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WoodTick007 said:
Why is the manufacturer not addressing this for you for free. I would honestly expect free updated machine and with a sincere apology and shipping paid to return your broken machine and a partial refind on the entire splitter. It is not like you spent $600 at Menards for mass produced Chinese stuff. I have watched threads on these where the splitting wedge falls off and the welds looked like thay were put in my a 3rd grader with a $69 Harbor Freight welder. I hope the Koolaid does not wear off for most of you as it appears that. . . well it appears for the money spent you should have received a better built product.
I am sorry to just be so blunt, but it is what it is.
Click to expand...

Well.... I appreciate your candor. I do agree with you on most of your post. One would think that for the price paid, a $12 bearing that could be replaced with a $3 sealed bearing would be a nice improvement. If I started breaking welds... I would get more aggressive with them.

Some of this failure does fall on my shoulders.... I did not sufficiently take care of it as instructed to by the manufacturer and via tips and advice from other users. I thought I was.... But apparently not enough.

I have some sealed bearings here that I'm going to stick in there.
 
OnTheRoad said:
Wow. I thought these things lasted decades on end splitting 100 cords a year. I was considering ordering a Super Split but obviously I need to do more research before spending close to 4 grand. Lots of options at this price.....
Click to expand...

Lets not blow things out of proportion. Its a $12 bearing that requires a little more attention than I was giving it. Nothing more, nothing less. I didnt start this thread because I am unhappy with the splitter. Its that little bearing that I wanted to find a better option for, and I believe thats been accomplished. Ill look forward to @Sandhill Crane experience using the UHMWPE roller......

Let me also add..... You wont find a splitter at this pricepoint that can produce the output of the supersplit. If there was one, I would have bought it because that was my sole criteria. I was very hesitant and skeptical when I finally mustered the testicular fortitude to submit the order with no experience using one. Its difficult to get past the idea that a non hydraulic splitter will work when thats all one has ever known. But thats all gone. This splitter, even with all its idiosyncrasies, can keep 2-3 guys busy splitting for as long as you can supply it wood to split.

ETA: Im one person, there are several that have chimed in that have had no issues with the bearing. That could be due to a multitude of reasons such as time of year, type of wood, dirt, moisture....
 
CaseyForrest said:
Lets not blow things out of proportion. Its a $12 bearing that requires a little more attention than I was giving it. Nothing more, nothing less. I didnt start this thread because I am unhappy with the splitter. Its that little bearing that I wanted to find a better option for, and I believe thats been accomplished. Ill look forward to @Sandhill Crane experience using the UHMWPE roller......

Let me also add..... You wont find a splitter at this pricepoint that can produce the output of the supersplit. If there was one, I would have bought it because that was my sole criteria. I was very hesitant and skeptical when I finally mustered the testicular fortitude to submit the order with no experience using one. Its difficult to get past the idea that a non hydraulic splitter will work when thats all one has ever known. But thats all gone. This splitter, even with all its idiosyncrasies, can keep 2-3 guys busy splitting for as long as you can supply it wood to split.

ETA: Im one person, there are several that have chimed in that have had no issues with the bearing. That could be due to a multitude of reasons such as time of year, type of wood, dirt, moisture....
Click to expand...

I am also a one man show splitting for the most part. Since I have been religiously using a lubricant into the hole on the bolt and keeping the bearing cleaned off I have had no issues. I am planning on switching out to the sealed ones you guys have found though!
As for the machines performance, my experience with it goes like this:
Me: I'm going out to split some wood, just a tankful of gas.
Wife: Okay
Me: @#$%^&*! splitter won't run out of gas, but I'm out of gas 4 hr's later!

It's a lot of money for a splitter, and everyone of us has different needs and wants in a finished product so an S.S. is not going to fit all of our needs. I still break out my hydraulic if I run into some gnarly stuff, but I try nor to get those logs anymore if I can help it. I actually consider how the logs are going to look more now than I did when I only had the hydraulic. Old age fussiness I guess.
 
After reading the very first post, my thoughts where to just replace the bearing with a sealed one. This is exactly what mijdirtyjeep did. Personally, I think using a unsealed bearing to start with is just a poor thought out design. I have never even seen a SS so i am not going to comment on any other parts, design plans, pros or cons. From what I have read from users, is its main claim to fame is speed. A 3 sec cycle time is impressive, but is also easily obtainable with a hydraulic ram. Someone said the price of the SS is around $4000. I havent priced the parts, but for $4 grand I am pretty sure I can build a hydraulic machine that will match the SS cycle times, and produce more power than the SS can even think about reaching.
 
I'll just add... I have two splitters, both paid for.

One is a Timberwolf TW-6, and I love using it.
One is a SuperSplitHD, and I love using it.

I did fifteen cord with the TW-6, and fifty cord with the SSHD this past year.
I'm aiming at one hundred cord again, and I have a much better start this year.
(128 cu. ft. per cord)

The TW-6 is the one for sale....
 
muddstopper said:
After reading the very first post, my thoughts where to just replace the bearing with a sealed one. This is exactly what mijdirtyjeep did. Personally, I think using a unsealed bearing to start with is just a poor thought out design. I have never even seen a SS so i am not going to comment on any other parts, design plans, pros or cons. From what I have read from users, is its main claim to fame is speed. A 3 sec cycle time is impressive, but is also easily obtainable with a hydraulic ram. Someone said the price of the SS is around $4000. I havent priced the parts, but for $4 grand I am pretty sure I can build a hydraulic machine that will match the SS cycle times, and produce more power than the SS can even think about reaching.
Click to expand...

I have built a hydraulic splitter, actually it had been under construction for 15 years before I got it to where I wanted it. I am sure I have over $3,000.00 in it of hard currency, not to mention man hours. I didn't have the knowledge to build it that I have now, nor the internet capability back then to find answers/someone else's experience. I have around $3,300.00 in my HD, and I wouldn't trade it nor try and get a hydraulic to take its place now! I am not condemning your talents or ideas, this is just my thought on the situation I am in. The only way I would consider something else today was if I decide to become a larger player in the market and I will go for some sort of processor. Probably, besides the speed, what I like best is that is so mobile. I can wheel it around in seconds down my rows of staked rounds by hand. The convenience of having it so mobile in the area I have to work in is a huge plus! I figure I have to get to about double of my output now to be able to justify a processor, but I'm still not sure I want to. My kid's are young, I'm comfortable where I'm at in life and I just don't want to work 100 hrs a week anymore.
I guess I'm rambling now, you guy's get the point.
 
muddstopper said:
After reading the very first post, my thoughts where to just replace the bearing with a sealed one. This is exactly what mijdirtyjeep did. Personally, I think using a unsealed bearing to start with is just a poor thought out design. I have never even seen a SS so i am not going to comment on any other parts, design plans, pros or cons. From what I have read from users, is its main claim to fame is speed. A 3 sec cycle time is impressive, but is also easily obtainable with a hydraulic ram. Someone said the price of the SS is around $4000. I havent priced the parts, but for $4 grand I am pretty sure I can build a hydraulic machine that will match the SS cycle times, and produce more power than the SS can even think about reaching.
Click to expand...
J model Super Split is just over $2500 and is what I have.
I still don't see the need for the HD model, it cost more, but not $4000.
 
Didn't realize they cost that much, I figured they were in the 2-3k area. Wonder why they are so expensive?
 
Now that it looks like I will be retired with plenty of time on my hands, I just cant see the demand for speed anymore. I dont sell wood and only burn about 4 cords a year in my stove. My current hyd splitter is plenty fast enough for me. I already have about $3grand in a firewood processor build that I had to put on hold because of medical reasons. I plan on finishing the processor sometime this year, or maybe next, but it isnt a high priority anymore. I have always said that there is a place in a firewood business for a kinetic splitter, but for big wood, I feel a hyd splitter with a multi wedge would work better, if nothing more than to get those big rounds down to easily handleing size. As for the bearing in question in this thread, I cant see all the hoop la. Bearings go out all the time. I have seen million dollar equipment loose a bearing the first day its put in service. $$it happens.
 
[QUOTE I didnt start this thread because I am unhappy with the splitter.
[/QUOTE]

When you post a thread with the title "Not Impressed" It would make one believe that indeed you are unhappy with something.
 
As stated earlier, there is room for improvement.

To me, this thread is about sharing possible improvements, not slamming the entire machine.
Thanks... to those who have shared their similar experiences and alternatives.

As for complaints, lets call them short-comings, every machine has them.

My old splitter...
The wheels and tires were originally too small, and the hitch was on the wrong end.
It was slow, compared to machines costing 4 x to 10 x more (is that a fair comparison?).
I had to put two engines on it, and one control valve.
On the other hand, it served me well for over thirty years...and, I sold it for $50. less than I paid for it.
It is still in use today. When I ask the new owner how he likes it, he says..."It's slow."
I just think..."It's still a good machine."

I replaced it with a TW-6. I love using the TW-6, but it is far from perfect...
No suspension!!! (I found some axle-less trailer suspension yesterday on-line that would be perfect, except for the $700. price tag.)

I have not heard anyone on the ArboristSite that has bought, or used, a kinetic splitter bash them.
 
muddstopper said:
for big wood, I feel a hyd splitter with a multi wedge would work better, if nothing more than to get those big rounds down to easily handleing size.
Click to expand...

To me big wood is a PITA no matter type of machine you are using. The guy I took over my firewood business from had a Multitek 2040xp with an 8way wedge on it. It was a fantastic machine until you got into big wood. Once that happened, you would spend half your time hanging out the cab window with a pickaroon grabbing chunks to resplit. My back and arms would feel like Jello after a day doing that.
 

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