Bought one of these last winter...no complaints so far. Split two cords of hemlock fir with no problem...couldn't find a round it would not split. Got the stand with it and so much better than bending over all the time. Only maintenance so far was topping off hydraulic fluid after two cords. Good product / worth the $.
I set up sawhorses with some boards on them to make a nice working height table. Clamp the starter switch to "on" and use a foot switch instead. Put the logs in the front loader bucket of my tractor, lift them at working height right behind me (you could use a cart or wheelbarrow if you dont have a tractor). So turn around, grab log, split log, throw split pieces on the other side of the table, that my wife grabs and stacks. We can get through a ton of wood with this "assembly line" setup. Even if she's not helping its great because i can get into a rhythm and split a good bit until it's piled up on the table, then stop and grab a whole bunch of pieces at a time and stack it. Anywhere you can cut down on the material handling time by a few seconds per piece saves you hours in a day. Love my Wen splitter. Like you said, if you've ever split wood with a axe and know to look for the natural cracks and use the splitter the same way it will handle almost anything.
It sounds like you have found a great setup for working. Have you tried the stand that came with the splitter? I have never used it. All my work is done on the ground because I'm able to keep a better back posture. Just need to make sure my knees are on a foam pad. If only this tiny splitter had a catch table or a log lift maybe, lol.
There is a drain plug on the wedge end of the splitter. You just drain it and replace with AW32 fluid. The user manual has a good illustration showing the steps. That manual can be downloaded from the Wen website.
Get a foot control switch from Harbor Freight if you haven’t since you made this video. Use a clamp to keep the green button activated. Lastly, use a small piece of wood to limit the ram travel. Thanks for the video!
Great video. Just drill and tap the stripped hole one size bigger and buy a new bolt to fit the new thread. Put a pipe on the handle to extend it out past the frame, attach a small mini clamp on the power button or buy a power foot pedal. Hope that helps.
Thanks for the comment and also good timing because I just broke it out again today to split 13 of 42 rounds I have cut and I actually like not having the guard on the one side.
I am 74 years old and work by myself with the splitter on the stand, So far I have split 14 cords with this splitter, and the only problem was the bolts on the guard stripping out, but put them back in and tightened them down , good and tight , that was last year, just finished doing 7 cords this year and they stayed tight the whole time.
I find on those Y pieces if I cut a notch with my chain saw, then put them on the splitter it usually will split them. Also, I do use the stand and I do not like the 2 handed operations, so a C-clamp on the button, and plug the power into a foot-operated on-off switch, fixed that problem, and freed up one hand to guide the wood through the splitter. and as you said, hit the power first, and allow to come up then hit the hydraulic lever, Oh yes and remember both the power and hydraulic have to be turned off before the ram will retract..
I have this make and model. Works great but I need to change or add the hydraulic fluid. There's a rubber piece covering the bolt-dip stick. How do I get this piece unscrewed?
Not sure. Mine has no rubber piece covering the dipstick. It's just a dipstick with an hex head. Why do you think you need to change or add fluid if you haven't removed the dipstick yet to check the fluid level?
SO I don't know if you will answer this but here goes, I bought an electric splitter from amazon 6.5 ton and I am unable to get it to split wood . When I try to split wood the hydraulic arm brings the wood in contact with the wedge but is stops . Any idea why and what I should do?
Was it a new unit (or used) and has it acted this way since the first moment you got it out of the box and tried to split wood? What happens with a lot of these splitters seems to be that people buy them and forget to open the vent screw, so then they split for a few hours and the lack of venting causes the seal to blow. When this happens, the hydraulic arm might move, but it will not have any force behind it. The other possibility might be an issue with the hydraulic valve. That's all I can think of.
Short answer is yes, but it really depends on the species of wood. Oak, no problem. Black gum, aweful. Seasoned oak I know can be challenging because it is harder and will tend to hold together and then split violently when under great pressure.
So I didn't open the air to let out and now it's not going back into place. Is there any way to fix this? I'm quite bummed I did this. Any help would be great.
"Not going back in place"...not sure what you mean. If you mean the ram isn't retracting fully, it's spring loaded, so maybe you have the stopper in place? The symptom of a blown seal due to not opening the air vent would be loss of splitting force.
@@Redneck_Ed So basically when i decided to use it, i didn't release the air before turning it on. I read in thepamplet that if this happens the splitter is damaged. Is this accurate?
@@luzinspired8721 Probably so. The air needs to escape or else you build excessive pressure and blow the seal. Running it for 5 or 10 minutes like this should not be an issue. I've forgotten a few times.
Fill/drain hole at the end of the splitter near the wedge. User manual has good instructions. Download the PDF from the Wen website if you can't find the paper manual.
I wonder if these are rated correctly... I would think 6 tons would split those V logs... I plan on buying one soon cause I cant afford a gas one... Just trying to get a feel for which brand to go with
They all seem to have very similar hydraulic designs. I'd buy the Wen again because of parts availability and past performance. There is a video out there showing a the hydraulics disassembled on a different brand which is helpful to understand the mechanics. Movability and ergonomics are pretty important factors to consider too.
@@Redneck_Ed Thank you Ed.. I ended up getting the one from Harbor Freight.. In all the videos I watched, I did see that they were all basically the same.. Some almost look to be identical with just a different paint job and name.. The brand they are calling mine is ""Central Machinery"" I like harbor freight and I did get a wood clamp and footswitch so I could operate with one hand on the log.. So far I am pretty impressed with the splitter.. My only complaint is that the destructions are contradictory because one spot it says to remove the vent plug and another spot says to back it out at least 5 turns... so,, I started out with removing it... turns out, it will squirt all your hydraulic fluid out under load if you dont have the plug in.. once I put it back in, and backed it off,, it was fine.. I split a half a face cord in about 30 minutes.. And I have some narly hard ash wood with twisted grain and knots.. That would have taken me all day by hand because of my health issues.. My only regret is not buying it sooner... I did everything by hand last year,, I love splitting wood,, but it dont love me... Army injury and all takes a toll on my body.. Im very thankful for this splitter.. I will look for that video you mentioned.. Hopefully I wont need it any time soon tho.. And thank you for the response.. It was helpful.. God bless..
I do hope it turns out to be that simple. If the ram isn't moving at all, but the motor is running, then I'm guessing it's the seals or something messed up in the valve body. I had to take the handle off and pull the valve out one time because something was jammed up. It squirted fluid everywhere when I pulled the valve out, but worked when I put the valve back in. good luck!
Hello I have the exact same one. I’ve cut at least 30 cords with it (spruce). It was giving me troubles in -30. Although I still manage to cut a few cords. It’s now +5 and it will not push the log to split. Do you know where to find parts for this exact model?
I Googled the hydraulics a while back and found some suppliers, but I can't give a specific reference to you. I do know that the manual calls for Dextron ATF below 40 degrees F. I can't imagine that this type of unit is meant to be run at those extreme temps of -30 or even +5. Unlike gas or diesel motor driven hydraulics, there is nothing to warm the fluid in this splitter.
You can cut a little piece of staple from a cardboard box and make a little L out of it and stick it in the stripped out hole and just bolt it back on.
Great idea. I've decided for now to just leave it because it really doesn't change the operation all that much. If I decide to fix it, I may go that route!
Appreciate the feedback. Some content creators make this look easier than it really is. I have chapter markers in most of my videos to make it easier to jump around. For this video, it's easy just to skip all of that and go straight to the splitter info by using the chapter separators.
Bought one of these last winter...no complaints so far. Split two cords of hemlock fir with no problem...couldn't find a round it would not split. Got the stand with it and so much better than bending over all the time. Only maintenance so far was topping off hydraulic fluid after two cords. Good product / worth the $.
I set up sawhorses with some boards on them to make a nice working height table. Clamp the starter switch to "on" and use a foot switch instead. Put the logs in the front loader bucket of my tractor, lift them at working height right behind me (you could use a cart or wheelbarrow if you dont have a tractor). So turn around, grab log, split log, throw split pieces on the other side of the table, that my wife grabs and stacks. We can get through a ton of wood with this "assembly line" setup. Even if she's not helping its great because i can get into a rhythm and split a good bit until it's piled up on the table, then stop and grab a whole bunch of pieces at a time and stack it. Anywhere you can cut down on the material handling time by a few seconds per piece saves you hours in a day. Love my Wen splitter. Like you said, if you've ever split wood with a axe and know to look for the natural cracks and use the splitter the same way it will handle almost anything.
It sounds like you have found a great setup for working. Have you tried the stand that came with the splitter? I have never used it. All my work is done on the ground because I'm able to keep a better back posture. Just need to make sure my knees are on a foam pad. If only this tiny splitter had a catch table or a log lift maybe, lol.
There is a drain plug on the wedge end of the splitter. You just drain it and replace with AW32 fluid. The user manual has a good illustration showing the steps. That manual can be downloaded from the Wen website.
Get a foot control switch from Harbor Freight if you haven’t since you made this video. Use a clamp to keep the green button activated. Lastly, use a small piece of wood to limit the ram travel. Thanks for the video!
I ended up purchasing the Wen momentary foot switch. Works great.
I'm thinking of buying this model thank you for sharing your real life experience on using it.
Great video. Just drill and tap the stripped hole one size bigger and buy a new bolt to fit the new thread. Put a pipe on the handle to extend it out past the frame, attach a small mini clamp on the power button or buy a power foot pedal. Hope that helps.
Thanks for the comment and also good timing because I just broke it out again today to split 13 of 42 rounds I have cut and I actually like not having the guard on the one side.
I am 74 years old and work by myself with the splitter on the stand, So far I have split 14 cords with this splitter, and the only problem was the bolts on the guard stripping out, but put them back in and tightened them down , good and tight , that was last year, just finished doing 7 cords this year and they stayed tight the whole time.
Thank you so much for the comment. Check out my latest pine straw rake video where I gave you a shout out. ruclips.net/video/yyFJ_FIXWMY/видео.html
Lots of great tips here!
Thanks man for all the info i been thinking of a splitter but wasnt sure which one but i really like your and getting one soon thanks
Thanks for the feedback. I'm happy to hear the videos helped!
Thanks for the video. Really enjoy the tips
Glad you liked the video. Thanks for the feedback.
I find on those Y pieces if I cut a notch with my chain saw, then put them on the splitter it usually will split them. Also, I do use the stand and I do not like the 2 handed operations, so a C-clamp on the button, and plug the power into a foot-operated on-off switch, fixed that problem, and freed up one hand to guide the wood through the splitter. and as you said, hit the power first, and allow to come up then hit the hydraulic lever, Oh yes and remember both the power and hydraulic have to be turned off before the ram will retract..
Do you know what foot control works for this model?
@@3982snyd I just ordered the one from Harbor freight, and it works great.
I have this make and model. Works great but I need to change or add the hydraulic fluid. There's a rubber piece covering the bolt-dip stick. How do I get this piece unscrewed?
Not sure. Mine has no rubber piece covering the dipstick. It's just a dipstick with an hex head. Why do you think you need to change or add fluid if you haven't removed the dipstick yet to check the fluid level?
SO I don't know if you will answer this but here goes, I bought an electric splitter from amazon 6.5 ton and I am unable to get it to split wood . When I try to split wood the hydraulic arm brings the wood in contact with the wedge but is stops . Any idea why and what I should do?
Was it a new unit (or used) and has it acted this way since the first moment you got it out of the box and tried to split wood? What happens with a lot of these splitters seems to be that people buy them and forget to open the vent screw, so then they split for a few hours and the lack of venting causes the seal to blow. When this happens, the hydraulic arm might move, but it will not have any force behind it. The other possibility might be an issue with the hydraulic valve. That's all I can think of.
will it split green and seasoned wood both?
Short answer is yes, but it really depends on the species of wood. Oak, no problem. Black gum, aweful. Seasoned oak I know can be challenging because it is harder and will tend to hold together and then split violently when under great pressure.
So I didn't open the air to let out and now it's not going back into place. Is there any way to fix this? I'm quite bummed I did this. Any help would be great.
"Not going back in place"...not sure what you mean. If you mean the ram isn't retracting fully, it's spring loaded, so maybe you have the stopper in place? The symptom of a blown seal due to not opening the air vent would be loss of splitting force.
@@Redneck_Ed So basically when i decided to use it, i didn't release the air before turning it on. I read in thepamplet that if this happens the splitter is damaged. Is this accurate?
@@luzinspired8721 Probably so. The air needs to escape or else you build excessive pressure and blow the seal. Running it for 5 or 10 minutes like this should not be an issue. I've forgotten a few times.
How do you replace/replenish the hydraulic fluid in the wen log splitter?
Fill/drain hole at the end of the splitter near the wedge. User manual has good instructions. Download the PDF from the Wen website if you can't find the paper manual.
I wonder if these are rated correctly... I would think 6 tons would split those V logs... I plan on buying one soon cause I cant afford a gas one... Just trying to get a feel for which brand to go with
They all seem to have very similar hydraulic designs. I'd buy the Wen again because of parts availability and past performance. There is a video out there showing a the hydraulics disassembled on a different brand which is helpful to understand the mechanics. Movability and ergonomics are pretty important factors to consider too.
@@Redneck_Ed Thank you Ed.. I ended up getting the one from Harbor Freight..
In all the videos I watched, I did see that they were all basically the same.. Some almost look to be identical with just a different paint job and name.. The brand they are calling mine is ""Central Machinery""
I like harbor freight and I did get a wood clamp and footswitch so I could operate with one hand on the log.. So far I am pretty impressed with the splitter..
My only complaint is that the destructions are contradictory because one spot it says to remove the vent plug and another spot says to back it out at least 5 turns... so,, I started out with removing it... turns out, it will squirt all your hydraulic fluid out under load if you dont have the plug in.. once I put it back in, and backed it off,, it was fine..
I split a half a face cord in about 30 minutes.. And I have some narly hard ash wood with twisted grain and knots.. That would have taken me all day by hand because of my health issues.. My only regret is not buying it sooner... I did everything by hand last year,, I love splitting wood,, but it dont love me... Army injury and all takes a toll on my body.. Im very thankful for this splitter..
I will look for that video you mentioned.. Hopefully I wont need it any time soon tho.. And thank you for the response.. It was helpful.. God bless..
Mine stopped moving. Hopefully I didn't ruin it and can fix by adding fluid
I do hope it turns out to be that simple. If the ram isn't moving at all, but the motor is running, then I'm guessing it's the seals or something messed up in the valve body. I had to take the handle off and pull the valve out one time because something was jammed up. It squirted fluid everywhere when I pulled the valve out, but worked when I put the valve back in. good luck!
use a helicoil buy a kit at auto parts store can be done
Hello I have the exact same one. I’ve cut at least 30 cords with it (spruce). It was giving me troubles in -30. Although I still manage to cut a few cords. It’s now +5 and it will not push the log to split. Do you know where to find parts for this exact model?
I Googled the hydraulics a while back and found some suppliers, but I can't give a specific reference to you. I do know that the manual calls for Dextron ATF below 40 degrees F. I can't imagine that this type of unit is meant to be run at those extreme temps of -30 or even +5. Unlike gas or diesel motor driven hydraulics, there is nothing to warm the fluid in this splitter.
Does this take hydraulic fluid?
Yes
You can cut a little piece of staple from a cardboard box and make a little L out of it and stick it in the stripped out hole and just bolt it back on.
Great idea. I've decided for now to just leave it because it really doesn't change the operation all that much. If I decide to fix it, I may go that route!
Got dizzy watching the opening video.
Appreciate the feedback. Some content creators make this look easier than it really is. I have chapter markers in most of my videos to make it easier to jump around. For this video, it's easy just to skip all of that and go straight to the splitter info by using the chapter separators.
I splitter 10 ricks with this
this thing beast. but both sides stripped out and fell.off mine