Super Split discussion anyone?

[Southside]

How sharp do you keep your blade?
Do you need to keep those rollers(there is four on mine) under the beam greased regularly?
How important is the 3000 rpm motor running speed?
What causes the rack gear push bar to not completely retract at times?
Is this not the best splitter ever made with and an excellent support team. ie. Paul?
Purchased my Super split new Dec. 2011. Southside

 

[3fordasho]

Thinking of pulling the trigger myself. Couple questions need to be answered first:
First is the production table worth it? I've seen a few comments somewhere about it being a "shakey jake" .. would it be better to fab up something myself or have my local fab quy do one... I'd rather spend my time splitting rather than modifying equipment.

"J" model vs HD model... $300 difference in price, 15lb difference in weight. Paul says go to the HD model when exceeding 50-100cords a year. Don't see myself exceeding that but does the HD version offer any advantages in splitting difficult wood (american elm)?

Electric motor vs gas motor, I was planning on going electric (I like quiet - get enough noise from chainsaws). Paul @ SS sugested purchasing the gas and adding the electric myself... again I'd rather be using the equipment rather than modifiying, but if there is a significant advantage to having both I am all ears. For on-site splitting I'll use a generator.

 

[sunfish]

I sharpened the wedge on mine, will slice through most knots, instead of trying to split through.

No grease on the roller bearings, just the rack and main bearings at the grease fittings.

I run mine at 1/2-2/3 throttle, but wind it up for nasty/gnarly wood.

If crap gets stuck under the ram head, it will sometime not retract. Mine rarely does this now, but did some when new. Keep the I beam clean.

Yes, best splitter ever made and Paul is a very good guy to deal with.

The table is worth every penny and is not a "shakey jake" . Very stout and well made!

I bought the J model, the heavy duty has an extra bearing on either side of the ram and more HP. The bearings can easily be add if needed. I haven't needed the extra bearings or extra HP. I just split a bunch of elm the other day, easy work for the SS.

I also wanted electric, but Paul talked me into going with gas. No regrets, but I'll put an electric motor on mine one day. Easy change/add on.

 

[Circle B MN]

How sharp do you keep your blade?
Do you need to keep those rollers(there is four on mine) under the beam greased regularly?
How important is the 3000 rpm motor running speed?
What causes the rack gear push bar to not completely retract at times?
Is this not the best splitter ever made with and an excellent support team. ie. Paul?
Purchased my Super split new Dec. 2011. Southside

After three years and many cords of wood, I have yet to sharpen my splitting wedge. It does not appear to be dull, dented, bent or wavy. Must be some pretty good steel in that one.

I keep all of the bearing, rollers, rack, etc greased regularly. Grease is cheaper than parts, and regular preventative maintenance is a good thing for any piece of equipment.

The machine had been around for a long time, and it is my belief that Paul's experience and the feedback from users has determined 3000 RPM to an appropriate operating speed for the machine. I can tell when running the gas engine say full throttle versus 3/4 that the rack does not always mess as smoothly. I do not see any real gain in splitting performance running the machine at higher RPMs.

Failure to retract completely, in my opinion, is usually the result of junk on the beam causing resistance or junk around the roller. Keep it clean and well lubed. Very easy to do and takes little time. The rack does not need much force to return.

I am very pleased with the quality, performance, and customer support provided by Paul at Super Split. When you call, he answers the phone. He knows the product, he knows how to run it, and he has hands on experience. You get every penny worth of what you pay for when you buy one of these machines.

 

[Southside]

Howdy 3ford, The production table is worth every cent and it's not shakey at all, in fact I'm 6'4 and I put the machine up on three 16" tire rims for extra height and it's very sturdy. As far as HD vs. the J model, I'm into really nasty old oak, oasage, and eucy, so I went with the HD, if you got lots of straight grain the J model would work just fine.
My dream is to convert my gas model to electric but I'm not set up for that yet, but someday. To listen to the sheer power of the Super Split splitting wood with out the gas engine sound would be awesome. Southside

 

[sunfish]

No way in hell could I go back to hydro after using the Super Split...

 

[Circle B MN]

Thinking of pulling the trigger myself. Couple questions need to be answered first:
First is the production table worth it? I've seen a few comments somewhere about it being a "shakey jake" .. would it be better to fab up something myself or have my local fab quy do one... I'd rather spend my time splitting rather than modifying equipment.

"J" model vs HD model... $300 difference in price, 15lb difference in weight. Paul says go to the HD model when exceeding 50-100cords a year. Don't see myself exceeding that but does the HD version offer any advantages in splitting difficult wood (american elm)?

Electric motor vs gas motor, I was planning on going electric (I like quiet - get enough noise from chainsaws). Paul @ SS sugested purchasing the gas and adding the electric myself... again I'd rather be using the equipment rather than modifiying, but if there is a significant advantage to having both I am all ears. For on-site splitting I'll use a generator.

The production table is a key part of maintaining the speed of the machine. If you don't have the table, you will be bending over a lot to pick wood up off the ground.

I believe the only shake in the machine is a result of the turf tires. The machine itself is very solid and well built. Were you to take the tires off it would be like a rock.

I purchased mine with a gas engine and recently swapped it over to electric. You can get a used electric motor fairly cheap off CL and the likes. After that, all you need is a pulley and a belt. The electric is very quiet, can be run indoors, and performs just as well as the gas.

 

[Clarkbug]

I just recently picked up a Super Split, and have only had a chance to run maybe a cord of really nasty pine through it.

I will say its very well built, although my particular machine has been "customized" in the past. With some help from the folks here on the forums, I got it back up and running in no time, and it works great. Its a much older J model with a 3 HP Briggs on it. (on that note, anyone got a picture of a pulsa-jet carb? My springs have also been "customized")

I have been hitting the rollers under the beam with some WD-40, and the main bearings with grease. Sunfish, you mentioned greasing the rack? Is there a zerk for that, or do you just put grease right into the rack itself?

No production table on mine, but it has a set of "wings" that were welded on, and they do a nice job of holding up the big rounds for me. Im going to try and make up my own ghetto production table out of some plywood and slip sheets, since its pretty close to the ground.

But I like the rugged simplicity, the fact that just about everything can be removed/rebuilt with a set of good hand tools, and even a slow guy like me can probably trouble shoot it if it really came down to it.

 

[sunfish]

I have been hitting the rollers under the beam with some WD-40, and the main bearings with grease. Sunfish, you mentioned greasing the rack? Is there a zerk for that, or do you just put grease right into the rack itself?

Putty knife and a tub of grease. Pull the rack out by hand and lock in place, then just add a bit of grease to the under side of rack. WD-40 on the bearings is a good idea and something I also do.

 

[Clarkbug]

Thanks Sunfish.

Is greasing the rack something that Paul/SuperSplit says is a good idea to do? Or just something in general that you do thats a good idea?

I know that WD-40 isnt the best of all long-wearing lubricants, but I use it more to provide some lube right before I use the splitter, but also to help clean out all the gunk that builds up on the rollers.

 

[buildmyown]

As far as I know my wedge has never been sharpened and my splitter is 30 years old.

Normally junk between the push plate and the beam will make it bind up.

The bearings on the underside of mine are totally shot and need to be replaced.

I hit the zerks on the flywheels once or twice a year depending on how much im splitting.

Ive found bar oil works great for keeping everything lubed up and moving free. At the start of a splitting day ill pour a small puddle of oil right in front of the ram and cycle it a few times. The only time i have to do it more then once a day is if the wood is really dirty or wet from rain and snow. The oil coats the underside of the ram and the beam where the bearings ride.

A production table is a must I need to make a better one.

 

[Southside]

Good info from some long time Super Split owners, thank you. My blade has developed a 1/16th to maybe a 1/8th flat surface on the cutting edge, still splits great but was wondering if i should take a flat file and put another edge on it? SS

 

[Circle B MN]

I don't see where it would hurt to work it a but with a file.


These really are great machines, and though several have tried, nobody has yet to equal the quality or service that follows them.

 

[Clarkbug]

The bearings on the underside of mine are totally shot and need to be replaced.

Ive found bar oil works great for keeping everything lubed up and moving free. At the start of a splitting day ill pour a small puddle of oil right in front of the ram and cycle it a few times. The only time i have to do it more then once a day is if the wood is really dirty or wet from rain and snow. The oil coats the underside of the ram and the beam where the bearings ride.

Do you mean the bearing that rolls on the top of the beam, or the ones that are underneath it? In one of the other SS threads I started, a member here gave me the bearing cross reference if you need it.

One thought on bar oil... Isnt it supposed to be "tacky" to stick to the bar? I just wonder if that would make dirt and goo stick to places they shouldnt instead of helping. Then again, if you have been doing it for 30 years, must be working just fine!

 

[buildmyown]

Do you mean the bearing that rolls on the top of the beam, or the ones that are underneath it? In one of the other SS threads I started, a member here gave me the bearing cross reference if you need it.

One thought on bar oil... Isnt it supposed to be "tacky" to stick to the bar? I just wonder if that would make dirt and goo stick to places they shouldnt instead of helping. Then again, if you have been doing it for 30 years, must be working just fine!

Let me clarify the splitter is 30 years old I got it from the original owner ive had it for about 3 years now its on kind of an extened loan. Im good friends with the owner. Its a bad habit to call it mine even tho ill probally inherit it one day. Ive been doing the bar oil for the last 3 years or so.

Yes all the bearings are shot and I did see that other post thanks. I never knew there was supposed to be a bearing and what looks like a piece of spring steel on the back of the ram.

 

[wndwlkr]

No way in hell could I go back to hydro after using the Super Split...

Just wondering if you've split any osage orange,twisted,knots,crotches with it. was wondering how it does on that,because i split mostly hedge where i'm at.

 

[Hedgerow]

Just wondering if you've split any osage orange,twisted,knots,crotches with it. was wondering how it does on that,because i split mostly hedge where i'm at.

Recognize this stuff???

[video=youtube;IIjQd-l1F4A]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IIjQd-l1F4A&list=UUfB03KVhJRBISPufMa8F7GA&index=19&feature=plcp[/video]

 

[Southside]

Osage, you bet. Even out here in California we even have that yellow colored wood, I've got a 1/4 mile row of it that we figured dates back to the 30's. Someone must have brought some out from back east as I'm sure it's not native here. Anyway, some of the pieces I'm splitting with my Super Split are 18" to 24"wide by 16" long and I don't want to lift anymore. The machine grunts at times but has split everything I throw at it. In fact Paul at SS got a little upset with me when I told him what I was splitting with the machine right out of the package, he thought I should start with easier splitting wood, but that's all I had. Southside

 

[wndwlkr]

Recognize this stuff???

[video=youtube;IIjQd-l1F4A]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IIjQd-l1F4A&list=UUfB03KVhJRBISPufMa8F7GA&index=19&feature=plcp[/video]

thats funny right there I just don't think it would live long here with what i split. the stuff i split are big, like 150-200 lb. need to see the log lift for that. I cut my wood 28", don't know if it will even fit on there. i don't even split the small stuff like in the video ! ::thumbsup::

 

[blkcloud]

You need to remember.. on the gas models they are air cooled.. not running fast enough will really get your motor hot.. it has to have the air circulating around the fins to keep it cool..