New log splitter time, which way to go?

Well I know this gets asked a lot, but I'm having a hard time deciding which way to go. Spend the money on an Iron & Oak, or just grab a County Line from Tractor Supply, or something similar? I think the Timberwolf Splitters are a little out of my price range.

I had a Huskee 22T that I bought in 07 and it served me well, zero issue and I split probably close to 100 cord with it. The only thing I didn't like was the fact the hydro tank was too small and she heated up real good in the warmer months.

So far I'm looking at the 30T 32T and 40T County Line. The brave splitters look nice, but they have slow cycle times. The I&O look nice but are they worth it? Especially when you add shipping costs.

My old Huskee I just sold today. The paint fell off right after I bought it, "a known problem at the time", but I never had a single issue with it.

 

I had the same question about 4 years ago. Ended up with A Northern Tool 37T with the Honda engine. It's served me well so far and I just love those ready starting Hondas. I split a lot of oak and hickory and it hasn't failed me yet.


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Mike in Okla

 

Those look very well built. What turns me off is the 14 second cycle time, that's very slow. My old splitter was around 13 seconds I found it painfully slow at times, especially when the second stage kicks in. With a larger cylinder it won't kick down as much so that would make a difference for sure

Thanks for the input.

 

If it were me on the market, I’d be getting a kenetic SuperSplit.

 

It is slower than some other splitters but I'm old and slow too.


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Mike in Okla

 

I definitely have to have a vertical horizontal splitter. I mostly split vertically. I'm goofy I know.

 

I’m with you bro. Somebody’s gotta carry the vertical torch of Backwoods Savage legend.
Cycle time is a time saver and will make splitting less of a chore.

 

That's exactly how I do it. I put a cushion on a log and split away. If I had a tractor with a bucket it wouldn't matter much.

 

Here is a time-lapse video I made a couple year's ago. Dad was still helping out, he's not very mobile anymore.

 

That's exactly right, most of the time they pop right open. Now Rock Elm is a different story.

My Huskee was getting old and very slow.

 

IMO, all big box store splitters have undersized hydro tanks. All those CL's will as well. I have the 40 ton CL and it does have a bit larger tank than the smaller ones, but it's still too small for the 25GPM pump that's on it. My temps never get too warm though, due to the way I split (~10-15 minutes on and ~30 minutes off) and the fact I typically split in under 50° temps. I'm out of the woods by March, early April at the latest. This year it will probably be even earlier.

 

That's pretty much the conclusion I've come to. I've been looking at some hydro coolers. It would be a fun build.

 

I tend to split for hours at a time, I use a fan pointed at the tank, but she still gets pretty hot. In theory a 25gpm pump should have a 75 gallon tank.

 

That would be a sight.

 

If you listen to a hydraulic engineer, then yes, that would be ideal...but that would be more for a full blown HD commercial machine (like a Cat excavator) more common would be a capacity 2X pump GPM...most box store splitters are more like 1/2 of pump GPM, (or less) and just as with your old Huskee, still last the average firewood guy for a long time.
People in the know about this stuff say you can run hydraulic oil up to about 140* without any real consequences, by the time the oil reaches 155* then the oil life is cut in half...if you get up to 170* then it is cut in half yet again, and anything more than 170* you are just slowly cooking your system (seals, hoses, and whatnot)
If you split mostly in warmer weather you can put ISO46 oil in place of the ISO 32 oil that many splitters come with...that helps a bit with high temps...or you could even go up to ISO68 if you never use the machine in cool weather at all (would be harder to start when cold for sure)
Myself, I think the Countyline "Fast" splitters are about the most bang for the buck out there right now...if you come across a "Full Boar" brand splitter, it is just the newest color of the YTL made splitters that are almost all big box and farm store splitters these days (no matter of "brand") and can be found as low as $899 occasionally...although I just looked and one of the local TSC stores has the CL 25T on sale for $899 too! I'd jump on that if buying new right now...it was hard to find anything under $1200 earlier in the winter! See if your local store will price match that! I pit my local stores against each other...the larger one (with better selection) is in a "wealthier" area and has higher prices, so I check them at the lower priced store and ask for a price match...the last time the lady said yeah I sure hope we can match our own prices!

 

I guess I should clarify. It sounded like I split for 15 minutes and then take a break and do nothing for 30 minutes. My splitter only runs long enough to load the trailer with splits. Once full I shut the splitter off and then I go stack what I just split....rinse and repeat. Works for me being a one man show. Breaks up the monotony a bit.....especially stacking, which is my least favorite part of the whole process.

 

Yes sir well said. Rule of thump if you can put your hand on the cylinder for a second you're still probably OK. My brother is an elevator technician so he's filled me in somewhat.

I'm leaning toward the 40T County Line, for the cycle time more than anything, I could idle it down a bit too, a bit below full throttle.

 

I don't know elevators used hydraulics.