A good quality Log Splitter

[goeduck]

You guys are making me want to go out and buy a push through. More than one tractor, why not more than one splitter? :scratchchin: :scratchchin:

 

[John_Mc]

I was hoping someone had direct experience with the kinetic splitters from DR as they seem to be a good fit for my needs.

I'm not really a fan of the DR kinetic splitters. Their advertisements act as though they invented the concept, when what they really did was clone a SuperSplit after SuperSplit's patent ran out. In fact their initial kinetic splitter offering looked so much like a SuperSplit (even down to non-funtional trim items) that I called to determine if it was just a re-badged SuperSplit. DR kinetic splitters were plagued with problems when they first brought them out: parts jamming, teeth breaking off the rack or pinion gears (I forget which). They may have resolved these problems by now - I don't really know. At least they have the reputation for standing behind their equipment (this may have changed a bit since they were bought out by Generac?). Most of the stuff they sell, I consider "medium duty" at best. (Their offices and a factory store used to be just a few miles down the road from me.)

 

[Sawyer Rob]

DR medium duty???

NOT from what I've seen... They have light duty products at best!!

SR

 

[goeduck]

The kinetics require (unmodified anyway) both hands on the levers from what I have seen. As fast as they are that makes sense but it would be a departure for me not to have a hand guiding the block while splitting. I would like to to have a small electric in the corner of the garage for the occasional piece where my eyes were bigger than my stove opening.

 

[arrow]

What are you splitting? Ash, red oak maple?

Mostly red oak. Don't have rock maple on my land but silver splits if you look at it hard. I hand quarter the 24"-30" rounds and run them through the 4way.

 

[John_Mc]

DR medium duty???

NOT from what I've seen... They have light duty products at best!!

SR

I guess I would agree with that. I was probably being too nice. I edited the post to say "medium duty at best". I don't own any of their stuff, since I've not been impressed by most of what they sell. I've seen a lot of it, living just down the road. Folks around here would sometimes pick up various pieces at the factory sales of returned and reconditioned equipment. Most of us consider them all slick marketing, and not much substance.

Occasionally, I'll see a product and think "that's a neat idea" (usually later to find out that they cloned someone else's idea).

Their walk-behind brush mowers used to be pretty darn good, but the new ones just don't seem as stoutly built as what they sold a couple decades ago.

 

[goeduck]

I guess I would agree with that. I was probably being too nice. I edited the post to say "medium duty at best". I don't own any of their stuff, since I've not been impressed by most of what they sell. I've seen a lot of it, living just down the road. Folks around here would sometimes pick up various pieces at the factory sales of returned and reconditioned equipment. Most of us consider them all slick marketing, and not much substance.

Their walk-behind brush mowers used to be pretty darn good, but the new ones just don't seem as stoutly built as what they sold a couple decades ago.

I have an older DR walk behind brush mower and I would agree with that. I have not been impressed with their other newer lines of equipment. I have an under fence mower of theirs and it is a poorly designed piece of equipment (to be polite).

 

[Garandman]

I'm not really a fan of the DR kinetic splitters. Their advertisements act as though they invented the concept, when what they really did was clone a SuperSplit after SuperSplit's patent ran out. In fact their initial kinetic splitter offering looked so much like a SuperSplit (even down to non-funtional trim items) that I called to determine if it was just a re-badged SuperSplit. DR kinetic splitters were plagued with problems when they first brought them out: parts jamming, teeth breaking off the rack or pinion gears (I forget which). They may have resolved these problems by now - I don't really know.

Sounds like heresy, meaning you have never owned one?

I've owned one five years. It's worked great and the Chonda engine has been fine: we use non-ethanol fuel.

SuperSplit is also in Mass. I called them and got a recording. Left a message. No call back. Called again two days later. Woman took my number and said someone would call back. No one ever did. I gave up, stopped by the DR store next time I was in the area and bought a floor model.

We also own one of the original DR brush mowers. It's so old it doesn't even have a regular serial number. 14hp Kawasaki motor. When I call them up they have any parts I need, and they ship right out from VT.

Generac Acquires Country Home Products

 

[atsah]

Sounds like heresy, meaning you have never owned one?

I've owned one five years. It's worked great and the Chonda engine has been fine: we use non-ethanol fuel.

SuperSplit is also in Mass. I called them and got a recording. Left a message. No call back. Called again two days later. Woman took my number and said someone would call back. No one ever did. I gave up, stopped by the DR store next time I was in the area and bought a floor model.

We also own one of the original DR brush mowers. It's so old it doesn't even have a regular serial number. 14hp Kawasaki motor. When I call them up they have any parts I need, and they ship right out from VT.

Generac Acquires Country Home Products

I have some of there stuff, Powerwagon and a 3ph pto trimmer, I like them and they work.. The people are good about answering the phone and getting parts to my door in no time. I like the company myself..

 

[bunyip]

We have a Millers Falls 30 Tonne, as we are splitting mainly eucalypt and box which are really hard I found that 20 was a bit light but I do concur with the Honda engine, it always starts first time.
I have also seen our splitter with a number of different badges around the traps.

 

[fruitcakesa]

I bought a "Ram Splitter" electric splitter. I believe it it rated at 20 ton.
While the their idea is good, the quality left something to be desired so after breaking much of the metal parts on it, I had a welder friend rebuild it properly.
I have had no trouble since and love the sound of silence you get from an electric vs a gas motor.
I use 6 full cords a year of mixed hardwoods.

 

[John_Mc]

I bought a "Ram Splitter" electric splitter. I believe it it rated at 20 ton.
While the their idea is good, the quality left something to be desired so after breaking much of the metal parts on it, I had a welder friend rebuild it properly.
I have had no trouble since and love the sound of silence you get from an electric vs a gas motor.
I use 6 full cords a year of mixed hardwoods.

I owned a 16 ton RamSplitter electric splitter for years. At the time, 16 ton was the largest you could get and still run it off of 110V (At the time, their 16 ton came with a 2.0 HP electric motor. They've since redesigned it for a 1.5 HP motor. In a log splitter type application, a 1.5-2.0 HP motor performs about like a 6-7 HP gas engine.) The larger electric splitters ran on 220V.

I had their Horizontal/Vertical model. I purchased that model because I preferred the higher work height. I used it in vertical mode only once (not really a fan of vertical splitting, but I know there are those who do like it). I found their design and quality of construction "good enough". I was satisfied enough with it that I used it for about 6 or 7 years. I did replace the bolts used to hold the slide the wedge was mounted on onto the beam. The originals were regular hex head bolts. I found they hung up on the larger logs, robbing the splitter of of a good bit of its splitting power when they got caught on the log. I had the hole countersunk, and replace the bolts with another design which fit flush in the countersunk hole. You can see the change in this picture. The bolt on the left is the original. The other three are what I changed to. It made quite a difference when splitting larger hardwood logs

 

[fruitcakesa]

I owned a 16 ton RamSplitter electric splitter for years. At the time, 16 ton was the largest you could get and still run it off of 110V (At the time, their 16 ton came with a 2.0 HP electric motor. They've since redesigned it for a 1.5 HP motor. In a log splitter type application, a 1.5-2.0 HP motor performs about like a 6-7 HP gas engine.) The larger electric splitters ran on 220V.

I had their Horizontal/Vertical model. I purchased that model because I preferred the higher work height. I used it in vertical mode only once (not really a fan of vertical splitting, but I know there are those who do like it). I found their design and quality of construction "good enough". I was satisfied enough with it that I used it for about 6 or 7 years. I did replace the bolts used to hold the slide the wedge was mounted on onto the beam. The originals were regular hex head bolts. I found they hung up on the larger logs, robbing the splitter of of a good bit of its splitting power when they got caught on the log. I had the hole countersunk, and replace the bolts with another design which fit flush in the countersunk hole. You can see the change in this picture. The bolt on the left is the original. The other three are what I changed to. It made quite a difference when splitting larger hardwood logs

View attachment 623367

I like your countersunk bolt idea, the raised bolt heads on mine have always been problematic.
I have mine wired for 220v

 

[John_Mc]

I like your countersunk bolt idea, the raised bolt heads on mine have always been problematic.
I have mine wired for 220v

It worked out fairly well. If you ever want to get it back apart again, you might want to put some "Never-Sieze" on the bolts, since they are not galvanized. (I never could find that style in a galvanized bolt, though I must admit, I did not search all that long.) I think I got these from Fastenall.

I ended up selling that splitter. It was great when the kids were little, since I did a good bit of splitting up near the house and could keep an eye (and an ear) on the kids. I sold it to a neighbor and ended up buying a heavier-duty gas splitter with a hydraulic log lift. However, that Ramsplitter electric was the perfect splitter for my needs for a lot of years. The 16 Ton (at least the old one with the 2 HP motor - I have no experience with the new 1.5 HP 16 ton) fit my needs perfectly for a number of years. I did occasionally run into some large knotty pieces it could not split - they just got thrown on the bonfire pile. However, it was surprising just how much that splitter could get through.

 

[shooterdon]

Those bolts might be available in stainless steel.

 

[jasonzee]

Build your own if you have a welder

 

[FarmerChee]

Just wanted to chime in on kinetic splitters since the OP asked and I have used both styles. I have spent the last two years cleaning up my and my parents property with our new super splitter. Before purchasing I had borrowed both a vertical and helped my neighbor run his horizontal hydraulic unit and found the waiting between cycles to be painful.

As for my experience with our kinetic, the first year we did 20 cords and only 5 the following (ran out of deadfall). I found that it takes three bodies to keep up with the splitter. One to move blocked sections onto a feed table, one to run the spitter, and one to clear the output table and stack. It works fast, but it is quite the workout. After day 3 of blocking and splitting we are usually pretty well spent. The splitter will handle about as big of a log as you can manage to hoist up there, though it will get hung up if you try something that is both large and twisted. It usually takes a couple of re-hits and/or repositions to get the first break on something like that. After that, taking slices from the edges works well.

I think you will find that a kinetic is way more productive if you have at least one helper. When operating solo, it seems like 2/3 of the time goes towards staging/stacking and the benefits get diluted. Also, the time spent splitting becomes a welcome break from the heave ho when you're doing it all yourself. There is also the fact that a good one like the super splitter will blow your 2k budget pretty badly. I think ours was around 4k delivered with the work table and tow bar.

Other notes. I would steer away from the DR. Between my first person impressions on the lot, combined with poor reviews I was turned off. I'm not sure what I'd do with a 2k budget. Hopefully my experiences will help inform your own decision.

 

[John_Mc]

Just wanted to chime in on kinetic splitters since the OP asked and I have used both styles. I have spent the last two years cleaning up my and my parents property with our new super splitter. Before purchasing I had borrowed both a vertical and helped my neighbor run his horizontal hydraulic unit and found the waiting between cycles to be painful.

As for my experience with our kinetic, the first year we did 20 cords and only 5 the following (ran out of deadfall). I found that it takes three bodies to keep up with the splitter. One to move blocked sections onto a feed table, one to run the spitter, and one to clear the output table and stack. It works fast, but it is quite the workout. After day 3 of blocking and splitting we are usually pretty well spent. The splitter will handle about as big of a log as you can manage to hoist up there, though it will get hung up if you try something that is both large and twisted. It usually takes a couple of re-hits and/or repositions to get the first break on something like that. After that, taking slices from the edges works well.

I think you will find that a kinetic is way more productive if you have at least one helper. When operating solo, it seems like 2/3 of the time goes towards staging/stacking and the benefits get diluted. Also, the time spent splitting becomes a welcome break from the heave ho when you're doing it all yourself. There is also the fact that a good one like the super splitter will blow your 2k budget pretty badly. I think ours was around 4k delivered with the work table and tow bar.

Other notes. I would steer away from the DR. Between my first person impressions on the lot, combined with poor reviews I was turned off. I'm not sure what I'd do with a 2k budget. Hopefully my experiences will help inform your own decision.

That sums it up pretty well. I've never met anyone who was unhappy with the quality of their Super Split (I've met about a half dozen in person, a couple dozen online). I'd estimate about 25% of the folks I know with the DR kinetic splitters ended up unhappy with them. The folks who were happy were very satisfied, so I'm guessing if you got one of the good ones, they worked out OK, but a fair number of bad ones made it through the production line.

 

[Molalla1]

At my age I respect a slower machine . . . :drink:

 

[goeduck]

At my age I respect a slower machine . . . :drink:

I agree but modern two stage pump splitters are not what I would call slow anyway. That said, it would be cool to have a kinetic splitter for the straight grain wood that splits easy. Like many things in life there are advantages of each