Electric log splitter

[saberbass]

Looking to get an electric log splitter. I get a cord of birch cut and split delivered so this is for extra trees around my yard . Sometimes when I go to the dump there is a tree log , stump pile that anyone can grab from. Wondering how many hp you would recommend ? I'm splitting mostly softer hard woods pine, poplar, ash and elm. The splitters mostly come in 4-5-6 and 9 hp. Thanks

 

[ABMax24]

I think you mean ton not hp.

I've got a 6 ton from Canadian Tire, yard works or whatever the brand is. Worked good, but it's slower. Only can count a handful of times where it would split something, obviously I didn't try to cut across knots. I bought a fiskers axe and used that 95% of the time instead.

Now we bought a gas powered splitter from Peavey mart and neither the electric splitter or axes get used anymore.

 

[saberbass]

Yes tons not hp, So the Canadian tire 6 ton is Ok ? They usually go on sale and I'm not doing more than a cord .

 

[begreen]

Moved to the Gear forum. There are several reviews and comments on electric log splitters here.

 

[ABMax24]

Yes tons not hp, So the Canadian tire 6 ton is Ok ? They usually go on sale and I'm not doing more than a cord .

It worked for everything I needed it for.

That's what I did, I bought mine for 1/2 off.

 

[begreen]

It worked for everything I needed it for.

That's what I did, I bought mine for 1/2 off.

Nice deal!

 

[Gearhead660]

I picked this one up. 6 ton Southland. Lots of different brands but they are all basically the same. No complaints, was a bit impressed with its capabilities(I wasnt expecting much). I built a stand for it so its at waist height. Highly recommend that mod.

 

[marty319]

I have the homelight 5 ton from home depot.5 cords yearly .

 

[saberbass]

Thanks everyone

 

[gthomas785]

I have a 6 ton Wen splitter I bought on Amazon. I use it for anything that takes more than 2 whacks with the maul. I was impressed with what it can do especially since it's about the smallest size you can get. It does not like the really huge rounds or some of the super knotty stuff, but most everything I throw at it splits like butter even with some knots.
Side note: Make sure your power source is good. I was initially running mine on a 75' 16ga extension cord out to the shed and that severely limited the capability of the splitter! Now I have a 100a feed nearby and run it off a shorter 12ga cord. Night and day difference.

 

[hearthon]

I judt bought the yardworks 9 ton from canadian tire on sale. I split a lot of wood with my friends 5 or 6 ton splitter before but couldn't get through some knotty stuff so I went for the biggest yardworks one.

Also if you get a bigger one you can get that attachment on the end that splits it into 4 splits instead of just 2, saving some time.

 

[hobbyheater]

I judt bought the yardworks 9 ton from canadian tire on sale. I split a lot of wood with my friends 5 or 6 ton splitter before but couldn't get through some knotty stuff so I went for the biggest yardworks one.

Also if you get a bigger one you can get that attachment on the end that splits it into 4 splits instead of just 2, saving some time.

How does your 9 ton split compared to the 6 ton? I have the Yardworks 4 ton and have to split around big Knots !

 

[hearthon]

How does your 9 ton split compared to the 6 ton? I have the Yardworks 4 ton and have to split around big Knots !

The 9 ton preformed much better. I ended up buying a 12 guage extention cord and that made it even better compared to my super Long and thin extention cord.

With the 12 guage 25 foot extention cable and my 9 ton splitter it rips through wood. As long as it's not really thick it'll go through any knot.

 

[begreen]

I have the homelight 5 ton from home depot.5 cords yearly .

View attachment 312108

How long have you had this little splitter? Is that 5 full cords or face cords?

 

[begreen]

It worked for everything I needed it for.

That's what I did, I bought mine for 1/2 off.

Is that the one with the foot pedal? If so, is that more, or less convenient than the standard lever control?

 

[marty319]

How long have you had this little splitter? Is that 5 full cords or face cords?

5 full cords and some years 6.had since 2010.

 

[ABMax24]

Is that the one with the foot pedal? If so, is that more, or less convenient than the standard lever control?

Yes it has the foot pedal.

It's both more and less convenient. It's nice for big logs on the ground, but makes it difficult to use the splitter on a table or bench. Ultimately I prefer a standard hand lever.

The foot pedal is also cheap plastic and has required repair on more than one occasion.

 

[gruesome]

In case anybody else in Southern California is looking at cheap electric log splitters:
I just bought a 6 ton horizontal hydraulic splitter model 'hiyard_LSP6T-52' at Toolots Inc. in Riverside for $70.48, incl. tax. This is for pickup from the warehouse, with discount code '15off'.


The splitter looks very similar to Home Depot and other 6 ton models. It works well, with about a 20 second cycle time, or maybe a bit less. It can get stuck on knotty hardwood, and before I got the hang of it, it did run a few times into what I assume might be a thermal protection on the electric motor, which resets after a minute or two. (The motor did not feel hot or even warm though. It could also be some hydraulic lockup?) By now I have run a few cubic feet through it; some of the wood is pretty hard to split, and there's quite a bit of ripping and tearing which I assume puts more stress on the machine than clean splitting. The motor has forced air cooling, the fan is a bit shrill when fully spun up, but not excessively loud, definitely quieter than a table saw or an electric chain saw. Wiring inside the gasketed plastic box looks professional. The whole unit is quite heavy. The handle and the wheels do work ok for maneuvering it around. Paint seems good, but obviously does not survive on the splitting wedge.

Toolots seems to be importing all kinds of industrial machinery from China; they have a pretty big warehouse (about 1/3 to 1/2 the size of a Home Depot, I'd say) in Riverside. According to the workers there they used to have an even bigger one in Cerritos, but downsized a bit.
The warehouse had at least ten of those units sitting on a pallet. All the card boxes had oil stains on the outside, but the unit they pulled out for me did not have any oil on the inside of the box. (They opened it for me right there.) When I checked later before plugging it in, the hydraulic oil level was closer to minimum than maximum, but at minimum the reservoir is more than half full, so that's probably plenty.

The pickup confirmation arrived the next day after ordering online, and I picked the unit up a day later. They offer pickup every second day of the week. Their help line does actually work, and was helpful; I called them to find out whether they had another warehouse closer by. They did not, but the person on the phone actually called me back after verifying that the item was in stock, but could not match the online discount. They did mention the option to pay in cash on pickup , which might be a good thing if you want to see an actual item before paying for it.

With shipping there is little to no price advantage over Home Depot/Harbor Freight/Lowe's/Amazon, but if you live within driving distance from Riverside, this might be an option worth looking into.