There’s nothing like a blazing log fire to get you through dank January days and you may well find that the wood store has diminished after the recent holidays.
Splitting wood with a hefty axe is a fine way to work off some of the Christmas excesses but if you’re of a certain age (or even if you’re not) it is a certain way to injure your back.
Modern log splitters can take make this job much easier and you can split loads more wood when using one of these machines.
They work by forcing the wood to be split against a hefty steel wedge using hydraulic power generated by either an electric motor or a petrol engine.
There is a huge range of machines to choose from – basically if you’re splitting straight grained wood like ash or sycamore you’ll need less splitting power than if you’re dealing with thorn branches or fruit wood.
If you have several wood burning fires or stoves and a good supply of mixed woods you should chose a more powerful machine.
Most people who use one of these on occasional basis will be fine with this little machine, the MD 4-Ton Electric Horizontal Log-Splitter, a machine currently on special offer costing under £150.
This splitter has been designed to be simple to use and although it has only four tons of splitting power it is quite adequate for most light domestic use.
It takes logs up to 25 cm in diameter and 37 cm long, using a 1500 Watt electric motor to generate the splitting power.
Like most splitters, both hands are needed to operate it keeping them away from the splitting mechanism when it is operating.
Moving it around is simple as there are transport wheels fitted to the base and a rubber hand grip.
It costs just £149.95, the lowest priced splitter in its class. We deliver it for free the next working day and there is a two year warranty from the manufacturer.
If you want a slightly more powerful machine, the MD 5-Ton Electric Log-Splitter gives you slightly more splitting power and costs £179.95 compared with the recommended price of £299.95.
Again there is a two year warranty and free next working day delivery.
These are both horizontal machines using electricity to generate the splitting power. But as we said there is a host of machines available and with one that uses petrol power you are not limited by the closest power supply.
Many people also prefer a vertical style of machine and this one could be the answer.
The Lawnflite LS65P Petrol Vertical Log-Splitter uses a Briggs & Stratton engine to produce the hydraulic power and gives seven tons of splitting power.
This one can take wood up to 104 cm long and 32 cm diameter. The plate on which the wood sits can be adjusted to suit the length of wood you are working on and as the ram has less distance to move, the whole job is faster.
It has transport wheels and a handle making it easy to move around.
This one costs £799, a saving of £150 on the recommended retail price and is delivered free within three to five working days with a one year maker’s warranty.
Please give us a ring on 020 3026 8712 if you would like advice before buying and see these pages for a full selection of log splitters.
