There was a processor set up just east of US 31 a couple years ago that I stopped and watched. The guy was running it by himself, dumping in a one ton dump truck. He was re-splitting in the splitter trough, so seemed dreadfully slow at the time. However, that may be the least handling and most efficient. The point I got from that was, a big, high output machine isn't needed if that approach is taken. (The flip side would be something large enough to have a diesel as suggested.) Plus, I stop every 1/4 cord anyway, to wrap with the PackFix and stage the pallet for seasoning. It is also a good time to reload the log deck. Which is what I'm doing now and it flow pretty smoothly, but it's slow for production work.
Another approach would be faster processing into a pile. Then what I'm going to call 'ground' re-handle, splitting with the SuperSplit into conveyor.
I've done that with big rounds quartered on a TW-6 and found it to be to much 'ground' handling. That's when I modified the TW-6 four-way wedge into a table wedge (like a boxless box wedge) and found complete splitting on one machine preferable. No extra handling. However, splitting in a pile may be more efficient in the long run as I could work during much of the winter, which is down time now with pallets.
More efficient work wise would have been to let the TW-6 run, quarter a round and split with SuperSplit while the TW-6 runs. If the 20 hp idled down that might work, but it did not have auto idle and the throttle was by the hitch. So to much walking for every round, and too much fuel to work that way.
I need to try a PowerSplit machine to compare.
Not buying, can't buy, anything for a year or more, except more logs to keep going.
