Splitter advice?

[jetsam]

Hi guys:

I've never owned (or used) a log splitter before, but my pile of "omg I do not want to split THAT" pieces is getting out of hand.

Here's my list:

- Able to split big scary knotty hardwood crotches
- Vertical a must, able to split 48"+ rounds
- Speed not too important (I plan to continue split ting most of my wood by hand)
- Trailer mount would be awesome
- Cheaper is better, but I do want something that can split difficult stuff.


I was looking at this:. http://m.lowes.com/pd/Dirty-Hand-Tools-22-Ton-Gas-Log-Splitter/50223053?

Any suggestions? If I look at something used on craigslist, what am I looking for to tell if it'll handle tough rounds and crotches?

Thanks!

 

[BrotherBart]

All I can tell ya is that my 1988 20 ton MTD/Duerr has been heating this house every since. Knotty crotches you handle with the splitter like you do with a maul. Bring it down until it chokes, let up, do it again, rinse and repeat.

 

[DoubleB]

Since you're new to splitters, have you considered just renting for a while? That lets you know what you like before buying. I also find it economically preferable to save up the pile like yours and every 1-2 years spend $60 for a weekend renting. Compared to ~$1000 up-front purchase plus maintenance, storage, etc.

It might be right to buy one, but just pointing out there are viable alternatives.

 

[7acres]

I totally agree with DoubleB. I've used a 22, 27 and 35 ton. I can say I liked the 22 ton because it is light. I can roll it around from pile to pile myself without having to get some help (or hitch it back up). But the 27 and 35 just keep going until the crotch is sheared off. Nothing stops the 35. It's awesome! You really have to noodle the 22 ton like BrotherBart says to get crotches or knotty wood split.

 

[woodhog73]

If your concerned about weight to wheel it around , then the 22 ton units that have a 1/2 beam set up will be the lightest. Some people don't like the 1/2 beam set up but I can't figure out why. The better ones on the market like the Gravely 22 ton are over built where the cylinder mounts to the beam and hold up just fine.

So a 1/2 beam 22 ton is roughly 350 lbs. Some of the 34 tons are over 550lbs so keep that in mind if your concerned about weight.

I'm pretty sure all splitters have a trailer mount. However the most I would do is hook it up to a 4 wheeler to tow around the property . They say you can tow them up to 40mph but something that light with no suspension I wouldn't want to do that. It would be bouncing around too much.

Also if storage is tight, the 1/2 beams are a little more compact in size too.

As for 22 ton and splitting power ? Mine splits anything. If it's a nasty crotch you just need to reverse the wedge and hit it a second time. Where the 34 ton you wouldn't need too. We are talking like adding 3 to 5 seconds if that to hit it a second time. Considering the cost increase of the bigger splitters, Id rather hit the crotch a second time if need be and save the extra money.

For what it's worth it's very rare I have to make 2 attempts to split a nasty crotch or knot. We are talking on big rounds like 20 inches or bigger and hardwood, and maybe I may need to. Most often I don't.

As for splitting your 48 inch rounds a 22 ton is just fine. You generally want to start splitting on the outside edges. Just like you would with a maul you wouldn't swing the maul at the center of a 48 inch round. Too hard to crack it open. Instead you start at the sides. Same with the splitter. Start at the sides. Even with a bigger splitter that's good practice less stress, less wear and tear on everything.

I have split 40 inch rounds of oak no problem with my 22 ton.

You can easily heat your home and split 5 cords, 10 cords, etc a year with a 20 to 22 ton

 

[Dobish]

i just picked up a DHT22 ton at their factory sale. so far, I have been pretty happy with it! (i have split about 10 pieces of wood, 9 of which were knotty and stringy, 1 was pine.

 

[Hogwildz]

Tractor Supply CO is having a sale. $50.00 off. Usually around fall they have a sale of $100.00 off. Usually on the 22ton model

 

[Jazzberry]

Tractor Supply sells the 22 ton County Line (Speeco) for 899.00 on sale and it probably has the best feedback of any splitter.

 

[Wawa Coffee]

Amazing this thread is going because I was just logging on to ask the exact same question. Saw the 22 and 27 ton at a box store today for what seemed to be good prices. I was hoping people would have nice things to say about them. Glad to know they aren't junk.

 

[930dreamer]

I've been renting a splitter for years. We tow it to the brush pile split on site and leave all the waste onsite. I can rent an Iron & Oak 37 ton unit for $90 for the weekend.

 

[woodhog73]

I've been renting a splitter for years. We tow it to the brush pile split on site and leave all the waste onsite. I can rent an Iron & Oak 37 ton unit for $90 for the weekend.

Renting is a good idea if your only splitting a couple times a year. Especially at $90 for the weekend. But if your splitting 7or 8 or more weekends a year it doesn't take long before you are just better off buying one. Around my area people advertise splitters for rent on CL but it's more like $150 for the weekend. A handful of times at that price and well you've paid for a new splitter.

I also had very little experience with a splitter. Since I made the decision to get a splitter, my only question is how I managed splitting with a maul all those years.

To the original poster if your on the fence about a splitter, and find your needing to split wood a fair amount of time, just make the plunge. I highly doubt you will regret it.

 

[xman23]

Hi guys:

I've never owned (or used) a log splitter before, but my pile of "omg I do not want to split THAT" pieces is getting out of hand.

Here's my list:

- Able to split big scary knotty hardwood crotches
- Vertical a must, able to split 48"+ rounds
- Speed not too important (I plan to continue split ting most of my wood by hand)
- Trailer mount would be awesome
- Cheaper is better, but I do want something that can split difficult stuff.


I was looking at this:. http://m.lowes.com/pd/Dirty-Hand-Tools-22-Ton-Gas-Log-Splitter/50223053?

Any suggestions? If I look at something used on craigslist, what am I looking for to tell if it'll handle tough rounds and crotches?

Thanks!

Yea that looks like it will work. If new is not a problem, go for it. Used, it's hard to tell how used, and they are pricey. But look around. I got a used MTD 20 ton for $500 10 years ago.

One issue with your list. #3, IMO, Correct you don't need a lot of speed. (there all about the same) But you won't be splitting much by hand after you own a splitter.

 

[TreePointer]

I recognize that there are differing opinions on speed, and it's not important to some. For me, 15+ seconds cycle time can be annoyingly slow when I have to process a lot of wood. That's why, for entry level splitters, I like the DHT 22- and 28-ton models with under 11s rated cycle times.

 

[Dobish]

I just spent an hour with some elm, box elder, cedar, juniper and maple, and some other hard thing I don't know what it was. I like my new splitter.

 

[Wawa Coffee]

I just spent an hour with some elm, box elder, cedar, juniper and maple, and some other hard thing I don't know what it was. I like my new splitter. View attachment 182994

Did you run into any issues with the 22 ton? I'm trying to decide whether to go with the 22 or 27. Probably gonna grab one in the spring hoping they take a small dip in price, but will probably pick one up regardless.

 

[Dobish]

No issues here. I have only run it for a couple of hours, but it seems to run well. I haven't gotten to the giant maple pieces, but everything else went without issues

 

[Dobish]

i do need to pick up a high altitude kit, since i'm at around 5700'.

 

[fabsroman]

Since you're new to splitters, have you considered just renting for a while? That lets you know what you like before buying. I also find it economically preferable to save up the pile like yours and every 1-2 years spend $60 for a weekend renting. Compared to ~$1000 up-front purchase plus maintenance, storage, etc.

It might be right to buy one, but just pointing out there are viable alternatives.

I tend to disagree with this type of thinking. If renting a splitter did not cost over 5% of the cost of the splitter per day, it might be a viable alternative. Even if the OP buys a splitter that he decides he does not like after 3 or 4 uses, I bet he can sell it for less than a $240 loss, which is what he would be out of pocket if he rented a splitter 4 times at $60 a day before buying one. I hate renting tools. It puts me under pressure to get the job done in a specific amount of time, and if I am going to use the tool more than once every couple of years it requires my time, gas, etc. to go and pick it up. Nope, I prefer to buy versus rent on anything that I plan on using more than once every couple of years. Even if I get the purchase wrong, in today's day and age with e-bay and Craigslist it is easy to sell things.

 

[Dobish]

I tend to disagree with this type of thinking. If renting a splitter did not cost over 5% of the cost of the splitter per day, it might be a viable alternative. Even if the OP buys a splitter that he decides he does not like after 3 or 4 uses, I bet he can sell it for less than a $240 loss, which is what he would be out of pocket if he rented a splitter 4 times at $60 a day before buying one. I hate renting tools. It puts me under pressure to get the job done in a specific amount of time, and if I am going to use the tool more than once every couple of years it requires my time, gas, etc. to go and pick it up. Nope, I prefer to buy versus rent on anything that I plan on using more than once every couple of years. Even if I get the purchase wrong, in today's day and age with e-bay and Craigslist it is easy to sell things.

i do too... if i'm going to use it again, and have a place to store it, i will just buy it. We bought ours, and yesterday I had a free hour while the kids were hanging out, and I was able to go out and get through a decent amount of what I still have to split. After they went to bed, I went out there and stacked in the dark with a headlamp, just so I could clear the space. If i had to rent, I would basically have a team of people to help me get through it. As of right now, I have used the splitter 3 days, and my wife has used it 2 days (which is another great part of owning it!) but i can come home and spend a few minutes working through it.

 

[jetsam]

I wound up trolling Craigslist for a decent used one for a month. After that didn't work out, I bought a DHT-22 at Lowes. 9% off through the 14th, and they assemble it free. Signed up for a store card and got another 5%, which took it down to $950 before tax.

Will post a review after I actually get it (next week).

Thanks for all the input!

 

[snavematt]

guessing I got the deal of a lifetime, neighbor was putting their house on the market, asked if I wanted to buy their late 80's early 90's MTD 20 ton splitter, I answered yes before he finished. $150, in 100% working condition. I still split a few with my Fiskers (more for kindling).

 

[blades]

48" round- it doesn't matter if it is vertical or horizontal- once it on the flat side it isn't going much of anywhere you want it to without a lot of mechanical advantage. 1/4 it with the chainsaw ( or i suppose the manual wacker and wedgies) then do what ever. Trying to maneuver a piece like that in the jaws of the splitter is pia. I know most of what I do is that size all the time. Another little thing, a way oversized piece like that puts a lot of stress on the unit as a whole when trying to split it sure fire way to bend the foot plate or spring the beam for starters ( done that also). Just a little experience ( around 55 years worth) I wished to share. Yes, I know there units that can do it ( including my own) but most of the common units are not built for that.

 

[Dobish]

I wound up trolling Craigslist for a decent used one for a month. After that didn't work out, I bought a DHT-22 at Lowes. 9% off through the 14th, and they assemble it free. Signed up for a store card and got another 5%, which took it down to $950 before tax.

Will post a review after I actually get it (next week).

Thanks for all the input!

I love mine! They are a great company too! (speaking of which, i should actually send in my warranty paperwork)

 

[Jazzberry]

Renting is a good idea if your only splitting a couple times a year. Especially at $90 for the weekend. But if your splitting 7or 8 or more weekends a year it doesn't take long before you are just better off buying one. Around my area people advertise splitters for rent on CL but it's more like $150 for the weekend. A handful of times at that price and well you've paid for a new splitter.

I also had very little experience with a splitter. Since I made the decision to get a splitter, my only question is how I managed splitting with a maul all those years.

To the original poster if your on the fence about a splitter, and find your needing to split wood a fair amount of time, just make the plunge. I highly doubt you will regret it.

If burning wood is your only heat source the convenience of splitting a little today and maybe some next week or maybe not etc is worth a lot more than the small payment on a credit card. My splitter does at least 25 cords a year counting my family and friends.

 

[2biker]

I got the same splitter as Brother Bart. Bought it around the same year as well. In all of my years, I only had 1 piece of dry hickory that didn't split. The chainsaw and 1 drop of sweat took about 30 seconds to make quick work of it. I always split in the vertical position, (no lifting or bending required). I work the splitter with the right hand, and use the left hand to load the split in my Kubota front end loader. The bucket holds 50 pieces. Drive it about 50 yards to my enclosed wood shed that holds 5 cords. Stack the shed while standing up, no bending, no back ache, easy job.