We had a fallen tree, plus some tree work coming up. Kind of ruined my elbow splitting last year, time to act my age and get a log splitter. I settled on this one due to good reviews, and because of the stand. Ironically, once it arrived I decided against the stand. Like others have said, the unit is really heavy, and putting it up on a stand seemed like it would make it harder to get around, and would take up more room in my shed. Plus, my log rounds are on the ground, why pick them up just to have them fall on the ground again? I usually sit on a bucket, works fine. I put it on a picnic table once, others have mentioned the tailgate of a truck. Couple of thoughts. Make sure you loosen the bleed screw before using. I've forgotten a couple of times, I need to tie a big bow onto it or something until it becomes a habit. It also uses more hydraulic fluid than I expected. Not tons, but I end up adding a little before most uses. It's hard to see on the dipstick, I put it on a paper towel or rag just to make sure it's up near the line. The thumb screw to shorten the return is really not great, wish I had a better solution for it. Wheels are undersized, I'd like to change them out, but don't think the axle sticks far enough out to replace them with something from Harbor Freight. You can move it around, it just takes a bit of effort. Not a deal breaker. I use it with the Wen pedal switch, frees up one hand to guide some of the more stubborn logs. You need to use common sense and be careful, but it does help. You need to clamp down the on/off switch, and then plug into the pedal switch. As for the unit itself, very happy with its performance. Photo speaks for itself. Some of that is Osage Orange, a very hard wood that splits better when green. I pulled some pretty dry ones off an old pile and it split those also, no problem. It has a bit of trouble with rounds with knots or curves. It still splits, but kind of shreds along the way. You can usually get it to work by repositioning, or by doing a side at a time. If it's too stubborn, just toss it, not worth the time. I only had a couple of those over the course of several days. Once in a while with dry wood, the pieces go shooting off to the side at a pretty good clip, best to stand near the rear of the unit, another reason for the foot pedal switch. All in all, a good purchase, I would definitely buy again. Update: Doesn't use as much fluid as I said, needed to replace washer on dipstick. Pressure release handle has broken twice, replaced it with a roundish one from Ace Hardware that doesn't have edges to break off. Yesterday the plastic handle broke as I was putting it away, hoping customer service will replace. Unit is too heavy for the plastic to support. Still a great machine, gets the job done.
