Yes I have and I'm not too happy! I have a 6 ton 2 speed DR I purchased back in October of '06. Very limited use. This last week I needed to re-split 3 cord I finally found from a cutter for my stove. Chunks were to large for this stove. About a 1/2 cord into this pile my splitter flat lost its best busting pressure. The slower speed is its higher pressure. I go on-line and Chat twice, then called to speak to someone who might assist with knowledge about the problem and a corrective action. Well parts, like seals and gaskets are not even available! And, DR doesn't even have a 6 ton anymore. A small, low sitting 5 or a trailerable 10 ton...yes. Big bucks for the latter ones, Not to be discouraged I went on-line and spent 12 hours over a 2 days period looking for parts to this model/ design. The closest looking design was a Ryobi where the fluid resevoir is in the main body. The pump and valve are all part of this certain configuration and I could not locate ANYTHING! It's possible one option would be to buy the whole 'Main body' separately. But, this idea, along with horrendous freight charges I'm not considering! It still works if I fiddle with the faster speed/ lower pressure right close the piece. But that old, once impressive and worth bragging about busting ability is gone! I even spoke with a DR mechanic from a distributor and he admitted DR was terrible about not stocking parts...least wise for splitters. I went looking for another one splitter but I'm pretty bummed about these electrics if you can't repair the hydraulics with the things. Since '06 Ive purchased a couple skid steers for my snow removal business. I have an order in for a skid steer mounted splitter. I know, not everyone has this option and they still burn expensive fuel. But, it's simpler with just a ram, a valve and the equipments hydraulics. But, I'm staying away from the electrics. They do work, though...for awhile. Then you have nothing but a big piece of iron laying around. Repair stations will tell you the cost to repair a hydraulic issue isn't worth the money! That's what I was told!

OK, back to the subject at hand. I'm assuming that you all agree with sticking to the #6 copper for this long of a run? Yes? No, I think the consensus was that #8 copper would suffice. The reason that's somewhat tentative has to do with the power demands of HVAC motors (i.e., a heat pump--and trust me, we do understand how a heat pump works). Had this been a simple requirement for a 50-amp general purpose circuit, then I think #6 wire would have been the straight-up choice. However, HVAC equipment behaves a bit differently than a general purpose circuit in that it has both a minimum and maximum circuit ampacity rating and special code sections apply. Cutting to the chase (and at the risk of oversimplifying), the minimum circuit ampacity is what the equipment needs to run after it has overcome the starting surge of its major component--the compressor motor. The maximum circuit is to allow for the starting surge, which can be several times the running load, lasts only briefly and does not pose a significant threat of overheating the conductors. Thus, a heat pump is a specific situation where it is appropriate to use a larger OCPD (circuit breaker) than might ordinarily be used with a specific wire guage. But this isn't done by "guess and by golly"; it's based on the known faceplate ratings of the dedicated equipment. In the thread discussion above, you'll note that there was some variance of opinion. Because I couldn't locate info on the minimum circuit rating, I initially took the conservative tack of recommending #6. (Forgive me if I'm wrong, but I think jmvd20 took a similarly "safe" route too.) At the very least, the OP would have a safe result that would be uncontroversial in the view of any inspector. Ron, on the other hand, being more familiar with the particular type of equipment, was certain enough that the MCA was low enough to be fed by #8CU under these environmental circumstances. After some discussion about that, I'm inclined to agree with him although, as someone who doesn't deal with this equipment frequently, I'd tend verify the manufacturer's specs (which were not available online) before opting in that direction. But I'd add that Ron's interpretation also satisfied my "common sense" test based on a rough guestimate of the approximate wattage consumed by a 5hp motor. Thus, it isn't at all certain that #6CU is required. I believe the consensus is that #8AWG/CU is adequate. "To allow for both voltage drop and terminal size problems that the larger diameter #2 aluminum would cause, per my bad experience!? With the entier distance in conduit as you all are "by the bookers", Right? In making our recommendations, both Ron and I (and perhaps others) considered voltage drop at the 200' distance. Using 35 amps as the estimated running load, here are my calculations: A 200' run of #8CU in conduit, delivering 35A at 240V yields a voltage drop of 4.9%, which is under the usual target of 5% (i.e., it's borderline, as I said, but acceptable). At 50A, the drop is about 6.5%--a drop that most motors can tolerate quite readily. Under the same assumptions, if we use aluminum wire instead of copper, it will need to be upsized to #6 in order to meet ampacity requirements. Again at 200', the voltage drop calculations for #6 aluminum are very close to those for #8 copper (4.7% @ 35A and 6.8% @ 50A). Any way you look at it, #2AL is way, way overkill for the OP's application. And that's why I called you on the statement that you used a chart that equated #2AL with #6CU due to the distance. That doesn't make sense to me and I'd love to see that chart. Now, if it was the only underground-rated AL wire that happened to be available from your supplier, then fine, just say so. Now here's what strikes me as particularly ironic: While you take issue with "going by the book" because, you contend, the book is mostly overkill, it was going by the book--strictly--that led the cost-saving recommendation to use a smaller and less expensive wire guage! OK, sorry, enough of that. 1. As I have stated in both previous thread entries. "I would NOT have attempted the project if I thought it was dangerous to anyone's safety"! So you all are saying that you "always" complete your "own" projects per the "letter" of the law and not the "spirit" of it. Meaning, on your own land when you know that if you where to deviate from the law/code, the chances of the "risk" taken is a billion to one shot of going wrong that you would still ALWAYS go by the letter of the law? In my opinion, The code is an "overkill" guide so that people that have very little common sense will not get themselves or others injured or killed. Agreed? No, not agreed. In fact, the less you know, the less capable you are of assessing the risks and, therefore, there's all the more reason to adhere to code strictly. Personally, I'll admit to doing some pretty half-a$$ed things in the past but, honestly, the older I get (I'm 62 now), and the more I learn, the more I do, in fact, "complete [my] 'own' projects per the 'letter' of the law." As for the code being "an 'overkill' guide so that people that have very little common sense will not get themselves or others injured or killed", I agree only to the extent that there are certain safety margins built in, much like there is a over-design requirement when engineering a bridge. And I'd also agree that a few of the requirements seem like unnecessary nuisance and expense--child proofing all the receptacles in an adult-only home comes to mind. But even there, standard requirements contemplate not only your personal requirements and tolerance for risk, but those who may occupy the premises at a later time. As the code evolves, with new editions coming out every three years, a great many of the new requirements are based on actual documented experience. That is, there is statistical evidence of a problem that caused actual fires, actual injuries and actual deaths. Since there are only about 300 million people in the U.S., these problems are not in the order of one in a billion or they would not have statistical support. 3. The thick plastic around the wire & plastic conduit for that matter becomes very brittle and is degraded very quickly from the sun / UV rays, due to the 100 plus degree temps in summer and 320 days of sun a year. SO the best place for the wire IS underground. And metal conduit would just melt any plastic sheathing on wire from the suns heat. No one here disputes that the OP's proposal to run the conduit underground is a good idea and I certainly didn't hear anyone suggest metal conduit. Interestingly, if you familiarize yourself with the code, you'll discover that all these factors are well-accounted for. Ambient temperature, for example, is a definite factor in selecting cables and wires. So, too, is sun exposure. Where conditions fall outside normal expected ranges, there are wire types and methods specifically designed for such conditions. BTW, if you post for advice here, make sure to mention that your project is in the desert where the temperatures and light exposure are very high and you'll get competent advice for those conditions. In sum, there is no real reason to "choose the 'illegal' way." Jes my 2c and a "good day" to you too, sir.

Although I bought my echo58v trimmer from home depot for $269, at least it came with a 4ah battery and charger. I have found out since then that for my front yard, which is approximately one acre, the 4ah battery is too much. I never use half, even with heavy spring growth. I discovered ebay has the stuff for sale, and bought 4 other batteries for 150. I also scored the 58v chainsaw for $75. It will eat a battery. It took 3 batteries to take the top out of a fully grown hickory that fell over. The wood resides in my smoker piles now. During that run I bent the blade and in ignorance messed up the simple rubber oil feed. I sourced parts out of Miami of all places and rebuilt it. I found out the bladeis the thinner type used on pole saws, and since the hickory trunk incident, I have only used it for trimming and small trees with no further incidents. I would say best battery design goes to ego, as the heat absorbing polymer cladding seem to keep them cooler, and this is more important than you know because those batteries have a lot of energy and can blow or burn when things go wrong. I would say generally that the devices are slightly heavier than their gas counterparts, with all the motor wire and battery weight. It sure is nice to click and go though. I am hesitant about the echo blower, as our needs are a bit heavier than some, with loads of trees on the other 2 acres where the house sits. I may get one anyway for sport. The trimmer power heads are supposed to be compatible with some line of echos multi use tips. I could not beat the price when I averaged thing out. I really want to see if the trim mower is nice and light. My gasser is self propelled and I like it a lot but its a bit of a load with electric start and a battery itself.

300ft you've been more than helpful but I'm going to go cordless. Thanks for offering extra help. Right now I think I'm going to buy the Ego hedge trimmer. Ego hedge trimmer at HD Brushless motor, servicable blades and gears, 5 year warranty, good reviews, widely available at HD and online. It seems a step above the Ryobi I was looking at but in the same price range. Ego also has a backpack blower that uses the same batteries and looks very tempting, my backpack blower is my most used yard tool since I don't have a lawn. Ego backpack blower at HD With that I could eliminate all of the gas powered tools in my garage. If I get these I'll leave an review here once I use them for other people interested in cordless yard tools. Thanks again everyone for taking the time to respond and help.