Looked at new Huskee splitter

[Backwoods Savage]

I stopped in to a Tractor Supply store yesterday and saw they had a splitter set up to do demos and a guy was unloading wood. The wood was terrible but I asked the guy to start the motor and show what it would do. Even a knotty piece just fell apart when the wedge touched it. I told him it would do me no good because I split good wood, not rotten punky junk like that! lol

Another fellow came over and I stated that I had seen some videos and it seems the present crop of splitters almost stall when splitting rather than go into the granny gear. They both swore that is not the case but, of course did not have any decent stuff to split. Overall it did not look bad at all and had a B&S engine on the 22 ton model. Price was $999. They did say the 28 ton and the bigger ones did have the honda engine and claimed they were much smoother, whatever that meant.

I had thought about bringing up Ed's problem to them but it would not have meant much so just stayed silent on that, thanked them and went inside. I will add that before starting the engine they did check the oil. They did have to add some gas and the machine did look new as no paint had worn off so maybe they do demo these things from time to time and thought maybe now was a good time but I think it was Demo Days. They also had a sign that folks could start the lawn mowers and even drive them if they wanted.

Maybe I should have bought one and shipped it to Ed!

 

[certified106]

Mine has a two stage pump on it and there is no way it even comes close to bogging down even when shearing knots that are unsplittable. The only thing that happens is the ram slows down.

 

[Backwoods Savage]

certified, that is how they are supposed to work but I've seen some videos of guys splitting and the danged motor almost stalled before going through the log. That is why I asked about it an for sure I would not want that.

 

[TreePointer]

Even though it's not a good idea, some people insist on running these engines at less than full throttle. I wonder if it the engine stalled because of this.

 

[Backwoods Savage]

Treepointer, I rarely run mine at full throttle and it works very good. I've had no problems in over 20 years doing it like this. What I had described was seen on some videos and those were run at full throttle. That is what made me curious if all the new splitters were like that.

 

[TreePointer]

Treepointer, I rarely run mine at full throttle and it works very good. I've had no problems in over 20 years doing it like this. What I had described was seen on some videos and those were run at full throttle. That is what made me curious if all the new splitters were like that.

I don't doubt you. I was just wondering about those videos because I know that some operators cut back on the throttle to save fuel and cut back on noise. A lot of the older equipment was over-engineered and could take running at less than full throttle, and yours might be one of these. Today's models aren't like that.

My experience: I've worked with more than an handful of different Huskee 22-ton splitters, and I've never seen the engine stall.

 

[Backwoods Savage]

Well, I certainly don't let the engine idle but run probably 3/4 throttle.

 

[certified106]

Well, I certainly don't let the engine idle but run probably 3/4 throttle.

I'm with ya dennis as I never run my splitter wide open, I just don't see the point. I mean realistically I don't run my tractor at max throttle every time I get on it so why do that to the splitter. You get alot more wear and tear on an engine when you are running to its max and I want my splitter to last as long as possible.

 

[Backwoods Savage]

Ya, it is more like running at pto speed rather than pulley speed.

 

[TreePointer]

You get alot more wear and tear on an engine when you are running to its max and I want my splitter to last as long as possible.

True for bigger tractors and yesterday's small engines but not the new small engines. The manuals for the new log splitters and even most lawn/garden tractors today will tell you always to run at WOT. Today's data for engine ratings aren't taken at the lower rpm's like they were years ago, and they need the all the power they can muster so as not to stress the engine too much. Kinda like you don't want to go 20mph in 5th gear in your automobile.

 

[oldspark]

This is a nice article on the subjest, opened my eyes.
(broken link removed)

 

[Intheswamp]

This is a nice article on the subjest, opened my eyes.
(broken link removed)

Interesting article there, BB. Makes sense to me.

Ed

 

[bogydave]

At $999, sounds like the time to buy.
***
"not time to burn wood now, so why would anyone want to buy a splitter now"
"Ever hear, you should season wood at least a year" ? "What, are you crazy, cut & burn, the way I've always done it"
So they are on sale now. :lol: LOL
***
I paid $1400 here, re-furbished Speeco. new was $1600.
Shipping is more now so I bet the price is higher now too.

 

[Intheswamp]

I stopped in to a Tractor Supply store yesterday and saw they had a splitter set up to do demos and a guy was unloading wood. The wood was terrible but I asked the guy to start the motor and show what it would do. Even a knotty piece just fell apart when the wedge touched it. I told him it would do me no good because I split good wood, not rotten punky junk like that! lol

Another fellow came over and I stated that I had seen some videos and it seems the present crop of splitters almost stall when splitting rather than go into the granny gear. They both swore that is not the case but, of course did not have any decent stuff to split. Overall it did not look bad at all and had a B&S engine on the 22 ton model. Price was $999. They did say the 28 ton and the bigger ones did have the honda engine and claimed they were much smoother, whatever that meant.

I had thought about bringing up Ed's problem to them but it would not have meant much so just stayed silent on that, thanked them and went inside. I will add that before starting the engine they did check the oil. They did have to add some gas and the machine did look new as no paint had worn off so maybe they do demo these things from time to time and thought maybe now was a good time but I think it was Demo Days. They also had a sign that folks could start the lawn mowers and even drive them if they wanted.

Maybe I should have bought one and shipped it to Ed!

Dennis, you startled me there for a moment when I read the title and saw that you started the thread. I'm glad to see that it was just a fact finding mission.

I guess I was living on the edge this evening when I rode through the parking lot of the Greenville TSC. They were closed but I told my wife to "gun it" if somebody started shootin' at us.<grin> There was a 22-ton unit sitting out beside the fenced in lot where they keep the gates and water troughs and such. For some reason this one actually seemed "smaller" than the one I brought home...kinda strange...but I'm sure it's the same model. I checked the oil....it was perfect!

Hmmm, I was wondering about the DEMO DAYS thing... I wonder if I carry a big round of that %#*!d~@#!! elm over there if they'll show me how well that 22-ton unit splits? :coolsmirk:

Some of the replies staying that the Huskee 22-ton's engine *doesn't* bog down when it hits a tough spot isn't what I experienced with the unit I had. It would pull the motor down so low that I would back off the hydraulic valve to let the engine build up rpms and then continue on with the splitting. I never let it kill the motor but I believe that if I had not let off of the valve handle it would have choked the engine down.

Dennis, most all major freightlines work us or either interline with the ones that do.

I gotta do something about a splitter, though. Maybe I'll get a "sorry about that" or either a "kiss my tail" reply from TSC this coming week. I'd like to try another Huskee but I'm also been looking at the Speecos, too...if I go the Speeco route I'll go bigger than 22-ton but it seems like overkill for what I'll probably be burning. BUT, this dead ok and clear-cut oak that I've been cutting lately seems pretty hard...the 22-ton Huskee struggled with it (but didn't seem to go into the 2nd stage that I could tell).

Ed

 

[blel]

I have a TSC 22 and have never had the engine bog down. The 2 stage pump kicks in and it just keeps right on going at the slower pace.
I’m splitting 90% red oak. Never had to let rpms “build back upâ€.

For what it's worth I run mine at full throttle. Maybe if run at 1/2 or 3/4 it will bog down. It seems to me you need the rpms to run the pump at max efficiency. Less rpms = less hydraulic pressure.

 

[velvetfoot]

I can see the lower rpms being bad when running a lawn tractor, but is it that much a factor on a log splitter?
I don't know, but wouldn't lower revs just slow the splitter operation down, if nothing was bogging down?

I just looked at my Robin manual and it says this:

2. RUNNING
(1) After the engine starts, set the speed control lever at the
low speed position (L) and warm it up without load for a
few minutes. (See Fig.5-q)
(2) Gradually move the speed control lever toward the high
speed position (H) and set it at the required engine
speed. (See Fig.5-w)
â–  Whenever high speed operation is not required, slow
the engine down (idle) by moving the speed control lever
to save fuel and extend engine life.

Edit:
I just looked at my splitter manual and it says this:

After reading and following all of the setup, safety, and operation warnings in the Robin®
Operating Manual, turn on the engine. See FIGURE 5. Set the engine’s throttle all the
way to the fast setting (represented by the rabbit, left in the picture below).

 

[certified106]

I can see the lower rpms being bad when running a lawn tractor, but is it that much a factor on a log splitter?
I don't know, but wouldn't lower revs just slow the splitter operation down, if nothing was bogging down?

I just looked at my Robin manual and it says this:

2. RUNNING
(1) After the engine starts, set the speed control lever at the
low speed position (L) and warm it up without load for a
few minutes. (See Fig.5-q)
(2) Gradually move the speed control lever toward the high
speed position (H) and set it at the required engine
speed. (See Fig.5-w)
â–  Whenever high speed operation is not required, slow
the engine down (idle) by moving the speed control lever
to save fuel and extend engine life.

Edit:
I just looked at my splitter manual and it says this:

After reading and following all of the setup, safety, and operation warnings in the Robin®
Operating Manual, turn on the engine. See FIGURE 5. Set the engine’s throttle all the
way to the fast setting (represented by the rabbit, left in the picture below).

I'm not saying I run mine at 1/2 throttle while splitting but I do back it down just a hair from max and it runs fine and doesn't bog down. Next time I get the splitter fired up I will try to remember to take a small clip of splitting something hard to demonstrate how it doesn't bog down. This past weekend I was shearing knots off of hickory chunks that would just about stop the ram and the engine never hesitated. For those of you with the bogging down problems I would look into it as the 2 stage system may not be working properly.

 

[Backwoods Savage]

I think most folks are looking at the slowing of the engine to mean really slow, like half throttle or less. That is not the case, at least with me. My splitter and engine have worked fine for over 20 years with me running it the way I do and it has been trouble free. The only thing changed is oil and filter. It works nicely and I don't worry a bit when it is not running at full throttle. I do run at full throttle if splitting hard to split wood but can see no valid reason to run that fast when it is not needed. Again, I do not run the engine slow but just don't run at full throttle.

It really gets me when I see manufacturers make the splitters so that when you start the engine it is already at full throttle. That can not be good for the engine. I prefer to have a bit more control than that.

Maybe part of my problem is when I grew up I was made to never run a machine at full throttle unless it was absolutely necessary for the needed power. I was then instructed to pay attention to our tractors vs some of our neighbor's tractors and see which tractors were in better shape and lasted much longer. It is the same thing with guys liking to go fast with the tractor even when something was behind them, like maybe a plow on a 3-pt hitch. You'd see them racing across the headlands with plow bouncing. I also recall how many came over to have us weld something that broke.... Well, the speed thing is something that has just stuck with me and has served me well so I see no reason to change.

Also, on the stalling issue, the ones I saw almost stall were being run at full throttle. I too wondered if just the pump was not operating properly but after seeing more than one it really made me wonder.

And Ed, no, I am not in the market for a new splitter but do hope you find something decent very soon.