blacklocst
ArboristSite Guru
Guess again its made in China.
looking for a splitter
- Thread starter MEdooGuide
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Guess again its made in China.
Preston
Addicted to ArboristSite
The wife and I went to Bass Pro shops last week looking for a pair of boots for me. Everyone they had was made in China. I asked the fellow if they had any American made boots. He kinda snickered and said, nope, all from China. I told I would pass on um then as I was concerned with my eyes changing shape. To me it's really disgusting.
sunfish
Fish Head
Nope, the lower line is, but not all Hondas are.
MEdooGuide
ArboristSite Member
Like any other blue blooded american I prefer to buy american products. At the same time though, I recognize that not finding american made is a problem caused by the same people that complain about it. The fact of the matter is most of us cannot afford to pay for something made entirely in the us. The reason for that is union/non union employment wages, taxes, environmental regs and the myriad of other costs that go into running a business, put such a cost burden on companies that there is no profits... and frankly, without profits, why would they manufacture? So theh send their products over seas to be built (cant blame them) for half the price. Sad? Yup... Avoidable? Probably but not without a lot of changes taking place that address the root of the problem rather then an issue such as this that barely scratches the surface.... and that folks is me dancing on my soap box... back to the wood splitters... looked at an aeriens 27t that was for sale at cost 1399.00. Thoughts?
I'm not going to say anymore than this about this subject than this because this is not the place for it. A lot of people feel that unions are to blame for high prices, in the state of Missouri, where I'm from, the workforce is about 8-10% union. Corporate greed is the biggest problem!
Preston
Addicted to ArboristSite
Remember one thing, corporate "greed" is driven by greedy share holders. A lotsa times that points the finger back a greedy John Q Citizen.
StephieDoll
ArboristSite Operative
35 ton Huskee. About 5 years old, not sure how much wood split, and never missed a beat. Starts on first pull over 90% of the time. Works as fast as I want to work.
Like most have said, get what you can afford.
Like most have said, get what you can afford.
Oliver1655
Addicted to ArboristSite
How tall are you? Is the splitting beam high enough you will not stress your back bending over the splitter for a period of time? I'm 5'10" & have the beam of my splitter 32" high. For the diameter of the rounds you are splitting, a 16 - 22 ton splitter would be plenty big enough. If you stay with a 4-4.5" cylinder & can get a 13-16 gpm 2 stage pump you will have the power you need for your sized rounds & still have reasonable cycle times. 90% of the splitters sold through "box" stores are vertical/horizontal units - ie. the wedge is on the cylinder ram. Personally for the size of the rounds you will be splitting, I would buy and convert one of the $1,000 - 1,300 units to a dedicated horizontal unit. (The wedge is welded to the beam instead of being on the cylinder ram. The Reasons:
- With the wedge welded to the beam, the splits are pushed away from the work area.
- You could (should) add an out feed table to catch the splits which will save a lot of bending over & mashed toes. Less stress on the back! Once the rounds are picked up off the ground to be split, I don't want to have to bend over again to pick up the splits back up. Just gather them off the table and load them on the truck / trailer / toss on wood pile or let the splits pile up on the ground, roll the splitter 3-4 feet when the pile build up to the table height & make a windrow of firewood. I also like to use an elevator or on occasions will load the splits into the tractor loader bucket.
- You can have a table set up on the opposite side of the splitter from where you stand for a staging area. Load it up with rounds to split before starting the splitter engine & then start your engine and just stand there splitting several at a time. If you have a helper, they can keep you supplied with rounds to split and empty the out feed table keeping you splitting continuously.
The conversion to a dedicated horizontal unit would be simple to do:
1 - Build your wedge then narrow up the plate welded to the end of the beam to match it. Rather than use the wedge which comes on the ram, weld up a 4 way wedge 12" high with the horizontal wings half way up (6" high) & set back 2" from the vertical splitting edge. This will quarter your rounds in 2 stages. This reduces the stress on the wedge & requires less power to split. A sharp edge on the wedge is ideal! Then you can cut through knots instead of having to tear them apart. I have a 4 way with 4" cylinder and can split 20" rounds of "straight grained" wood without any problems.
2 - Build your push slide for the cylinder. Remember to have the base as long as the height. If you make it 10 - 12" high with the cylinder attaching in half way up. This will allow the round to be an even pushed against the wedge evenly.
By making these few changes, you will greatly improve your productivity & decrease the wear / tear on you body.
John
- With the wedge welded to the beam, the splits are pushed away from the work area.
- You could (should) add an out feed table to catch the splits which will save a lot of bending over & mashed toes. Less stress on the back! Once the rounds are picked up off the ground to be split, I don't want to have to bend over again to pick up the splits back up. Just gather them off the table and load them on the truck / trailer / toss on wood pile or let the splits pile up on the ground, roll the splitter 3-4 feet when the pile build up to the table height & make a windrow of firewood. I also like to use an elevator or on occasions will load the splits into the tractor loader bucket.
- You can have a table set up on the opposite side of the splitter from where you stand for a staging area. Load it up with rounds to split before starting the splitter engine & then start your engine and just stand there splitting several at a time. If you have a helper, they can keep you supplied with rounds to split and empty the out feed table keeping you splitting continuously.
The conversion to a dedicated horizontal unit would be simple to do:
1 - Build your wedge then narrow up the plate welded to the end of the beam to match it. Rather than use the wedge which comes on the ram, weld up a 4 way wedge 12" high with the horizontal wings half way up (6" high) & set back 2" from the vertical splitting edge. This will quarter your rounds in 2 stages. This reduces the stress on the wedge & requires less power to split. A sharp edge on the wedge is ideal! Then you can cut through knots instead of having to tear them apart. I have a 4 way with 4" cylinder and can split 20" rounds of "straight grained" wood without any problems.
2 - Build your push slide for the cylinder. Remember to have the base as long as the height. If you make it 10 - 12" high with the cylinder attaching in half way up. This will allow the round to be an even pushed against the wedge evenly.
By making these few changes, you will greatly improve your productivity & decrease the wear / tear on you body.
John
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MofoG23
ArboristSite Member
I've been running an Ariens 27t for many years now (approx 20-25 cord split so far) - great splitter!
The Subaru/Robin motor is really a solid small engine....quiet, powerful, reliable and sips fuel. I'm very impressed on how well the splitter is built...If you have any specific questions, let me know.
Axe Man
ArboristSite Operative
I bought an Ariens 27 ton splitter in Houlton Maine last year and as previously stated, the Subaru engine starts on the first pull every time ( even after sitting in barn all winter ) table height is good for my back ( I'm 5-10 ), wedge is aggressive and will split wood before piston is fully extended making splitting time a bit faster and the Vert/Horz feature is great for the bigger rounds.
Last fall had an issue with the control valve ( my fault ) and needed a new coupler. Went to an Ariens repair center and was given one free. Have been happy with the performance of this splitter and the Ariens service, so this spring I bought an Ariens riding mower.
Good luck in your search
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