Iron & Oak 26 ton Horizontal and Vertical Splitter (9HP Robin engine) review

[wannabegreener]

Gordon,

No word yet. I'm hoping to get news tomorrow but if not, I'll give Ace a call to find out.

 

[pyronut]

Finally had a chance to put everything together this morning. I ended up with the 26 ton I&O splitter with Honda GX 270 engine. I also went ahead and purchased the log dislodger and log cradles. I'm not sure yet if either of those two items are really necessary. After being fully assembled I ran some white and red oak, pecan, mulberry, chinese elm, cottonwood and pine through it and had no problems. It split right through everything making me wonder why I waited so long to get hydraulics. ;-P Thanks to everyone for their help especially Gordon and wannabegreener. Pics to come soon

 

[pyronut]

Here are the pics as promised.

 

[wannabegreener]

pyro

awesome pics. now I know why you wanted vertical. no word so i'll call ace tomorrow. looking good.

 

[GordonShumway]

It sure beats splitting with an ax, Pyro. Should have that stack done in no time. Just out of curiosity, are you running at full throttle? And how does the honda perform? Did you go with hydraulic fluid? Thanks

Wannabegreener- I'm sorry you haven't heard anything back yet. I hope your phone call produces some results.

 

[GordonShumway]

I forgot, here are some pics of the stacks I split with the new splitter.

 

[MasterMech]

Pyro, you're going to appreciate those add-ons. The dis-lodger is great, just let it do it's job, don't fight to get stuck logs off the wedge. It will pay for itself the first time it saves your control valve too. The table is a great time/back saver when splitting horizontally (Dennis is scratching his head wondering... why?) just be careful not to get wood wedged in between the table halves and the bedrail as the wedge will bend the brackets as it travels through the log.

I quarter all my big rounds (or halve depending on size) with the splitter vertical. Then once I have a decent pile of managable splits, the splitter goes horizontal and it's time to rock & roll.

Enjoy!

 

[pyronut]

It sure beats splitting with an ax, Pyro. Should have that stack done in no time. Just out of curiosity, are you running at full throttle? And how does the honda perform? Did you go with hydraulic fluid? Thanks

Wannabegreener- I'm sorry you haven't heard anything back yet. I hope your phone call produces some results.

Gordon,

I did run the engine at full throttle and it performed great. It starts up on the first pull and has run flawless so far. Of course this was only the first day and time will tell. I do not foresee any problems though. I did end up going with hydraulic fluid because it was easier to find in the 5 gallon buckets vs ATF in our area. By the way I can see you have been busy. Your stacks look great

 

[pyronut]

Pyro, you're going to appreciate those add-ons. The dis-lodger is great, just let it do it's job, don't fight to get stuck logs off the wedge. It will pay for itself the first time it saves your control valve too. The table is a great time/back saver when splitting horizontally (Dennis is scratching his head wondering... why?) just be careful not to get wood wedged in between the table halves and the bedrail as the wedge will bend the brackets as it travels through the log.

I quarter all my big rounds (or halve depending on size) with the splitter vertical. Then once I have a decent pile of managable splits, the splitter goes horizontal and it's time to rock & roll.

Enjoy!

MasterMech,

Thanks for the tips. The dis-lodger has already come in handy once. I will make sure I am careful with the log cradles, I can definitely see them bending if not careful.

Pyro

 

[wannabegreener]

Pyro,

Did you get the dislodger and the table from the same place as the splitter? I didn't even think about those add-ons. The dislodger certainly looks useful. I'll have to look into these. I sent e-mail this morning but have not heard anything yet.

 

[pyronut]

Pyro,

Did you get the dislodger and the table from the same place as the splitter? I didn't even think about those add-ons. The dislodger certainly looks useful. I'll have to look into these. I sent e-mail this morning but have not heard anything yet.

wannabegreener,

I did get the dislodger and the tables from the same place. (broken link removed) They shipped directly from I&O with the splitter.

 

[wannabegreener]

I should add a few comments about my I&O splitter.

My valve seems to be leaking. All of the hydraulic lines are dry but I have fluid coming down the handle. I called I&O and they sent me a new valve. I just have not put it on yet. Too busy splitting wood. It's a small leak.

The pin to rotate the splitter from vertical to horizontal rattles so loudly that I need to wear ear protection. I do anyway, but this is really loud. It does not rattle all of the time, but whe it does, wow... It is loud.

The robins Subaru engine starts on the first pull all the time.

The splitter is going through everything I have tried. If the grain is twisty, it just cits through the grain.

I'm very happy with it.

 

[GordonShumway]

Well, I ran into the first issue with the splitter (or I should say my wife did). As others and myself have posted the pivot pin is incredibly load, so still working on trying to figure that one out. But apparently my wife split a stump with a triple crouch. I believe it was elm. I'm assuming something must've shifted while on the foot pad but here are some pictures of the result. I don't believe this is a serious issue, so haven't yet decided to contact I&O about it. What do ya'll think?

 

[GordonShumway]

I should add, that tho you can't really see it in the pictures, the bead of the weld is splitting. So I am afraid that beating it back with a hammer will just further tear the bead.

 

[MofoG23]

For the premium price I&O charges, I would be on the phone with them.... I'm sure they will make it right.

Good luck!

 

[RNLA]

WOW, That looks to be the same set up as my 34 ton foot plate. I have split some pretty hairy stuff and never had even a blink in 10 years. I would take it to a local weld shop and get it fixed. I&O probably would pay for repair. A $20.00 bill would fix it if you were my neighbor...

 

[MasterMech]

Well, I ran into the first issue with the splitter (or I should say my wife did). As others and myself have posted the pivot pin is incredibly load, so still working on trying to figure that one out. But apparently my wife split a stump with a triple crouch. I believe it was elm. I'm assuming something must've shifted while on the foot pad but here are some pictures of the result. I don't believe this is a serious issue, so haven't yet decided to contact I&O about it. What do ya'll think?

I would gice I & O a call. They really are a first class company and came through when I had a busted weld on my hyd. tank due to some rough towing. They sent me another tank/frame, no fuss. In your case I'm sure they might say take it to a local welder and send them the bill since I'm sure it'd be easy to bend the keeper back and zip up the weld quick.

As far as that loud pivot goes, I've been jamming a thin wedge (1/2-3/4 inch or so) in between the beam and the tank. Usually does it. I'll take a pic next time I've got the splitter out if I remember. I have a few ideas for a mod to fix this for good and I will do it up right here on hearth.com when I get it done.

 

[pyronut]

What did you decide to do?

 

[GordonShumway]

Update on the splitter: I never worried much about the teeth on the foot plate. So never got around to repairing since it didn't really effect performance. I have split probably 9 cords with the splitter with out any real issues. The only one I did notice that, the splitter would sometimes shut down when it was on uneven ground or still hooked to garden tractor. I guess the hydraulic fluid was a little low, and after adding some it took care of the problem. But yesterday I hit the first real snag. The splitter just died after about 1/2 cord was split. I figured it just ran out of gas, so refilled. Still couldn't get to start. Removed spark plug to test for spark and found there was no spark. This may end up being a warranty issue with subaru, not sure how that procedure is going to go. Hopefully will be able to find out who to call tomorrow.

 

[velvetfoot]

The oil level could get low on a slope and that could also cause the engine to stop (ie, no spark).

 

[bogydave]

Very nice machine.
Have fun.

 

[GordonShumway]

Velvetfoot, I was hoping that the oil level was the issue. So I checked and added about 1/4 quart, but still no spark.

 

[velvetfoot]

But, you said initially that you added some hydraulic oil, so you must've added some engine oil as well.

 

[MasterMech]

Gordon you can try disconnecting the oil level sensor (Have to look at mine to see if we have one). If you get spark then you have your culprit. Usually you can find the sensor if you have one by following the wires back from the switch.

 

[MofoG23]

The oil level could get low on a slope and that could also cause the engine to stop (ie, no spark).

Yep, this would be my vote. Subaru's have a low "motor oil switch" which will cause the condition you are describing. Low hydraulic oil should not trip a safety turn off....being on a slope could cause the low oil switch to trip.