Harbor Freight Electric Wood Splitter

[RichZ]

The newest Harbor Freight Tool catalogue has a 4 ton electric log splitter. It cuts up to 14 1/2 inch logs, with up to 12" diameter. It has a 2 hp motor. It's hydraulic, and looks like a smaller gas operated log splitter. It's only $269.99.

This is an awful lot cheaper than a gas operated or pto operated log splitter. I'm seriously thinking of getting one. I only split wood occaisionally, when we have downed trees on our 2 acre wood lot, or when we find out about someone with downed trees, who don't burn wood for heat.

Does anyone have any experience or ideas about this unit?

[RobS]

Rich, compare the speed if you can. Two units can have the same tonnage but drastically different cycle times if the power behind them is different. A slow splitter can be frustrating if you've got a lot of wood to work through [img]/forums/images/icons/smile.gif[/img]

[RichZ]

Thanks, Rob, but it's gotta be faster than splitting them by hand!!! And easier on the back, arms, etc. [img]/forums/images/icons/blush.gif[/img] [img]/forums/images/icons/laugh.gif[/img]

[fivestring]

"Thanks, Rob, but it's gotta be faster than splitting them by hand!!! And easier on the back, arms, etc."

But, Rich....
Think of the excercise you'll miss.... [img]/forums/images/icons/shocked.gif[/img]

[RobS]

<font color="blue"> it's gotta be faster than splitting them by hand!!! And easier on the back, arms, etc </font color>

Easier on the back etc... quite possibly. Faster... highly unlikely. Depending on the wood, a maul can outsplit all but the fastest splitters. And I'm sure you've heard the saying "He who cuts his own wood is twice warmed". Thrice warmed if you cut AND split it. Hey, have fun Rich [img]/forums/images/icons/smile.gif[/img]

[egon]

Ah shucks; wait till it's -30C out and the splitting gets real easy. And it gets done fast to cause you gotta keep warm.

Egon

[Slamfire]

Well you won't be splittin' any gum with it. Probably not wet red oak, nor hickory, neither. Faster, no way, unless you fall down every now and then from the weight of the maul. PTO driven splitters only cost twice as much, and will split just about anything you can get between the ram and the wedge.

[LazyJ_Arabians]

Hickory, the beast of cordwoods. I cut and bucked a lightning damaged pignut last weekend, knotty 'n knarly, dreaded splitting the thing all week. Luckily my boss made me spittin' mad on Friday right at quitting time and I couldn't wait to vent some frustration on that thing with my 8# maul this morning. Visualize his face lined up on a crack and blast him between the eyes. Two cords cracked, hauled, and stacked in the dry by lunchtime and whistlin' Dixie the whole time. Granted I just had to take a couple of Ibupropens but my psyche is almost restored and I'm halfway stocked for heat next winter.

I've rented a 10-ton splitter on occasions when I've had large crazy stuff like maple or elm to deal with and I've found them slow and frustrating. Plus the wrestling of the chunks into position never fails to mess up my back. I've since resolved to stick with oak or hickory and use sweetgum and elm logs for erosion control or streambed stabilization.

Geez I hate sweetgums, I think I'll visualize my boss as that big ugly one in the back pasture and down it tomorrow.

[Slamfire]

Well I've got a stack of sweet gum cut into fireplace lengths that my hydraulic splitter refuses to split or tear apart. It'll spray fluid out of a dozen fittings first. I managed to burn the branches in the round, but the trunk is too big for the stove's firebox. I cut some trees to unshade my corn patch last spring. I needed someone with more experience on some of them due to proximity to the power lines. I cut a deal with a local firewood man, he'd cut 'em, we'd split 'em 50/50. I notice he didn't get any gum. [img]/forums/images/icons/tongue.gif[/img]

[missourihick]

I have a 10 year old brave 20 ton 5 hp gas powered splitter. It is on it's 3rd engine. It has been a good un. I wish I had gone with the next bigger one,there are some chunks it just won't bust,I have to chew around it before it will split. I used a tractor hyd powered splitter,it plugged into the remote hyds on the tractor. It was on a 706 IH ,my brave had twice as much power as the tractor model. I would like to try out one of those big cone shaped screw things,I can't remember the name of it. anyone here ever used one?