What's the best electric splitter for the money. I'm looking at the harbor freight, Homlite and yardmax. The farm store has the yarn max for 199. With the stand.
Electric log splitter best one for the money
- Thread starter Welderman85
- Start date
-
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.
I had one of those, the Homelight one I think, and they're fine for little dry logs, but you can't split anything with any beef to it. If I were spending the 200.00, I'd probably buy a good motor and save up for an I beam and cylinder then just weld one together out of them. You'll be 100% happier.
Easy Livin’ 3000
Minister of Fire
I have the Harbor Freight, and it's fine, I really like it. I get the sense that all the brands are built at the same factory, with the finish items being specified by the retailer. I could be wrong, but when I called the number in the manual for a replacement item for the HF splitter, I was calling BOSS. So, I'd pick whichever one you like the finish features and price on, and go for it.
I don't have nor really want another gas engine to endure hours and hours of close encounters with. While most of the mass market electric splitters don't have the muscle or speed of the gas ones, they can be real handy to have around.
i belive it's ram splitter out of Rockford IL that has much better options electric wise- course cost more but you would have a very capable machine that is also repairable. There must be a dozen or more names all made in the same place of those 4-7 ton( very questionable specs)- chicom. had a 4 ton one could not split a 8" piece of Beech, Hickory or Black Locust. struggled something fierce on Oak, hard maple and similar, worked ok in big leaf and pine. I have a 30 ton noise maker now days- nothing stops it- might slow it down on occasion. It set up with a thin wedge so it shears rather than brute force splitting.
Yup. This exactly. I couldn't split a dried out piece of oak with mine, but it would split pine. So if you're just splitting softwoods you'll be OK, but the second a hickory tree falls (or heaven forbid, an elm) and you think "OMG I got da wood now
" you'll be ready to kick the cat because your splitter won't do anything but catch fire trying to push through it. Just my 2 cents. I really wanted to like mine.
Montanalocal
Minister of Fire
I have owned two electric splitters and have done a lot of research on them. This is by far the best I have found, and the price is comparable to an equivalent gas splitter.
www.swisherinc.com
22 Ton Timber Brute Eco Split 120 Volt Electric Full Frame Log Splitter - LS22E - FREE SHIPPING
View Current Manual 120V Electric Motor 22 Ton Horizontal & Vertical Splitting Positions provides ample splitting force for all wood species 25" Opening 2 Stage Pump maximizes cycle time Direct drive reduces the number of moving parts 2.5 Gallon Poly Hydraulic Tank is rust resistant and...
www.swisherinc.com
MrWhoopee
Minister of Fire
I had not seen the Swisher electric, looks like a nice unit. I'd be interested to see how they accomplish the tonnage and cycle time on a 20 amp 120v. circuit.
Ramsplitter also makes electric splitters up to 26 ton, the largest being 220v.
I have had the Homelite for about 10 years now. I like it a lot and will buy another if it ever quits. I split pine, fir and oak, some as large as 24 in. , burning 3.5 - 5 cords/year.
As others have noted, you will probably be disappointed if you are splitting tough or stringy hardwoods.
I used to believe that all the small electric splitters were made by the same company. I have since concluded, due to operational differences, that they are not. Chinese manufacturers will copy each other's design ideas as readily as anybody else's. The Yardmax at $199 is a very good deal. While I like the idea of the stand, that one is probably not that stable. You will have to arrange some sort of elevated staging (like a truck) to take advantage of the working height. I see that it also has a work table, which is another nice touch, though it may be a little small. My back is very happy that I built the stand and can do all my splitting without bending and lifting.
Ramsplitter also makes electric splitters up to 26 ton, the largest being 220v.
I have had the Homelite for about 10 years now. I like it a lot and will buy another if it ever quits. I split pine, fir and oak, some as large as 24 in. , burning 3.5 - 5 cords/year.
As others have noted, you will probably be disappointed if you are splitting tough or stringy hardwoods.
I used to believe that all the small electric splitters were made by the same company. I have since concluded, due to operational differences, that they are not. Chinese manufacturers will copy each other's design ideas as readily as anybody else's. The Yardmax at $199 is a very good deal. While I like the idea of the stand, that one is probably not that stable. You will have to arrange some sort of elevated staging (like a truck) to take advantage of the working height. I see that it also has a work table, which is another nice touch, though it may be a little small. My back is very happy that I built the stand and can do all my splitting without bending and lifting.
I have the homelite electric and 22ton dht. The dht is good but the homelite for what it is is amazing. The homelite is slower with no four way but will split 95% what the 22ton dht will do. I have put 125lb logs on it and it split them. You just need a good extension cord and to keep it level. One of the best buys I have ever made.
I have a Dirty Hands 5 ton It has split 14-15 in rounds 18 in long of oak, Cherry, Mulberry, walnut. Maple and of course pine. If there's a knot it wont split anything but pine.
I bought it spring 2018. Probably ran 10 cords through so far. Its literally falling apart. Bolt that holds one leg on sheared off . So I took the other leg off and set it on cinder block. The wheels that came with it are useless they keep falling off from day 1. It still splits fine.
When I use it I normally stack 5-6 pallets up and use them as a table. I found its easier on the back to lift rounds up than it is to bend over to hit operating levers all the time. I think it cost $300
I bought it spring 2018. Probably ran 10 cords through so far. Its literally falling apart. Bolt that holds one leg on sheared off . So I took the other leg off and set it on cinder block. The wheels that came with it are useless they keep falling off from day 1. It still splits fine.
When I use it I normally stack 5-6 pallets up and use them as a table. I found its easier on the back to lift rounds up than it is to bend over to hit operating levers all the time. I think it cost $300
I used to split some hardwoods with my 5 ton electric splitter that I started out with. It would split a lot of red oak since it’s a straight grained wood but the stuff with knots in it was tougher to do, poplar was easy to split if you burn it and much of the birch would split easily also. Even most of the maple I put in it would split but I’d have to start splitting it on the outer edges and try some of it a few times in a few different locations of the round. It helps to plug the splitter into a 20a outlet and if you use a extension cord make it as short as possible and use a 12g cord.Yup. This exactly. I couldn't split a dried out piece of oak with mine, but it would split pine. So if you're just splitting softwoods you'll be OK, but the second a hickory tree falls (or heaven forbid, an elm) and you think "OMG I got da wood now
Just my 2 cents. I really wanted to like mine.
Last edited:
Stelcom66
Minister of Fire
I've wondered if it would be worth buying a 5 ton electric splitter. I do everything manually now. Seems like it would be a lot quicker to manually split the logs that the 5 ton splitter could handle. For a while I had a manual hydraulic 10 ton splitter with the long levers. Worked ok for a while, then pieces of metal on it bent. Probably because I split pieces too big for it. I suppose it did eliminate the need to start splitting some larger diameter logs with wedges. But the thing was kind of dangerous i thought - when a log would split it would sometimes go flying at a pretty good velocity. And, it typically took a long time moving the levers before the split occurred. Some of the reports from those that own 5 ton electrics seem that it may be worth having around, especially if one could be found on sale - but it seems that rarely happens.
Easy Livin’ 3000
Minister of Fire
Would you mind sharing a picture or part number of the harbor freight foot switch, please. I'm not familiar with the tool, and would like to try it out myself. Thanks!
Easy Livin’ 3000
Minister of Fire
Thank you! I didn't realize that it was actually called a "momentary foot switch". I thought it was just a description, I could have just googled it. Appreciate it!
What I have come to realize is that nearly all of the 5 to 7 ton electrics are made in China and all have pretty much the same electric motor and pump. So, what you really want to look at is the service plan. A log splitter takes a beating. Electric splitters especially, because they are pushed to the limits of their capacity. So, a replacement type service plan is good investment. The warranty on a splitter is often limited. But, if you can get something like a Walmart 2 year plan, you can exchange it if it breaks. So, whether you get an Earthquake or Yardmax splitter, consider what kind of extended service plan you can get. I would consider it especially important for a Harbor Freight splitter. They seem to have rather limited factory warranties.
Stelcom66
Minister of Fire
That video was very surprising, especially that it split oak. I went to the video again to review the title, I first thought that had to be at 20+ ton electric but see it's 5 ton. I would have never attempted to split something that size with a 5 ton electric splitter. Considering the size of the wood it just doesn't seem possible.
Last edited:
I am not surprised! I have done bigger myself! Of course it looks to be straight grained. If it had knots no way in hell.
Stelcom66
Minister of Fire
Then I think I'm going to consider an electric splitter. I've been doing everything manually. I'll still expect to manually split larger diameter logs and those with knots. I may download a user manual and see what the maximum diameter recommendation is. With the manual 10 ton splitter I had I was able to split larger logs than what was specified. I've also seen some 6 ton electric units, don't know if the extra ton rating is worth the extra $100 or so.
Looking on Craiglist so far I haven't seen any great bargains for gas splitters. I guess a gas splitter that works holds it's value.
I have the homelite from home depot. Just keep it level and use a quality extension cord. I have been pleased with mine. If you get one let us know how it worked out.
