Best Log Splitters 2020: Review & Buying Guide
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We are familiar with the story of the axe and the smart woodcutter- an individual who sharpens his axe for 4 hours and does the job in 2 hours is smarter than the one who sweats at the field. In short, it is always better to have precise and helpful tools to do your job. But now we are way past the axe era and are into the technologically advanced and much beneficial equipment such as the log splitter to simplify our tasks and make our life easier. To make your job easier, we have come up with ten of the top log splitters of 2020.
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Top 10 Best Log Splitters for Buying in 2020
The review and buying section below would act as a complete guide helping you make the right choice for selecting the best log splitter for your work. Ideally, while it is tough to get the best log splitter under $3000 having high specifications, the ones given below are some of the top picks that do it in an economical range.
1. WEN Log Splitter
How good would it be to have 13000 pounds of pressure in your hands to cut logs in a jiffy? That’s what the WEN splitter offers the user with its 2.5 HP electric motor that can take up to 1800 watts of current. Furthermore, this enables you to cut logs up to 10 inches in diameter and 20.5 inches in length. The WEN 56206 splitter is better than most other electric splitters in this category as it produces 6.5 tonnes of force and can smoothly work with the electricity at home.
The unit comes with a 34-inch stand, used if the individual prefers it but could be assembled with help easily. This electric splitter is environmentally friendly as it avoids the emission of harmful gases.
2. Sun Joe Hydraulic Splitter
Rely on Sun Joe products for making your lawns and outdoors beautiful with their fantastic hydraulic log splitter that can build up to 10 tons of driving force to crack open logs up to 18 inches long and 8 inches wide. The unit is made from high-quality, durable steel for optimized performance for a very long time.
The unit is easy to maintain with no disturbance of oil changes or gas leaks and comes with wheels for moving them around quickly, making it one of the best log splitters.
3. Southland Electric Splitter
Do away with your axe and choose this powerful splitter that helps you chop any type of wood quickly and efficiently. It has a high-powered 6 ton, 15 amp induction motor with 1.75 HP that assures uncompromised performance while choosing to cut even the hardest of the wood varieties. It is one of the best log splitter 2020.
The unit has a 7-inch wheel for easy maneuvering and also offers the user with the facility to mount it vertically, too, which makes it easier to store as it occupies less space. The 5-inch splitting wedge can split woods up to 20.5 inches in length in an 18 second splitting time, which is pretty quick.
4. YARDMAX 5 Ton Splitter
Designed to deliver excellent performance for both residential and commercial use, the YARDMAX splitter makes log splitting smooth and neat with its optimal design and specifications. It has a 5-ton ram force and a quick cylinder cycle time of 16 seconds to chop logs as long as 20.5 inches in length and 10 inches in diameter. YARDMAX is one of the best log splitters under $2000.
It is lightweight but provides high power; it is easy to move around and operate with the help of a stable stand that keeps the log still while chopping and has a 7-inch wheel diameter, which makes it portable.
5. Boss Electric Splitter
With a push-button for starting the splitter, this is an easy to use unit that can split any kind of wood with its 15 amp and 2 HP electric motor. The machine constructed of high-quality materials with a top-class design offering 3500 psi hydraulic pressure, which helps you split logs that are as long as 20.5 inches and 10 inches in diameter.
The unit comes with high-density rubber wheels for smoothly moving them around and is fully assembled, which makes the user’s job easier. It has side railings that keep your log stable while splitting, and the handles provided in the front makes maneuvering it easy.
6. Champion Horizontal 7-Ton Splitter
From the homes of Champion manufacturers who excel in providing standard, high-performing equipment for commercial and residential use, this 7-ton splitter is compact but doesn’t compromise on performance. It has an 80 cc engine that splits logs up to 19 inches in length and 50 pounds in weight with a 20 second cycle time that is pretty quick.
It has a log cradle to store the log safely, and the wedges are skewed to improve efficiency. The unit is easy to move around as it is provided with 10-inch never-flat wheels and comfortable handles. You can adjust the pressure that needs to be exerted using the 2-stage gear pump and boasts of splitting any logs.
7. PowerSmart Electric Splitter
The attractive red/black log splitter is good to use for residential purposes. It has a 1.75 HP and a 15 Amp induction motor that comes up with 6 ton RAM force helping the user split logs up to 21 inches in length and 10 inches in diameter.
The product is from PowerSmart, a company that’s been in the industry for years, and hence, they offer durability and rapid splitting with its 20-second cycle time.
8. Champion Gas Log Splitter
The specifications of this splitter genuinely make it a champion in every sense. It is a 25-ton splitter with a 224 cc single-cylinder engine capacity that can split the most enormous and most massive logs. It’s 12-second cycle time, and auto-return valve reduces your log splitting time as much as possible compared to other log splitters making it the best log splitter for the money.
The splitter is towable up to 45 mph and can do up to 300 cycles per hour. To accomplish such tasks, it is provided with a log catcher that stores your split woods within reach.
9. Powerhouse Hydraulic Log Splitter
Powerhouse log splitters are loved by people worldwide for its versatile functioning, impeccable design, and functioning, and efficient work accomplishment.
Designed with a 4 HP and 2900 watts motor, it is a sturdy unit that chops away logs with no fumes or pollutants. Moreover, it provides a quiet splitting experience designed to be used outside or inside, on the ground, or on a bench.
10. VULCAN Log Splitter
VULCAN is a tall log splitter that can help you split wood, be it summer or winter, rain, or sun, with its ability to be used inside as well as outside. It weighs around 63 pounds and is provided with two wheels, which make moving around an easy task. The 8-ton log splitter can split logs up to 23 inches and is one of the best log splitters.
Essential Features of The Best Log Splitter
The basic principle involves applying sufficient pressure on a specific area to split your logs, but it indeed is crucial to understand the amount of tension used to accomplish quality work. As measured in tonnage, the ideal log splitter depends on the log size, its hardness, and its type-seasoned or greenwood.
Which Type of Log Splitter is Best to Use?
There are different types of splitters of which the gas and electric splitters are most popular. While gas splitters provide more cycle time and productivity, they ruin the environment with heavy fumes and are bulkier. Comparatively, electric splitters are environment friendly, quiet while functioning, and used indoors too. When it comes to small engines, choosing the best log splitter with the Honda engine is a wise idea. These are good enough for home purposes. Besides these, we have manual splitters that need ample hard work and consume more time, which doesn’t fit our bill.
Does my log splitter’s wedge need frequent sharpening?
Surprisingly, the wedge is sharp enough to provide good quality cutting throughout the log splitter’s life without any need to resharpen it, given the fact that you use the unit to cut wood and wood only. The engine might sometimes stagger when the wedge begins to split, indicating that it is overloaded.
Why does the valve control handle doesn’t move forward/come back into position once released?
There is a valve control handle provided to decrease time consumption bringing back into position automatically to cut wood cold/dirty hydraulic fluid prevents the handle from snapping back into position. Warm the fluid when cold or replace the fluid when dirty, and if the valve doesn’t do its job even after this, then it’s time to replace the control valve.
Sometimes the wedge keeps moving even after the valve is released, which is due to leakage in the control valve, which needs immediate replacement.
What is the frequency in which the hydraulic fluid is changed?
It is good to check the hydraulic fluid each time before using the machine and can be used without changing until the system is clean. You can know by looking at the oil-if, it seems clear you could use it, and the accumulation of dirt determines the oil’s clarity. But without a doubt, the hydraulic fluid filter must be changed every year without fail, and so the engine oil, which could be improved even more frequently depending on your usage levels.
Conclusion
A log splitter saves time and effort, and to accomplish both these requirements; you need to choose equipment that works well. Some crucial factors that determine a splitter’s efficiency include the power of the engine, cylinder size, splitting force, cycle time, and value for the price. It is ideal to buy a machine that is capable enough to withstand your log heaviness and deliver accurate splitting with sharp wedges. Above all, go for a device that is movable and does the job both inside and outside with low maintenance required.
