chris-mcpherson said:
I'll rent one for now but I wanna have an idea of what I need so I can start shopping.
I want a "home owner" unit that will handle 20" dia or less . I have no designs on a commercial style piece of equipment. I see measurements in tones and HP but I don't know what would be recommended for a back yard splitter.
I also see options of electric, gas and compressed air. I can probably eliminate electric and air though because I don't wanna drag around a power cord or air line.
I don't feel the need to impress anyone with my splitter so I'm looking for recommendations on something middle of the road and economical.
Also please advise on features that are minimal.
If you're looking for a basic, relatively-inexpensive hydraulic splitter that should handle most everything you can throw at it (not that I would throw wood at my splitter) you'll want a 20-22 ton gas-powered splitter . . . and unless you're looking at buying one from a catalog you're most likely looking at either a Huskee/Speeco which is sold at Tractor Supply or a MTD/White/Cub Cadet/Troy Bilt/Other Clones which are sold in many, many places. I would look around, look at the features and then flip a coin . . . you really can't go wrong with either brand since there are fans of both makes here.
Like many folks I waffled back and forth on what features I wanted and what engine to get . . . and in the end simply went with the closest supplier who also happened to have the best price . . . as it turned out it was the local True Value Hardware store.
I think you're wise to get a gas-powered unit . . . they're pretty powerful, simple and it's nice to simply hook on to one and move it wherever you want . . . or even drag it out to the woodlot (although splitters don't tow really all that great.)
There are a few features to consider . . . a feature I might find highly desirable, others may not find all that useful and vice versa.
4-way wedges: These slip over the cutting wedge to allow you to split the wood into four pieces instead of 2 pieces which should speed up the work. Folks that have these tend to like them.
Ability to go from horizontal splitting to vertical: If you don't have a splitter with a log lifter this is highly desirable . . . and in fact some members feel that splitting vertically is the easiest and best way . . . but even if you prefer to split with the beam in the horizontal position the ability to move the splitter into a vertical position is wicked handy if you have some monster sized wood that would cause you to burst an appendix if you tried to lift it on to the beam.
Log Lifter: Some splitters have an option that allow you to lift the log on to a mechanism which can then lift it on to the beam.
Cradles and Tables: Cradles and tables help hold the freshly split wood so you can resplit a piece without having to bend over and retrieve it on the ground.
Trailer Lights: For road use while towing around town . . . my splitter came with these . . . I doubt I will ever install them.
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Engines and cycle times: A lot of folks spend a lot of time considering what powers the splitter. Generally, it seems most folks really like the Honda engines, but truthfully I've had pretty good luck so far with my Briggs & Stratton engine . . . and if something does go kaput on it I figure getting the parts or simply throwing another engine on to it should not be overly expensive.
As for cycle times . . . many folks are all about fast cycle times . . . however my own feeling is that even "slower" splitters work faster than I could with an ax or maul . . . and sometimes working a bit slower is a good thing when we're talking about keeping all of my fingers . . . plus as others have pointed out it is rare that you have to actually run the splitting ram all the way to the wedge to split the wood.
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