Would you buy another tractor supply splitter? How about Southern States?

I just spent a long time shopping for splitters. 22 ton Huskee is a great buy, hard to beat the price. I'm very impressed with it so far. I'm on my third cord splitting white Oak and ash and it's doing great.

This is funny, I have some panels off of switch gear also and it is almost exactly the same as yours, you have given me the way to make mine, thanks.

The plastic fenders don't last long anyway. I busted one fender off the first year and the second year my sons tore off the other one. Still have no regrets about my Huskee.

To directly answer the OP, no I didn't buy another TSC splitter. The Huskee splitters are decent units at a reasonable price. I was happy with mine until it started have multiple problems this year. Faced with putting even more money into it, or replacing it, I went the replacement route but bought a tractor PTO driven Timberwolf.

The TW came in yesterday. I am very impressed.

Two of the things I really like about the Timberwolf are related to it having the wedge fixed and the ram pushed toward it. This accomplishes two big improvements:
-- the split wood is push away from you, not dropped at your feet and under the splitter
--when a log doesn't split totally (still hanging by the last couple of inches), you don't have to wrestle it around and flip it over. Just put the next round on the splitter and let it put the first one the rest of the way through. That's a big improvement, IMO.

My TW-3HD also came with a 4 way wedge (removable) which is nice for splitting the larger rounds into four pieces instead of just two.

I haven't done it yet, but it should also be able to dump the split pieces right into a trailer.

One of my other decision points was having one less engine to maintain and fix, especially a small gas engine.

Starting the splitter is so easy, just turn the key and engage the PTO

Ken

To each his own.

I didn't want to tie up my tractor running the splitter. Seems overkill to run my 35 hp diesel motor to run a splitter. I'm stacking and moving on pallets.. and want the tractor free.

I looked at the TSC splitters.. but for a little more money got a nice hor/vert northern tool with a commercial honda motor. 4 way wedge is on the ram. So far.. I like it.

JP

I understand that viewpoint. Certainly the tractor engine is overkill but for a dozen hours a year, it's no big deal and my tractor can use the extra hours. As for having the tractor free for moving pallets, so far I've found the 3pt mounted splitter an advantage that way: The tractor is there and running and when I turn it around, the splitter isn't in the way.

Another advantage of the 3pt mount is that it can easily be raised to whatever comfortable working position I want, or lowered all the way to the ground to roll on the really big pieces.

Ken

Ken

I get what you are saying.. AFTER I bought mine, a friend with lots of tractors and such said.. Heck, I hardly ever use my 3 point one. You could take that and keep it at your house. I'll call you when I want it.

I could have saved the couple grand. I don't like borrowing stuff I don't have to. As of now.. the only drawback is that I need a Ranger to attach the splitter to. It would be a perfect companion.

I really think I'm going to be at the 7 to 10 cord a year range. I like having well built tools. It seems that switching implements and uses eats up a lot of time. Maybe as I get older I won't be in such a hurry. For now.. I like being able to set up stuff, and leave it to be there when I have time to start up again.

JP

Three years in . . . and the fenders are fine . . . but to be honest I could take them or leave them . . . having cheesy plastic fenders was not a selling point for me with my splitter . . . although to be fair it is a MTD (although I suspect MTD's cheesy plastic fenders are probably much like Huskee's cheesy plastic fenders. )