I wish i could lift the recommended weight, its also has relief valves on the hydraulics so i cannot over load it. The problem is i just dont think they test smaller machinery well enough, the bolsters for instance where the welds have been ground started to split after the first day of use. Trust me when i say i take it easy on my kit but these things are pretty weak. If a machine is built so that the crane can lift 400kg at full reach then the legs should be able to take the force created by this. The physics involved are huge, even picking bits up close in you can see the body torsion and flex in the legs!! Hopefully by beefing it up and putting a decent set of rear legs on the trailer too will prevent future failures. I have just had the 2nd splitter head go on the log splitter too, this is cast metal and again we are getting this beefed up also!!! Its very frustrating, often i look at the instructions to see if it ever says "for domestic use only"!!!!

The problem is when you go back to the manufacturer with a bit of constructive criticism they get very defensive!!!