Iron and Oak 20-Ton Fast Cycle

[missouriboy]

Anyone have one of these and what do you think of it. If is as fast as they say it is it would be worth the money. Do they have good power and how good are they made and where are they made. I am not buying anything from China anymore. I need a bigger wood splitter and been looking around just looking to up my wood sell output to between 35 - 50 cords a year.

 

[Bucko]

I bought my 22 ton last December. Love it. I got mine through an online service. Woodsplittersdirect.com I think. I got the Honda engine but I have a Subaru on a new Supersplit that I Like just as well. My I&O isnt fast cycle but I wish I would have gotten that feature. The machine is great. Made in Illinois If I remember correctly.

 

[bryanr2]

I rent a fast cycle at the local rental place every year. They are very quick. I borrowed a 22 ton Huskee from a friend and it is disappointing to me after using the Iron and Oak. I dont like how it has to "load up" or hesitates to bust the log. Iron and Oak makes a awesome splitter. I am on the waiting list at the Rental company to buy the next rental splitter when they bring in the new models. They usually sell them at 1200-1500 which is a thousand doallar savings on a new fast cycle.

 

[wb1]

Just bought a I&O 20ton Fast cycle w/ Robbins engine - previous splitter was an MTD/Yardmachines 25 ton I had for 10+ years. I really can't say anything bad about the MTD, it was mostly trouble free w/ probably 70+ cords through it but was starting to show it's age, cycle time was probably up to 17 seconds w/O load (was 13 when new) & it was moving pretty slow on bigger rounds - new pump & piston seals would have fixed that but would probably need an engine replacement soon after that so I figured I'd put the $'s towards something new & faster. Bottom-line for the $'s paid the MTD was worth it but if you want fast production & expect to put 35+ cords through each year I think your're on the right track in looking @ the I&O FC.

Anyway I only have about 3/4 cord through the I&O so far but from the first split I knew I made the right decision. I've timed the cycle & it's consistently 7.75 - 8 seconds (w/o load) but it doesn't slow much (if any) on the mostly Cherry & Ash I've put through it. Granted those are some easy splitting species but had a few knotty Shagbark Hickory rounds laying around & it had no problem with those either, don't think the pump even geared down on them.

I did stall the ram once but that was a fairly large Maple round that was cut just above the junction of 3 big limbs, i.e. a large "triple knot" about 1/4 of the way in from the end of the round........pretty tough for any splitter out there. Tried to split it straight down the middle & it stopped the ram. I was playing with the new "toy" & just seeing what the thing could do..........wasn't surprised that it couldn't go through it & I suppose the MTD when new probably wouldn't have busted through this round either. Regardless I re-positioned the round & had no problem splitting it by taking it down in 'thirds" then working the splits from there.

Bottom line it's a great machine, is as fast as they advertise, Robbins engine is fairly quiet, & has plenty of power to get through just about anything you can throw at it. As the previous poster mentioned they are made in the USA & are built w/ heavy duty components (I would consider them "industrial grade" machines) so it should have no problem holding up to your target of 35 - 50 cord / year. I must say my MTD 25 ton was a decent unit for the $'s & held-up very well over the years but if you're looking to up productivity & split more wood in a year than the average homeowner like me go w/ the Fast Cycle I&O w/ a removable side table & don't look back.

 

[Arbonaut]

They are made in Illinois. Tomtrees58 has one of those, and he runs the snot out of it.

 

[NCHornet]

I rented their 26 ton splitter from a local place in town. Kept it for 30 min and took it back. It hit my first 30 inch oak round and the engine just died. In their defense I noticed the rental place had the engine goverened down for some reason. I talked to the guy in the yard and he said he didn't believe the 26 ton sticker either. He said the cylinder went out on the first rental. It was under 3 inches and they replaced it with a 4 inch cylinder. I think them choking the motor down had a lot to do with the poor performance issues. I think I am going to look into building my own. I have a B&S engine that was in my Troy Built mower and it is, IIRC 26 HP.

 

[missouriboy]

Thanks for all the good info guys and i going look in to one when i get enough cash.

 

[littleheafie13]

I also just bought a 20 ton fast cycle iron and oak splitter with subaru engine. This is one of the best splitters on the market for a great price. It is replacing my mtd 27 ton yard machine splitter. Although themtd was slow it was very reliable and split over 300 cords in the past 5 years. Iron and oak is a much superior machine and is built with quality. Not to mention 8 second cycle time is good for productivity!!!