Adding a taller wedge to a Supersplit

[sirbuildalot]

Curious if anyone has extended the factory wedge height on a Supersplit. The way I see it there are two distinct negatives

* It would be slightly more dangerous, as you could catch your hand or fingers easier

* It would put more stress on the wedge weld to the beam

However, there are often pieces in the say 12"-16" range that when split from both sides the wedge just misses the connecting strands in the center of the round. I typically pull it apart or use a hatchet. It seems like an inch or inch and a half in height could make a big difference. I can turn the round just a 1/8th to a 1/4 turn and take small bites off, but I like to halve the round and work each half.

 

[jwade]

i would be afraid that the extended wedge would indeed put stress on the weld, but i think that the most catastrophic damage could possibly be flexing and or bending the i beam. when using mine i just torn the log over and then hit the uncut fibers again. i find that much faster than using a hatchet. the more you use the machine the easier it will be for you to "read" the logs. i have also found is easier cut from the out side in, instead if halving a nasty piece. hope you enjoy your new tool. happy splitting bro.

 

[cantoo]

I've never had or used a super split but I'm a firm believer in the "if it ain't broke don't fix it" camp. From what I read the ss are great at what they were designed for. Even adding an inch to the wedge might be the straw that breaks the camels back.
Here's a picture of my 4 year old Speeco, looks like it just came out of the factory.

 

[kevin j]

I extended the wedge upward on our hydraulic splitter because of the stringy elm that I had a lot of.
I added 3 inches to the height, but I set it back about 2 inches from the leading edge of the main wedge. there's not a lot of force on that extension and really all it's doing is cutting through the stringy fibers that go over the top of the main wedge. really helps.

 

[sunfish]

I see no need to have a taller wedge on a Super Split.

 

[tla100]

I ran my buddy's a while back and found the same thing, lots of rounds going back to be flipped and split again. Heck, make it another 3-4" and back 1/2" and welderup........then you can drop a 4 way on top for the nice straight rounds. But, I am really serious about the extra height. I think it would help a lot. It seemed we were flipping about 1 out of every 4-5 splits.

 

[Natster]

This guy added a 4 way, and a taller wedge.

 

[panolo]

Only wood I have encountered that a taller wedge would be good on is elm. Box elder, sugar, red/white oak, birch, basswood, ash, etc all seem to split fine with the shorter wedge.