Curious about chicago industries 45 ton log splitter

[Mr. Jones]

I've been looking on craigslist for a used splitter, and I keep seeing these. There's actually a 2 year old thread on them here, but it was a smaller model, and I don't think you're supposed to wake up years old threads here. Anywho, I can't seem to find anything online about them, including a web address. Only on craigslist. Do you guys think this is something from china, or is this someone making these in their back yard, since it says "cash only". 45 tons is a lot of power for under 2k, but if something goes wrong, I'm not sure how one would find parts. Anyone know more about them? Here is a link to them. (broken link removed to http://seattle.craigslist.org/skc/tld/5213548027.html)

 

[TreePointer]

Yep, Lifan = Chinese.

45-tons, even if true, is not necessary. For less money I'd go with a DHT 28-ton splitter with under 11 second cycle time and known customer service records. SpeeCo (Husky/CountyLine/et al.) would ben another option for good value and good customer service.

 

[velvetfoot]

Is Chicago related to Harbor Freight?

 

[HybridFyre]

Is Chicago related to Harbor Freight?

You are thinking of Chicago Electric. Sounds like these two brands may be different.

 

[velvetfoot]

You are thinking of Chicago Electric. Sounds like these two brands may be different.

True. I just looked at my HF splitter and it has a Central Hydraulics sticker on it.

 

[jeff_t]

Don't know a lot about hydraulics, but I don't think 5" cylinder and 45 tons should go together. At least not at safe working pressures.

 

[triptester]

Most splitter manufacturers BS the tonnage of their machines but this company goes to extremes. Consider that splitter valves, pumps,and cylinders are normally rated at 3000 psi max.. Yes components rated for higher pressures can be had but cost double or even triple,
A 5" bore cylinder at 3000 psi equals 29.4 tons. To get 45 tons with a 5" bore cylinder you need 4600 psi.

 

[maple1]

Lifan makes good engines.

But I would look elsewhere for that price - especially since they are going heavy on the BS factor with the tonnage ratings. I would be curious to see their calcs on that. Also looks like cheap wheels, the battery box isn't in a good spot, & hose routing is questionable.

 

[Jags]

Ya ain't gettin' 45 tons out of a 5" ram without highly specialized components.

That said - the build and parts of the splitter don't look to bad to me. It actually looks to be a well thought out unit.

 

[Mr. Jones]

I found a bunch more on amazon that look eerily exactly the same, from china, but a different color. Most have a cheap looking sticker on the ram, 45 TON, and I even found a 50 TON. They look nicely made, but I believe the claim is bs on tonnage. Some even have diesel engines. The reason I'm looking at a larger model is because I try and get the free wood off of craigslist, before I pay. Usually this includes wood that they can't sell because it's cotton wood or popular, and super hard to split with the grain going every which way, knots, wet, stringy, and usually 3 foot plus across pieces. My fiscars axe would just bounce off most of this. I have a little 5 ton electric I got from HF. It won't split most of this, so I end up having to quarter most of it with a mall and multiple wedges. Then it can usually handle those smaller pieces. I rented a 22 ton splitter, and even it had trouble with a lot of this stringy cotton/poplar wood. This is why I was wanting a bigger model. What's funny though, is if you ever watch videos of some of these large splitters on youtube, they always have the easiest wood to split on em. Super straight grain, dry, ect. Like it's a joke to even bust out the splitter, instead of your axe, lol.

 

[Mr. Jones]

What's your guy's opinion on half I beam vs full I beam models?

 

[Mr. Jones]

Yep, Lifan = Chinese.

45-tons, even if true, is not necessary. For less money I'd go with a DHT 28-ton splitter with under 11 second cycle time and known customer service records. SpeeCo (Husky/CountyLine/et al.) would ben another option for good value and good customer service.

Sounds like good advice. I'm not really looking for speed thought, as much as raw power to split the garbage wood that's free, but super tough to split.

 

[Jags]

I like full I-beam in general. But I build stuff like an errant dump truck is gonna fall out of the sky and hit it.

 

[TreePointer]

What's your guy's opinion on half I beam vs full I beam models?

Half-beam splitters perform just fine, but I prefer full beam support of the cylinder because, well, "things happen" around the farm and in the woods. Troy-bilt (MTD clone) did have an issue a few years ago with their half beam splitters. The cylinder ripped open at the trunion mount (faulty cylinder manufacture), but they have addressed this issue.

Note that some older splitters have a single stage pump. A modern 22-ton splitter with a two stage pump will split just about anything. It will switch to it's slower, yet more powerful second stage to get through tougher rounds (crotches, stringy elm, thick oak, etc). My 35-ton Huskee (SpeeCo made) rarely goes into its second stage. I've also split the same eastern hardwoods on 27- and 28-ton splitters, and it powers through them just fine. Granted, you have some species in the PNW that we don't have here.

As others have stated, there are a lot of manufacturers that fudge or BS the tonnage numbers. Look at the top quality splitter makers, and you will see that most of their models don't go above 30 tons.

 

[Babaganoosh]

Might want to try a 27 or 28 ton dirty hand tools splitter. I've got the 27 and I only run it about half throttle and it literally slices thru crotches, gnarly pieces, and knots. The 28 ton is slightly faster than the 27. But I've yet to come across anything I can't split with the 27.

 

[Mr. Jones]

I tend to buy things from home depot because of the warranty, and the fact I can physically return things, vs amazon, etc. I also always buy based upon the reviews and sheer number of them. If something has 100 reviews that are mostly positive, i'll go with that. The only problem is that many of these reviews on splitters are within a week of use, and you never hear back a year or two later. It's also not something you use all the time, like my generator I just bought. Use it a few times a year, and then put it away.

My 5 ton electric splitter worked fine last year when I bought it. Put it away for the year, busted it out a few days ago, and now I'm having problems with it "slipping" and not stopping the motor like it's supposed to do. There's no leaks I can see. It's like the seal on the inside is leaking, and it gets worse the hotter it gets. It's like riding the clutch in a car taking off, and getting worse the longer I use it. Then if I let it rest, and cool off, it works normal again, for half an hour or so, then back to slipping. I changed the oil, and still having problems. Of course, with HF, the warranty is a joke, unless you buy an extended warranty.

So far I've heard a lot of people say good things about this dirty hand tools. I've never heard of them before, and not sure how long they've been around. I've also noticed a lot of people have bought and been satisfied with Ariens splitters per the ratings on home depot site

 

[TreePointer]

DHT is newer to the market but they've gotten good reviews in this forum and others. If I were in the market for an hydraulic splitter today, DHT would be a top consideration for best value under $2K.

For the record, I have no connection whatsoever to DHT and currently own a Huskee 35-ton splitter. I'm a fan of the in beam log cradle that SpeeCo, DHT, and Oregon use.

 

[Mr. Jones]

I rented a 22 ton last year, and I found the biggest problem with it is it didn't have the prongs on the side "can't remember what they're called". Skids or something? Anyways, with this 3 foot across and larger stringy, wet, twisted grain cotton/poplar wood, I found myself spending more time beating the rounds off of the splitter when they got stuck with a mall. Almost every new log I wrestled into place in the vertical position did this. Those things are a must regardless of brand I go with. Fortunately, I think most of them have it now.

 

[TreePointer]

Some call them a "log dislodger."

 

[blades]

Most of the problems with twisted wood and splitting it, can be attributed to the type of wedge. A thin long wedge is designed to slice rather than brute force of a fast expanding type that most of the units are equipped with.

 

[Babaganoosh]

Wasn't this thread a lot longer?

 

[Creekside]

Like others have said, there's no way that has an actual 45 ton rating with those components. I use a 35 ton Speeco sometimes, and the two stage pump rarely kicks in except on really knotty 3-4' maple rounds. If you're after the most power you can get I would definitely look at it, and it has log strippers and the log table option. With the Briggs and Stratton engine you can get it for under $1800 but I would consider paying a few hundred more for the Honda option if you're going to keep it for the rest of your life.

http://omni-mfg.com/Speeco-35-ton-BS-1450-OHV-Vertical-Horizontal-Log-Splitter-P945323.aspx

 

[Mr. Jones]

Looks like a nice splitter. I like that it can hold wood 26" long, vs 23" like some others. I've got an older large insert that can hold larger pieces. As far as the engine options, sure it would be nice to have Hondas on everything, but I've noticed over the years that if you take care of even the cheaper off brand engines, they seem to still last. Biggest issue I've really had was not draining the tank or carb, and not adding any stabil, and letting it sit for months on end, drying out seals, etc.

I've been looking around on youtube, and noticed that some of the nicest splitters are homemade. Larger blades, 4 way, larger plates, movable hydraulic cylinders or blades to get to the center of every piece of wood, larger tires for towing, etc. You can buy splitters brand new with these options, but they're usually the "industrial" models hovering around 5k or more.

 

[Mr. Jones]

I've also noticed that some models of splitters can have the same specs as far as GPM pumps, but one has a 400 plus CC engine, and the other only has 200 CC engine for a few hundred bucks cheaper, yet the rated tonnage doesn't change. Now how is that? lol. This tells me they rate these thing upon the tonnage of the ram, and not really what it can push. That smaller engine might only push that ram rated at 35 tons to 22 tons. Please correct me if I'm wrong.

 

[TreePointer]

Force = Pressure x Area. (F = P x A)

The engine turns a pump that builds up pressure in the system until it reaches the relief valve pressure setting, which usually is at maximum 3000 psi. Area is the area of the circle at the end of the cylinder.

For a 5" cylinder:

Force = (3000 psi system) x (area of a 5" cylinder) divided by 2000 (number of pounds per ton) = 29.5 tons

In this example, neither engine horsepower nor speed of pump have anything to do with the theoretical maximum force (in tons) generated by the system. Those characteristics have to do with the speed at which the max pressure (as determined by the relief valve) is reached. Do those machines you mention list different cycle times? [Aside: It is possible for an engine-pump combination to be so anemic that they don't result in meeting operating pressure.]

True variations in tonnage, therefore, are governed by 1.) the max pressure setting of the relief valve and 2.) the diameter of the cylinder.

Fudged/BS numbers in tonnage are determined in a variety of ways. One way is to advertise the maximum theoretical tonnage the machine can produce, but not the actual operating tonnage produced by the lower relief valve setting that's actually used.

Horsepower ratings have also been fudged for a long time. Hp measured at one rpm often will not be anywhere close to hp measured at another rpm. Did both engine companies measure hp the same way?

With all that being stated, larger hp engines do have an advantage in that generally they don't have to work has hard as smaller engines to do the work needed by the splitter. This can translate in to longer engine life.