Why all the excitement over the DHT splitters?

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GVS said:
I've got a 20 ton brave as well as a 35 ton huskee.The brave is a good splitter but a big piece of elm or knotty piece of hard wood sometimes will stall it out whereas the 35 toner keeps going.Sometimes bigger is better!
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Like I said it depends on your usage. I split pretty much all straight grain conifers and never have an issue. If I had primarily Elm or some other nasty stringy wood I would have bought a higher tonnage unit.
 
nathon918 said:
actually what he said is completely true...you just didn't understand it.
he said the DESIGN is a COMPROMISE, never said the don't work, or they aren't reliable, they're just not very good at either horizontal or vertical operation...
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But his claim wasn't supported by the situation. I agree there is some compromise to the H/V design but that doesn't mean they should be avoided for most people.
 
Well, I knew when I was buying my new splitter it HAD to have and do a few important things. Like have the wedge on the END of the beam! A GOOD add on 4-way and the power to shove tough wood through it! It had to be reasonably fast and split EVERYTHING I had to split!

That knocked out all the cheapo's pretty fast and after seeing run, and also running the "bam bam's", I could see they wouldn't make the grade either...

I bought a Timberwolf and I love it!

SR
 
And I understand that folks who spend more for a splitter want to justify their purchase while those who spend less want to feel like they got good value. It's human nature...;).
 
litefoot said:
Ok so now you've got me intrigued. What makes a dedicated H splitter that much better than a box store H/V splitter in H position? BTW folks, I have the funds to buy whatever I want, but I rarely splurge unless there is a compelling reason to do so. And my typical wood is lodge pole pine and usually under 15". My back tells me to be more careful these days.
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If you're splitting mainly lodgepole the DHT 22 ton would be more than enough splitter for you and supposedly it's going to be on Black Friday sale for 899 I believe.

The compromise factor comes from designing a machine that does vertical and horizontal well. Horizontal splitters generally do better if the cylinder pushes the wood through the wedge. Then way you can have a work table behind the wedge to catch your work. This way you don't have to bend over to pick up fallen splits.

Judging from what you have said the DHT with a log catcher attachment sounds about perfect for you needs. How many cords a year do you split?
 
Curious why I don't see people even mentioning the Northern Tool splitters in these threads - positive or negative. Their red splitters are made here in Minnesota, and they come with Honda engines. If I was looking for a splitter for my use (mostly smaller sized wood) I would also look at the 2-way splitters, which have very fast, effective, 'cycle times').

Philbert

http://www.arboristsite.com/community/threads/ran-a-2-way-splitter-sunday.190097/
 
The suggestion of a log lift is a good one. I also recommend a splitter that is tall enough. Bending over the short ones gets real old, real quick for me. I ended up modifying mine & my back thanks me every time I use it.
 
I sold my horizontal splitter with lift and auto cycle recently so I could build a bigger better version.

It sold very quick and I had some wood left to split so I borrowed my friend h/v brave splitter. I worked twice as hard and got half as much done.

Once you use a better design it's hard to go back to a h/v.

It's not about the money or justifying what you have --- when you build your own you can build it in any configuration you want and it'll cost about the same. I would never build (or buy) a h/v splitter.
 
OP.
Please check out my style of splitter by clicking the link below in my sig line. Also do a google search for Timber Devil log splitters.
My back isn't great and I enjoy standing upright instead of hunched over. So this style suits me the best and I've had H/V and H splitters before.
 
Mike from Maine said:
I sold my horizontal splitter with lift and auto cycle recently so I could build a bigger better version.

It sold very quick and I had some wood left to split so I borrowed my friend h/v brave splitter. I worked twice as hard and got half as much done.

Once you use a better design it's hard to go back to a h/v.

It's not about the money or justifying what you have --- when you build your own you can build it in any configuration you want and it'll cost about the same. I would never build (or buy) a h/v splitter.
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But that assumes you have the tools and capabilities to do so. I for example can do most of the mechanical work no problem, but the welding would be an issue for me as I have no welding equipment nor have great welding skills. I do agree that building a splitter is the best way to go and get exactly what you need but it's going to come at a price (and time) premium.

Also what size wood were you splitting with the brave? For someone who splits 16" and less lodgepole a typical box store splitter is going to work just fine.
 
Philbert said:
Curious why I don't see people even mentioning the Northern Tool splitters in these threads - positive or negative. Their red splitters are made here in Minnesota, and they come with Honda engines. If I was looking for a splitter for my use (mostly smaller sized wood) I would also look at the 2-way splitters, which have very fast, effective, 'cycle times').

Philbert

http://www.arboristsite.com/community/threads/ran-a-2-way-splitter-sunday.190097/
Click to expand...
The Northern splitters look like they are built good and the Honda's are a plus (and made in Minnesota). I was just looking at them last night. I wish they had faster cycle times though. I haven't run one, but by looking at the specs the cycles are slow. If they put higher volume pumps in I would be interested.
 
DHT offers a good product at a reasonable price and supports this site and contributes tech, that would be enough for me to consider there offerings.

I think anybody who spends several thousand dollars on a Cadillac splitter for 5-7 cord of personal use wood a year is nuts. I might spend six days a year splitting wood for the next years supply with my old couple hundred dollar junker , all this nonsense talk of cycle time..layout...efficiency...compromise ..is nothing but BS. People who build their own or buy a $4,500 unit do it because the have expendable time or income..I have neither .
 
JeffHK454 said:
DHT offers a good product at a reasonable price and supports this site and contributes tech, that would be enough for me to consider there offerings.

I think anybody who spends several thousand dollars on a Cadillac splitter for 5-7 cord of personal use wood a year is nuts. I might spend six days a year splitting wood for the next years supply with my old couple hundred dollar junker , all this nonsense talk of cycle time..layout...efficiency...compromise ..is nothing but BS. People who build their own or buy a $4,500 unit do it because the have expendable time or income..I have neither .
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I agree Jeff, most of us homeowners who do 10 cord a year or less are much better off with a 1000 dollar splitter than a 4500+ dollar TW5 or the like. I can think of a lot of other ways I'd rather spend $3500. I have the income and could easily afford an expensive splitter but given the volume I split, the real question would be why spend that much for 6-8 cords a year?

The response and support I've seen DHT supply here has been excellent and better than most of the other mfrs from what I have seen.
 
Cerran said:
But that assumes you have the tools and capabilities to do so. I for example can do most of the mechanical work no problem, but the welding would be an issue for me as I have no welding equipment nor have great welding skills. I do agree that building a splitter is the best way to go and get exactly what you need but it's going to come at a price (and time) premium.

Also what size wood were you splitting with the brave? For someone who splits 16" and less lodgepole a typical box store splitter is going to work just fine.
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If you are only splitting 16" pine wouldn't a fiskars be more cost effective?
 

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