Another year another wasted opportunity for you flywheel splitter manufacturers.

[KiwiBro]

How can you guys fail to see the benefits in having representation at "the world’s fifth largest rural sector tradeshow" visited by so many buyers from so many countries?
Either that or I missed the DR or Supersplit stands at the field days yesterday. You guys could have been the slick cats amongst the hydraulic pigeons.

You blew it...again.

 

[cantoo]

Sounds like you need to get the franchise rights to Kiwiland before someone else does. Don't laugh, maybe it's available. I have a neighbour that now is doing very well when years ago he got the Canadian distribution rights to buildings manufacturers in the States. He gets a piece of every piece sold here.

 

[KiwiBro]

Sounds like you need to get the franchise rights to Kiwiland before someone else does. Don't laugh, maybe it's available. I have a neighbour that now is doing very well when years ago he got the Canadian distribution rights to buildings manufacturers in the States. He gets a piece of every piece sold here.

SS wasn't interested. DR has representation here, but it was sadly lacking at the best exposure event possible.

 

[TreePointer]

Maybe your gum trees are just too tough for them. No?

 

[KiwiBro]

How would we know? DR have had ample opportunity to say so on here but haven't. Some Aussie rep of competing splitters has said he's been told that's the case, but that's hardly from the horses mouth.
If either DR or SS were serious about grasping the opportunity that exists here down-under they would have had splitters down here for evaluation on our woods by our people, but I haven't seen any signs either of them have done that.

The exhibition was a good opportunity to look at the Aussie superaxe/ aussie chopper splitters and assorted generic splitters. Heck, even Oregon had a splitter there, which I found quite amusing given Blount own Oregon AND Speeco. It would have been quite amusing if a speedpro flywheel splitter had been at the show, being dumped on unsuspecting Kiwi's.

Both DR and SS had and failed to grasp yet another chance to be first to market and gain a perception as the 'original' flywheel splitter for down under. In DR's case it could be a great flagship product to introduce so many people here to their brand and their after sales service ethos.

 

[2strokenut]

I have never herd of a flywheel splitter sounds very interesting
Been to lots of AG shows over hear and never seen anything like that only ram splitters.

 

[blades]

You could also refer to them as Kinetic energy splitters.

 

[triptester]

One reason flywheel type splitters are not sold outside north america may be that they don't meet the EC safety standards required in other countries. EC safety standards require more guards and safety interlocks.

 

[Preston]

Might be very good reason for that. Possibly the theory of operation just isn't bug free yet. It's been shown here flaws are there and the fixes aren't. Y'all be patient. Some day the thing'll work.

 

[zogger]

Make your own and sell them?

 

[Preston]

Sold all my machinery, welder, everything. If I still had the shop I really would consider it. :msp_biggrin:

 

[giXXer]

Make your own and sell them?

That's kind of what I was thinking...if the demand is there. ??? Could it be possible that these companies have looked into exporting their splitter to Aotearoa (a quick Google search tells me that is the north island of New Zealand with a population of approximately 3.3 million), but the demographics don't support the cost of setting up the dealer network and exporting, etc? I compare those numbers with the demographics that I am familiar with and there are more people in a 3 county area in Michigan (3.8 million) than there are on all of the north island of New Zealand. We have almost 10 million people in Michigan alone, new Zealand has a TOTAL of 4.4 million. I am not saying this is the reason, but it could certainly be a factor.

 

[half]

splitters in N.Z

I can see exactly what you are saying about population base
In saying that there seems to be a heap of people importing chinese splitters here, and they would not do it if they were sitting on the shop floor. Sure they are cheap compared to the US models, say around 5K for a good Brave here. Chinese go for about 2.1/2 to 4k. So maybe that could be part of it. mind the exchange rate is good at the moment. and that will be in any importers favour.Selling stuff. around 80c nz to US dollar. And Aussie is only across the ditch with a big population base. A lot of companies have branches in both countrys

TradeMe.co.nz - log splitters for sale, New Zealand

 

[KiwiBro]

they claim it's the 5th largest show of it's kind in the world.

In some respects the population base of NZ alone is irrelevant because buyers from all over the world come to this show and a large percentage of those foreign buyers are Aussies (so not having representation at the show is showing a middle finger to a pretty big continent).

Further, even it was just a NZ population issue for some, take a look at how much wood we have, how much heating gets done with it compared to more built-up/urbanised sprawls in other countries. Like Half just said, our exchange rate is darn good (as is the Aussie-US rate), has been for a while now. The time for these manufacturers to be here is now but after two years almost of being exasperated and bewildered that they can't see or be bothered with, the potential gains they could make by being at this show and having decent representation down-under, it's hard not to be frustrated by their apparent indifference.

These splitters have merit. They aren't a silver bullet, but unless they are tested in all woods down here in NZ/Aussie who knows where the limits are? It may just be they have tested and don't want to publicly state their splitters can't handle our wood and instead just refrain from shipping them here?

Regarding the CE safety standards, I think many in such highly litigious countries can't get their heads around how our system in NZ (I can't speak for Aussie as I am still not 100% sure on theirs yet-a few loose ends to chase up) works. Sure, for some items, especially the 'lecky motor options, international standards are worthwhile, but there is actually no impediment that I am aware of to selling the petrol splitters here. Neither is there any potential liability for the manufacturers should someone take their hand off.

They aren't seriously complex bits of kit (although with many things, I suspect the devil is in the assembly detail), can be imported as parts and assembled here on a "made from local and imported ingredients" basis and from where I'm typing I can get to anywhere in NZ or Aussie and a few other South Pacific countries for that matter, within an 8 hr plane ride, and testing the waters down-under would not cost an arm and a leg.