s219
Super Member
- Joined
- Dec 7, 2011
- Messages
- 8,608
- Location
- Virginia USA
- Tractor
- Kubota L3200, Deere X380, Kubota RTV-X
I have been casually shopping for a basic log splitter for a few months; I do most splitting by hand with a Fiskars X-27 during winter months for the fresh air and exercise, but wanted to get a powered log splitter so I can process firewood during summer months when it's hot and humid and too miserable to split by hand.
I had narrowed my favorites down to the Northstar units from Northern Tool (pricey but great features/quality), the Huskee models from Tractor Supply, and the DHT (Dirty Hand Tools) models sold from a few stores and online sellers. All of these brands had a cleaner and stouter build than the myriad of Troy-built spinoffs sold as other brands (including Cub and Ariens, among many others) that just differ in engine options, colors, and minor details.
I had several 10% coupons for TSC come and go while my local stores had no splitters in stock, and if I ordered one special it wouldn't have included hydraulic fluid, which would have offset any price benefit of the coupons. I finally saw the DHT 22-ton model go on sale at Lowes for $999 and used a 10% coupon to drop it to $899, which was a great price. I originally heard of DHT based on a post here on TBN, and when I looked into the brand, turns out they make a real solid product. One of the great things about the 22-ton DHT model is the fast cycle time of under 11 seconds. That was by far the fastest I had seen, at any price or ton range.
My local Lowes does not offer DHT splitters (not even via special order) so I had to order the splitter online for pickup at a store 50 miles away, but in the same town where I work. It only took 2 business days to get to the store, which was good. I had no idea whether they'd assemble it or it would still come in a crate, but either way, I knew I would want it in the bed of my truck for the 50 mile ride home over bumpy roads -- no way I'd ever tow a splitter that far over our lousy roads. Anyhow, the splitter was in fact still in a crate, and a couple guys at Lowes did a nice careful job loading the crate in the bed of my truck with a forklift.
When I got home and popped the top off the crate, here's what I saw:
Everything looked good, and I noted that not only was the hydraulic fluid included as promised, it was already in the splitter! Reservoir was full, and the lines were capped off. I used my clamp on forks to get the crate out of my truck and down to the ground for assembly (makes me wonder how they expect customers without tractors/forks to unload, but I guess people work it out):
It took me about 45 minutes to assemble at a leisurely pace, and I was impressed with all the components and fasteners. The crate noted that the unit was designed in the US but assembled in China of "imported and domestic" components. I have to say everything was top quality and well made.
I hitched the splitter up and towed it down near my wood piles, and the Kohler 6.5HP engine fired up in about 5 pulls after I added gas. I cycled the ram a few times to purge any air in the hydraulics, then did a few test splits on some oak. No leaks, and I was real pleased with the performance -- was as if the engine didn't even see the load from the wood. This is really going to help me speed through some wood this summer. The hardest part was finding a spot in my barn:
One last thing I want to do is weld up a table, since I will probably do most of my splits horizontally. DHT sells "wings" for about $80 each, but I think I can build something larger and nicer for less.
I had narrowed my favorites down to the Northstar units from Northern Tool (pricey but great features/quality), the Huskee models from Tractor Supply, and the DHT (Dirty Hand Tools) models sold from a few stores and online sellers. All of these brands had a cleaner and stouter build than the myriad of Troy-built spinoffs sold as other brands (including Cub and Ariens, among many others) that just differ in engine options, colors, and minor details.
I had several 10% coupons for TSC come and go while my local stores had no splitters in stock, and if I ordered one special it wouldn't have included hydraulic fluid, which would have offset any price benefit of the coupons. I finally saw the DHT 22-ton model go on sale at Lowes for $999 and used a 10% coupon to drop it to $899, which was a great price. I originally heard of DHT based on a post here on TBN, and when I looked into the brand, turns out they make a real solid product. One of the great things about the 22-ton DHT model is the fast cycle time of under 11 seconds. That was by far the fastest I had seen, at any price or ton range.
My local Lowes does not offer DHT splitters (not even via special order) so I had to order the splitter online for pickup at a store 50 miles away, but in the same town where I work. It only took 2 business days to get to the store, which was good. I had no idea whether they'd assemble it or it would still come in a crate, but either way, I knew I would want it in the bed of my truck for the 50 mile ride home over bumpy roads -- no way I'd ever tow a splitter that far over our lousy roads. Anyhow, the splitter was in fact still in a crate, and a couple guys at Lowes did a nice careful job loading the crate in the bed of my truck with a forklift.
When I got home and popped the top off the crate, here's what I saw:
Everything looked good, and I noted that not only was the hydraulic fluid included as promised, it was already in the splitter! Reservoir was full, and the lines were capped off. I used my clamp on forks to get the crate out of my truck and down to the ground for assembly (makes me wonder how they expect customers without tractors/forks to unload, but I guess people work it out):
It took me about 45 minutes to assemble at a leisurely pace, and I was impressed with all the components and fasteners. The crate noted that the unit was designed in the US but assembled in China of "imported and domestic" components. I have to say everything was top quality and well made.
I hitched the splitter up and towed it down near my wood piles, and the Kohler 6.5HP engine fired up in about 5 pulls after I added gas. I cycled the ram a few times to purge any air in the hydraulics, then did a few test splits on some oak. No leaks, and I was real pleased with the performance -- was as if the engine didn't even see the load from the wood. This is really going to help me speed through some wood this summer. The hardest part was finding a spot in my barn:
One last thing I want to do is weld up a table, since I will probably do most of my splits horizontally. DHT sells "wings" for about $80 each, but I think I can build something larger and nicer for less.
