I like log splitters, they are powerful and make the chore of splitting wood a breeze. You can really save money on wood if you split it yourself. Log splitters come in many shapes and sizes and the HomeLite is a small consumer unit that has some massive splitting force thanks to a 5 ton hydraulic ram. When choosing a log splitter you need to figure out how are you going to use it. If you are going to be constantly using it in a commercial application then you will probably get a gas splitter. If you own a small property and split a few face cords here and there the electric is the way to go. Some benefits of electric are that you can use it indoors, in a garage out of the elements and that you do not have to maintain a gas motor. Just plug in the 6 ft cord and go.
The HomeLite weighs in at 99 lbs which is light for a log splitter The frame design is simple yet serves a purpose, big 7″ wheels on one end and big handles on the other end allow you to easily move the unit around. To operate the unit you depress the big green button to start the electric motor and move the hydraulic lever down. The hydraulic lever can be locked out using the included steel pin that attaches to the frame via a strap so you don’t lose it. The unit is designed so that it takes both hands to operate, thus saving you from getting injured. Most all splitters are like this and it can be a pain when the wood starts sliding off. However the frame design of the Homlite creates a channel for the wood that helps keep it straight as it pushed towards the wedge. The push head seemed to come up just a tad short on pushes as we needed just a few more inches to split wet wood. This can be remedied using a block or short piece of wood.
There is a wing nut relief valve at the front of the splitter that you need to open when operating. As far as power goes, we had some huge logs on it and there was no issues whatsoever. We even powered it from a generator with no issues, in fact this worked out great because we can go directly to the downed tree and split wood right there. It draws 15 amps, provides 5 tons of splitting force and can split up to Splits 20″ logs up to 10″ in diameter. We had over 10″ diameter logs on it with no problem. The UT49102 comes with a 2 year warranty and a price of $299 which makes it a good buy.
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Eric $125 a cord thats 1/2 a cord price out here. Lucky dog.
I would not use any log splitter that has a wedge . Engineered my own blade and safety hands free splitting system that uses half the power and half the material thickness and so on. I now have engineered one of a kind rough terrain ATV log splitter. Eco friendly and user friendly is the way of the future. Inventor Of Debert NS. WWR.