# Log splitter opinions...



## TimR (Apr 25, 2018)

Searched archives, and only a couple 'mega' machine articles on splitters here. 
I've been using a neighbors push-thru type splitter, and I like that it has a tray at the outfeed, and any splits that hang up can be pushed thru with next log. It's also electric start, an old North Star model, pretty beefy. Someone he lent it to kept ramming the blade into the pusher, so it's pretty dull, but bulls thru 18" oak like butter. I'd prefer to just have my own, so have been looking at this RuggedMade unit. Good reviews, but folks are quick to point out constructed with likely noname Chinese components. Seems like a good value and this particular 22T model has a bigger engine and 16gpm pump, which seems plenty for size of logs I'd be dealing with. I'll never likely have anything bigger than 18".
So, any of you with push thru models or experience, let me know. I was thinking the horizontal/vertical would be nice for heavier logs, but having a loglift and not having to bend over sounds better.


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## Steve Walker (Apr 25, 2018)

@TimR

I've been heating our house with wood for several years now, and splitting almost everything I burn. Started out using Dad's H/V splitter, but finally got tired of driving 20 miles round trip to get it. So, I went thru the same process you are going thru when I decided to get one of my own. Here's my take on splitting wood.

Unless someone loads it into your truck unsplit to haul home and split, there will ALWAYS be bending and lifting. If you take the splitter to the wood, you still have to pick it up off the ground. Inevitably, you WILL come across some wood that is just too heavy to lift onto a horizontal splitter, and you let your 25 year old brain convince you that "you can do it", (don't listen to your 25 year old brain).
I opted for a H/V splitter for the option to split some of those larger pieces vertically when needed, but 90% of the time leave it flat. Some splitters have add on trays sold separately, mine has holes already in the beam for trays, but I opted not to add them. I bought at TSC, use mine a lot, and wasn't too worried with a Briggs engine and starting, because in the winter in runs almost every day. If I were only using seasonally, and even then not every week, I would be looking for a Honda motor for the easier starting.

What ever you decide to buy, check on parts availability from the seller.

And finally, until I think of something else, If I lived where you are, I'd take an afternoon drive to Northern Tool in Atlanta, look theirs over real close, and probably drag one home. They were high on my list of want, but SWMBO decided we would get what I need, for less $$.

Reactions: Thank You! 1 | Informative 1


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## justallan (Apr 28, 2018)

I bought mine from Home Depot for about $1000 several years ago and it goes horizontal or vertical. When I bring home a trailer full of rounds I use the splitter vertical and use the trailer as somewhere to sit and I roll them off, split them and toss the split wood into a pile or another truck. Lots of time I just pile the rounds up until I get time to split them and use the splitter vertical then also, using a round of wood for a stool and toss the wood into the truck.
Both ways you aren't picking up full rounds except when you cut them before bringing them home.

Reactions: Thank You! 1


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## woodtickgreg (Apr 29, 2018)

I owned one from tractor supply for many years, was a horizontal and verticle unit. 8 hour Briggs engine. Served me well, I used the verticle option to roll the log rounds over to it, push them over and quarter them up. It had a 5" cylinder and a 2 speed pump, was a good splitter.
I helped a friend put this northern tool splitter together, very well made unit with a 4 way wedge. He uses it a lot as he heats his house with wood and it has held up well, not a single problem.


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
It goes horizontal and vertical too.

Reactions: Thank You! 1


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## TimR (Apr 30, 2018)

woodtickgreg said:


> I owned one from tractor supply for many years, was a horizontal and verticle unit. 8 hour Briggs engine. Served me well, I used the verticle option to roll the log rounds over to it, push them over and quarter them up. It had a 5" cylinder and a 2 speed pump, was a good splitter.
> I helped a friend put this northern tool splitter together, very well made unit with a 4 way wedge. He uses it a lot as he heats his house with wood and it has held up well, not a single problem.
> View attachment 146411 View attachment 146412 View attachment 146413 View attachment 146414 View attachment 146417 View attachment 146418 View attachment 146419 View attachment 146420
> It goes horizontal and vertical too.


Any issues or extra help needed in converting from horizontal to vertical? Approx weight to lift initially in moving to vertical?


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## justallan (Apr 30, 2018)

Mine is pretty close to balanced and I would guess it's about 50 pounds to flip it up.
Most of these are very similar and in the last picture that Greg posted you can see a handle/latch straight below the words North Star, you pull on that and pick it up with the handle. They have a latch in both positions. In the second to last picture you can see their is a "foot" behind the tires. On mine you have to have that down while it's in the horizontal position or the splitter can tip back when you put a big round of wood on it. That's how balanced these things are.


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## The100road (Apr 30, 2018)

I bought this one for my dad a couple years ago after selling my house. To thank him for all the help he gave me working on it. 

He LOVES it. It goes horizontal and vertical easily. The HOnda Motor fires right up every time. Has sliced through anything he has attempted to put through it.

Reactions: Like 1


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## The100road (Apr 30, 2018)

I also got an attachment for this one that goes on the side and help the cut pieces from falling on the ground.


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## woodtickgreg (Apr 30, 2018)

TimR said:


> Any issues or extra help needed in converting from horizontal to vertical? Approx weight to lift initially in moving to vertical?


Like Allan said, they are pretty well balanced and not that difficult to change over. If you can lift logs to split them then you can change it over.

Reactions: Agree 2


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## woodtickgreg (Apr 30, 2018)

The100road said:


> I bought this one for my dad a couple years ago after selling my house. To thank him for all the help he gave me working on it.
> 
> He LOVES it. It goes horizontal and vertical easily. The HOnda Motor fires right up every time. Has sliced through anything he has attempted to put through it.
> 
> View attachment 146496


The splitter I owned was almost identical, probably came out of the same factory, it would split anything with that 2 stage pump. You could put a log in sideways and it would just cut it in half.

Reactions: Agree 1


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## TimR (Apr 30, 2018)

Seems like most of the H/V splitters all come from same design scheme. So what about that track the wedge slides in? It seems in most of these like a good place for trash to accumulate, in contrast to ones that use the top of the I-Beam (Wide Flange Beam actually) more directly (like the one on the horizontal only machines I referenced with the Rugged Made model). The one I've been using is likewise designed, an old Northstar unit.


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## whitewaterjay (May 1, 2018)

I have a 27 ton Husky, that's H/V as well. I find it easier to flip into vertical than back to horizontal, but that may just be the fatigue by that time after using it all day. I use mine to split 3-4 cords of wood a year and couldn't live without it. I use mine in the vertical position 95% of the time and just set up a camp chair infront of it and proceed to make mountains of split wood around me. The only thing that sucks about this machine is the storage space it consumes.

Reactions: Like 1


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## TimR (May 1, 2018)

woodtickgreg said:


> I owned one from tractor supply for many years, was a horizontal and verticle unit. 8 hour Briggs engine. Served me well, I used the verticle option to roll the log rounds over to it, push them over and quarter them up. It had a 5" cylinder and a 2 speed pump, was a good splitter.
> I helped a friend put this northern tool splitter together, very well made unit with a 4 way wedge. He uses it a lot as he heats his house with wood and it has held up well, not a single problem.
> View attachment 146411 View attachment 146412 View attachment 146413 View attachment 146414 View attachment 146417 View attachment 146418 View attachment 146419 View attachment 146420
> It goes horizontal and vertical too.


Greg, I’m starting to lean toward the 30 ton Northstar. Seems to be the benchmark for this type of splitter. I like that it has a good amount of room in front of log table, at least in pics. I’ve got a trip to Asheville this weekend and will take a look at one. Also like that beam doesn’t have tracks that trash could accumulate in.

Reactions: Like 1


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## woodtickgreg (May 1, 2018)

Yup mine was a track design and crud used to fall in the track, so what, every time you cycle it to split a log it got pushed out anyway. I just cleaned my splitter before I stored it.
Now having said that, if I was to buy a new splitter today after putting my friends together for him I would seriously be looking at the northern tool splitter, very well made and thought out. Not only does it have a log stripper in case a log gets stuck on the wedge, but also has a auto ram return, and it auto idles down when it goes all the way back. Just move the lever to make it go forward and it throttles up!

Reactions: Like 1


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## Graybeard (May 2, 2018)

Mine is a pretty basic unit from Farm and Fleet. The darned thing would kick back like an old tractor when you turned the crank. I'm not strong enough any more to pull with a sharp strong pull so I had them put a starter on it. Do I ever love that. I use my jump starter and I'm off and running. It tilts too but I don't use it that way, that's what son in laws are for. The one additional thing I'm going to add is a shelf on the side away from me to catch the piece that falls away. I also had to have the tongue reinforced because it's only sheet metal and would twist when I used the add on boat trailer jack because it was mounted on one side of the tongue. We supplement LP with wood heat and both my wife and I love wood heat more than any other type. It warms you to the bone.


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## rocky1 (May 5, 2018)

I bought a 25 Ton Cub Cadet H/V a few years ago. New, nearby on-line auction sale, fully assembled. Paid about half price, kept bidding low, and about April or May they accepted my bid on it. Probably should have dug it out this year and split wood, but I never did. Kept thinking it would warm up the next week, and it didn't. Year before we only had like 4 days of cold weather, and I split the wood by hand rather than drag it out. Did play with raising and lowering it to see how it all worked, and as everyone has stated that's a non-issue. They're all well designed on that end. 

Neighbor said he wanted one, I got him bidding on the auction site as well. He was ready to give up and just go buy one, and I told him to just put his bid in another time or two, it was the off season and they'd let it go cheap shortly. He raised it a little and they took his bid at $750 last month. Same machine Tractor Supply sells at $1000. They had 2 of them, asked if he could buy the second one for the same money, and he came home with 2 of them. His were still crated, he assembled one, intends selling the other this fall for a profit. 

As best I recall there are a couple of auction companies running up there in North Georgia through Proxibid as well Tim. Might check their listings and see if there's anything close and if they have one listed. 

https://www.proxibid.com/


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## djg (May 12, 2018)

I've got the basic 22 ton model from the local farm store. I cut firewood only for myself for supplemental heat and have access to a local log yard. The neighbor takes all the small stuff, so I'm left with the 24" dia. rounds. Thankfully, it's H/V as well it won't split one completely on the first pass. I have to rotate it 180 and to get manageable pieces. was
The point is, it's a 5 HP B&S and when I started it up in weather that was in the teens for a couple of weeks, the engine sieged up. Had to buy another engine because 5 HP is too small to rebuild. I had SAE 30 in it and maybe I should have changed to something thinner for Midwest winter.


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