I'm thinking about buying a splitter. Probably a 27 ton. When is the best time, spring or fall? When will I see the best prices? Any suggestions on models or brands? Thanks, Mark
When to buy a splitter
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The right time to buy is when your back can't take splitting with the maul anymore!
I found a pretty good deal on a 27 ton Troy Built from Lowes this past spring. I think it all depends on who has what in stock at the time you start looking. It can be rather random from what I saw....
I found a pretty good deal on a 27 ton Troy Built from Lowes this past spring. I think it all depends on who has what in stock at the time you start looking. It can be rather random from what I saw....
I bought mine in the spring, you don't see them go on sale too often and I didn't want to play the waiting game. When I get it in my mind to buy something there is really no stopping it! 
After I made the decision to put a stove in I bought a splitter. I had the splitter before my stove! I wasn't about to mess around with hand splitting on a large level and figured if I ever decide I don't want to deal with wood anymore used splitters seem to hold their value pretty well.
flewism said:
After I made the decision to put a stove in I bought a splitter. I had the splitter before my stove! I wasn't about to mess around with hand splitting on a large level and figured if I ever decide I don't want to deal with wood anymore used splitters seem to hold their value pretty well.
I actually have all the wood needed for this winter, 6 cords. All split by hand with my 15 lb. maul. I'm just wondering when I'll find the best prices and what brands I should look for or stay away from. Thanks, Mark
I use a 28 ton Husky from Tractor Supply with the Honda engine...........love it.....nothin's stopped it yet
LLigetfa said:
You guys always make me feel like such a sissy. I'm pushing the ripe old age of 31 and I picked up a splitter this year!
flyfishco said:
Best time of year . . . whenever you can find a deal. I actually looked around in late-Fall/early-Winter last year hoping to pick up a decent deal on a splitter from Home Depot or Lowes (figuring it would be past the peak time for demand), but it turns out the stores were simply holding the splitters to sell in the Spring.
It seems as though Tractor Supply does run some sales . . . but when . . . I'm not sure.
In the end I bought my splitter from my local True Value in the Spring for less money than I would have paid at the big box stores.
As for the makes and models -- for most folks it boils down to either a Huskee/Speeco (sold at Tractor Supply Co) or a MTD (and clones -- Cub Cadet, Yardman, etc. which are sold in many places) . . . assuming you go with a middle of the road hydraulic splitter. There are other options -- ones that use a flywheel like action to split, ones that guilllotine the wood and ones that are more expensive (i.e. Iron and Oak) and cheaper (Northern Hydraulics model) . . . but it seems as though the vast majority of folks here end up with either a MTD or Huskee.
tractor supply is running a sale until October 24th on the 22 ton huskee for $999 ($100 off) and the 27 ton is $50 off, so I think around $1450? I picked up a 22 ton and it's served me well so far. I'm about to go back out and get some oak and locust to feed it
I picked up the huskee from TSC this summer. I am 49 and am happy splitting by hand, my dad is 75 and wanted the splitter, so I bought it and went and split his wood for him. He has mainly split by hand as I and my brother do. We pace ourselves and do an hour or two at a time. Now that I have the splitter things may change, we will see. I have the 22 ton huskee and when splitting 6 cords for my dad I could not stop it.
The best time is when you can afford it. Splittig by hand is not bad if you know how to do it and pace yourself.
The best time is when you can afford it. Splittig by hand is not bad if you know how to do it and pace yourself.
A good time is before you need shoulder surgery ! Some of the box stores are running sales this time of year and you can always look for a used one. The main component is the engine buy as large as you can. Another nice feature to get is the ability to split both horizontally and vertically saves your back on some of those big rounds.
The first time you contmplate buying it you should get it if you can afford it. then you will not have to go years wondering why you did not do it before. I used a splitter and axe growing up, when I started burning I split 6 cords a year by hand. I finally bought a splitter...huskee or speeco 22ton...and have never regretted it. Heck, if you can get one for 1k do it...it is like a seasons or less worth of heating bills...
Most of you guys have good efficient stoves, when i went from a cheap stove to the top of the line stove and was amazed how much less wood i used and how much more heat i got. im sure i am using 30-40% less wood now. Thats 35% less cutting Chopping,stacking,hauling,splitting,storeing and carrying for tha same amount of heat. So the motto is get the best stove you can afford and all the rest becomes that much easier.
I bought my first 4 ton ryobi when i had the insert installed - worked fine albeit slow and couldn't handle the big pieces..
found a new log guy and he dropped off HUGE logs - so i knew i needed something bigger. found the troy built 33 ton on sale at lowes last jan. offered them $1500.00 (down from 2200) and they said ok..
splitter now has 30 hours on it and it's much better than the ryobi (which is now used to make kindling)
found a new log guy and he dropped off HUGE logs - so i knew i needed something bigger. found the troy built 33 ton on sale at lowes last jan. offered them $1500.00 (down from 2200) and they said ok..
splitter now has 30 hours on it and it's much better than the ryobi (which is now used to make kindling)
Tony H said:
You are right on the timing and the usefulness of having an H/V design, Tony, but I would seriously disagree with you on the engine... The engine and the pump should be appropriately MATCHED to each other in size - an engine that is bigger than the pump it's attached to needs is a bit of a waste - it won't make the unit work any better, and the bigger the engine the more fuel it will burn...
The normal 2-speed pump used on nearly all splitters is designed so that the low-speed / high pressure output is 1/4 the high speed / low pressure output. By standard hydraulic design, which is largely dictated by the physical laws involved, this translates to needing an engine with a full speed HP rating that is 1/2 the rated GPM size of the pump (which is the high volume / low pressure mode that is where the pump will be most of the time). It is also good to have a bit of a margin on this, so it basically boils down to a good match is a 6-7HP motor for an 11gpm pump, 9-10HP for a 16gpm, etc... Essentially the motor maker's next size up from the minimum.
In theory, putting a bigger motor on would let you run the motor slower, but the problem with this idea is that the pumps output is a function of how fast it runs, so in order to get the rated performance you MUST run the engine at it's full design speed, which the pump is also designed to match - i.e. about 3600 RPM. If you put a big motor on and run at part throttle you won't get the cycle time...
Now for a given size cylinder, it is going to give you a faster cycle time if you get a bigger engine AND pump... One problem I've heard about with some of the 30-ton Troy-built units is that they have a 5" cylinder coupled with an 11gpm pump, which is going to give a slow machine. To get the typical approx 15 second cycle time you need an 11gpm pump on a 4" cylinder, and a 16gpm on a 5"... If you want faster, get a bigger pump and engine, but plan on paying a lot more, as you will be moving into "commercial" machine territory.
Gooserider
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