cradle and shear the bolts that attach the cradle to the beam. I would suggest replacing these bolts with heavier grade bolts and either modifying the log cradle with a flat piece of steel to make it less likely that a split gets caught between the beam and open space in the cradle or simply just be careful.

I also had a section of a hydraulic hose wear a small hole as it was rubbing on metal and I didn't notice this right away. Fixed this by chopping off the offending piece (it was near the end) and reattaching . . . ended up putting some protection (piece of carpeting wrapped around the hose) at that spot to help minimize the rubbing.

If you do a search you'll see a few folks have had some problems with welds . . . I haven't had an issue of this sort so far.

Storage . . . ideally . . . inside . . . next best thing in my opinion would be to tarp the entire thing . . . my own preference . . . if possible.

 

[zzr7ky]

+ 1 on the cradle bolts. I replaced mine wiht Grade 8 bolts that are at least and inch long. If the (teenage) boys shear them off, They can grab the threaded shank with vice grips to remove them ; )

On the covering... I store mine in a shed when it's not in use for weeks. The other 12/ the time I just throw a tarp over it, but not so large a tarp that it hangs to the ground all over. I don't like to make a 'greenhouse' that will trap humidity.

Mine gets used a good deal. 16 cord a year or better.

Enjoy!

 

[maxed_out]

We have the 25 ton and no probs. Splits everythig I've thrown at her. Like Jake suggested, keep her inside if you can, keep track of use so you can change the fluids.

I bought an outboard motor "lower unit" gear oil pump that makes changing out the engine oil a snap. It just goes right in the dipstick and a few pumps and empty. No fuss no mess.

The pump is really handy for my outboard to pump fresh oil back in.

 

[TreePointer]

My advice is to visit the TB and other models in person. For me, the biggest difference with TB and some others is beam height, but that may not be an issue for the way you like to split.

 

[bogydave]

Good deal.
Cheap upgrades mentioned sound like "experience talking".
Good to pass these tips on. One of the many things that make this a good site.

If you split "Vertical" then "beam height" is "not an issue"
Figured I try to beat Backwood S to it

 

[DanCorcoran]

On new models, the exposed portion of the cylinder is smeared with grease (presumably as a storage precaution). You may want to do that if you have it under a tarp.

 

[thinkxingu]

I have the 25-ton version--ditto on the cradle bolts and rubbing sections of hose. Keep it covered. Enjoy!

S

 

[Joey]

Make sure you cover the whole thing. Sounds like ya live in the same area as me. The salt air will destroy that thing quickly. Also,,the salty air from a good noreaster will rust that thing up in no time. Gotta use a good cover also. Canvas would work much better then one of those generic blue tarps. I cant believe how fast things rust in the salty air.

 

[PJF1313]

Make sure you cover the whole thing. Sounds like ya live in the same area as me. The salt air will destroy that thing quickly. Also,,the salty air from a good noreaster will rust that thing up in no time. Gotta use a good cover also. Canvas would work much better then one of those generic blue tarps. I cant believe how fast things rust in the salty air.

+1 on a GOOD tarp

Spend the extra few dollars on a descent tarp, and not those cheesy, thin blue ones. And as zzr7ky stated, you want some air movement under/around it so it doesn't heat up the ground around and condensate. Do/can you make garage space for it? I hate leaving anything outdoor in the weather.

 

[sixminus1]

Thanks to everyone for the advice. After reading the horror stories about the welds on the cylinder, I'll definitely be keeping an eye on it. I'll also be careful with the cradle.

We don't have a garage, and we won't have a large enough shed for another year or longer, so I'll have to take my chances with a good tarp and some strategically placed grease or silicone.

Make sure you cover the whole thing. Sounds like ya live in the same area as me. The salt air will destroy that thing quickly. Also,,the
salty air from a good noreaster will rust that thing up in no time. Gotta use a good cover also. Canvas would work much better then one of those generic blue tarps. I cant believe how fast things rust in the salty air.

Yep, I live in Brick, about 1 mile from the bay and 300ft from the river. And yeah, around here you can sit and watch the rust form on metal.

 

[varna]

I've had one going on 3 years and probably split 35+ cords and have had no problems.....YES do something with the log cradles. The only thing they are good for is giving you a bracket to bolt something "better" to.
Here's mine....

 

[bpirger]

The log cradle will wear the return hose....just had to replace. Cradle seems to bend downwards a bit and rubs directly on the line...poor placement in the design. I plan to lift my cradle up a bit this weekend when I replace the hose by drilling a new hole in the small plate welded to the beam. Agreed about bolting something to the cradles...especially if you can cover up the engine to some degree. Have and a few splits hit the engine as they pile up around the splitter if splitting alone. I've never found a piece that I couldn't split yet.... The air filter holder is very cheap plastic and a split hit it at some point as well. Last weekend my wife dropped something on the recoil line and broke that a bit. I'd hope to bolt something to the cradle this weekend to help protect the engine.


This spring I notice that the choke pull doesn't want to be returned all the way "in" to get a good running engine when warm, wants to be out quite a ways. Any ideas on why this may be?

 

[varna]

This spring I notice that the choke pull doesn't want to be returned all the way "in" to get a good running engine when warm, wants to be out quite a ways. Any ideas on why this may be?

Check your fuel supply and/or dirt in carb. By needing to keep the choke pulled "out" means you are giving it more fuel.