The Brave 30 ton splitter with the Honda GX200 engine arrived in a timely manner with no issues. However, upon assembly after opening the crate and getting the manual out, I discovered that 32mm and 38mm crow foot wrenches are needed in order to properly torque down the nuts that are inaccessible by a socket. No local stores had these two tools, so I had to order them online causing a day’s delay in getting the splitter assembled. I feel that Brave could have easily included these two tools in the box of hardware at a minimal cost. Be careful putting on the oil filter holder. I didn’t hold it securely enough with a wrench, so now it’s on crooked which is not esthetically pleasing to look at. The optional oil change hose is not needed and didn’t fit anyway. There is a little sticker on the main beam that says made in China. Apparently, the splitter is made of US made parts, but the mainframe is foreign made. Once it was assembled, the log splitter has a solid, deluxe look and feel to it.

Used the splitter to split up Red oak logs with an older 763 Bobcat. The wood was fresh cut, green. On bigger diameter logs (12" or more) you need to nip the top to get the logs split then grab log again lower for 6 way split. On smaller logs I would grab the log set on top of another log, release and grab again in order to get smaller log all the way to the top to get a 6 way split. It is definitely messier, leaving more kindling than a traditional splitter. Only a couple items I would change; the side blades have a single bevel on the cutting edge and bent. A double bevel (which I will grind) would be a better option, I think. The push plate could stand to be a little closer to the main wedge as some logs do not clear the 6-way blades. The hoses need a protective cover and a way to clamp them to the splitter to keep them off of the ground.
Overall, a real time saver. Split a 20' trailer load and a half, of green red oak in a few hours and hardly no handling, pushing, pulling or lifting.

Well built and designed to accommodate my large Billy Goat blower. Man what a labor saver for a very difficult job blowing the huge quantity of leaves that I need to clean up each fall. Attached to a John Deere Z445. Only concern is that it is really heavy (with the large blower) and I am concerned about stressing the Z445. Working on attaching it to the front end of my Gator TX instead. More guts!

Works on my Kubota B26 with 3rd function kit and quick connect. Probably works a little slower than a skidsteer, but not bad. No more lifting logs or positioning them on my knees for the wood splitter! Pickup a log and split as I'm placing it on top of the wood pile. Very heavy duty steel. Only negative is, no four way splitting option.

I’m very impressed. I put it together and fired it up. No issues. Used the ripping tooth and was able to dig up a 6” maple tree. The clips for the two bucket pins will pop off if you rub against something. Might think about a different setup for the bucket pins. I’m missing two now! Looking forward to doing some more projects.

I contacted woodsplitterdirect.com to ask a few questions about the backhoe and the person who answered was very helpful. They told me at that time that there were only a couple left a couple days ago so they may be out by time I order but get them in very often. Sure enough upon ordering I got notification they were out but expected more within a week. A couple days later I got notification it had shipped.
The local branch of the shipping service called me to set up delivery before they had even received it. We set up a date and they told me I would be notified about 1 hour before delivery. They were within 5 minutes of that hour and dropped it on my trailer for me. Delivery man was great so i bought his lunch.
Upon starting assembly we used a tractor to lift the heavier parts from the crate, then cut the crate open to access the main frame. The directions weren't perfect but we were able to use them to figure out assembly and it went together without a hitch. We filled it with oil, fresh gas, and hydraulic fluid. We turned on the gas, cranked it, and the bugger fired right up and ran smooth.
I had a bunch of trenches to dig for a septic project and the thing digs great. It's a little slow moving it, but i was able to creap it anywhere i needed it. We found it digs just fine at about half throttle, so never run it on high. The controls, especially the pivot side to side are somewhat jerky but i expect that to improve as it breaks in and i get better running it.
I love it, no regrets buying it at all. Also no regrets getting it from Woodsplitterdiect.com. I'm a vey happy customer.

I just wanted to update my review on my three point, 20 ton splitter. I'm very pleased with Wood Splitter Direct's help line when I had a problem. I also am pleased with the owner of the manufacturing company (Doug). He had me return the splitter and rebuilt me a different unit with new valve. I have used the unit and I'm am surprised by the speed and power. It's a 20 splitter that will do most of what I'll ever throw at it. I like having it on the back of the tractor. I can adjust the height and the whole operation is so much quieter. I don't have a gas engine blasting in my ears and stinky gas fumes going in my lungs.
Thank you Doug!!

I’m a one man band on my ranch, and the Mudmixer has made it possible for me to complete small batch concrete jobs efficiently and effectively. The Mudmixer works as advertised. I like being able to turn it off mid job to move it or deal with the various things that pop up when you’re pouring a slab. With the Mudmixer I’ll be able to pave the whole place one 4x4 slab at a time!

Absolutely love the Brave 30 ton w/Honda 200 GX engine. It assembled perfectly. The I-beam/hydraulic cylinder component is 350 lbs so a friend comes in handy while attaching it. Remember you’ll need 8.5 gallons of hydraulic fluid. Only quibble is the log holders should be a made from thicker gauge steel to prevent bending. I’ve been slaying gnarly hardwoods of all types flawlessly. The Honda engine starts first pull. It’s remarkably quiet and sips fuel. Wood Splitters direct shipped promptly and item arrived unscathed. Very satisfied.

Just gonna be honest. I do have mixed feelings at this time. I ordered the extended splitter ( 30" opening) for boiler logs. It actually measures a bit less than 29". Yes I can adjust my rounds to fit. But the description read that it would be 30" inches and the splitting ram hits up hard on the end plate. I'll share a picture of this. I'm not real impressed with the table I had them add. It's small and doesn't do much for the bigger rounds. Also after an hour of splitting I could smell hydraulic oil. The valve assembly is leaking at the spool.
I have this hooked up to a Massey Ferguson 34hp compact tractor. I ran it at around 2100 rpms. The speed of the ram surprised me (I'm please with that). 20 tons seems to be doing good. I tried a couple of nasty rounds (real nasty) and it didn't make it through them. Bigger is better but I went way over my budget with the 20 ton. I couldn't convince my self I had to have 30 ton.
Now, I am pleased with my buying experience with Wood Splitter Direct. They kept me informed on how my order was coming along and when it was to be shipped out. I'm not sure I can give a fair review at this time, only because I haven't talked with the company yet.

Built a 4x8 dolly to help move it from the street to the garage were a chain hoist is set up. Well the shipper sent me a txt saying he was 40 min out. Since that was the first time hearing from the shipping company I was not home. I told him I was 1 hour away and heading home. He texted me when I was 13 miles from the house and told me he was just going to drop it and "Sign" for me. So much for the pre-sign inspection. Had to drag it to the shop with my truck. Bad shipping gets a bad review.

I have yet to use the unit as I am waiting for a new 20 amp circuit to be installed, but and VERY impressed with the quality of the product, VERY. I expect it will work well.

Upon receiving the unit, I had several minor issues including small metal balls in the gas tank, extra weld material preventing clevis pin insertion for handle installation, and several nuts missing washers.

The most concerning was a metal piece falling off of the clutch assembly before 10 hours of use. The metal piece extended through a hole in the belt cover facing the operator, and developed a vibration against the cover due to improper alignment. This vibration was short lived until it broke the metal piece off of the assembly.

The balance of the machine is great, drive wheels work well, and engine runs great. The build quality is not in line with the purchase price, though. Some of the controls, including the pull switch to allow the engine to run, are made of cheap and thin plastic and seem fragile.

I was floored at the price. Thought that I would make my own
Instructions written by someone in China
Am I happy with it
You bet that I am
Get over the initial shock and use it for a while you, ll love it
Two things added. one, there were sharp spiral pieces of metal in the tubing from the drilling process, poor QA on that one. Very sharp
two, my front strap keeps coming loose too. Some else made the comment. I'll find a way to fix it.

excellent value - splits even the toughest crotches - I have been using it for three years to split 6-10 cords of pine, white oak, red oak, sweetgum, and whatever else I can fit on the machine. I added trays on each side, a rolling swivel jack, and a drop down leg in the back. Reason being is if the log splitter is disconnected from the truck, and you roll a 300# log up there, you can flip the log splitter backwards onto the plate.

Note, like all vert-hort log splitters, if you are splitting vertical, you should disconnect from the tow vehicle.

A hose was damaged during transit, it was quickly replaced by the OEM with two phone calls, one to WSD and one to PB.

If you tow it to any real distance at any real speed (over 20 MPH) it probably would not hurt to swap the wheels out for a 4x4 hub and use wider tires. You really should not tow any log splitter like this over 35 MPH and go SLOW around corners so you do not flip them.

Only drawback to this machine is it has to be completely level or have the vent on the tank uphill or it will puke the hydraulic fluid $$ out of the tank. I just take along some 2x10 boards or slip a paver under the wheel to level it. I keep a short 8" magnetic level handy to make sure it is level or the vent-fill hole is slightly uphill

I had some doubts about a fabricated beam vs. a solid W beam, but, this has held up well to 22+" red oak rounds and gnarly crotches.

Great value for the money and I would buy again.

Due to other attachments that must mount to the front of my mower I chose not to order the Jrco mount and fabricated my own mount.

I have used it to dethatch our 1-1/2 acre yard. Work was done over two weekends.

In between weekends I added a small ATV winch to lift the rake. (60” is right at 100lbs not sure how much weight is felt at the handle bar)

The addition of the winch was a must have for our landscaping layout but I I left the factory lift/latch mechanism operational in the event of a winch failure.

The unit itself is well made but still allows some flex to follow the terrain.

Customer support from Wood Splitters Direct was awesome and the unit arrived in 3 business days.

Works great!

I did a lot of research on gas powered residential splitters. I ultimately landed on Brave/GNE because of their reputation - and the fact that they were one of the few American manufacturers I could find still selling residential line units with the Honda engines. Woodsplittersdirect processed my order quickly and got the unit to me in right at a week.

Assembly was pretty painless but definitely a 2-person job unless you have a pulley system set up for the lifting parts. All in all, it took two of us about 4 hours to assemble. Had one issue with a minor hydraulic fuel leak from one of the valves. I contacted GNE (manufacturer) support who was outstanding to deal with - Overnighted me a replacement fitting/o-ring, and I'm off to the races. Being able to talk with someone to troubleshoot and then receiving the parts so quickly makes a world of difference in my book.

This unit runs like a dream and has not faltered on the cord of wood I've run through it so far.

As others have said: Brave has this business figured out.

Awesome thanks

Only wish the auger bit had better teeth

I went all in and bought the 20 ton horizontal/vertical 3 point model with the 4 way wedge, log cradles, and PTO kit. Arrived in good condition but some assembly required for the PTO kit. Cycle time and splitting force is awesome. It doesn't slow down like my old gas splitter. Using with a small 23HP tractor. I added a 2in ball hitch so I can connect my utility trailer. Great product.

This chipper was the perfect combination of size and power at this price point. I don't need the ability to chip 5 inch branches but wanted the power to be able to shove bundles in without bogging down. The 6 inch dk2 seems to be more popular but the overall size was too big to store. The 5 inch is sized like the 4 inch but with a bigger motor. It's nice the front and rear loader/outlet come right off with two latches which reduces it to a third of it's length. So far I haven't been able to stall it; basically anything that fits will get chipped. Very impressed.

Profesional Service, fast response with quote and easy process, delivered as promised, overall great service and great product!!

The splitter arrived in good shape & the assembly was reasonably straightforward. The splitter works as advertised and is adequate for my splitting needs. The shortcomings of the order involves receiving a loose packed 3/4"pivot bolt that was 3.5" long but should have been 4.5" long since, when the 3.5" bolt is installed there are so few threads extending out of the splitter the nut can not be screwed on to a depth where the locking nylon ring ever reaches the bolt threads leaving the nut vulnerable to falling off. Secondly, no manual was included in my shipment. When I pointed out these order deficiencies to Ram Splitter they e-mailed me a PDF version of the manual within a day of my request and promised their manufacturer would ship a paper copy & the longer replacement bolt shortly. That was 3 weeks ago and I have received neither. To get my splitter running I replaced the bolt at my own expense after waiting 2 weeks for the replacement to arrive. The Oregon office seems to be firing on all cylinders but the manufactuer/shipper in Ohio, is a C-level performer,

I have been able to get the unit to work briefly as the 3039 JD tractor is plumbed partially correct, however, the two connections at the rear of the tractor are "active" only when a thumb button on the "joystick" is depressed. This hydraulic connection is electronically activated by that thumb button and must be held in order to send hydraulic fluid to the log splitter. John Deere is working on a "work around" in order to have those rear connections "live" full time.

That said, I was very disappointed when I received the unit as it was painted an Oliver (obsolete tractor brand) forest green and not John Deere green. Not a "show stopper" but this should be addressed with the manufacturer. Looking forward to using it in the future!

I recently purchased a new Swisher 44" Rough Cut Mower with the 14.5 Kawasaki motor (that starts & runs great). Be sure to pay the extra money for the electric start Kawasaki!!) Last week using my Honda Foreman 450 ES ATV I cut all of my land and trails on and around my hunting land (several hours, 4 tanks of fuel in the Swisher). Tall grass, weeds, rocks, small trees, etc are no problem for the Swisher, it cuts and goes through these areas with ease. The only thing I would recommend is that Swisher add (4) wheels, (2) on the front & (2) on the back of the deck for easier trailer loading & unloading and whenever you have to back up if you hit a stump or get pinched in a turn or a steeper uneven ditch. Several times when I wanted to back up or even go forward on a tighter angle or ditch the deck would hang up and dig into the ground. A few times I had to unhook the unit from my ATV, muscle the mower sideways by hand and re-attach it to my ATV (kind of a pain). I also had to use my ATV winch one time to pull myself and the deck forward out of an uneven area where the deck dug in bad. So I'm going to drill four holes in the corners of my mower deck and bolt on (4) 4" or 6" diameter wheels that I think will really help me maneuver better over my land. Over all I am very happy with the Swisher and rate it 4 1/2 STARS, you wont be disappointed on how well it cuts and goes through tall grass and saplings.