So what is a good gas powered splitter? Not the top of the line but something affordable, quick and effective? Order online? Store? Thanks!
Splitter
- Thread starter clearblue16
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I have a speeco 22 ton got it on sale at family farm and home for $950 works great no problems 2yrs
IMHO splitters are pretty generic, and there isn't a huge amount of difference in quality among the different brands. I have a Harbor Freight that has been good to me, others have been happy with TSC Speeco's, MTD's in their different brands and so forth...
One can get wars about engine brands and so forth, but it really doesn't make a huge difference...
I would look for a 20-ton or thereabouts, with a 5-6hp engine, 11gpm pump, and 4" cylinder, that can be used in either horizontal or vertical mode. Don't worry about brand all that much. This is the basic 'generic' splitter configuration, which will have an approximately 15 second cycle time and handle 99% of anything one might throw at it... To get fancier than those specs will cost significantly more in most cases.
Store or online doesn't matter all that much, but if going online, watch for freight and delivery charges - splitters are HEAVY and BIG, so you will be looking at truck freight, not UPS, which can get expensive really quick unless the vendor has some sort of deal... Some stores have free "ship to store" deals. HF has a flat fee charge for truck items, so this might or might not be an issue, but watch out for it.
Gooserider
One can get wars about engine brands and so forth, but it really doesn't make a huge difference...
I would look for a 20-ton or thereabouts, with a 5-6hp engine, 11gpm pump, and 4" cylinder, that can be used in either horizontal or vertical mode. Don't worry about brand all that much. This is the basic 'generic' splitter configuration, which will have an approximately 15 second cycle time and handle 99% of anything one might throw at it... To get fancier than those specs will cost significantly more in most cases.
Store or online doesn't matter all that much, but if going online, watch for freight and delivery charges - splitters are HEAVY and BIG, so you will be looking at truck freight, not UPS, which can get expensive really quick unless the vendor has some sort of deal... Some stores have free "ship to store" deals. HF has a flat fee charge for truck items, so this might or might not be an issue, but watch out for it.
Gooserider
I think the first question you need to ask yourself is how much wood are you going to split. A few cords a year just for yourself? Going to work with family members on the family woodlot to supply half a dozen households with primary heat? Maybe do a little part time business on the side and split up 50 cords a year?. I know people in all these situations and it makes the splitter choice a little more important.
I've used splitters ranging from an electric motor drive with a 30 second cycle to a rig with a 4-cylinder Volvo engine splitting Black Oak averaging 24' dia. and bigger 6 ways each stroke. My little 5HP/11gpm/4"cylinder does everything I need to split at a rate my now older body can keep up with. I bought mine as a kit (only the welding was done) from Northern Hydraulics 20 years ago. They were called 16 ton back then and now they are called 22 ton but with a 2-stage pump they can handle almost anything. Don't put a 4-way splitter on them though unless you're splitting only knot-free wood.
I do like to support American built stuff, though. If you look around I think you can still buy a splitter that is mostly US except the motor for not much more than the Chinese stuff. I tend to be a little impatient with engines so I would put a little more toward a better one than the entry level models. But that's just my personal quirk.
And I think there is a good argument for renting if you can get organized enough to get it all done on a weekend. Why tie up the money if you only really need it once a year. Get some friends together and make a social event of it. Your place one weekend and another friend's place on a different weekend after your sore muscles recover. Fridge full of beverages that can't be touched until the work is finished will motivate a lot of work in a short time and put a great comradely start to a fun evening around that fridge. Splitting parties are fun and can save the upfront capital and storage hassle of owning another machine.
I've used splitters ranging from an electric motor drive with a 30 second cycle to a rig with a 4-cylinder Volvo engine splitting Black Oak averaging 24' dia. and bigger 6 ways each stroke. My little 5HP/11gpm/4"cylinder does everything I need to split at a rate my now older body can keep up with. I bought mine as a kit (only the welding was done) from Northern Hydraulics 20 years ago. They were called 16 ton back then and now they are called 22 ton but with a 2-stage pump they can handle almost anything. Don't put a 4-way splitter on them though unless you're splitting only knot-free wood.
I do like to support American built stuff, though. If you look around I think you can still buy a splitter that is mostly US except the motor for not much more than the Chinese stuff. I tend to be a little impatient with engines so I would put a little more toward a better one than the entry level models. But that's just my personal quirk.
And I think there is a good argument for renting if you can get organized enough to get it all done on a weekend. Why tie up the money if you only really need it once a year. Get some friends together and make a social event of it. Your place one weekend and another friend's place on a different weekend after your sore muscles recover. Fridge full of beverages that can't be touched until the work is finished will motivate a lot of work in a short time and put a great comradely start to a fun evening around that fridge. Splitting parties are fun and can save the upfront capital and storage hassle of owning another machine.
Gooserider said:
Agreed.
Buy what you can get locally. No sense saving $300 to spend $300 on delivery charges, right? Speeco/Huskee seem to be decent splitters for the money, if you want a Horizontal-Vertical model. You can find them easily at any TSC or Speeco dealer, and they seem to hold up well to light commercial use (50-70 cords/year for the guy turning his property into firewood down by my office).
I've been very happy with a horizontal-only splitter with a 4-way wedge. It makes quick work of the straight-grained ash, cherry and oak that makes up the bulk of my firewood supply.
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