Iron & Oak 26 Ton Splitter --- thank you

[Scotts Bum Wine]

Hello all-

This is my first time posting to this forum, but I have been an active lurker for many years. I just want to take a quick moment to thank the participants in this forum for their discussions relative to several items I have purchased over the years --- most recently, and Iron & Oak 26 ton vertical/horizontal log splitter with a Subaru/Robin engine. After forty years of splitting wood by hand, and developing tendinitis in both elbows, it is a godsend to have a reliable piece of machinery to assist with this task. Input from MasterMech and GordonShumway, in a thread from last year, was particularly helpful. The Subaru 9 HP motor starts with one pull (one handed) every time, and the ram quickly chugs through the most gnarled up hard maple I can throw at it. No more throwing those knotty pieces in a bonfire for me!
Having worked in heavy-highway construction for 30 years, I have an appreciation for well made equipment, and I tend to buy industrial/commercial grade products when I can. I have better things to do with my time than to spend it repairing broken machines. This I&O seems to fit the bill. Thanks again for your help. Now lets talk about a wood gasification boiler ........ ;o)

Scott

 

[mking7]

Congrats on the splitter. I love mine. With the reviews from folks here maybe I shoudl have saved a few bucks and gone with the Robin motor. I've just had such good luck with Honda motors over the years that when it came down to purchase time I figured go with what you know.

 

[yooperdave]

I'm glad you enjoy your splitter. I, also, was considering the exact same beast/set up, but went with the splitter mentioned in my signature. I think we both (you and I) got tired of splitting by hand at about the same time!

 

[loadstarken]

Nice purchase!

The 2 times that I have rented a splitter from the rental yard it had been a I&O 26 ton with the Honda engine and I have been very impressed! When I get around to buying one it will definitely be an I&O 26 ton unit.

I have also been looking at the I&O 3 point splitter that I could mount on my truck with the PTO but it would burn a lot more fuel to operate. So who knows.

 

[Scotts Bum Wine]

yooperdave- I was strongly considering the 37 ton splitter from Northern Tool as well. That's a powerful looking machine, and comes with a lot of nice features, like the automatic throttle-down when fully retracted, and the optional 4-way splitting wedge. Honestly, I was torn between the I&O and the model that you chose. Great minds think alike.

mking7- Is that George "Gabby" Hayes on your avatar? :D You gotta be an old dude like me to remember who he was! I appreciated reading your comments, on the previously mentioned thread, about the 26 ton I&O. I too would have chosen the Honda motor, had I not read the glowing endorsements about the Subaru/Robin. I have had good luck with Honda vehicles and also with their power equipment. Only recently have I had a Subaru automobile, and it has been superb in it's reliability, so I threw the dice and went with some advice from strangers on a message board. I also saved a couple hundred bucks. So far it has worked out. BTW, I love Texas. I have worked there a couple of times, and I find the folks there to be great people --- very friendly, much like the rural folks of western NY State or the mid-west.

Scott

 

[Scotts Bum Wine]

loadstarken- You have a 3-point hitch on a truck? I have seen those on a Jeep, years ago, but not on a truck. Is that on your Loadstar?

 

[mking7]

mking7- Is that George "Gabby" Hayes on your avatar? :D You gotta be an old dude like me to remember who he was!

That's actually Walter Brennan. I'm not quite old yet. I'm in that "ain't as good as I once was but I'm as good once as I ever was" stage of life.

I started out set on the 37 ton Northern splitter too. I think I'd have been happy with either but since I bought this one I'll say it's better.

 

[Scotts Bum Wine]

Gee, I never realized how much Gabby Hayes and Walter Brennan (the ubiquitous western sidekick) looked alike. You got me on that one!

I am old enough where I know how most things work (including people), the young men look to me for guidance, and women now smile at me w/o feeling threatened. Fifty-something is a good age. )

 

[loadstarken]

Scotts Bum Wine - I don't have a 3-point on my truck yet but I'm sure I could fab up something to work with the PTO and a splitter. I have a PTO for the Loadstar in a box that will go on once I get the dump bed parts.

Back to the I&O talk I was going to mention how impressed I was with how long a tank of fuel lasted with the Honda and how quiet it was at full RPM. How is the Robin engine in this depatment?

 

[MasterMech]

How is the Robin engine in this depatment?​

Excellent. I can run mine for several hours at full RPM and the gas seems to go forever. I would refill once if ran it for a full day of splitting. If I'm splitting alone, I can back it off a bit and save even more fuel.​

 

[Scotts Bum Wine]

Like MasterMech mentioned, a tank of gasoline lasts a long time. As far as the noise level compares to that of a Honda, it's hard to tell. My experience with similar sized Honda motors has been with inherently loud pieces of machinery --- plate tampers, walk-behind rollers, and deck finishing machines. The noise level of the Subaru/Robin, running in a covered area, was not unpleasant. My dogs were still able to sleep.

Scott

 

[Clarkbug]

. Now lets talk about a wood gasification boiler ........ ;o)

Come on over to the Boiler Room and ask away!

 

[maple1]

Come on over to the Boiler Room and ask away!

+1. Let's talk.

(I'm in love with mine )

 

[velvetfoot]

I love the Robin engine on my splitter, but I never run it a full RPM. Love the easy starts-I think it has a compression release.

 

[midwestcoast]

I rented one of those in November. Nice machine! I got waaaay more done in a day than I ever can by hand.

 

[MasterMech]

-I think it has a compression release.

Just about all 4 cycle small engines do since the early 80's.

 

[velvetfoot]

I didn't know that, thanks.