Troy-Bilt Splitter 27 or 33 ton Choice

[Woodcutteranon]

I am leaning towards getting the Troy Bilt splitter. My local Husky dealer sells them and I trust their service more than TSC. Anyhow...

What is the deal with the I beam on the smaller Troy Bilt? It is half the length of the 33 ton splitter. The cylinder looks as if its clamped onto to beam where the 33 ton's beam runs the entire length of the cylinder. Is this a durable configuration? Just by looking at them both the 33 ton looks much more robust...not just in ram force...but in construction. Can anyone offer insight to this? I am leaning towards the 27 ton as its in my price range but I am open to your opinions.

Thanks in advance.

 

[TreePointer]

I can't help you with the Troy-Bilt, but I do know that some of the newer Brave splitter models have that half beam and the user reviews I've seen have not made an issue of it.

 

[triptester]

The lenght of the beam should not be a concern. If you take 2 beams with the same cross section ,one short and one long , the short beam will be stiffer and less likely to bend.

The 27 ton model has about a 5.5hp vertical shaft engine with an 11 gpm pump and 4.5" cylinder.
The 33 ton model has about a 8 hp horizontal shaft engine with a 16 gpm pump and 5" cylinder.
The 33 ton model with it's engine, pump, and cylinder combination will be faster and more durable.

 

[oneoldbanjo]

I did not buy the Troy Built 27 ton...or the Cub......or the Yard Man version. My big problem with it is that the axle and tire are right in the place you will be standing when you are splitting wood in the horizontal mode. I did not want to be straddling that darn tire the whole time I was splitting. The 33 Ton was not around at any dealers when I was looking - and I was not going to buy a splitter sight unseen. I do believe the axle may be in a better location on the 33 ton as the extra weight of the beam allows the axle to be moved farther forward.

I bought a Iron & Oak.....I found a special sale price that was just a few hundred dollars more than the 33 Ton Cub Cadet version of the Troy Built. The local rental place has Iron & Oak in their rental fleet and when I stood next to their machines the axle and tire are not in the way.

 

[jcappe]

I have had no issues with my TB 27 ton. It has held up really well. The only thing I'm doing for modifications is putting a log table on it. The wheel locations don't seem to be an issue for me either. Good Luck.

 

[Tripled's]

Just to throw my 2 cents in...I run the 27 ton and it has handled everything I have thrown at it including some crazy twisted up oak. The only problem Ive run in to is with the log cradle. Ended up breaking both sides off but not a big deal since I usually run mine in the vertical position.

 

[avalancher]

I have the 27 ton TB myself, and I like it except for two things.
The log cradle is a joke.If you are going to split small stuff, not a problem.Drop a big round on them several times and they are going to bend and eventually break off.
Second, I hate the fender mounts. Here again, they are too flimsy.Drop a few heavy rounds on them and they bend down and hit the tires.Not a big deal until you forget to bend them back up before you drive off with it.The bolts that go through the fender and the mount will rub on the tires and cut a nice groove in the tires. Did that once to many times and ended up getting a flat and a useless tire.
Other than that, its a good machine.Had mine for three years and have had no problems with it except for some minor issues that were taken care of with some small mods.I run a 4 way head on mine with stroke limiters and find it plenty fast enough for my uses.It will split wood as fast as I can get it on the table.

 

[TreePointer]

Northeastern Ohio? Don't overlook the Huskee 35-ton at TSC. It's currently $1699, and TSC just sent out their 10-25% discount coupons in the mail last week (discount revealed when scanned in store).

 

[oneoldbanjo]

I went to Tractor Supply this weekend to get some parts and looked at their 35 ton splitter as I walked in. The exhaust pipe on the muffler is pointed straight at the operator.......what is up with that? They did put a small deflector to direct the fumes down to you knees....is that some form of heating system for the operator? On the smaller model they at least had the muffler on the opposite side of the engine and pointed it away from the operator.