45 Ton, 15HP Hydraulic Gasoline Powered Log Wood Splitter Machine, with Electric Start

So, this is a machine that you get what you pay for. I drove down to Vista to pick it up, and made absolutely sure it would be ready. It was not. I got a machine with no Engine which I took because I made a 2 hour drive to save some freight. They made a worker drive all the way out to deliver a motor later the next day. The machine has a four prong cage to push the split wood off. This thing bends almost immediately and I took it off. The tires are the most pathetic ever. After having this machine covered for 2 years, they literally rotted off the tiny rims. After dismounting them, I noticed that one tube already had a patch on it ! The tubes fell apart inside the tires.Very poor quality. The rims aren't not much better, and with a 1" center bushing makes it very hard to find replacements. The machine could use a hydraulic oil filter or a cooler as it gets hot with too much use. I have replaced all the bolts that hold the ram to the I-beam with Nylock Nuts. The Electric start never did work on our engine either. I guess my only good review is that it does split wood. A poorly made piece of outsourced Chinese crap.

I split a couple of cord a month with this splitter, and my main complaint is that it overheats after 45 minutes or an hour. Hydraulic failures are caused by 1) physical trauma to hoses or connectors, and 2) HEAT in the fluid. As for trauma, the seller failed to protect the hose from the huge I beam during shipping, so my hose was hammered on by a 500 pound hammer for quite some time. I asked the seller for a replacement hose, and got no reply. As for heat, I bought and installed from Granger a hydraulic oil radiator with a fan powered by hydraulic oil pressure. This do-it-yourself aftermarket upgrade cost me $1000 but I can split wood as long as I want day after day and have no problem with heat buildup. I expect it will greatly extend the life of the splitter. This modification is NOT included in the stock model. They shipped this splitter with nuts and bolts floating around in a crate with holes in the bottom. Of course most of the nuts were missing upon arrival. Also they should have provided stamped or nylon locking nuts to mount the motor. Their normal nuts and lock washers have no chance of withstanding the motor vibration, so I had to purchase stamped nuts myself. They cost of these nuts isn't the issue, rather it is my time and trouble driving to get all the pieces and parts I needed they ought to have provided. The engine porpoises and dies at certain mid-range RPMs, and rarely but suddenly dies at higher RPMs. I imagine the hydraulic valve sending unused oil back to the reservoir gets into a fight with the pump and the two get going in waves that eventually shut the engine down. Maybe need higher torque or better system engineering. Warning: the I beam is so heavy you need 2 Gorillas or an engine hoist to stand it up for assembly. Also, if you're going to erect the I beam to split, but without the trailer attached to a vehicle, then you had better have the "kickstand" down under the I beam FIRST, else the tongue of the splitter will violently come up and hit you and you'll likely let go of the I beam and then have it hammer down on you and crush you. Put the kickstand down under the I beam first or leave the splitter attached you your vehicle. I love my spliter and no you can't borrow it.