Log splitter advice

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dgates80

Land of the lost
Milt's has a couple of Iron & Oak splitters but they are leftovers, and a) are horizontal mode only and b) expensive. Guy said I&O raised their price when the company got sold recently. Said main I&O guy formed a new company "Ramsplitter", designed a new splitter that is better and is out to take all of I&O's business. Not that I really care, but the Ramsplitter machines do look nice.

Tractor Supply's splitter looked good too but no service shop support like Milt's. I am sure Milt would work on them though or sell one whatever parts were needed.

Used splitters are a crap shoot, the big enemy is disuse. Seals dry out, engine gets stale, carbs gum up, hoses weather, o-rings fail. All fix-able but a PITA. Inclined to go new.

Price for 22-28 ton is $1300 - $1600. Milt's seemed like they would open to dicker a bit on the price, especially if one were to also buy a couple of accessories at the same time, (and pay cash to avoid credit card swipe fees). Also an option is to buy a crated "knocked down" splitter - that's how they get them - and assemble it yourself, probably get a lower price that way too. Probably a half day project to put one together....
 
GWguy

GWguy

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dgates80 said:
Also an option is to buy a crated "knocked down" splitter - that's how they get them - and assemble it yourself, probably get a lower price that way too. Probably a half day project to put one together....
Click to expand...
I did this. Very easy to assemble, but some of the parts are awkward to position because they're heavy, like the piston. A 2nd person is helpful. Just be real careful not to strip the pipe threads on the ends of the hydraulic lines when assembling.
 
D

dgates80

Land of the lost
Pulled the trigger yesterday on a Troy Bilt 27 ton with a Honda engine, from Lowes. Milts unit was great, arguably a *little* (but only a little) better but was over $400 more money and I just did not see the value-for-money there. With a 10% off coupon (available any time you want from the Interwebz... or military ID) the out the door cost was $1357, including tax. Milt's was $1801.95 out the door. Tractor Supply's was $1590 . Online vendors ran about $1500+ .

BTW, don't *ever* buy anything at Lowes without getting the 10% off. Get a "promo code" online, place the order at Lowes.com , select in-store pickup. Just about the only thing you can't do that with is custom mixed paint. Free money.

043033561513lg.jpg
 
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GWguy

GWguy

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dgates80 said:
Pulled the trigger yesterday on a Troy Bilt 27 ton with a Honda engine, from Lowes.
Click to expand...

Looks good from the pic. See that hydraulic hose going from the motor base up to the piston? Something to watch when changing from horizontal to vertical and back. Easy to pinch under the rail.

I speak from experience......
 
RPMDAD

RPMDAD

Well-Known Member
PE, i am not sure that splitter would meet their needs according to post #4. Think their logs will be a tad bigger than 10 inches in diameter.
 
frequentflier

frequentflier

happy to be living
RPMDAD said:
PE, i am not sure that splitter would meet their needs according to post #4. Think their logs will be a tad bigger than 10 inches in diameter.
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The splitter is perfect for our needs. We split a cord or more already and have a 130' red oak coming down this week. It is nice to be able to crank it up for a few hours, stack it and then drink a cold one!
 
frequentflier

frequentflier

happy to be living
The oak was taken down by Tri-County tree and as always, they did a great job for a reasonable price. We really have our work cut out for us (pardon the pun) in terms of splitting and stacking. It is a labor of love, though. I really enjoy the work out, the smell of the red oak, and knowing that this tree; which was in decline; will help heat our home for the next year or two.
 
D

dgates80

Land of the lost
Just finished up splitting up all the oak, and stacking it. The total was 4 1/2 cords of oak plus another 1 1/2 cord of pine and popler. Still have room to store more though, however I am pretty sure we are set for next winter. The oak will have 6 - 7 months to dry out, and while I would love to give it even more time, that should be enough.

For long term storage of the splitter, what is the Good Plan? I am going to start by running the gas tank dry, that will leave a minimum (no?) fuel in the carb. I have a tarp rigged to cover it up from the rain. Maybe change the oil before storage? It is probably due, I have run it probably a solid 10 to 15 hours now, and it is a new engine, so an oil change is probably in order anyway to get the "new engine" wear products out of the engine. Hydraulic filter is probably fine, I would think it is a sealed system and good for 50 hours or bi-annually.
 
GWguy

GWguy

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dgates80 said:
Just finished up splitting up all the oak, and stacking it. The total was 4 1/2 cords of oak plus another 1 1/2 cord of pine and popler. Still have room to store more though, however I am pretty sure we are set for next winter. The oak will have 6 - 7 months to dry out, and while I would love to give it even more time, that should be enough.

For long term storage of the splitter, what is the Good Plan? I am going to start by running the gas tank dry, that will leave a minimum (no?) fuel in the carb. I have a tarp rigged to cover it up from the rain. Maybe change the oil before storage? It is probably due, I have run it probably a solid 10 to 15 hours now, and it is a new engine, so an oil change is probably in order anyway to get the "new engine" wear products out of the engine. Hydraulic filter is probably fine, I would think it is a sealed system and good for 50 hours or bi-annually.
Click to expand...

Not a good idea to leave the tank dry. It can develop condensation, rust the inside which gets into the fuel system, ... If it doesn't have one and you can install one, install a fuel shutoff valve between the tank and carb. Turn off the shutoff valve and run the carb dry, but top up the tank with fuel treated with stabilizer.

There might be a breather on the hydraulic system. Remove the breather and cap that opening if you can. Keeps condensation out of the fluid. Just remember to change it out before you use it again.
 
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