Moving a $429 Home Depot Yard Machines 25-Ton Splitter!

[Mroverkill]

any of you get your "special" im waiting for a status update on mine to ship

 

[thinkxingu]

See above.

Also, I put a wheel on it today (http://www.tractorsupply.com/traile...-ranch-bolt-on-marine-jack-with-wheel-1161671) which makes it much more maneuverable. It also allows me to put the splitter in vertical position without having the support leg scratch the crap outta my driveway/garage floor/shed or getting caught in the ground.

S

 

['bert]

I guess your wood will only be warming you once from now on - referring to your quote from H. Ford in your sig. I think it was great of you to alert the members of this forum to this deal - once you secured yours of course. Enjoy :cheese:

 

[thinkxingu]

Yeah, but I still need to stack it!
Actually, I waited until 8 o'clock to call my local Home Depots since the website said 'available at your local store.' Of course, HD doesn't do online inventory, so it was wrong. I posted the deal before I actually bought it online, but it looks like only two or three users got in on it.

S

 

[oldspark]

By the time I checked out what it was really worth (had not been looking for a splitter at all) it was done, but I could have got one if I was not so stupid.

 

[BucksCoBernie]

good idea with the swivel jack. I ordered a hitch mount from an old tractor via ebay (less than $10 w shipping), should be here next week. Its from a case garden tractor but the holes line up exactly with my JD 140. So im going to set this hitch with a 2" ball to tow the splitter around above the JD hitch that will be used for quick release pins.

I sold my electric splitter last night.

 

[Flatbedford]

I hope the cops don't find you. Thief

 

[thinkxingu]

Bernie,
I was thinking of selling my electric, too, but I think I'll keep it--I do like the size and portability (though with a wheel, the new one's a breeze) and my brother or friend can use it when they need it. Besides, how much are they selling for, $150 or so?

S

 

[yanksforever]

Hey, did I tell y'all that I only paid $429 for this thing?! $429!

oldspark, it was posted as soon as I found out about it my man!

S

You keep saying "Y'ALL"....are you sure you are from S. New Hampshire as your profile says? ;-)

 

[yanksforever]

With some inside info from BucksCoBernie, I got it home easy enough. I just unpacked it at the shipping dock, connected the tow bar, and towed it home. Here's a couple pics of it splitting up a serious piece of oak and connected to my tractor hitch (inspired by LLigetfa's). Set-up was a breeze, and the Honda engine starts with one pull. Also, definitely light enough to move by hand. Sweet!

S

PS Anyone remove the support leg at the front and add one of those wheeled ones? This one's kind-of a pain.

I have heard of people getting their fingers chopped off with that type support leg..so it may be a good idea to change it.

 

[thinkxingu]

Yanks,
You lost me about the fingers being chopped off. Do you mean from the stock leg that can swivel shut or the wheel type I put on?

S

 

[ANeat]

He means the one that folds up ( I think) Imagine it folding up with your hand wrapped around it (ouch)

 

[BucksCoBernie]

Bernie,
I was thinking of selling my electric, too, but I think I'll keep it--I do like the size and portability (though with a wheel, the new one's a breeze) and my brother or friend can use it when they need it. Besides, how much are they selling for, $150 or so?

S

I sold mine for $200

 

[yanksforever]

Yanks,
You lost me about the fingers being chopped off. Do you mean from the stock leg that can swivel shut or the wheel type I put on?

S

Yeah,,as ANEAT said...the one that folds up like the one in the picture. They have had people that had their fingers between the fold up leg and the bar that it folds up to , and for some reason, like they fell or whatever and got their fingers cut in the folding leg. That's why a lot of company's have changed that design.

 

[thinkxingu]

Yeah, I can see that. Hadn't really thought about--I was thinking more that the whole unit moves when going from horizontal to vertical and that the leg was scraping up the ground, driveway, garage, etc. Plus, I really like being able to wheel my things around--especially if I need to get it into my trailer.

S

 

[LLigetfa]

If the ball is mounted high enough, you should be able to swing the leg up or down while it is resting on the ball and not put your fingers at risk. If the ball is too low and you have to lift the tongue to set the leg, weld or bolt a long D handle to the top of the tongue so that your fingers don't go anywhere near the pinch point. Of course, you could also remove the swing leg and install a trailer jack as you originally mentioned. The only thing with a trailer jack is that if you get the type that has a wheel, you might have to chalk it to keep it from moving around on you.

When I built my hitch for the tractor, I set it at the height that would put the tongue at the same height as when it is resting on the leg, so there is no clearance for the leg to swing while the tongue rests on the ball. Had I mounted the ball an inch higher, I would have been golden. Now I am shopping for a reasonably priced ball that sits an inch taller to save me cutting up and rewelding my hitch.

 

[thinkxingu]

LL, it doesn't much matter about the height while sitting on the hitch, right? Either it's high enough for the leg to come down, and you need to lift it off the ball OR it's too low and you need to lift it anyway. What I like about the wheel is there's no lifting at all--I just back up to it and crank it up or down.

S

 

[LLigetfa]

LL, it doesn't much matter about the height while sitting on the hitch, right?

Ah, but it does matter... If the leg is down and locked and you drive with it, it will catch on high spots, leave gouges and bend the leg. Ask me how I know.

When towing the splitter, you need to lift the leg so it doesn't snag on uneven ground. Having the ball high enough to swing the leg while it is on it is a bonus. Swinging the leg is less effort than cranking a trailer jack up and down provided you have the clearance to swing it. If you have to lift the tongue to swing the leg, it becomes a PITA and puts your hands at risk.

More often than not, I just leave the splitter hitched up to the tractor and leave the leg up. That's why I haven't raised up the ball any.

 

[thinkxingu]

I'm missing something--if the ball is high enough so that you can swing the splitter's leg open, wouldn't you have to pull it off the ball to drop enough so that the leg would be on the ground? I wouldn't drive with the leg down anyway--all it would take would be a couple inch dip to bend it all up. 'Course, I don't have to worry about that now!

S

 

[ANeat]

LL that umbrella is a nice touch....

 

[BucksCoBernie]

I built this ball hitch for $15. I had a hell of a time finding a ball with a 5/8 shank but tractor supply center had one for $10....i had to drive 30 mins to the closest store. I got the red brace off of ebay for $5, it came off an old case tractor and the holes fit my JD perfectly. So I have the ball hitch up top to move the splitter and trailer around the yard and the quick release hitch for the dump cart. The old tractor brace is solid. no flexing at all.

 

[smokinj]

LL that umbrella is a nice touch....

I like the mini-bar!