My Wood Tools - Reviews

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bobdog2o02

bobdog2o02

Minister of Fire
Mar 25, 2014
845
Lancaster, Pennsylvania
Pic below is my arsenal

1996 Jeep XJ 325,00 Miles strong 4.0L 5spd NP231 Transfer case - Rough country 3" lift / 31" BFG All Terrain T/A
5X10 Utility trailer
Husqvarna GT48Xls Tractor - FANASTIC tractor for the money, i pull a plow/disc/cultivator with it and push snow with it. Tractor cost $3,299 and comes with a locking differential. The lawn cart is the 1200lb Agri-Fab. Can stack it full of firewood without it groaning.



Next pic has a bit more detail.

Chain Saws are Echo CS-670 and CS-400. Both cut wood and are very reliable. I bought the 40cc 3 years ago and havent had to repair a thing. The CS-670 was purchased just before my triaxle. Cut it all, a bit thirsty on gas but I ran it for 3hrs straight the one day and it was just brutish. 1Yr Used for $350, best value i could find.

Stihl Cant hook $125. VERY Rugged Tool, a bit pricier than other but built like a tank,the hook is super sharp and cuts into the log very well.

8lb maul for driving the two wedges........ My least favorite tools

Fiskars X25 splitter and X7 Hatchet, an echo of other users.... I will never split wood by hand without these tools ever again.

25' of chain, yankin logs around is sometimes unavoidable....


Last pic

Homelite 5 ton electric splitter - Works well for the right size stuff. I keep it by the stove for the wife to make small splits for startups, it does a good job on rounds up to about 14"diameter and 18" long, much more than that and it struggles.

 
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Cool setup. Love those old cherokees.
 
Cherokee looks like it was made for the larger tires. And what mileage...wow! Did you get this one when it was new or used?
 
yooperdave said:
Cherokee looks like it was made for the larger tires. And what mileage...wow! Did you get this one when it was new or used?
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I got it used, from my step dad. used to be my step brother's. before that it was somewhere in Maryland. I replaced the X-fer case, welded in new floors, and it got lifted because the suspension was shot. The Vin / engine / trans numbers still match... I love it.
 
Love to hear any story involving that bulletproof Inline-6. I have a '97 XJ that was my first vehicle - love the thing to death. I put on a budget boost, 31" Duratracs...love working on it.

I threw a set of headers on it and did the intake manifold upgrade. Pretty cool upgrade, in 1999, Jeep had to neck down the exhaust ports on the 4.0 to comply with stricter emissions standards. This caused a drop in 27 horsepower so Jeep engineers redesigned the intake manifold into more of a horseshoe shape with a larger plenum that reclaimed 27 lost horsepower. Now if you bolt on a 99+ intake manifold on a pre-99 inline 6 - 27 extra horsepower. Who doesn't like having a few extra horses?

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So you like the X25 that much? Is it really that much better than a normal maul? Less force required?
 
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I feel I'm more accurate with it. I can hit that same spot repeatedly without missing. I used it on some 36" hickory rounds on Sunday. Each round took about 15 minutes.....
 
That 4.0 is one of the best engines ever built.
Right up there with the slant 6, as far as longevity.
 
I drove a total of 240 miles today to pick up a 22 ton splitter here https://www.google.com/maps/place/G...2!3m1!1s0x89cfa1ff60faf759:0xcae46826edc6e543 to buy this http://www.grizzly.com/products/22-TON-HYDRAULIC-LOG-SPLITTER/G0639.

I towed a 5X10 HD utility trailer (800Lb empty) the whole way. It pulled 5th gear like a champ most of the time, down shifting for the big hills. I load this trailer past its max gvw on occasion for short wood hauls, I weighed the rig minus the jeep at 5,000 lbs once. It was heavy but it pulled it. It would be nice to stop better though......
 
Razo said:
Love to hear any story involving that bulletproof Inline-6. I have a '97 XJ that was my first vehicle - love the thing to death. I put on a budget boost, 31" Duratracs...love working on it.

I threw a set of headers on it and did the intake manifold upgrade. Pretty cool upgrade, in 1999, Jeep had to neck down the exhaust ports on the 4.0 to comply with stricter emissions standards. This caused a drop in 27 horsepower so Jeep engineers redesigned the intake manifold into more of a horseshoe shape with a larger plenum that reclaimed 27 lost horsepower. Now if you bolt on a 99+ intake manifold on a pre-99 inline 6 - 27 extra horsepower. Who doesn't like having a few extra horses?

View attachment 131692


View attachment 131693

So you like the X25 that much? Is it really that much better than a normal maul? Less force required?
Click to expand...

That upgrade looks like a cheap easy junkyard retrieval.... i like it but not sure how a veteran 325K motor might like more power......
 
Definitely is, any 99-01 XJ would have that intake, I got mine on ebay for $50. Good point about the mileage, do you run any type of high mileage engine oil? Synthetic? I'm a huge proponent of Royal Purple and run their HPS 10w30 in mine since it has higher concentrations of zinc and other additives than SAE 10w30, got purple running through my power steering pump and use their Synchromax fluid in my transfer case. It costs more obviously but I honestly believe it is the best out there. I even run their 2-stroke oil in my chainsaw.

Another point of interest, you can actually use the oil filter off a 70's-90's F-150 (300 or 351 engine) on your 4.0. It is the same diameter and thread pattern its just a bit longer. Bigger filter means more filter media to keep your oil cleaner and also allows you to run a bit more oil, a hair over 6 quarts. I swear by Wix filters (Napa Gold) and their part number for the larger filter is 51515, the Fram part number is PH8A.

On the subject of the fiskars, I think an X27 might be in my future, everyone raves about them so there must be something to them. I just think I would like the longer handle of the X27 over the X25 since the X27 has the same length handle as my current maul.
 
I use valvoline Dino with MMO mixed in. My np231 x-fer calls for atf-4, and the synchs are good in the ax-15 so its happy with 10/40 Dino oil. I have used royal purple in my bikes but from Blackstone lab tests I'm not sold at that price point.

X-27 or x-25. I'm built like a fireplug. 32" waist 42" chest 185 lbs and only 5'-5". The x25, just fits better.
 
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