Frank ..
YARDMAX 40 Ton 4065 half beam log splitter
I bought the 40 Ton 4065 Half beam log splitter back in July 2025 and having used it now for two seasons I think I can give it an accurate review. First off, yes support does suck. For an issue I had they wanted me to bring the log splitter to a local shop versus them coming out to service it. I had to borrow a truck to pick up the splitter and then I dumped the box it came in, in my back yard never planning to move the splitter from my yard. For setup, the piston is heavy, I created a 2x4 tripod and used a come along to lift the piston straight vertical for bolting to the frame. That worked OK so that wasn't too bad. Fairly soon after starting it with the pull starter maybe 4 times, the pull starter got hung up as though it was rubbing something internally, so you couldn't get a good pull out of it to start the engine. This is what I called support about..the messed up pull starter. Support wanted me to take it to a local shop...for a pull starter? For something that a tech could come out and easily replace??? That's sucky support. So I said the heck with that. Instead I bought a rachet type device that you can put in you electric drill to start a motor using the drill with this ratchet. (Look it up online). So for the cost of the ratchet I now have an electric starter on my log splitter...using my battery powered drill that is. :0) So I fixed the pullstarter issue for a better solution. Still sucked though since the machine was less than a month old at the time. I kind of felt like "Oh boy, what did I buy?" Once I could start it easily using my drill/ratchet, this splitter will crush through anything with no problem. I'm talking splitting 22"- 28" thick by 24" diameter pieces of red oak with no problem. The biggest problem is handling oak pieces that size and getting them under the splitter for vertical splitting. (Since I'm not lifting those up for horizontal splitting) In the vertical position, the foot that you have to get the log to be spli on is about 2" off the ground. So you have to lift possibly a big piece of heavy log on top of this 2" foot. Try doing that easily by hand with a 22" or bigger piece. If you're doing small pieces then it's not a problem but then, why did you buy a 40 Ton splitter if you're doing small pieces? I had a couple oil leaks on some hose fittings that I tightened up. No big deal. And yes the machine is noisy for one reason is they give you these washers that you have to use and they rattle like crazy. I put rubber from an old inner tube next to the washers to quiet them up. But I wear ear protection anyway. There is no log lift available for this model and that's why I have to use it vertically for the large pieces I'm splitting. In the horizontal position, the rails that are supposed to help keep the spli log from falling to the ground are small. Anything over 12" diameter log and it's hard to keep it on the horizontal beam since as you split it in the horizontal position it wants to fall to the ground. That's why I move it to vertical for the big stuff and I'm not lifting a 24" diameter piece onto a horizontal beam. I gave it a 4 because aside from some things that I remedied myself, this splitter is a beast. It has always split whatever I put under it. PROS: - splits anything pretty quickly as the cycle time is ok. - goes between horizontal or vertical pretty easily. - controls work good. CONS: - some cheap components like the pull starter. Just remove it! - the tables for horizontal splitting are small. - the foot for vertical splitting is 2" off the ground. Making a platform that fits around this foot (while in vertical position) will make it easier to move big pieces onto the foot. - no log lift available for horizontal splitting. In the end...for the money, I think it is worth it. Maybe I'll make some modifications myself over time to improve it's easier of use.