Log splitter on Ebay

[hogjaws]

Here is the come-along.......ahhh I mean log splitter.
That is my 16 yr old runnin it, almost the exact spot where the truck got stuck. And the ol wood hauler that got pulled out.

 

[Countrybois]

So what makes a good woodsplitter? I guess I need to be edumukated a tad as I have been researching splitters locally and it all looks cheap to me.

Besides...some say that 12 ton will work fine while others say that you need at least a 24 ton splitter.

Where's the real world truth in all this? I just need to split about 4 cords of wood a year and I'd like one that I don't have to pamper like the ones I rent from the local rental place.

Advice? Pointers? Edumukation??????

Inquiring minds wanna know.

As I stated before. Take a look at a Speeco, also sold as Huskee. I have looke at several big box stores and farm stores and these seem to be very well made in comparison to the others. We ended up with the 25 ton w/10.5 HP Briggs. It does use the gas but not terribly bad. I honestly can't see how we could need anything bigger. I split mostly oak, lots of big stuff(36" diam.) and I split EVERYTHING. I start at the base of the tree, cut it ALL to 16", crotches and all, and split it. This thing hasn't failed to split anything we've thrown at it. What it doesn't split, it just slices. I would be pretty confident that you could step down to the next size, I think it would be a 22 ton, and you would be not be disappointed. We got the larger one because Farm and Fleet(who carries the Speeco) is closer than Tractor Supply(they carry Huskee), but TSC has the Huskee 22 ton for $999. Check them out!

12 ton isn't much if you get into splitting anything but the choicest straight-grained logs.

 

[mga]

That's one of those SPECIAL wedges known as an "El Cheapo". The proper scientific name is "Crappimus Junkigarbagus."

Also known as "Why you should avoid anything built by MTD, the creeps who bought and ruined the good names of Troybilt and Club Cadet".

The listing claims that wedge is cast iron. I don't theeeen so, Lucy!

And aside from the joke of a wedge, take a look at the flimsy guards next to it! And the bent up log cradle. Check out how wimpy that beam is. Man, the whole thing just looks flimsy!

I got reamed on another thread for daring to say that MTD is junk. So, anybody NOT think this is junk?

Here's the pic of the wedge, for when that link dies:




Here's the whole thing:




Just click on it for a larger version. You dial up guys can say "Thank you!"

you'd think cub cadet would be embarrassed to even put such a wedge on a log splitter. for a few dollars more a solid wedge would not have chased (knowledgable) consumers away. most people here would have that bent in one day.

i like to keep mine sharp as a knife to ease in splitting.

 

[BlueRidgeMark]

Funny thing, just last week I was at my local hardware store, and they had one of these junkpiles out there for rent!

Now that I've had a good close look at it, I think even LESS of it! It's downright FLIMSY!

Oh, the toe plate was bent, too.


I haven't yet seen a consumer grade splitter that comes close to the Speeco brand. I'd prefer a Honda engine (just based on reputation), but there's no comparing the beef of the unit.

There's another thread around where somebody is showing off his new CLS, and everybody is ooohing and aahhhing over it. From the pictures posted, I'm not impressed AT ALL! (I'm not going to say anything in his thread, of course. No need to rain on his parade.)

Dunno about the Brave units, or the Northern Tool, or Iron & Oak, because I haven't seen them, but all the rest I've seen are nothing close to the Speeco.

 

[Countrybois]

"I haven't yet seen a consumer grade splitter that comes close to the Speeco brand. I'd prefer a Honda engine (just based on reputation), but there's no comparing the beef of the unit. "

+1 They are well built units.

 

[rx7145]

Funny thing, just last week I was at my local hardware store, and they had one of these junkpiles out there for rent!

Now that I've had a good close look at it, I think even LESS of it! It's downright FLIMSY!

Oh, the toe plate was bent, too.


I haven't yet seen a consumer grade splitter that comes close to the Speeco brand. I'd prefer a Honda engine (just based on reputation), but there's no comparing the beef of the unit.

There's another thread around where somebody is showing off his new CLS, and everybody is ooohing and aahhhing over it. From the pictures posted, I'm not impressed AT ALL! (I'm not going to say anything in his thread, of course. No need to rain on his parade.)

Dunno about the Brave units, or the Northern Tool, or Iron & Oak, because I haven't seen them, but all the rest I've seen are nothing close to the Speeco.

I think you might be a little over critical. I used my neighbors MTD (it was labeled as a Yardman 27ton) splitter for a couple of eight hour days, It had the hollow wedge on it. It was slow and didn't have much power. I would not ever us it for rental use or anything more than a couple cords a year but it was not a junk pile. I think he only paid $800 for it.

As for the American I don't see what you could not like. If you want to say something about my CLS feel free to. I have had people "ooohing and aahhhing" over it, so you bumping my ego back down would be ok.

 

[BlueRidgeMark]

I think you might be a little over critical. I used my neighbors MTD (it was labeled as a Yardman 27ton) splitter for a couple of eight hour days, It had the hollow wedge on it. It was slow and didn't have much power. I would not ever us it for rental use or anything more than a couple cords a year but it was not a junk pile. I think he only paid $800 for it.

I'd say he paid too much! Maybe if you had an up-close look at one of the heavier units you'd see what I mean. It's a huge difference.

As for the American I don't see what you could not like. If you want to say something about my CLS feel free to.

Well, the thing just doesn't look as strong as I would expect from the way people have raved about it. Take a look at the log cradles, for example. Compare them to the ones on the Split-Fire talked about over on this thread. The CLS just has much less beef to it. Same for the beam. It's just not very heavy. I don't call it a piece of junk by a long way, but it's not impressive, either. For the price, I'd expect a lot more.

 

[dumbhunter]

i too have been looking

i have been looking at many units as i have close to enough money saved now, looked at huskee, toybuilt, brave/iron oak, harbor funk, northen tool.

huskees look pretty good and so do the brave splitter. but then i might just built my own piece of junk splitter.

 

[computeruser]

I think that the earlier point, about the choice of wood being split making a huge difference in terms of one's splitter needs, is perhaps the most valid one raised so far. If you're splitting nasty elm crotches, 30" knotty hardwood, you can damned well bet you're going to need more than a 4" cylinder and more beam than the MTD splitters provide.

When I went looking for a splitter, I wanted something that was small enough to fit in my garage without monopolizing what little garage space I have, and something light enough to get up into my trailer myself, without winching. If I could have purchased a downsized version of my splitter with an 18" stroke, I would have.

Most of what I split is smaller, under 20" and often under 10" diameter. Anything larger gets ripped in half first with a saw. And I split small, too, as everyone I split for uses a fireplace and not a stove. So for me cycle time is more important than tonnage; I'd gladly keep my 4" cylinder and swap a 16 or 22gpm pump onto a bigger engine.

My point in this is not that MTD products are great, but rather that a machine with their specs would definitely get the job done for a great many of us. Like any tool, if you operate it within the scope of its design parameters, you'll be a lot happier with the tool's performance than if you exceed them. And so long as the choice being made is an informed one, a guy could be quite content with a light-duty splitter; I know I am happy with mine.

 

[triptester]

Let me start by saying I don't own an MTD brand of splitter but when the splitter we were using broke down we were forced to use a borrowed MTD.

A first glance I thought this piece of sh$t would never get the job done. We had 5 guys for falling ,limbing, skidding, blocking, and splitting. After 7 hrs we had 4 6x10 heaping dump trailers loads of oak delivered. This wood was for an OWB so the wood was only split in half or quartered averaging 20" in length.
The machine was uncomfortably low and the wheels tended to get in the way but it got the job done. The wedge was blunt but the leading edge only contacted the wood for the first inch of penetration. The beam was short and looked lighter than most but a short beam flexes less than a long beam. Example; take two 2x4's one 4 foot long the other 8 foot long support them by each end. The shorter 2x4 will support nearly twice the weight as the long 2x4 before bending or breaking.

Overall I believe MTD puts more effort into engineering than most splitter manufacturers. Their efforts have been toward making an inexpensive splitter for the average homeowner that is compact and reasonably durable. They probably produce more splitters than most the other manufacturers combined.

As with all products, one size does not fit all. They all get the job done , some get it done faster and with less effort, but cost more.

 

[retired redneck]

I have a mtd 20 ton splitter with that weg have used it for 15 years with no probs,ofcorse stalls out at 20 ton designed for home owner use. hay only payed 900.00 new. have only spent 100.00 in repairs, still has same motor. what can i say must haveben one one there better ones.........:jawdrop:

 

[BlueRidgeMark]

Must have been built 15 years ago when they were a decent company!

Different story these days.

 

[BlueRidgeMark]

They probably produce more splitters than most the other manufacturers combined.

?? So, that makes them good quality? If Alltrade sells more wrenches than Snap-on, or even Craftsman, that makes them a decent quality wrench? The Chinese produce more of (name the product) than most of their American counterparts. Does that make their stuff decent quality?



Or does that mean people have lost the ability to recognize quality, and no longer know that cheap tools are usually a bad bargain?

 

[computeruser]

?? So, that makes them good quality? If Alltrade sells more wrenches than Snap-on, or even Craftsman, that makes them a decent quality wrench? The Chinese produce more of (name the product) than most of their American counterparts. Does that make their stuff decent quality?



Or does that mean people have lost the ability to recognize quality, and no longer know that cheap tools are usually a bad bargain?

Excellent post.

Most people neither recognize quality or require it, and for them it makes no sense whatsoever to buy anything better than Alltrade-level goods. Particularly in the case of the average suburban male (ASM), the guy who has the nifty hooks in his garage holding his electric Black&Decker lawn edger, weedwhip, leaf blower, and the 100' 16ga extension cord he uses to power those tools.

The ASM doesn't know what he's missing, but he does know that his wife would NEVER allow him to spend any real coin on a tool, even if he knew why he ought to. Her argument, which he cannot defend against, goes like this: a screwdriver is a screwdriver, so get the cheaper one.

MTD exists to serve the needs of the ASM. Good enough stuff for folks who can't articulate a reason why they need anything better, even if they actually do.

 

[triptester]

?? So, that makes them good quality? If Alltrade sells more wrenches than Snap-on, or even Craftsman, that makes them a decent quality wrench? The Chinese produce more of (name the product) than most of their American counterparts. Does that make their stuff decent quality?



Or does that mean people have lost the ability to recognize quality, and no longer know that cheap tools are usually a bad bargain?

In my reply I never mentioned quality. I stated that they seemed to put a lot of effort into engineering their products to cut cost while still having a durable product. Because MTD brands are so readily available to all consumers I assume there are more in use than other brands and with so many in use there have been few complaints of failures . More complaints have been made about failures of more "quality" brands on this site.

In my original reply I had my doubts about the machine but was very surprised at it's ability to get the job done even though it lacked in bells and whistles.

 

[retired redneck]

Mtd

While mtd mite not be the best product out there it is U.S.A. made the money stays here!!!!!!!!!!!!!