OT Log Splitter

A

aurthuritis

Well-known member
I have been looking at the Harbor Freight 20 ton Log Splitter. do any of you have one of these? opinions are welcome
 
yes that is the one. it has good reviews. dual acting cyl and two stage pump. i gotta get something for my wife to do!
 
I use a Speeco and in all the years and many, many cord, it's never failed me.

Not 100% sure but the "Dirty Hands" versions that Lowe's sell look awfully like the Speeco's so I'm not sure if they're a clone of if Speeco is actually making them.
 
Oh, and Huskee and CountryLine also look identical to the Speeco's. This is what Tractor Supply sells.
 
If the above are made by someone besides Speedo, they must be contracting their parts from Speec0, as that is who one calls to get any kind of parts.......

For me, very much like BC....To many cords to count having this splitter only going on 10 years now and NOTHING has been a problem.

If you just have to be different, the DR type are there for you....... God bless..Dennis
 
OK, I blew up the picture and read the specs of the one from Harbor Freight.

Some things I noticed:
Predator engine - Looked it up and it's a proprietary engine made in China. Can you get off-the-shelf parts like you can for a Briggs or Kohler?

Log catch grates - They're not lipped at the ends to keep the log from rolling off. They also don't look very sturdy. The one I have, I can and have literally stood on top of it and it never budged.

It doesn't appear that it can split vertical.

I do like the capability to split in both directions. I don't know if I like the fact it's pushing the wood onto the engine and hoses.

The tongue looks sectional. Could be handy for storage since your tongue doesn't stick out.

Because it can split in both directions, I think it's much faster than a traditional splitter. That's good if you're young but my old body likes that 5-second break you get waiting for the cylinder to return. Heck, I run my just above idle and that's right about the pace I want.

2.5 gal hyd fluid reservoir. That seems pretty small. I think mine is around 6 gallons. Because of the lower volume, you'll need to keep an eye on the fluid temp.
 
the predator engine is a good clone of a honda. I have another one just like it on an air compressor and it works just like a honda and accepts most honda parts,so i am not afraid of the engine. I have watched some youtube vids of people using the splitter with large heavy logs and the tables don't flex but they don't have a lip. I agree that it doesn't appear to be able to split vertical. you may be correct about the engine having split wood banging around it. I saw a vid where a fella made a four way split wedge to slip over the one on the machine and he was splitting logs in four ways with one pass.
 
I have one of the older 20 ton huskies from tractor supply and have had no issues with it in 10 years.Ive only really bogged it down one time on a big knotted piece of heavy wet red oak.I think you will be very happy with it.You have the bonus of having side tables on it from the picture and best of all predator engines are basically a knock off of honda engines so parts are very easy to get.so I dont think you can go wrong with this one.
Happy splitting..Ive slipt Ive split well over 500 log cords woth mine so far and have only had to add gasoline and change oil and filters in 10 years and still runs great.I havnt added a table to mine as its the same height as the RTV so I back the RTV right up to it and when logs get split they are just rolled into the back of the RTV.The only suggestion I would add is make a bracket to attach to it for a nice big picnik table umbrella to keep you out of the sun on them hot days and keep you dry on them rainy days.

Regards

Mark
 
the splitter arrived yesterday by freight truck. i have to say the packaging is less than perfect,in fact it was more like a bunch of parts tossed into a crate with cardboard around it. the good thing is all parts are there and nothing was damaged. i will assemble it sometime in the next couple of days and check back.
 
as most parts are heavy steel as in the shelves I dont think a lot of care needs to be put in packing on these beasts.It isnt like it isnt gunna get scratched or wet in its life lol.Let us know how it works.MIne is a single and not a double splitter like yours but it sure saves the time.I cant even count the pulp cords mine has split over the past 10 years....
 
I just finished assembling the HF 20 ton splitter,took about 30 minuets. every bolt and every hole lined up perfect, much to my surprise. i haven't put the oil in it yet so i will check back later after i fire it up. i will say that i am surprised that it is as well built as it is. I think i will use SUDT as hydraulic oil for this. what you think??
 
Last edited:
The SUDT probably is overkill. I don't see it needing that high a grade.

Does the manual make any recommendations?

Jim
 
its up and running. i used Kubota regular UDT for hydraulic fluid so i am sure it will run superior. it started on the first pull and cycles smoothly. the ram is plenty big so i don't think i will bend it. i have not split any wood yet though.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top