Electric Splitter Question: 7-ton Harbor Freight

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bboulier

Minister of Fire
Hearth Supporter
Feb 9, 2010
510
NE Virginia
My son and I bought a 7-ton Harbor Freight electric splitter. The manual could be more complete. The instructions say to open the bleed valve, but not how far. There are a bunch of splitters that look nearly identical. One of them has a manual that says to turn the screw for the bleed valve counterclockwise 4 turns. Is that the right procedure? Also, do you store your splitter with the bleed valve open (as some sites suggest)?

Today, we had the valve nearly completely open (about ready to fall off) and didn't have any problems. Works great. We had some twisted cherry and gnarly maple, including some pieces on which my Fiskar's just bounced off. There were a couple of pieces that we gave up on and consigned to the uglies pile, but not many. Very impressed with the splitter's performance. It saved a lot of work.
 
Hello, all I do is open the bleed screw a couple turns. It just has to let air back in. Also I keep it closed after use as I don't to take the chance of moisture getting into the fluid. Have also found that it seems to work better if I keep the front end up just a little. I put a 2x12 under the front legs. Not sure if it really helps but I spray the beam and wedge with Silicone before every use, Enjoy!!
Don
 
Yes, just open the bleed valve 2-3 turns...anything short of it falling out. You just need to make sure air can flow freely. I always close my bleed valve when I'm finished splitting, since I roll the splitter quite a distance and I don't want the fluid spilling out. Mine is a different brand, but essentially the same splitter (I've looked closely at the HF to compare). The manuals are also very similar.
 
A couple of turns is good, close when U move it
I happed to see a Task Force 5-Ton at Lowe's today for a sec, I noticed a small wedge comp to HF 7 ton , not necessarily a bad thing though
 
Thanks for the help. Since the wood was pretty green, I wiped it down with a little mineral spirits to clean it off and then with a little Silicone for protection. I will try raising the front end a little bit when we haul it out again this weekend.
 
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