Splitter ?

[jolby]

A friend asked me what i thought of a 7 ton Champion or 12 ton Earthquake that he could get from Cabelas with points he had saved up, so no money outlay. He also has the option, for $200, of joining 3 or 4 other guys in sharing a Huskee from TS.

I told him that i better check with those who know better than me. What do you think he should do? Thanks

 

[arngnick]

What will he be splitting? Personally I stay away from joint ownership of anything...its just asking for trouble. If he is splitting smaller stuff the 7 ton may work.

 

[shawn6596]

Sharing is a great Idea until it breaks. and then there is time old debate of where to keep it. I have a neighbor we do a wood share. when we come into a site he has the loader and dump trailer. I have the strong back and big saw. after we get the logs back to his house we have a stand to cut in. he drops 2 logs in and I cut them up as fast as he can bring 2 more. I get a 30% cut of the wood. We load my rounds in the dump trailer and dump them out back. Then he has a guy that splits for him. all he wants is $50 and a home cooked dinner.

 

[fabsroman]

Yeah, I wouldn't share tools unless I really, really, really had to. Not only do you have to worry about who breaks it, somebody breaking it, somebody using it more than somebody else, maintenance, etc., but the kicker for me would not having it available to me when I wanted to use it. I HATE going looking for tools when I need to get something done, no matter what the job is.

If I needed a wood splitter and did not have the money, I would buy it with a 0% credit card, pay the card off before it comes due, and enjoy the savings of heating with wood.

As far as the 7 ton splitter goes, I wouldn't buy it unless the stuff to be split is really small. I am using a 25 ton MTD splitter and it groans pretty good on the knotted stuff. I also end up splitting 24"+ logs a good amount of the time. For me, the minimum I would go with is a 20 ton Tractor Supply splitter for $999.

The other thing I don't understand is why people think their Cabelas points aren't actually money. After you use them to get something, you don't have them anymore. So, but something stupid with them and you have essentially thrown money out the window.

 

[TreePointer]

Buy something from Cabelas that you can easily sell on CL, and then put that money towards the $999 Huskee 22-ton.

 

[jolby]

Thanks for your time and good points. He has been borrowing someone's splitter similar to Shawn's arrangement, giving the man a portion of his split wood.

Arngnick, i think he is leaning toward the 7 ton Champion so hopefully it will handle most of what he cuts. He may try and renegotiate his deal with the owner of the borrowed splitter first.

Fabsroman, you're right he should use the points as wisely as he can. I'm sure if he could use the points for the $999 TS splitter he would.

 

[jolby]

TreePointer, good idea. What about Ebay?

 

[TreePointer]

I wouldn't go below 20-tons. Slow splitting is annoying. A stalled engine is frustrating.

 

[TreePointer]

TreePointer, good idea. What about Ebay?

eBay, CL, garage sale, classifieds--wherever you can find a buyer. I prefer CL because you don't have to deal with eBay costs/fees, and I like to sell locally to avoid shipping larger/heavier items. Sometimes eBay will fetch the most $$ for the seller, but it depends on the item.

 

[Hogwildz]

I bought a 4ton Ryobi electric at HD years ago, and it split almost anything I put on it, with the exception of a really gnarly twisted crotch of a maple.
You would be surprised the size rounds the little splitter will split. For $300.00 at the time, I was more than pleased.
Still have it. But I also bought a Northstar 30 ton gas off my neighbor for $400.00 a couple years ago.
The one advantage a gas has is mobility, and for me it sits higher and easier for me to work off of.

 

[jolby]

Hogwildz, i told him that there are a lot of satisfied owners of electric splitters but like you he wants the mobility of a gas one.

He told me today that he was pretty sure he would get the 7 ton Champion and maybe it will do ok if he leaves off the gnarly stuff

 

[DodgyNomad]

Buy something from Cabelas that you can easily sell on CL, and then put that money towards the $999 Huskee 22-ton.

This seems like the best solution, imo. Sharing the equipment can be tough. My problem with that is most people do NOT take care of their stuff like I do. From break in to servicing, to fuel quality. Some people can wreck a hammer, and really wreck a splitter.

 

[Hogwildz]

Hogwildz, i told him that there are a lot of satisfied owners of electric splitters but like you he wants the mobility of a gas one.

He told me today that he was pretty sure he would get the 7 ton Champion and maybe it will do ok if he leaves off the gnarly stuff

He will be surprised how much that 7 ton will do and handle.
Just has to approach the splitting smart. Trying to blast straight down the middle of gnarly stuff ain't gonna happen.
And larger ones merely need to be chipped away from the outer edges in, just as they would with a maul or axe.
If my 4 ton could handle most, the 7 should do well.