Boss Industrial ED8T20 Electric Log Splitter, 8-Ton

The updates have the word UPDATE preceding the new comments. It probably deserves five stars for log splitting, but overall I can't do that for a splitter with SERIOUS FLAWS. The company obviously isn't seriously committed to quality control and product testing especially after making modifications. Any log spitting company can build a good splitter, but to stand out above the others it takes a little more than attaching a motor to a pump providing hydraulic oil to a ram mounted on a frame. I seriously regret buying this splitter.The good: Very powerful, splits logs with no problem.The not so good: 1) You would expect the brand new machine to arrive ready to use, albeit with a few minor part installations. However, I had to drive around town trying to locate an O-ring and AW-32 hydraulic oil at an ultimate cost of another $15 plus time and aggravation and burning a couple gallons of gas in my truck (another $5). Quality control should have prevented this.2) It came with the hydraulic fluid a quart low below the normal operating level low mark (more on that later), an oversized O-ring for the dipstick which prevents the dipstick from fully inserting which would cause fluid leakage, and an outdated manual. A tag attached to the fill port warns you about damaging the splitter without the proper amount of oil. The manual tells you they put the proper amount of oil in the machine at the factory. So which is right? The tag or the obsolete manual? Quality control should have prevented this.3) They obviously redesigned the dipstick/vent from the previous version but obviously didn't test it. The most probable reason for it being a quart low is because one design flaw doesn't allow the oil sump to vent while filling. It will appear full on the dipstick after one check, but you must lift the splitter by the handle to vent the sump and allow the oil captured in the fill port to drain into the sump to get an accurate measurement. Then fill a little bit again, and repeat several times until you reach the proper level. This is NOT a minor inconvenience. It's difficult and this machine is definitely not light. This is probably what caused them to ship without the proper amount of oil. Proper post-mod testing and quality control should have prevented this. UPDATE - This flaw is serious. Every once in a while the machine "burps" and oil will spew out of the venting dipstick. Oil everywhere making a mess, and then you have to refill with this insanely difficult process not to mention the unnecessary added cost of having to buy extra hydraulic fluid just to have it on hand for the several refills that will be needed.4) The obsolete manual is the dipstick pre-modification manual. It shows an entirely different location and method for checking the sump oil. Would have been nice to have a manual for the current design. What else am I missing from the current design that may not be so obvious? Quality control should have prevented this.5) The old manual instructs you on how to change the oil yet they've tack welded the drain plug (it used to have the dipstick) - so now I wonder how to drain the oil when it needs changing per their manual. The only method I can see is turning the machine on its side to allow it to drain from the new dipstick and fill port and that is pretty stupid, not to mention the draining will require the "coke bottle" affect to drain. Proper post-mod testing should have prevented this.6) Because the new dipstick also doubles as a vent, it fits very loosely. So in the course of using the machine to split a log on the right side, a split piece fell onto the dipstick knocking it loose. I didn't notice until I moved the machine and made quite a mess when oil spilled out. So you have to be careful to watch for that when splitting on the right side. Proper post-mod testing should have prevented this.7) When splitting a log on the left side split pieces will occasionally fall onto the operating lever. If that happens very often it's sure to break. So you have to be careful to watch for that when splitting on the left side. Assuming its been this way from the beginning, proper design testing should have prevented this.8) The bolt connecting the operating lever to the positioning valve was loose, so after about a dozen splits the lever became so loose I thought something had broken. I lifted the machine and noticed the very loose bolt. UPDATE - After several more splits it loosened again, and again, and again and again and again ..... This is a VERY SERIOUS design flaw. This is a very heavy machine that has to be lifted up vertically to expose the underside to tighten this bolt, then lay the very heavy machine back to the normal horizontal position. This is truly not easy to do. Quality control should have prevented this and proper design testing should have prevented this.Hey Boss - you owe me $20.

I am new to the world of wood splitting and this is my first wood Splitter but I have to tell you this Boss Industrial ED8T20 Electric Log Splitter is great. To be fully transparent I am not splitting 4 foot pieces of freshly cut oak. All of the wood I have split is around 2 foot and all cut from dead stand so it is dry and pretty optimal from splitting. I generally cut the logs into 20 inch sections prior to splitting and that works just fine.The standout feature of this Boss Industrial ED8T20 Electric Log Splitter is the Bidirectional setup. This is absolutely the BEST! This feature allows you to split one log on one side of the machine and when that log is split the opposite area of the splitter is ready for the next log. No longer do you have to wait for the machine to recycle so that you can place your next log. Matter of fact the slowest part of this setup is the user. I could not put wood into this Boss Industrial ED8T20 Electric Log Splitter fast enough!Things to note:1. This machine is HEAVY. In fact it seems much heavier that is should be. When I look at it in my garage and go to move it I am still amazed every time I touch the handle. This is not necessarily a bad thing though. During operation there is absolutely NO flex or bending. This baby is rock solid.2. Get the Boss Industrial FT5 Log Splitter Stand with this splitter! It is an absolute must.3. Wear ear and eye protection. This baby has a high noise level that you need to be wary of. After a few hours of work without ear protection you will loose some hearing.Negatives:1. This machine does not have a limits when you get to the end of travel of the ram. So what happens as you are splitting a log the log may not split or have fibers that hold the log together. If you hold the engagement handle until you get to the end the machine will stall. Once you do this the ram will not move and you will have to cycle the power off then on again. This is a minor problem and you will teach yourself not to force the machine at the end of the travel.2. The ram is unprotected in the machine. As you use the Boss Industrial ED8T20 Electric Log Splitter dust and wood chips will fall into the ram area and although I did not see any damage I always worry that those chips and mater will harm the ram. In addition I have gouged the ram body with wood during the splitting process. From what I could see a branch stub that was on the log was in the ram well while I was splitting. The branch scraped the ram body as the log was pressed against the splitting wedge. It seems to be only superficial but be careful of this.3. Condition upon delivery. Although the machine was fully in tact and no damage the box was a mess. Wet with hydraulic fluid and smashed. I saw that other reviewers have mentioned the same issue. I did have to go to the local auto parts store to get more fluid. An unnecessary trip especially for me living way out of town was a 30 minute trip each way. The manufacture should provide a quart of fluid if they can't secure the cap that the fluid leaks form in transit.Overall this splitter is great. I never had it not split a piece of wood and the 10.5 inch diameter seems to be just a guide. I split logs 24 inches in diameter with no problem.

Pros: Tool arrived pretty much ready to go, uncreating and set up took about 10 minutes. The splitter works better than expected and I expected a lot, I've had it for about an month now and have split at least 2 cords of various types of wood, cherry, oak, poplar, walnut. The machine handled as large a log as I could lift onto it, 16 inch or larger. In some cases I made a ramp to help position the log. I found with the larger logs, if it was too much and the machine couldn't split it, perhaps due to knots, then offset the log on the splitter and do sections of it, have yet to find a log it couldn't handle this way, even some very knotty oak. Having bad knees I do not stoop down to work the machine, I remain standing and found that I can easily hold onto the log with both hands and push against the activation lever with my leg, this method has worked well for me, much better than their video of kneeling and operating it. Electric, no gas engine to fool with.Cons: Horizontal, means you do have to lift logs onto the splitter. The activation lever has a bolt that holds it in place and has come loose several times, the lock washer used hasn't worked, I used lock-tite on the threads and problem solved. I would have liked the mounted cutting edges to be a bit longer to ensure that the log splits completely. If the log is stringy, I'd use a hatchet to complete the job. I purchased the 4 way cutting edge to go with the machine, this did not fit and I had to use a portable grinder to the back edges of the mounted cutting blade so that I can attach it easily and can easily be transferred from one side to the other.Overall: I am quite impressed with this machine, it has worked well so far and have felt it was a good buy. I've used gas powered splitter and found I was probably faster with this than the larger units I've used.