Tractor Supply Husky Splitters
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maple1
Minister of Fire
Seems like they go on sale every 3-4 months. Check with the manager as most are very easy to work with and you may still be able to get the sale price.
Unfortunately many of the popular consumer model splitters have been switching to import hydraulic components also. US 2-stage pumps have a steel body,import 2-stage pumps usually have a aluminum body. Import valves seldom have a brand name.
The material from which the pump body is constructed is irrelevant to the quality of the pump.
But country of origin may be important to some. Many American brand products are being assembled with chinese components.
I only care about the fact that this country has offshored it's middle class manufacturing base.
perot said there would be a sucking sound with offshoring. I guess 20 years later he has been vindicated.
maple1
Minister of Fire
The splitter I ended up getting is made in Canada - wasn't something I planned but I guess I'll consider it a plus.
I'm sure there are some offshore bits on it here & there though - although that might not have been as prevalent 5 years ago when it was made.
I'm sure there are some offshore bits on it here & there though - although that might not have been as prevalent 5 years ago when it was made.
I have the Huskee 22 ton. It'll split just about anything that isn't too knotty. The engines are junk though, probably made in China, briggs & stratton. Chinese steels and other metals have ZERO quality control and lousy chemistry. I'm a machinist and when I run in to a problem with steel, it's always chinese. They'll polish cold rolled steel to make it look like it's hardened. Mine went a year before the valves started sticking. I had to remove the head and unstick it. It smokes on startup also. I'm running it until it dies & then going with a honda engine. Got it for 999 on sale. That's all they're worth. Plan on changing out the engine after a few years.
Briggs & Stratton gets sometimes gets a bad rap, but they have been pretty good to me. I have a 1989 26" WHITE finish mower with a B&S engine that has never given me any trouble through a lot of rough use.. My 35-ton Huskee log splitter has a B&S engine that also has never so much as hiccupped over the past 4 years. While it is louder than a comparable Honda, it always starts and performs just fine. As far as I know, some are still made in North Carolina.
FWIW, there have been many folks in firewood forums replacing dead splitter engines with Chinese Honda knock-offs with good results--so far.
FWIW, there have been many folks in firewood forums replacing dead splitter engines with Chinese Honda knock-offs with good results--so far.
I have to agree with TreePointer. Our splitter also has the B&S engine. So far in 20 years the repair costs have been $0.00. It is using some oil but still going strong. Had a minor problem with it this spring but fixed it easy enough and no cost except for my labor. Well, maybe a bit of carb cleaner too.
I agree with the two previous posts that the Briggs & Stratton engines WERE good engines TWENTY YEARS AGO, but not now. Those engines and the B&S engines of today is comparing apples to oranges. A few years ago, I had a B&S mower engine go TU and now the B&S engine on the splitter with a stuck valve after a year. IMHO, B&S motors are nothing more than Home Depot, Lowes throwaways and I will never again buy a piece of machinery with a B&S engine.
Keep in mind you guys are for the most part playing with Briggs' entry level toys. They still build decent engines but you don't find them on $1000 splitters. Kinda like saying GM or Ford engines are crap because the engine in your cavalier/escort crapped out. 
maple1
Minister of Fire
I've had numerous B&S engines over the years with no issues with them, aside from one dirty carb.
My 3 year old JD LA135 ride-on has a B&S twin in it - I like it.
My 3 year old JD LA135 ride-on has a B&S twin in it - I like it.
teutonicking
Feeling the Heat
I've come into quite a bit of larger 30 inch + rounds of white and red oak. Will a Husky 22 ton be up to the task? They are $1099 in my area. I would rather not spend a bunch. At some point, I could get a refurbished D.R. kinetic for a little over $2k for the price of some of these larger hydraulic splitters. It's a Supersplit knock-off and would be fast
I like mine--it seems to split anything I can move.
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