That's a neat little unit. Probably all you need for oak and like you said non knarly stuff. Looks awfully short. I'd almost want to try one at that price. But part of the appeal of the splitter is take everything home and turn it into firewood. With that your back to placing cuts based on knots and crotches and have to possibly boodle some bad stuff before you split it.
I know those. The didier of my buddy's is getting a lift kit soon. We raise it up on wood blocks before splitting. Event a few inches higher helps, as does sitting on a hunting chair when running it. I don't think that old didier has much tonnage. I'd be shocked if it has much more than low double digits ton wise, but it's never not had enough power for American elm, and shagbark hickory, even with a worn out 5 hp Briggs that's over 30 years old.
I woke up this morning to find that overnight someone had advertised one of these for free on CL about an hour south of me. Apparently they're moving, and just need to get rid of it. I kinda doubt that I was the first to reply.
You think. I would think this one would have a faster stroke. And it still has more power than those 5 ton units
Yeah, that "champion" stuff is usually 100% junk. It's probably havy compared to the electric unit, same speed and similar power. I had an electric for a few years and honestly it split everything except for one nasty knot ugly I could not get it to split. When I got my 22 ton Ariens, I threw that piece on it and it barely split it. It was a really nasty twisted, knotty Y about 30" across. Other than that, the little electric worked like a champ. Small, portable, throw it in the truck, stored in a tiny space... no fuel, no oil, no filters, very little noise, no exhaust,.... those things are better than most people think.
I have watched them on you tube and if I had one I would only use it for the pile that I couldn't handsplit. I don't have the patience to do a whole truck at that pace!! I have been close a few times to buying one. The speed has turned me away. And the fact my buddy has a 20 ton gas. I hand split usually and throw the rounds I can't easily do into a different pile. I usually borrow it one a year and split whatever I cut while I have it plus the "pile" I couldn't split by hand. I currently have it and want to take it back I haven't got around to it. I think I have had it 6 months now!
I've had my 23 ton champion for 3, maybe 4 years now...no issues with it. Of course being a "standard" H/V splitter, the MSRP on it was double the price of this 7 ton. I have no illusions that I bought a Timberwolf or something of that quality, but it still does what its supposed to do without any special TLC so I'm pretty happy with it for what I paid for it ($700 fully assembled/operational) considering I'd be hard pressed to buy all the materials to build one (my original plan) for any less. The only thing that I have broke was kinda my own fault. It came with dual log catchers that could be made of thicker metal, but heck, these are optional on many splitters so that fact that I have had to weld cracks on 'em after loading monster logs...(think of the Flintstone-mobile when they go to the drive-in and order the brontosaurus ribs or whatever that was) so I can't really complain about it.
Oh, understood! I'm not saying don't buy one cause they are "junk", I have lots of things that are similar Chinese type junk because I just didn't need the "good" one for the big money. I was only pointing out the champion stuff is generally speaking lower end stuff.
I love low end china stuff. I have lots of tools now that I couldn't afford to buy or have since I don't use them daily or anything. I love those $10 HF grinders. Have one set up with cut off disk and one with wire wheel. Now I don't do heavy cutting and grinding as I just have a hobby HF welder but stuff like that is what I am talking about.
yes, I am pretty happy with my littler splitter, I was splitting sweetgum today and only the bigger rounds caused it to pause. I think part is the short wedge.
