Huskee 22 Ton

[biggins08]

Planning on buying from TSC...996.00 Includes Hydro Fluid and oil...What do you guys think? Best bang for the buck?

 

[velvetfoot]

Everybody's got their own opinion.
The hydraulic fluid can get pricey if you have to pay for it, so that's a plus.
22 tons should handle just about anything.
Does it go vertical? I really love the vertical feature.

 

[velvetfoot]

I just looked at it too, (broken link removed) .

Something I just thought of: are there any pros or cons on the vertical shaft?

 

[MrGriz]

I looked at that one before buying my North Star from Northern Tool. It looked like it was well put together and 22 ton should handle just about anything you can throw at it.

I didn't care for the Briggs engine. That's kind of like the Ford / Chevy battle though. I've had great luck with Honda small engines and the one on my splitter starts up on one or two pulls every time and runs like a champ. The other thing I didn't care for was the way the wedge rides in those channels on top of the beam. They just looked like a great place for stuff to collect and possibly interfere with the travel of the wedge. On the North Star, the plate the wedge rides on wraps around the top of the beam, eliminating the channels. There is also a cradle that holds the logs so they don't just roll off the top of the beam.

Those are very minor points and are probably not enough to rule the Huskee out. Price was very comparable, I paid just under $1,000.00 for the North Star.

 

[BrotherBart]

My 22 ton with a 5HP Briggs has never failed to split anything I have thrown at it for 20 years now. It is sneaking up on 100 cords of splitting. This year I put a 6.5HP Honda knock-off engine on it just for the heck of it.

As to pros and cons of horizontal vs. vertical I can't tell you. I have never used it for horizontal splitting and don't ever plan too. I like sitting on the stool rolling them up to it and cranking out splits. I don't lift anything that I don't have to with the exception of beer cans.

 

[carpniels]

HI BB,

That reasoning is exactly why, if I ever buy a splitter, I will get one that can do vertical. I hate lifting all those rounds.

Carpniels

 

[biggins08]

I looked at the North Star...The 999.00 unit cannot due vertical, and I plan on splitting some large Oak rounds....

 

[MrGriz]

That's odd, mine does horizontal and vertical. That was a must for me.

 

[KeithO]

From the advertisement:

Briggs & Stratton engine. 11 GPM, two stage pump. 4 in. x 24 in. cylinder. 17 qt. reservoir. Heavy-duty
reinforced 6 in. x 6 in. beam. Quick 14 second cycle time. Includes hydraulic fluid and engine oil.

(My Empasis) LOG SPLITTER FEATURES, *********Horizontal/vertical operation********** with shielded wedge and channel beam design, Road tires for easy towing, Oversized hydraulic fluid tank, 2 in. ball hitch and safety chain, Removable ground stand and cutting wedge, Balanced weight distribution for easy tilting, handling and towing, Removable tongue for convenient storage, Stripper plates to prevent jamming of wood on wedge, Unique channel beam for added strength, Cradle beam design to hold log in place, 26 in. log capacity, Auto-return valve, Replaceable filter.

 

[JayD]

Hello you should B very happy with this splitter it will do what yo want I have used it! But my nabob's did not like like it at 6:00 am when I do my work So it bought an Ramsplitter Logsplitter 2HP Electric and Have been happy as H--l Does the job and more . Jay, This is My first time living an a neighborhood kind-a s-cks. But they put up with my chain saw when there at work LOL!!

 

[11 Bravo]

Coincidentally, I am looking at the same splitter at TSC. The GPM, cycle time, and fluid resovoir....do those numbers look good for this model ? I have only ever used a Ryobi electric splitter..I have no clue what the numbers mean.....the borrowed Ryobi is ok, but want something with more power that will last 20 yrs like my Stihl................thnx.....Paul

 

[BrotherBart]

The splitters sold by TSC are made by Speeco and in my opinion as good a splitter as you will find quality-wise.

Here is Speeco's website. For testimonials send a PM to forum member roospike. He has a Huskee splitter. And everybody knows that roospike only has the best of everything. ;-P

(broken link removed to http://www.speeco.com/asp/display.asp?view=top&category=Log+Splitters)

 

[GeeWizMan]

I have a Huskee but, it is only rated at 20 tons. I bought it from Tractor Supply about 12 years ago. The thing runs great and has been able to split everything I roll over to it. The Briggs & Stratton engine seems to be a little hard to start if it hasn't been running in several months. Other than that is has done be good. I can't recall exactly, but I think I paid less than 900 dollars but that was 12 years ago. The location of the pump has never been an issue nor has the fact that the wedge travels in channel grooves. I have never had anything get jammed in the grooves.

George

 

[Gooserider]

Re stuff getting jammed in the wedge guide... The unknown brand splitter I borrowed from a friend a while back had a wedge guide that wrapped around the top of the I-beam, and it collected plenty of crud, although never enough to stop the action.

That said, I sort of like the idea of the guide that wraps around the beam better than the one that has the channel for the wedge. It seems to me that you will always get some amount of wear on the guide, and on my friend's machine the guide had adjustments to compensate for that, and a sacrificial wear plate on the top side of the beam. It would be possible to do the same sort of thing on the channel style, but possibly harder. Not sure if it makes a big difference either way.

Gooserider

 

[bjorn773]

My Speeco has the angle iron guide channel welded to the i-beam and the wedge mounting plate slides through it. It does catch some bark, but bark ain't stoppin' 25 tons. I use mine vertically, so it's not really an issue anyway. The only gripe I would have with this splitter is the wedge stripper at the top could be beefier. I bent mine up and finally just welded some heavy square stock to it to reinforce it.

 

[budman]

I just looked at it too, (broken link removed) .

Something I just thought of: are there any pros or cons on the vertical shaft?

Well it looks like the pump is on the bottom of the unit if that is what you are referring to. I'd consider it a less than ideal design but something that some folks may be able to live with considering the price point.

On a good note the pump is below the oil tank and always has oil in it.

 

[11 Bravo]

good point......looking forward to picking one up this week.....if it lasts like my Stihl, or the Chevy p/u that has 334k miles....I will be happy

 

[Gooserider]

I just looked at it too, (broken link removed) .

Something I just thought of: are there any pros or cons on the vertical shaft?

Well it looks like the pump is on the bottom of the unit if that is what you are referring to. I'd consider it a less than ideal design but something that some folks may be able to live with considering the price point.

On a good note the pump is below the oil tank and always has oil in it.

AFAIK, there are no real issues with the engine - I've never heard any real reason to prefer horizontal or vertical shaft on any of the assorted small engine brands. The pump isn't position sensitive, and there is something to be said for gravity feed into it. (Unless you are servicing the pump, in which case it will be a minor nusiance)

The only downside that I can think of is that the pump is hanging down where it's just about the lowest point on the splitter. If you stick to reasonably paved / smooth roads I don't see this as an issue. However if your use model involves off-roading to the log pile, there is some potential for bashing the low hanging pump on a stump or rock. If I thought that likely I'd probably want to either come up with some sort of guard / bash plate, or choose a splitter with a less vulnerable design.

Gooserider

 

[biggins08]

(broken link removed to http://www.homedepot.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?storeId=10051&langId;=-1&catalogId=10053&productId=100596925)

Worth the extra 200?

 

[woodconvert]

I just looked at it too, (broken link removed) .

Something I just thought of: are there any pros or cons on the vertical shaft?

Well it looks like the pump is on the bottom of the unit if that is what you are referring to. I'd consider it a less than ideal design but something that some folks may be able to live with considering the price point.

On a good note the pump is below the oil tank and always has oil in it.

AFAIK, there are no real issues with the engine - I've never heard any real reason to prefer horizontal or vertical shaft on any of the assorted small engine brands. The pump isn't position sensitive, and there is something to be said for gravity feed into it. (Unless you are servicing the pump, in which case it will be a minor nusiance)

The only downside that I can think of is that the pump is hanging down where it's just about the lowest point on the splitter. If you stick to reasonably paved / smooth roads I don't see this as an issue. However if your use model involves off-roading to the log pile, there is some potential for bashing the low hanging pump on a stump or rock. If I thought that likely I'd probably want to either come up with some sort of guard / bash plate, or choose a splitter with a less vulnerable design.

Gooserider

I've got the 35 ton and I have nothing negative to say about it (well...other than it's HEAVY). The pump is on the bottom like the 20 don but it's not the lowest point of the unit. The tank is lower than the pump on mine so dragging the pump isn't an issue. The brigs motor starts easily even in cold weather, it's very easy to perform maintenance on (change oil, air filter, etc.). The engine isn't too loud but I would still recommend ear plugs.

Tipping from horizontal to vertical and back is easy. All around it's a hoss. Best of all...I can shear a log in half!!. There is nothing I have come across that I cannot split (and I get into a lot of hedge row trees that are pretty gnarly).

I'd bet you'll find that the 20 ton model is one of the best purchases you'll make.

 

[Rich M]

Worth the extra 200?

The one thing I didn't like about that machine is the 1-7/8" hitch coupler. All my vehicles have 2" ball - the Huskee has a 2" coupler.

One of the things I do like about that machine is the log cradles as I like to split horizontally. Not sure if they're worth $200 though.

I've put 4 full cord through my Huskee (so far) since I got it and I really like the 6.5hp Briggs engine. After the inital 5 hour oil change the gas "mileage" improved significantly. It always starts on 1 pull and is easy enough that my wife can even start it. She likes being able to help with the splitting now, I should have gotten this years ago!