taskswap
ArboristSite Operative
OK folks, I'm sure this is popcorn time for some of you but I dug through all the old threads and still want to ask. I'm in the market for a splitter this year. I'm not looking for a Super Splitter (not in the budget) and I'm not looking for an el-cheapo electric either. I do most of my splitting with a Fiskars and I'm happy with it, I just need something that will get me through some of the nasties. Vertical/horizontal would be nice so I can quarter some big rounds rather than having to noodle them down.
I'm torn between my options. It seems like I'd need to be in the $1600+ range to get a decent unit retail. Buying used is around half that, but a lot of the listings are shifty - I've seen shoddy line repairs, lots of leaking cylinders, etc. But the extra $800 to buy new is my firewood budget for the year. I could chuck the difficult pieces into the woods for years before I'd pay that off.
I also looked at renting - 22-30 ton units here go for $70-$90 a day. Then I don't have to maintain the unit. But what I need to split is my "most challenging" stuff, so I'd have to kill myself to try to split it all in one day or even a weekend, and if it ran into 3+ days I may as well be buying split/seasoned (or a splitter).
My gut tells me I should keep looking for a used unit but of a good brand. What do you think?
I'm torn between my options. It seems like I'd need to be in the $1600+ range to get a decent unit retail. Buying used is around half that, but a lot of the listings are shifty - I've seen shoddy line repairs, lots of leaking cylinders, etc. But the extra $800 to buy new is my firewood budget for the year. I could chuck the difficult pieces into the woods for years before I'd pay that off.
I also looked at renting - 22-30 ton units here go for $70-$90 a day. Then I don't have to maintain the unit. But what I need to split is my "most challenging" stuff, so I'd have to kill myself to try to split it all in one day or even a weekend, and if it ran into 3+ days I may as well be buying split/seasoned (or a splitter).
My gut tells me I should keep looking for a used unit but of a good brand. What do you think?