I think she meant 20 ton. Versus a vertical/horizontal splitter, I'd take this one. Rolling the logs to the platform lift is better than having the wedge on the ram side of the splitter. I like having the split wood fall off the end of the beam, vs. beside it. I also prefer to work standing straight up vs. stooping or kneeling for all the big stuff and trying to maneuver it to the splitter while on the ground. I have a home made one similar to this, but mine has a PTO driven pump, eliminating the extra engine to keep maintained. It limits me to only using a tractor during use, but I pull it around with a tractor anyway. This particular one is a chunk of change at $2600 plus $900 for the platform, but You Get What You Pay For. I'm sure you can find a comparable one locally for a more affordable price. Here is a link that might be useful: Northern tool splitter

Thank you so much for your replies! This quote is from Salesman #3. He is the grandson of the man who started this heating and cooling company in 1945. His dad and 3 brothers all still work there. They were voted "Contractor of the Year" in 2002 and won an "Ethical Business Award" in our area last year or the year before. I thought they would be the most expensive, so I had him come out last, but his quote is the best. (he said he could do gas heat with heat pump,but doesn't recommend it based on our cheap electric. He said you have to set a temp where heat pump turns off and gas kicks in, same as Salesman #2) Last question - Does it seem reasonable that in this area people haven't been spending the money for a higher SEER unit because we only need to cool for 3 months or so? (it takes too long to get back the initial added cost) He said there hasn't been the demand for these units in this area, but I wonder if the stimulus rebate changes that. The $1500 rebate is pretty new, do they just need some time to catch up? Is it worth pushing him to quote me something from Rheem that does qualify? From what I can see on the Rheem website they have a 3 ton system that qualifies, in their high-end systems. It has lots of "bells and whistles" and I can't tell how much more it will cost. This contractor has said that he prefers to "keep it simple". less areas to have problems down the line. Do you think it is worth pursuing this in light of the new rebate?

I have a split system and I'm no longer considering a packaged unit because I don't want it on the roof since my ducts are in the attic. Installation of the packaged unit in the attic is not an option as far as I can tell and I wanted the packaged unit located where the current furnace is at. There's already electric and gas outlets up there and a return line for water. Initially, I was not thinking about the building code modifications. I was just thinking in terms of the components in terms of reliability, efficiency, cost, and maintenance. I thought it would be similar to installing a separate washer and gas dryer compared to installing a single unit that does both wash and dry.

I wok a lot on my capital range top. Since it is range top, noise does not apply. When I wok, I run my hood at maximum. Most hot air from the burner is extracted out of the house. One sign is that I don't get much smell from the cooking. I don't run hood when I am simmering thing. In both cases, I don't feel that the kitchen is being heated in the summer. Theoretically, the temp may go up a little bit because the hot make up air from outside enters the house, the it is still much cooler than the air extracted. IMO, the key for a gas range not heating the kitchen is to move the hot air out of house fast.