Advice about first splitter purchase?

[mAxman]

Hey folks,

Had some great responses to my last post so I thought I'd try another. I'm looking to purchase my first splitter but I'm having trouble deciding which brand and tonnage to purchase. Looking at roughly $2000 to $2500 budget.

First question: What tonnage is appropriate? I'm going to be splitting hardwood only, and likely some of it will be in large (24 inch diameter or more) rounds at 16 inches long. Most of what I'll be splitting won't be that big, but nonetheless, will a 20 ton splitter suffice, or do I actually need to fork over the extra several hundred dollars for more force? How much difference will I see between a 20 ton and a 22, or 28 ton?

Second question: Is the honda engine really worth 4 or 5 hundred dollars more than a Kohler or Subaru? I got some advice that if I was going to be keeping the splitter outside, which I will, it's got to be a honda engine. Others say they just run better.

Third question: A lot of reviews I've read about Oregon and Ariens splitters that say they came with bad couplings or hydraulic leaks. This issue appears shockingly common with these brands and has caused me to look at more expensive brands like Wallenstein and Iron and Oak. Problem is, the Wallenstein WX540 (a 20 ton, 160 cc honda engine) is comparable in price to the Oregon OLS28H (28 ton, Honda GX270). Big difference in tonnage and cc's. Side note, Wallenstein also doesn't seem to sell log dislodgers, which I could see being an issue.

Anyway, a lot of questions here. Basically, on a short budget ($2000 to about $2500 max.) I'm looking for a quality purchase that will split the tough stuff and not be another horror story like so many of the reviews I've read. Any advice is hugely appreciated. Thanks!

 

[philoshop]

Welcome to the site!
You didn't mention how much you plan to split or how often it will be used. That makes a bigger difference IMO than size or difficulty of the wood to be split.
I went the inexpensive route a couple of years ago with a 22T Huskee on sale for $1000 from the local TSC. It hasn't failed to split anything I've thrown at it. I only do about 3 - 4 cord a year, but being a scrounger for the most part I get into some pretty nasty stuff. Just my 2 cents.

 

[mAxman]

Thanks! Looking to sell, so planning on splitting several cords a month. Not sure what the demand for firewood is here in Asheville,NC but I work for a small tree service so I imagine the wood will keep coming at me at a pretty fast pace.

 

[mikey517]

Don't know about Honda engines as I've never owned one, but my Ariens 27 ton splitter with the Subaru engine was buried under a ton...TON of snow & ice until last week. It was just covered with a tarp, and I didn't run it dry, but I always use Stabill gas. I dug it out and it started on the third pull!

I would recommend that motor (and the Ariens) without a second thought! I'm happy...

 

[ponyexpress976]

You'll be buried in it soon enough as long as the boss man doesn't catch on to money he could be making. Several guys here use the the TSC/Huskee. I've used one before and had nothing bad to say about them. When you look at a spiltter, they are mostly all of the same design. Very simple machines that are relatively easy to fix. I don't think you'll go wrong with the Huskee (even if you went all out and bought the 35 ton model). If your looking to sell wood, I would recommend getting the higher tonnage/faster speed so that you could run a 4 way wedge. Believe me, it gets old trying to keep up with orders when running a slow splitter. Id also immediately scrap the valves and replace them with auto cycles....no matter what splitter you end up with.

All that being said, first you should FIND OUT FOR SURE what wood is going for in your area. See if it's really worth making a go of it. Here in the lower end of the North East, it's tough to make $$$ at $180/cord. The farther south you go the tougher it's gonna be. The easiest way to make a million dollars in the firewood business is to start with two.

 

[mAxman]

You'll be buried in it soon enough as long as the boss man doesn't catch on to money he could be making. Several guys here use the the TSC/Huskee. I've used one before and had nothing bad to say about them. When you look at a spiltter, they are mostly all of the same design. Very simple machines that are relatively easy to fix. I don't think you'll go wrong with the Huskee (even if you went all out and bought the 35 ton model). If your looking to sell wood, I would recommend getting the higher tonnage/faster speed so that you could run a 4 way wedge. Believe me, it gets old trying to keep up with orders when running a slow splitter. Id also immediately scrap the valves and replace them with auto cycles....no matter what splitter you end up with.

All that being said, first you should FIND OUT FOR SURE what wood is going for in your area. See if it's really worth making a go of it. Here in the lower end of the North East, it's tough to make $$$ at $180/cord. The farther south you go the tougher it's gonna be. The easiest way to make a million dollars in the firewood business is to start with two.

Very helpful. Going rate here is about the same at $200

 

[dave_dj1]

For the money, I don't think the Huskee 22 ton from TSC for a mere 999.00 can be beat. It will split almost anything you throw at it, it has a nice working height and can go vertical if you need it to.
I had one for a short time and was quite pleased with it's performance. I was in TSC the other day and they had a new one with a horizontal shaft Kohler engine on it, I'm not sure if it was the 22 ton or a bigger machine but it was on sale for 999.00
good luck,
dave

 

[muddstopper]

Its been my experience that tree services provide large dia and knotty wood. The Asheville area I know a little about. Firewood is in big demand in that area. If i was to purchase a splitter to use, with selling wood in mind, I would probably go for the 32 ton size and horizontal only, with a log lift. I would look at the Northern tool splitters in their catalog. Item 11954-2456 is on sale for $2699 , but the log lift is another $900. Since there is a Northern store in Asheville, you can probably get free shipping, and they might even have what you need in stock. I would want a catch table to catch the half splits. And most certainly get a 4way wedge. If you drive from Asheville to Clyde, there are at least 3 different folks out that way with firewood processors. The guy out at WNC pallet (Enka)probably produces more than the others put together. He is also wanting to sell out and retire. I think he is close to 70yrs old. I have talked to him several times, good person. He buys log lengths from several different suppliers. Anyways, if you can produce it, you should be able to sell it.. Dont skimp on startup as it will just cost you more later on as your company grows.

I almost bought northerns item 11960 2456, 42 ton, a few years ago, I couldnt justify the $6500 price tag so I copied their design and built my own.

 

[haveawoody]

+1 on the TSC 22 ton.
Splits pretty much everything thrown at it and for 1k it leaves you lots of money in your budget for other things.
Vertical / Horizontal mode on that splitter make for lots less real heavy lifting and no noodling required on even very big rounds on the ground.
Mine has split 50-100 cord for 4 years without a hiccup, a new spark plug each spring is all mine gets.

 

[haveawoody]

ponyexpress976,

I doubt the boss man at the tree service would care as long as they have a reliable place to drop wood into.
Most of the tree services know how much work is involved in making saleable firewood and also know that for them to do the same is wages at little less cost than the wood value.
Some do sell wood but mainly as fill in work to keep the crew busy on slack times.

A few nice free cold beers or the occasional bottle for the crew sure won't hurt relations though

 

[066blaster]

I have a 22 ton speeco with a briggs engine if it won't split, it will cut through it. It's a son of a gun to start if the temps under 25 but I would assume they are all like that when the hydro oil is cold. I have to clean the bowl and main jet on the carb once a year. I wish it had a taller wedge, but that may require more power to run.

 

[jrider]

If you are selling wood, time is money. I would concern yourself with cycle times and a good 4 way wedge. I bought an Iron and Oak 22 ton with a 4 way 5 years ago and have put close to 500 cords through it. Do yourself a favor and go with the 4 way. You won't be able to split again without it- of course except on the big nasty stuff.

 

[ttyR2]

I'm not really informed about the coupler issues the other splitters might have, but if you spend five minutes with a couple wrenches and a rubber mallet, you can get the pump-to-engine coupler lined up dead perfect. I would suggest checking it on *any* splitter you might buy.

 

[Rudedog]

For the money, I don't think the Huskee 22 ton from TSC for a mere 999.00 can be beat. It will split almost anything you throw at it, it has a nice working height and can go vertical if you need it to.
I had one for a short time and was quite pleased with it's performance. I was in TSC the other day and they had a new one with a horizontal shaft Kohler engine on it, I'm not sure if it was the 22 ton or a bigger machine but it was on sale for 999.00
good luck,
dave

I bought that splitter on advice from this site three years ago for $999.00. It has run flawlessly. I changed the oil in the B&S engine at 25 hours to 0W-30 BG full synthetic oil. I've changed the hydraulic fluid filter once and added a quart of fluid no problem. It starts on the second pull no matter what the weather. I was just in TSC today and saw the same splitter but Speeco has made several improvements. It looks much nicer than mine and I like the Kohler 6.5 motor even though I'm sure its Chinese.

 

[GeeVee]

I just rented a Huskee 22 ton last weekend. Worked fine, but I'm not concerned with speed either. It did have a detent for return which was okay, but not needed for a two person Operation. I ran Poplar, Hickory and and Oak through it, alll solid trunk rounds 24-32 inches. On the Oak, I'd have to put a block behind the round between it and the reaction plate to get it to split the stringy first runs- the wedge wasn;t tall enough really, and it stopped an inch short due to the way they make it, Not a big issue really. Once the round was halved, and the next split was of a size that the wedge was going to "split" through the center, it stopped being stringy.

One thing I did like was the shape of the beam. It makes a kind of U shape, and cradles a round well. a flat I beam would have you spending a lot of energy holding a big round in place.

 

[pickwood]

I would recommend the Northern tool or Tractor supply splitters- they both are built very well and would meet your budget. I bought the Northern Tool 30 ton and have been very pleased- had a issue and they responded very fast and are nice people to deal with. The Asheville store usually has one or two on display and if you want to see one in action let me know- Im located in the Spring Creek area 40 mins North of Asheviile. And Yes I think the Honda is worth the money-their standard on the Northern Tool- The 5.5 hp will run 6-7 hrs per tank.

 

[Como]

A cord or two a month, time is not so important.

 

[sb47]

+1 on the TSC 22 ton.
Splits pretty much everything thrown at it and for 1k it leaves you lots of money in your budget for other things.
Vertical / Horizontal mode on that splitter make for lots less real heavy lifting and no noodling required on even very big rounds on the ground.
Mine has split 50-100 cord for 4 years without a hiccup, a new spark plug each spring is all mine gets.

I’ve had a Husky 22 ton splitter I bought at TS more then 10 years ago.
I split big hard wood, Pecan, water oak, red oak, hickory, post oak and it splits everything I put in it.
You will learn how to use the grain of the wood to get the best results.

The only thing it won’t split is live oak, that **** is tough I split at least 100 cords a year and she still runs like new.
You’ll be happy with the husky 22 ton.

 

[Sawyer Rob]

I'm not going to give you any advise on what splitter you should buy BUT, i'll tell you what "I" would NOT buy again!

The splitter I own now has the wedge on the cylinder and a foot on the end of the beam to split against. I wouldn't ever buy another splitter like that again. They are slower to split big rounds and more work to get them split.

My next splitter WILL have the wedge on the end of the beam and a table for the splits to fall on, as then the re-splits don't end up on the ground. Also, all split wood just get's pushed out the end, and that means it's going away from me, without me having to touch it!

I also would want the tongue on the "cylinder" end, NOT to be pushing the splits off on the tongue end, or have to remove the tongue each time, to get it out of the way..

SR

 

[Brettl]

I have some similar threads on this site and one other. One thing that has just been pointed out to me is that there are true, Honda engines, and "Made To Honda Spec" engines. How do you tell the difference? I don't know. I'm researching that right now. My search for a new splitter has narrowed down to the 27 ton DHT(local Menards doesn't carry the 28) and Huskee 28 ton.