What You Need to Know Before You Start
The Performance Built 13 Ton Log Splitter is a horizontal hydraulic unit that runs on a 13-ton splitting force. It is not the most expensive machine on the market, but it is also not without its quirks. I have used one for about four years now, and the manual that comes with it covers the basics. What it does not cover is the stuff that actually matters when you are out there at 6 AM trying to get through a cord of oak before the coffee kicks in. The official manual is available through Performance Built's website under their support or downloads section. You can also find it on manual sites like ManualsLib or Scribd, but the versions floating around online are sometimes outdated. The PDF I use is dated 2018 revision. If your serial number is after that, certain details like the hydraulic reservoir capacity or valve settings may differ slightly. Always check the model plate on the frame before you trust a generic version online. This splitter ships partially assembled. You will get the frame, the beam, the wedge, the hydraulic cylinder already mounted, and a separate box containing the control valve, tank, pump, and engine. The manual walks you through bolting the beam to the frame and attaching the cylinder. That part is straightforward. The part people mess up is the hydraulic fluid fill.
Use ISO 46 hydraulic oil, not engine oil, and do not top it off with whatever was sitting in a container in your garage. I learned this the hard way after a friend poured in something labeled "universal hydraulic fluid" that turned out to have a completely different viscosity grade. Within two hours of running, the pump started making a high-pitched whine that never went away. I flushed the entire system three times. Took about four hours of work. ISO 46 every time. Fill the reservoir to the midpoint mark on the dipstick when the cylinder is fully retracted. Overfilling causes pressure spikes during the return stroke. The engine is a Honda GX series on most models. Start it, let it idle for three minutes to circulate the oil, then operate the control lever through its full range of motion a few times to bleed any air from the lines. You will see the ram extend and retract. If it jerks or stutters, you still have air in the system. Repeat the cycle until it runs smooth. This usually takes five to ten minutes depending on how much air got trapped during assembly.
Operating the Splitter the Right Way
Place the log against the beam with the split face toward the wedge. Engage the lever slowly. Do not yank it. The 13 tons of force will do the work if you let it. Pushing too hard on the lever only wears out the valve seal faster. I have seen people crank that lever like they are wrestling something, and six months later they are dealing with a slow return stroke because the valve is binding. When splitting hardwoods like hickory or white oak, round logs tend to roll. Chock them with scrap pieces or use a vertical stand if you have one. A rolling log is the fastest way to waste a split and possibly damage the wedge edge. For knotty or twisted grain, go slower. The hydraulic system has enough power to split it, but forcing it rapidly can cause the log to kick back toward you. Keep your hands clear of the beam and the splitting zone at all times. The manual has the safety warnings printed on page 3. They are not suggestions.
Get the Full Details
Maintenance That Actually Matters
Most owners skip the maintenance schedule in the manual because it looks long. Here is what you need to do and what you can ignore. Every 50 hours: Check the hydraulic oil level. Top off with ISO 46 if needed. Inspect all hose fittings for leaks. Tighten any that feel loose. Every 100 hours: Change the hydraulic oil. Drain it warm if possible since warm oil carries more sediment. Replace the filter if your model has one. Some versions of this splitter do not include a filter, so check your setup. Wash the inside of the tank with kerosene if you notice dark sludge buildup.
Every season: Grease the pivot pins on the beam and the wedge mechanism. Two zerk fittings, maybe three depending on your model year. Use a general-purpose lithium grease. Do not over-grease. Wipe away the excess. Old grease traps moisture and that leads to pin corrosion, which makes the wedge stick. The wheel bearings are another thing people forget. There are two caster wheels on the transport frame. Every few seasons, remove them, clean the grease out, repack with fresh bearing grease, and reinstall. I skipped this on my second winter and one of the bearings seized mid-move. Had to drag the splitter the last twenty feet by hand.
Common Problems and Fixes
The number one issue I run into is a slow or weak return stroke. Nine times out of ten it is not the pump. It is a clogged filter screen inside the reservoir or a partially closed bypass valve on the control valve block. The manual shows the filter screen location on page 18. It is a small mesh strainer sitting at the bottom of the tank where the return line empties. Remove it, clean it with solvent, and reinstall. If the return stroke is still sluggish, locate the relief valve on the control valve and back it out a quarter turn. Do not go past half a turn or you will lose splitting pressure entirely. Another issue is the engine starting hard in cold weather. The choke works, but the fuel line on these small engines can develop a vacuum lock if the tank is left full over the winter. Always run the engine dry before storage or add fuel stabil and run it for ten minutes after treating. I lost a season one year because I forgot this. The carburetor was gunked up from old gas. Cleaned it out with carb cleaner and a compressed air pass through the jets. Took an hour. Preventable.
A Real Edge Case I Encountered
Once I was splitting a large beech log with a massive green heart that had a deep crack running lengthwise. The log did not split cleanly. Instead, the wedge pushed into it and the whole thing started buckling sideways against the beam. The hydraulic pressure built up but the log would not separate. I kept the lever engaged for about thirty seconds, which is longer than I normally would, and the pressure gauge on my model maxed out at 3000 PSI and held there. The engine RPM dropped noticeably under load but did not stall. The solution was to stop, reverse the wedge out, rotate the log ninety degrees, and make a second cut from the perpendicular side. The internal structure of beech in particular does not always split along the wedge path. I learned from that day that with certain species and certain grain patterns, you sometimes need to pre-split or use a different angle rather than relying on raw tonnage. The 13 tons is plenty for normal firewood. It is not magic on stubborn pieces.
Is There a Better Alternative?
If you are splitting more than two cords per season, this machine will feel adequate but not ideal. The beam length is 25 inches, which limits the diameter of log you can handle in a single pass. For larger rounds, you need to split them into quarters first or position them vertically, which this splitter does not support natively. A 25-ton unit with a longer beam and a vertical splitting option handles that kind of volume better. But for a homeowner or a small woodlot, the Performance Built 13 Ton does the job without breaking the bank. Just read the manual, keep the hydraulic fluid clean, and do not treat the control lever like a weightlifting bar.
