your opinions on a decent gas log splitter please

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Mine has a square air box with depressed area where a threaded shaft sticks through the cover in the center of the depressed area. There is a wingnut that screws down on the shaft. Water gets funneled down into the depression, past the wing nut and into the air box onto the Air filter cover (which was covered with "white corrosion" when I got it). I just slid an Oring down the shaft with a washer and that sealed it up when I cranked down on the wingnut.
 
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peakbagger said:
Mine has a square air box with depressed area where a threaded shaft sticks through the cover in the center of the depressed area. There is a wingnut that screws down on the shaft. Water gets funneled down into the depression, past the wing nut and into the air box onto the Air filter cover (which was covered with "white corrosion" when I got it). I just slid an Oring down the shaft with a washer and that sealed it up when I cranked down on the wingnut.
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yep, completely different than mine.
 
Speeco is pretty good, and I have lots of time on two of them. I built my own splitter years ago. 20 tons and it has split everything. A few pieces have to get turned to "go" but they split. I wore out the old briggs and replaced it with a 3hp electric motor. I also made a 4 way wedge for it and that didn't slow it down at all. It is at least 3x faster now and is my preferred splitter of choice over my unmodified 22 ton speeco.
 
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Isaac Carlson said:
Speeco is pretty good, and I have lots of time on two of them. I built my own splitter years ago. 20 tons and it has split everything. A few pieces have to get turned to "go" but they split. I wore out the old briggs and replaced it with a 3hp electric motor. I also made a 4 way wedge for it and that didn't slow it down at all. It is at least 3x faster now and is my preferred splitter of choice over my unmodified 22 ton speeco.
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I liked my Speeco as well. Although I don't think you can get them anymore.
 
JRHAWK9 said:
I liked my Speeco as well. Although I don't think you can get them anymore.
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No more huskee/speeco? Surely they just have a new name. Mine from 2010 has been a peach. No problems at all. Wore out one love joy spider. Flathead Briggs vertical shaft is fine.
 
Highbeam said:
No more huskee/speeco? Surely they just have a new name. Mine from 2010 has been a peach. No problems at all. Wore out one love joy spider. Flathead Briggs vertical shaft is fine.
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My flathead was old when I got it and I reground the cam. It lasted another 10 years of hard use making 7-8 hp.
I don't miss the noise, vibration, or exhaust though. I use my 20 ton electric unless I am out away from power, and even then, the speeco is used mostly to break down the rounds so they cam be moved to the electric splitter.
 
Highbeam said:
No more huskee/speeco? Surely they just have a new name. Mine from 2010 has been a peach. No problems at all. Wore out one love joy spider. Flathead Briggs vertical shaft is fine.
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As far as I know, unless someone can find them somewhere.......
 
I picked up a Dirty Hand Tools 22 ton splitter from Lowes about 4 years ago. Splits just about everything except maybe that super twisted yard tree crotch of elm. It's a little difficult to start cold, 4 or 5 pulls, but starts first pull if warm. No leaks anywhere. Oh yeah, and made in the USA, next door in Colorado.
Anyways, I really like it, and I'd buy it again.
 
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27 Performance Built from Lowes splits any hardwood I throw at it. In doing my research, I figured out many of them are the same machine with very few differences (engine maybe) just with different colors for different distributors. It sounds like for your needs, just look for the best price you can get and take care of the engine. Other than that, most of the other parts are interchangeable and should last pretty well.
 
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walhondingnashua said:
27 Performance Built from Lowes splits any hardwood I throw at it. In doing my research, I figured out many of them are the same machine with very few differences (engine maybe) just with different colors for different distributors. It sounds like for your needs, just look for the best price you can get and take care of the engine. Other than that, most of the other parts are interchangeable and should last pretty well.
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Your splitter is made by YTL International. Same company who is now contracted to build Tractor Supply's splitters to their specs and badged CountyLine.

I'd just personally stay away from the GC(V) line of Honda's.....uniblock construction (no removable head, just one solid piece of aluminum), aluminum bore, resin (plastic) cam, thin cam belt, etc. Just a cheaply made engine period riding the coat tails of the good GX(V) series. I'm not sure they are even put on anything but low end lawn mowers and power washers though.
 
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handsplitter said:
I'm in the market for one. It's pretty much wood just for me but with a decent log splitter I'm sure I'll split enough for others every now & then. I’ll want the vertical & horizontal options. I used to operate a (21? ton) vertical & horizontal with my buddy, a Honda motor, bought from Lowes. It was decent. Do I stay in the 20ton range or go to the 31?ton size. I don’t have a tractor so no 60 rounds, just stuff 1 or 2 guys can move. Lowes/Home Depot? Harbor Freight? Thank you for any comments and if you can point me to any threads, I'll be using the search feature too. I have a 7 ton electric that is doing fine, been pleased with it, just need to upgrade to handle bigger rounds
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Whatever you get stick with a Honda , or Subaru engine. My 9hp Honda is 14 years old has split hundreds of tons of wood and starts on one pull and purrs. Amsoil synthetic only, it's on a 34 ton Brave never has any round defeated it or caused it to stall.
 
ohlongarm said:
Whatever you get stick with a Honda , or Subaru engine. My 9hp Honda is 14 years old has split hundreds of tons of wood and starts on one pull and purrs. Amsoil synthetic only, it's on a 34 ton Brave never has any round defeated it or caused it to stall.
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I heard Honda company made some big changes to there small engine line, mainly they moved divisions of the small engine to their marine side and now you cant find any Honda's because the marine side of the business is making to many other motors.
 
Either way, I'm very happy with my electric conversion. Pennies a day to run it and near zero maintenance. Pretty quiet too.
I don't think a honda can touch that, lol
 
ZZ Tom said:
I picked up a Dirty Hand Tools 22 ton splitter from Lowes about 4 years ago. Splits just about everything except maybe that super twisted yard tree crotch of elm. It's a little difficult to start cold, 4 or 5 pulls, but starts first pull if warm. No leaks anywhere. Oh yeah, and made in the USA, next door in Colorado.
Anyways, I really like it, and I'd buy it again.
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But you cant.. they are out of business.

Just pointing out one thing on the engine discussion....there are so many different models of each brand that I would caution blanket statements of brand X is better than brand Y. I would pay more attention to the class, commercial or homeowner. And yes...that might require some homework.
 
First splitter was a MTD Gold . . . which is the half beam splitter rebranded by just about every other company out there. It was OK, but when I had some issues with the ram I ended up selling it and getting an Oregon-branded, full beam splitter . . . well a sister company to Oregon. So far it has been fine. Came with the cheaper Honda engine, but I'm OK with that due to the limited amount of splitting and knowledge that I can always repower it later on if the engine dies a horrible and untimely death.
 
walhondingnashua said:
Conversion? Pardon if I missed this somewhere else, but did you convert your splitter over to an electric motor?
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I sure did. Last year. I used a 3hp 220v 3600 rpm motor. We have 246 volts here so it is a bit more efficient than the plate indicates.
The pump is 11 gpm with a 1.5 gpm high pressure stage, if I remember right. It was pretty easy. The hardest part was changing the height of the coupler.

A 5 hp motor would run a 16 gpm pump.
Here is a video of it running. I have my 4 way on it and it will do a face cord in 15 minutes with just me feeding it.
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Jags said:
But you cant.. they are out of business.
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Another unavailable item mentioned in this thread is Subaru small engines. They are also no longer in production...
 
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Brave what ton fits you i went stupid big to get the honda gx series motor but hydrolics are simple and motor runs like champ a bit heavy but gave not bogged it down yet
 
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