Ran a 2 way splitter Sunday

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logbutcher said:
One fine review Steve ! :msp_thumbup:

I've been begging ( yes, beg, no pride :msp_confused:) for a review of the DR "Dual Action 10 Ton Electric Splitter" or the Ramsplitter 16 Ton electric--no takers yet.

Since most of us know how a fixed, thicker wedge splitter operates, how did you all feel about the build and long term durability of a moving, thin wedge ? Any side movement or 'looseness' ?

If the 2-way got stuck in a knotty, stringy, or crotched piece, how did the wedge ( or user ) get "unstuck " ? By itself ? Or, some effort ? When a fixed wedge gets hung up, the log has to be pried up or hammered out of the wedge; a PITA .

Any negatives on the thinner 2-way wedge engineering ?

Thx.
Click to expand...

I have the Powerhorse 20 ton dual split. It has been flawless, if you are splitting a lot of really large pieces 25 inches plus it may not be the splitter for you. It will do it but some pieces have to either roll or flip and split again. If a piece does get stuck on the wedge just reverse the ram once it gets to the other stop the ram pulls itself out. The narrow wedge works better then I expected in good straight wood it will pop them open just as quick as a wide wedge. With a cycle time of roughly 4.3 seconds even having to run the wedge all the way through is fast.
 
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Fatness said:
Steve let me know if find a 4 way cross for that GNE. I'd like one.
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There's a guy that built one in the video someone posted on the first page of this thread, but that's all I've seen. The guy that posted the video doesn't seem to have answered the comments asking for one.

logbutcher said:
One fine review Steve ! :msp_thumbup:

I've been begging ( yes, beg, no pride :msp_confused:) for a review of the DR "Dual Action 10 Ton Electric Splitter" or the Ramsplitter 16 Ton electric--no takers yet.

Since most of us know how a fixed, thicker wedge splitter operates, how did you all feel about the build and long term durability of a moving, thin wedge ? Any side movement or 'looseness' ?

If the 2-way got stuck in a knotty, stringy, or crotched piece, how did the wedge ( or user ) get "unstuck " ? By itself ? Or, some effort ? When a fixed wedge gets hung up, the log has to be pried up or hammered out of the wedge; a PITA .

Any negatives on the thinner 2-way wedge engineering ?

Thx.
Click to expand...

LB, can't help on the electrics.

Thin wedges are the cat's meow for stringy wood, and those that think they won't "pop" easy to split wood haven't used one. I have a 1" wide wedge on my big splitter, and in my opinion, those big fat triangle wedges can stay on the H/V machines they're usually found on (because they need to get the wood out past the cylinder mounts, not because they split better) where I will spend as little time as possible around em.

The splitter in this post was new, not much give or flex that I noticed. As others have mentioned, the short wedge can cause incomplete splits on big rounds, no big deal, flip it over backwards back onto the beam, and run the wedge back the other way.

I have no real "stucks" to report, but with this design, just go back the other way, the stuck log will hit the other push plate if it's gone in more than the length of the wedge, and the wedge will back itself out. Thin, sharp wedges will shear knots and crotches rather than rip them apart, so less likely to stall out and stick.

Thin vs wide is like a Fiskars vs a Monster Maul, guess which one I'm a swingin?
 
I would too like to find a four way wedge for my dual split have been doing some searching with google but no luck yet.
 
Fatness said:
I ended up buying that GNE. Sorry Steve! You'll have to get ahold of me if you want to look at it again. I've used the heck out of it since getting it, the thing I like is that it moves very easily {when extend the ram out the back} with one person to stay close to the pile. I have gotten 3 hours out of that little fuel tank, but I'm unable to run it like we did when we had 3 people running it though! I can't wait til one of my family help me someday, we'll split a bunch of wood in a hour then!
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I would have jumped on that too if I had an indoor stove!!!
 
OPE- Outdoor Power Equipment - toys for big boys! Generic term.

GNE - Great Northern Equipment - the company that distributes (and labels) the splitter in this post. I don't think they're the actual manufacturer, just purchased from the company that makes em, painted their colors, labeled, and sent to dealers.

GNE is out of MN, as is Northern Tool (who sells the nearly identical Powerhorse 2 way), so I would not be suprised to find out there's a back door connection between the two.
 
Phil, you win nothing. If you didn't know, then Google does not count. :msp_sneaky:
"AcronymFinder (!!!! ) got it right. Common with techies loving TLA's to stump the unwashed lowly users.

The question to Steve was about his "patriot" 36 D. :msp_scared:
 
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I was on the cusp of buying a splitter and I liked the specs on this one, so I bought it. It'll be delivered Wednesday Feb 1st. I'll let you all know how it does.

11571_1_lg.jpg
 
10 cords so far

I've run about 10 cords through the splitter. Primarily red oak and sugar maple. I have not found anything this machine couldn't split. Tough crotches, spiral-grain sugar maple pieces, etc. It has to kick down to the high pressure circuit, so the ram slows down, but it can power through anything I've encountered so far.

The thing I like most about it is that it's light. I pull it around my yard by hand and also over to my neighbor's yards to split stuff for them. It's easy on fuel and pretty quiet.

I'm about 5' 11" tall and I find I'm hunched over a bit if I use the splitter as is. What I found out works well is to pull the splitter up onto some concrete pavers that I had left over from a gardening project, raising it up about 3 inches. It's at a better working height for me this way.

Also, the machine needs to be level. If it's tipped down a bit, it will squirt hydraulic fluid out through the tank breather when the ram is all the way extended. Another time it was shutting off on me at random times and it turned out the oil was just a tad low. I added about a shot glass full of oil and that stopped the low-oil sensor from tripping. It's pretty sensitive to oil level.

Other than that, it's a great splitter and well worth the $950 plus $150 shipping that I paid.
 
Philbert said:
Saw a DR brand version of these this week at a local dealer. Pump looked kind of small. Had a cycle time of 11 seconds posted (?). Price in the same range as the others in this thread.

Dual-Action Log Splitters - Home | DR Power Equipment

Philbert
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They're a bit different - maybe not better or worse, but different. 6.5HP running a 3GPM single stage pump @ 4000PSI. The only problems there are the wedge always moving slow, even in easy splitting. With a 2 way, you want it to the other end as fast as possible to get ready for the next hit. A block that splits right away leaves you waiting for it to get there.

4000 PSI means you'll need to find hoses at a hydraulics shop or farm/industrial equipment dealer. All the farm store/big box hoses I've seen are only rated to 3500. (The NT/GNE splitter uses a more conventional 11GPM/3000PSI 2 stage pump, and a larger cylinder to get similar cycle times.)

Still too low (a knock on both machines). 24" splitting height is nothing to brag about, unless your intended operator stands about 4'2".

What I saw in the pics looks well made, but it's something I'd like to see in person before I bought one.

Price is a couple hundred over the NT/GNE machine, $400 more if you need electric start, but most people splitting wood are probably capable of pulling a rope. Then there's shipping. Still a factor if you buy the other machine on line, but I can go pick one up locally, either at Northern or my local OPE guy, something I can't do with DR. It's my opinion that companies that do business mainly mail order/online need to find a way to "build in" the shipping cost, rather than advertise cheap/reasonable prices then whack you with a big shipping bill. After all, the store you buy from in person paid to have that product shipped there, either directly or indirectly, and they don't jack ya at the cash register for that cost.

Just my thoughts after a quick look at a web page, seeing one in person might impress me for better or worse.
 
Steve NW WI said:
. . . I can go pick one up locally, either at Northern or my local OPE guy, something I can't do with DR. . . .Just my thoughts after a quick look at a web page, seeing one in person might impress me for better or worse.
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I saw it at a local, large hardware store/OPE dealer here in the Cities that has some DR stuff on their sales floor. The fit and finish were not anything to call home about, but I thought that they would at least copy the pump, splitting times, etc., and maybe just offer a different engine (B&S versus Honda or Chicom). I really did not see any advantages at this end of the product line, unless you happen to like the orange color. Just posting it FYI.

Philbert
 
A splitfire is a tank. Anything I can lift, it will split. Yes, they are more money, but absolutely worth it I think. Like Wampum said, they are too low, but thats an easy fix. They have an extension kit of some type available from the factory.

That Powerhorse looks interesting.:clap:
 
We have listed a number of brands of these here. Ran across another one (don't think it has been posted?) that has a 160cc Honda engine, 11 gpm pump, and talks about guarding things from falling logs: Dosko 2000LS-H

http://www.dosko.com/log_splitters/index.html

(Got all excited. Then I realized that the company has the same address as GNE - think that they are related?)

Philbert
 
Philbert said:
From the comments posted here on A.S., the SplitFire appears to be at the upper end of the 2-way splitters in price and quality. The Powerhorse, GNE, and DR appear to be at the low cost end.

Philbert
Click to expand...

I think THIS is the upper end of the 2-way splitters. I made this about a year before Split Fire popped up. Electric start 16HP Briggs & Scrapiron, belt drive 22gpm, 2 stage pump, 25gpm 2 spool valve - no detents per customer request, 5" cylinder, 24" length of split, 1000 pound log-lift/table, 20 gallon hydraulic reservoir, removable tongue, chainsaw vise and toolbox.

splitter2004A.jpg
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splitter2008.jpg
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