HF Three Point Log Splitter

[RobA]

I went to the local Harbor Freight today to order the 3pt log splitter. $499.99, no delivery, no tax (store is in DE). As I am placing my order (not in stock) the guy asked if I wanted to buy a 2 year warranty for $80. After I declined he said "what if I give you 20% off?". He refused my counter offer of 20% off without the warranty so I took it. Total came to $480 with a 2 year warranty. I should have it by next Wednesday. I'm looking forward to getting it hooked up and using it. Thanks all for the advice and information.

 

[dmccarty]

Last XMAS I built a bench for my 3PH hydraulic splitter. My splitter is a SpeedCo from TSC and it sits across the back of the tractor not sticking out. If that makes sense.

The TSC splitter had/has its own legs to support the splitter. I built a bench roughly 3'x6' that holds the splitter. The bench allows me to put a bunch of wood to be split close at hand and give me a spot to put big pieces that have been split but have to be set aside while I split the other half.

Necessity is the mother of invention or something like that so when I had to get round too heavy to lift I used some 5-6' Tposts leaned against the bench to roll the rounds up to the work surface. 8' footers would work better I think.

The bench is made to fit my height so I am not bending over but standing straight up when splitting.

Since the splitter is held by the bench and runs off of hydraulics I can back the tractor up to the bench/splitter, hook up my hoses and off we go. This works with the box blade which is on the tractor most of the time. My guestimate on the hose length was wrong so I cannot putt the tractor along side the bench with the mower. So I will have to get a longer hose. But so far what I have works so I will save my money on the extra hoses.

Later,
Dan

 

[jinman]

Well Scott, the valve has no info that I can see. It has a plate on top that describes operation, but there is nothing to ID the manufacturer nor any identifying number. I suppose the info could be hidden or on the bottom side of the valve, but I just don't want to disassemble the splitter to try and find the data.

BTW: I hooked up the splitter in reverse the first time I plugged it into my remotes because the remotes can be swapped by action of the remote lever. The log splitter worked just fine, but opposite the shown direction of its lever. This is again slightly different from what you are asking because you plan to have the valve under pressure when it is in the neutral position. It could cause the lever to be very hard to operate or not operate at all due to the pressure creating a hydraulic lock; not likely, but possible. That would occur only if you were operating the 3PH under load and tried to operate the log splitter. If you tried to operate the log splitter and the 3PH position control was not nulled, the logsplitter would not operate well because the return side was under pressure from the 3PH. That's not the preferred setup in my estimation.

 

[Matyac]

Well Scott, the valve has no info that I can see. It has a plate on top that describes operation, but there is nothing to ID the manufacturer nor any identifying number. I suppose the info could be hidden or on the bottom side of the valve, but I just don't want to disassemble the splitter to try and find the data.

BTW: I hooked up the splitter in reverse the first time I plugged it into my remotes because the remotes can be swapped by action of the remote lever. The log splitter worked just fine, but opposite the shown direction of its lever. This is again slightly different from what you are asking because you plan to have the valve under pressure when it is in the neutral position. It could cause the lever to be very hard to operate or not operate at all due to the pressure creating a hydraulic lock; not likely, but possible. That would occur only if you were operating the 3PH under load and tried to operate the log splitter. If you tried to operate the log splitter and the 3PH position control was not nulled, the logsplitter would not operate well because the return side was under pressure from the 3PH. That's not the preferred setup in my estimation.

Jim, thanks for taking the time to look at the splitter valve. Hopefully, I'll have access to my own copy soon enough! I appreciate your advice and will let you know how I make out. One alternative that I'll consider is taking the 3PH out of the loop while I'm using the splitter by routing the exhaust from the splitter valve directly to the tank. This would protect the splitter valve from back pressure caused by 3PH operation but would also make the 3PH inoperative while splitting wood. Of course, there is always the option to buy a splitter valve with a power beyond port to feed the 3PH.

-Scott

 

[jambx]

Just today I bought the Harbor Freight 3 PT splitter - with a 20% discount coupon the price was a mear $399. They tried to sell me on the Warranty (2 year $80) and I declined. I felt my infrequent use (2 cords max / year) would not justify it and after two years if it broke I would throw it away and buy a new one with the money I saved by splitting my own (a cord here is going to $285 - just ridicules ).

 

[jinman]

RobA and jambx, both you guys "stole" your splitters. I hope you like it as much as I like mine. I can't imagine a better deal for the price. Just replace those toplink bracket bolts with a harder grade 5 or 8 M12-30 or -40 and you'll be good to go. I think the ones that come with it are 30mm, but there is room between the bracket and the cylinder for a 40mm length and I found them in the metric bins at TSC.

 

[RobA]

Jinman: on your advice I got some grade 8 bolts already. I would have been pretty ticked off if the original bolts sheared off.

jambx: I searched for HF store coupons before I went to order it. The ones I found all said not valid for special orders. Glad you were able to take advanatge of one.

 

[jambx]

RobA,

Yea - I read that the 20% coupon could not be used with special orders as well but when I called and asked about availability maybe it was in the spirit of the holiday but when I also asked about using the coupon - the store manager said not a problem.

Jinman,

Thanks so much for your feedback you helped me decide to purchase this unit. I am very confident it will fulfill all my needs since I really dont split a lot. I looked at the return with going with a stand alone and it never made sense for me due to the low volume of wood I will be processing not to mention that with two Kubotas, a leave blower, cyclone rake, pressure washer, home power generator, a Ducati M900, Triumph TR6 and a 24 foot boat I love the idea of not having another engine to maintain!!!

I am still a little unsure on what exactly I need for hoses and will review your PMs once again to make sure my shopping list is correct before I purchase them. Are these something I can buy off the internet, Grainger or just go to Kubota and purchase at "full" retail?

~jim

 

[RobA]

I am still a little unsure on what exactly I need for hoses and will review your PMs once again to make sure my shopping list is correct before I purchase them. Are these something I can buy off the internet, Grainger or just go to Kubota and purchase at "full" retail?
~jim

I'm going to the local Tractor Supply for the hoses and fittings. They should have everything.

 

[jinman]

I bought my 48" long x 1/2" hoses off the shelf at TSC, but just because I know this new store is well stocked and also has the Pioneer male quick-connects I needed. I think you can get hoses fabricated with 1/2" male NPT fittings on each end at NAPA auto parts stores too. As a last resort, I'd go to my tractor dealer, but that's just because they are 25 miles away from me. Their stuff is a little more expensive, but it is top of the line. I suspect you will pay a little more at your Kubota dealer, but you'll also have the best hoses and exactly the correct fittings you need. It's a toss-up depending on how much you are willing to spend.

You might even be satisfied with 3/8" hoses. If that's all I could find, I think I might try them. Because they are so short, you'll probably be able to get plenty of flow through a bit smaller hoses to your splitter. If you were running a hydraulic motor I'd say 1/2" is absolutely necessary, but 3/8" will probably work for the splitter. If you get 3/8", you'll have to get adapters for 3/8" to 1/2", so the savings might be a "wash."

 

[RobA]

Did the 90 degree fittings on the splitter valve come with the unit or did you buy them?

 

[jinman]

Did the 90 degree fittings on the splitter valve come with the unit or did you buy them?

They came on the unit from HF. All I had to buy was straight hoses and quick-connects. I already had teflon tape.

 

[jambx]

I just hooked up my HF Splitter - although it worked great I noticed a leak (drip) at the control value at the hex nut in the front of the valve - Has anyone experianced this leak?...unfortuntely the splitter manual has very little descriptionon the value - could it be a relief of sorts.....could it be to overfilling?....

 

[jinman]

I just hooked up my HF Splitter - although it worked great I noticed a small drip at the control value - does anyone have any idea of what this hex nut is for? Has anyone experianced this leak?

Yep! Mine leaked slightly there when I first pressurized the valve. I tightened it and have noticed no leakage since. My QA adapters are the only things that leak a few drops everytime I disconnect them.

EDIT: I think that part of the valve sets the pressure required to move the handle to neutral from its detent (return) position. Inside is what sets the pressure to 1100 psi for detent release. I don't know this for sure, but that's my educated (uneducated?) guess.

 

[RobA]

I have not had that problem but will keep an eye out for it. I'll be using it tomorrow.

 

[jambx]

Thanks guys - it acually leak quite a bit - I'll put a wrench on it tomorrow and see what happens. Other than that it seems to work great - not the speediest but for the price you cant beat it!

I am very happy - thanks for all your input and insight.

~jim

 

[RobA]

I used the HF splitter for about 4 hours today and no leaks. (Actually I got my daughter to use it for me while I used the chainsaw. She's a good worker!)

 

[aaronbrace]

RobA and jambx, both you guys "stole" your splitters. I hope you like it as much as I like mine. I can't imagine a better deal for the price. Just replace those toplink bracket bolts with a harder grade 5 or 8 M12-30 or -40 and you'll be good to go. I think the ones that come with it are 30mm, but there is room between the bracket and the cylinder for a 40mm length and I found them in the metric bins at TSC.

I have read this forum for years, but this is my first post. I just recently purchased the Harbor Freight 3PH splitter based on this thread. I assembled it and took a look at the bolts for the top link bracket and they are all stamped "8.8". Now I do not believe metric ratings are equal to the ASE grades (like Grade-5/Grade-8) I do believe that Metric grade 8.8 is roughly equal to ASE Grade-5.

So my question is as follows: Has harbor freight changed their bolts for the top link bracket from some low end quality to Class 8.8? Should I go out and get some higher class Metric bolts such as "10.9", which is the closest thing to the Grade-8 you guys are suggesting?

Thanks, and great forum!

 

[jinman]

Aaron, there is a very good chance that HF has upgraded the bolts. I think I'd give it a try. Even if the bolts shear off, they are pretty easy to remove. Mine has worked flawlessly since I went to a harder bolt.

 

[impdaddy]

so bottom line guys. How much for the new hoses and bolts and how hard is it to put together and will it attach with a quick hitch? What if I(mostly us) try to split something larger than 16 " dia.? Thanks ,:thumbsup::thumbsup: