Anybody try to build a super splitter

[Freehand]

Not a rack and pinion,but check out the cycle time.




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[Denny M]

I stopped by Flack Hill Machine Ltd (Melvin Yoder) in Howard Ohio last Saturday to look at his inertia splitter. It looked like a well engineered splitter to me. I have been thinking about one for a couple of years now after reading about them on this site. I ordered one from Melvin; he is sold out at the moment and will have to build one for me. I should have it in a couple of weeks.

 

[Coldfront]

It is obviously going to be very hard to build one from just looking at pictures and youtube video. I think a person would need to look at one live in person, or have a very detailed set of plans to make one of these. Unless you own a machine shop and have lots of time and money.

 

[FanOFatherNash]

other uses of stored energy

Future Forestry Inc. The Pacific Northwest's source for Low Impact Forestry Tools and Equipment. Introduces the New Processor
no pricing on it as of yet, i am sure its gonna be up there...

 

[FanOFatherNash]

What if you could buy a Supersplitter-style log splitter for less than $2K new?

wood wolf is around 2k i think....

 

[wdchuck]

Future Forestry Inc. The Pacific Northwest's source for Low Impact Forestry Tools and Equipment. Introduces the New Processor
no pricing on it as of yet, i am sure its gonna be up there...

That would be a pretty slick setup for someone. Close to what I'm trying to setup for myself.

 

[KiwiBro]

That's a blue super splitter by the looks of it, modified a little?

 

[Freehand]

Does somebody have a vid that shows a rack and pinion set up splitting a nasty piece of crotch wood? Every one I've seen is pushing butter straight grain with no knots or variance.What happens when you do "lock it up"?

 

[KiwiBro]

Does somebody have a vid that shows a rack and pinion set up splitting a nasty piece of crotch wood? Every one I've seen is pushing butter straight grain with no knots or variance.

If I had a dollar for every time one of us asked that....

Fortunately, I believe a certain Hedgewhacker is going to put one through it's paces at a GTG and report his findings, and, as per, it didn't happen without the videos and pics to prove it.

Cue the usual "it's a production splitter, I don't touch nasty wood, so neither should you" mantra from the usual suspects ;-)

 

[Freehand]

Meh.

 

[Circle B MN]

If I had a dollar for every time one of us asked that....

Fortunately, I believe a certain Hedgewhacker is going to put one through it's paces at a GTG and report his findings, and, as per, it didn't happen without the videos and pics to prove it.

Cue the usual "it's a production splitter, I don't touch nasty wood, so neither should you" mantra from the usual suspects ;-)

As it seems you have a great deal of input on the matter, please tell us KiwiBro, what is your experience with production firewood and this type of machine.? While I consider myself a rookie compared to others at a measly 75 or so cord a year in sales, I am confident in saying that there is the right tool for every job, and in these parts we do not sell knots, crotches, or splits as firewood. All of the "trash" goes in my own stove. Why waste your time trying to split trash, when you can cut around it and split the woood that is actaully profitable...?

 

[KiwiBro]

As it seems you have a great deal of input on the matter, please tell us KiwiBro, what is your experience with production firewood and this type of machine.? While I consider myself a rookie compared to others at a measly 75 or so cord a year in sales, I am confident in saying that there is the right tool for every job, and in these parts we do not sell knots, crotches, or splits as firewood. All of the "trash" goes in my own stove. Why waste your time trying to split trash, when you can cut around it and split the woood that is actaully profitable...?

Freehand, like many of us, just wants to see vids of how these splitters go in less than perfect-case scenario, and worst-case scenario wood. It's not an unreasonable request. Whether they, I or anyone else for that matter, cuts one or 10000 trees, or splits 2 pieces or 2000 cords per year is absolutely irrelevant to the question and/or request. A request coming from people keen to make INFORMED buying decisions and/or learn more about these splitters, their limits and how to best work within or around said limits.

Your post infers that people with "trash" wood may not like this splitter. Should they all soak up such a sermon on blind faith alone or perhaps, just maybe, some of us would at least like to see for ourselves, with our own eyes, just what these splitters can and can't handle and make our own judgements.

Again, it's not an unreasonable request. That it's often met with somewhat obstinate preaching from the production pulpit is a justifiable cause for suspicion. The easiest way to confirm or expunge such a suspicion would be via a video or two, and I look forward to those and pics from the GTG.

 

[Cmccul8146]

Flywheel Splitters vs. Knotty Stuff

Whilst my flywheel splitter is homebuilt & admittedly not a SS, it DOES INDEED split the knotty wood I have run thru it. Sometimes on the 1st hit, sometimes takes 2 or even 3 hits, but still faster than hydraulic splitter cycle times. As I have said here before, and SS owners will agree, they will split about anything if you READ the wood & start by working the knotty stuff from the edges rather than straight down the center. MNGuns, STLFirewood, Sunfish, and other SS owners who are in the firewood business are using these splitters for the production they get from them & not just to see what it will split. I totally agree with MNGuns that if you're in the firewood business you are selling mostly good straight grained wood that stacks neatly,and burning your trashy wood yourself. Hydraulic splitters DON"T always go thru knotty stuff on the 1st try either, so why do you guys who have never even seen ,let alone ,used a flywheel splitter keep putting them down as only good for the best wood. Are you really that JEALOUS of the speed that your hydraulic will NEVER come close to?

 

[KiwiBro]

Whilst my flywheel splitter is homebuilt & admittedly not a SS, it DOES INDEED split the knotty wood I have run thru it.

Thanks. Notwithstanding the fact yours has significantly heavier flywheels, the age old adage applies: 'videos and pics, or it didn't happen'.

To suggest anyone seeking videos so they can see for themselves to help them make informed decisions and verify claims is a jealous hydraulic splitter owner is so 'out there' it's rather comical.



On a slightly different note, that blue modded splitter and platform in the link above has a really cool way to use those flywheels for winching up logs/rings. Well done those blokes for making it work. There's a thread around these parts about working the wood as we age and that looks like a great back-saver right there.

 

[Junkfxr]

If you go to Logrite's website and watch the whole video of their splitter / processor, it shows some not-so-ideal wood being split.

 

[BSD]

flywheelers will split knots and crotches, but you do have to read the pattern to make it a little easier. I've found my speedpro will more shear the nasty pieces than split them. the splitter will grunt, shudder and damn near stall sometimes, sometimes it will stop the ram, sometimes it takes 2-4 hits but it will go through everything I've put in it so far. red oak, white oak, black birch, maple, hickory, elm, locust and ash.

to be honest I try to avoid the really nasty pieces now a days, I try to get all my logs in 4-10' lengths and crotch pieces just don't fit well on the truck or trailer so I tend to leave them behind.

I will do my best to find a truly nasty piece and film it for you guys.

 

[harrybeaver]

Well the good news is it looks like our options are expanding in addition to SS, wood wolf, and the one in the link above Tractor supply and DR power products have introduced models that use flywheel technology. Competition usually leads to better products and pricing.
Interesting note is in DR's video they place the number of splits in one hour at roughly 3:1 for flywheel vs hydraulic. Would that mean it is as fast as a hydraulic with four way wedge? I love my four way wedge!

 

[Hddnis]

There is video out there of these things splitting some pretty nasty stuff. Some of the stuff they hit more than once, but it is still a fast operation. All the doubters just look goofy trying to hang their hats on that.





Mr. HE

 

[Freehand]

I don't know what kind of pissing match you fellers have going on this subject.I have no doubts that it is a very capable machine.I have yet to see a link provided that shows the rack and pinion platform performing in less than ideal wood.That is all.

Around here,if you chucked every knotty piece over your shoulder you would waste half the tree.I guess markets differ as I have never encountered a customer rejecting a load calling it "trash wood".

 

[Steve NW WI]

I've liked the idea of these things for a while. What I didn't like (also with a lot of smaller hydraulics) is the lack of anything remotely close to really towable...highway speeds, long distances, etc. 8" tires belong on lawnmowers, not trailers.

Logrite may have hit a home run with me by cross mounting the splitter on a real trailer. Now I'll have to figure out how to scrounge enought pennies for one.

Just goes to show that there's always a better mousetrap out there somewhere.