Log splitter specs - is this good?

[lobsterbake]

Hello

I am looking at a new log splitter: https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/countyline-30-ton-log-splitter

The relevant specs:

9 1/2 HP engine

19 GPM

4 1/2 x 24 Hydraulic

3800 PSI

6 Gallons Hydraulic Reservoir

10.5 second cycle time

8” splitting wedge.

Is this a good splitter - not sure the GPM bs HP needed and any feedback is appreciated.

Thanks,

Mark

 

[Tar12]

Kohler CommandPro 277cc engine
30-ton splitting force
14-second cycle time
Vertical and horizontal operation
Auto-return valve
Two-stage 16 GPM pump
DOT-approved 4.8 in. x 8 in. pneumatic tires for mobility

These are the specs that showed up in the link you provided...14 second cycle time? NO WAY! Not for me anyway...14 seconds is for ever...What are you splitting? Unless its always BIG stuff there really is no need for this splitter...bigger is not always better.While this splitter will impress on the big stuff you will have lots and lots of time to admire this ability while you wait on it to complete the stroke...14 seconds may not seem like a long time but it is a eternity when you are trying to get wood split! My first splitter was one very similar in numbers...thought I needed bigger and badder...I didn't and sold it and went with a 25T Speeco in which I was much happier with...10 second cycle time and it split everything that the 30T I had would split...my .02 cents.

 

[triptester]

Those specs are typical for that size of splitter. Pressure and tonnage are exaggerated which is typical with all consumer grade splitters.

 

[lobsterbake]

The specs are: Ignore the link:

9 1/2 HP engine

19 GPM

4 1/2 x 24 Hydraulic

3800 PSI

6 Gallons Hydraulic Reservoir

10.5 second cycle time

8” splitting wedge.

 

[TreePointer]

Ten years ago or more, you had to pay a larger premium to get the faster cycle time, but now many entry level models are rated at at 11s or just under. I certainly would not shy away from a v/h hydraulic splitter with a legitimate 10.5s cycle time.

 

[Tar12]

The specs are: Ignore the link:

9 1/2 HP engine

19 GPM

4 1/2 x 24 Hydraulic

3800 PSI

6 Gallons Hydraulic Reservoir

10.5 second cycle time

8” splitting wedge.

That is much better! Is there a 4way available for it? This will speed things up!

 

[jwfirebird]

pretty much same specs as my home made one, it outworks me at half throttle, i leave it there for the normal stuff which for me is normally fairly big knotty crap. a few times i have had an adult drink fueled challenge or two where i put a 2ft round in it sideways and it barely even lugged. i wouldnt buy anything but honda or kohler engines any more though. they seem to last the longest and this one i leave all year, i spit once a year and it always just fires up and does its job

 

[Coyoterun]

Kohler CommandPro 277cc engine
30-ton splitting force
14-second cycle time
Vertical and horizontal operation
Auto-return valve
Two-stage 16 GPM pump
DOT-approved 4.8 in. x 8 in. pneumatic tires for mobility

These are the specs that showed up in the link you provided...14 second cycle time? NO WAY! Not for me anyway...14 seconds is for ever...What are you splitting? Unless its always BIG stuff there really is no need for this splitter...bigger is not always better.While this splitter will impress on the big stuff you will have lots and lots of time to admire this ability while you wait on it to complete the stroke...14 seconds may not seem like a long time but it is a eternity when you are trying to get wood split! My first splitter was one very similar in numbers...thought I needed bigger and badder...I didn't and sold it and went with a 25T Speeco in which I was much happier with...10 second cycle time and it split everything that the 30T I had would split...my .02 cents.

It does depend on what a person is trying to do. I'm currently trying out a Huskee 22 ton splitter that I borrowed from a friend. It's rated at a 13 second cycle time that I agree is too slow. A true 10 second cycle would be much better. I will say that for quartering 6-12" diameter rounds it works very well as long as they're decently straight grained. If they've got much of a knot in the middle it can bog down and really make a mess of the splits. I really don't like the "winged" wedge design. I like to split thin side splits, and those wings can cause the split to break before it splits all the way down.
And for rounds bigger than 15" or so, that short little 7" wedge can't even begin to do what I want to do. I want to slice more than split, and that machine can't slice.

I had been considering a DHT 35-ton with a 9" wedge, which I do think would be better than the Huskee. (It still has that annoying 13 second cycle, tho) But now I don't think it would really be worth it for me. I may as well take the $1,400 and put it toward fabricating a slicer that will do what I want. I'm thinking a 12-14" high wedge with a hoist that can take my 15-30" rounds and slice them into nice bricks without breaking my back. Yes, it will probably cost more than double the Huskee, but then I'd have something I can enjoy using, not cussing.

 

[Tar12]

"I'm thinking a 12-14" high wedge with a hoist that can take my 15-30" rounds and slice them into nice bricks without breaking my back. Yes, it will probably cost more than double the Huskee, but then I'd have something I can enjoy using, not cussing." On that Speeco I mentioned...a 12 in wedge was one modification that I performed...along with removing the wedge from the ram and putting it on the end of the beam where it belonged...along with a fixed 4 way...I ran 100s of cords across this $900 splitter..

 

[mark cline]

My son made his slip on wedge a few years ago. Most of what I split is 12" , the wedge makes the wood pop causing it to split fast with about a 1/4 stroke into the wood . Usually cycle time is about 7-8 sec., when we get to a knotty piece, we pull off the wedge , put it back on when back to the normal wood.

 

[Coyoterun]

View attachment 223644 View attachment 223645 View attachment 223646 On that Speeco I mentioned...a 12 in wedge was one modification that I performed...along with removing the wedge from the ram and putting it on the end of the beam where it belonged...along with a fixed 4 way...I ran 100s of cords across this $900 splitter..

That's a good idea. Of course, it wasn't just a $900 splitter by the time you were done either.
I'll have to think about that DHT with a 14" wedge and ram. The beam should be plenty strong enough if I swap the cylinder down to 4.5" to get the cycle time up. Bolt on some brackets for a big table. And then we'd be back at $2K, but it'd be a nice machine.

 

[Tar12]

That's a good idea. Of course, it wasn't just a $900 splitter by the time you were done either.
I'll have to think about that DHT with a 14" wedge and ram. The beam should be plenty strong enough if I swap the cylinder down to 4.5" to get the cycle time up. Bolt on some brackets for a big table. And then we'd be back at $2K, but it'd be a nice machine.

The mods added another $100...then I started selling firewood...then I really upped my game...