I’m Ready to Buy a Log Splitter!
Great! You’ve come to the right place. At Log Splitter HQ, we’re all about helping you find the log splitter that will get the job done right… the first time.
The most important piece of advice that we can offer you during your search is this: Sometimes, what you WANT from your log splitter and what you really NEED from your log splitter can be two VERY different things. We’re pretty sure you’ve heard that before, about a lot of other things, but it’s as true in this case as it is in most every other case.
Our first piece of advice is this: Don’t get distracted by big numbers.
A lot of people come to Log Splitters HQ wanting the biggest, baddest, strongest, fastest log splitter we carry and they’ve got their credit cards ready to buy it. Right. Now. Unfortunately, when those people give our Product Experts a call to ask about our biggest splitters, we end up bursting their bubble. Why do we burst their bubble? Because we believe in honesty. We have absolutely ZERO problem letting you know if we don’t think our biggest log splitter is right for you.
Don’t get us wrong, if you INSIST on buying a log splitter that’s got more power than you’ll ever need, we’ll let you have it.
Keep this in mind: Equipment Rental Stores typically carry 26-Ton log splitters because they’re powerful enough to handle most splitting jobs – including commercial sized jobs – while still being compact enough for ease-of-use on smaller residential projects.
The best approach for deciding how much tonnage you NEED is to consider how much, and what kind, of wood you’ll be spitting.
Rather than bombarding you with itty-bitty pictures of log diameters and recommended splitters, we feel that that the most accurate way to decide is using the Jakarta Hardness Ratings**.
**Please note that the above information is for reference only. Any one log or round may vary significantly depending on environmental, growth, and other factors. Information sourced from Wiki.
I Want my Money’s Worth!
This mentality ties in with what we’ve already talked about. There are several instances when a lower tonnage log splitter and a higher tonnage log splitter have a very small price difference. When this happens, our inner bargain shopper starts to get excited and it can be really, really, really hard to tamp it down. You must, though, because it’ll probably save you money down the road.
A lot of the “value” and “no name” brand log splitters that are listed as being more powerful (37-Tons or more) but cost lessthan other smaller rigs fall into the “You Get What You Pay For” category:
– Manufactured using poor quality materials.
– Parts are difficult to find.
– Inferior motors / engines.
> If your seller can’t tell you, or is unwilling to look up, the engine manufacturer you should be concerned.
> Higher horsepower does not equate to a more powerful log splitter, especially if it’s an inferior motor.
– Sub-par or non-existent warranty.
-Terrible cycle time. (Cycle time is how quickly a log splitter can split logs).
> Higher tonnage machines will almost always have lower cycle times. However, “low” and “slow” are very different things as far as log splitters are concerned. “Low” cycle times are in the 20 second range. “Slow” cycle times can be minutes long. Another reason to be leery of “bargain” / “off” brands.
> The opposite extreme is less common but still something to be aware of. It’s almost impossible for a person to keep up with a 3 – 5 second cycle time and most people wouldn’t want to even try; don’t fall for it!
– More power means more fuel.
> What you’re saving up front could cost you a lot more down the road. How long will it take your splitter to “pay for itself”? Does it make sense?
Try to decide if paying less for your log splitter now is worth paying more in effort, time, and hassle later.
I Believe that Less can be More! Now what?
So, at this point, you should have a pretty good idea whether or not you really need our biggest, baddest, strongest, fastest log splitter. If you do, great! We’re more than happy to help get that splitter shipped out to you and we hope that you feel more confident about your purchase now than you did when you first started reading this article.
So, for your benefit, we've assembled a list of our most popular splitters from high to low tonnage.
Gas Log Splitter: 37-Ton Vertical / Horizontal Performance Built Log Splitter
Gas Log Splitter: 35-Ton Horizontal / Vertical Yardmax Log Splitter
Gas Log Splitter: 30-Ton Horizontal Iron & Oak Log Splitter
Gas Log Splitter: 28-Ton Horizontal / Vertical Yardmax Log Splitter
Gas Log Splitter: 20-Ton Horizontal Boss Industrial Log Splitter
Electric Log Splitter: 10-Ton Boss Industrial Log Splitter
Electric Log Splitter: 8-Ton Boss Industrial Log Splitter
If you still have questions or would like more recommendations, always feel free to give us a call!
Our Product Experts will only offer honest, ZERO pressure to buy, advice and suggestions. We want you to get the best log splitter for your needs… even if it isn’t one of our biggest, baddest, strongest, fastest log splitters.
