Log Splitter advice

[Youare]

I am looking at purchasing a wood slpitter and wonder if any of you folks out there have any experiences with the type of splitter I am considering.

It is called a Super Split. It uses a pinion to drive a rack which pushes the wood into the splitting wedge. The cycle times advertised are in the 4 to 6 second range, very fast.

There are no hydraulic lines to worry about. I think it has two
V-belts which drive the flywheel that is connected to the pinion gear. These units have been around for over 15 years and seem to have a good reputation.

A friend of mine purchased one last year and speaks very highly of it.

Randy

 

[BB_TX]

No experience with them. I stumbled on their <font color="blue"> web page </font> one time and looked into it. Pretty expensive, ~$2K. Looks like something you might want if you were into commercial fire wood. They advertise 2 second cycle time.

 

[SimS]

I have seen this on the web. Very interesting design. I'm curious if these things jump around when the ram is "fired". You know Newton's law and all. Have you seen one in operation? I think the design has been around 10 - 20 years. I also wonder about the wear and tear on gears. Let us know.
Sim

 

[Youare]

I have seen them operate on several occasions. The first time was over 15 years ago when they were a new item on the market. My first impression then was they won't last. Two years ago I watched a 1 hp. electric motor powered unit at an expo. operate on some pretty nasty wood with ease.

When I asked how often parts had to be replaced a gentleman watching said he has operated one for 12 years splitting around 100 cords of wood per year. He replaced the drive belts once.

Two weeks ago I looked at a used one I heard maybe for sale, this guy had a cord wood business and sold around 150 cord of wood per year. He owned this unit for 15 years and replaced only the belts and a small bearing that rides on the
I-beam. I watched this unit split wood with ease and was in good shape for it's age.

As far as the "kick back" goes I believe the drive disingauges once the ram stops. The splitter didn't seem to move at all while in operation.

Randy

 

[Knight9]

I have used one. My brother owns one and they are excellent machines. The ram push and retraction is fast enough that we can just keep up with three people going. One keeping the chunks of wood handy, one putting them in place and one splitting and throwing the pieces.

They are a little more expensive than the hydraulic variety...but if you need to do some serious splitting, I'd say well worth it.

Kevin