~snip~
what were your other options and why did you choose that one.???
American - I liked their similar unit but the shipping added quite a bit on top of a unit that was a couple of hundred bucks more than the I/O.
Super Split - I get into a lot of very big wood. Trying to get a 200 + pound round/section onto a table just didn't interest me at all.
Speeco/Husky - A little slower cycle time and I did want a Honda GX engine.
I have heard that the Robbins is very good. .
Also, I don't care for the channel design of how the ram is guided down the beam. I have split lots of cords of wood with a Husky and they are a good unit. Just didn't care for cleaning out that channel all the time.
Troy Built/MTD/Yard Machines/etc. - Decent units (owned one for a while) but the cycle time is very slow.
Why I bought this particular unit for I/O?
It seemed like the most bang for the buck at the time. The 22 ton machines were actually more money than the 26 ton.
Why a Vert/Horiz unit?
I don't mind running the splitter from a kneeling position. I can split all day and not have any back pain at all. I just use knee pads or a chunk of old carpeting.
Even with the couple of issues I've had with this unit, I would buy another. I would likely get a Robbins engine if I had it to do all over again. They have good reviews and it would have saved a couple of hundred bucks.
Hope this helps.