splitting Mauls

[retiredmechanic]

 I realize not too many people use Mauls to split their firewod anymore but I do and I have a question for those that are in the KNOW.

most of us know they don't need to be razor sharp but they do have to be sharpened or else they bounce off the wood and or stick in the log 

Anyhow I have a mechanical splitter type maul that uses pawls that when struck spread open and assist in the splitting operation SUPPOSEDLY, however the springs that keep the pawls down have fell out and are gone. I am thinking I just need to remove them completely and do without them. I'm not to sure they ever did any god anyways. in theory it was a god ideal but even when new it was hard to tell if they were real beneficial 

does anyone know about these mauls or have ever used them? 
should I try to find the springs and fix them?
should I just grind out the pin and throw them away?

the maul is perfectly weighted and I really like it     

[lxskllr]

I never used those "automauls", but I'm skeptical of moving parts on an impact tool. If they were amazing, I'd expect every company would make a model, but they don't. If it were mine, I'd remove the levers, and use it as a normal maul. I split exclusively with maul+wedges and a splitting maul.

[gspren]

During a wood cutting detail at our hunting camp one of the guys brought a mechanical maul I think was called "chopper" and it worked sometimes but no better than the others, I like my Fiskers X27 for easy wood because it's light but switch to an 8 pound maul for tougher stuff. I also have a "monster maul" about 15 pounds and it worked well 20 years ago but for some reason not so well now.

[doc henderson]

@gspren I am sure after 20 years, the motor is not as strong as when you first got it.  I know the engines on my manual tools are not as strong!   I have not used one (mechanical) but if I understand, the levers are held in by the springs, and forced out as it enters the wood.  so if broken, I would remove them.  The 15 pounder makes the point that you are splitting, wedging, between the fibers, and not trying to cut them.  I did a lot of manual splitting until my 40s.  in part due to Midwest wood being tuff to split, like hedge, mulberry, elm.  the oak in the NE was fun to split!
@retiredmechanic 

[gspren]

@gspren I am sure after 20 years, the motor is not as strong as when you first got it.  I know the engines on my manual tools are not as strong!  

Doc, I think it's a leverage problem, over the last 15 years I've apparently gotten much taller, I figured that out since when I fall down it hurts more and when I'm on the ground or floor it takes much longer to stand up so I must be taller.

[Mapleman]

gspren, Thanks for clearing that up - I had been thinking that my personal gravity was slowly increasing over the years....

[retiredmechanic]

enjoying the humor !, my engine has a few miles on it as well but I'm still waiting on someone to offer me a hyd. splitter so until then I do agree that 15 lb er (i have one to) is about to be retired it leaks makes awfui clunking noises and is very hard to start ... the mechanical one is a 6 lb job and does a pretty good job but it's about to lose it's paws for sure it was given to me by a caring family member that was getting tired of me complaining about my back it does really great on seasoned dry wood but if it's wet and a hardwood forget it (never thought I would be asking for wedgies) but where's my wedgie  

[doc henderson]

Yes as we age, our hydraulics do not work as well, and it gets harder to change the oil! :D

[John Mc]

I have a hydraulic splitter, but still try to make a point of hand-splitting at least a half cord or hopefully full cord each year. I gave up the maul for a Fiskar X25 splitting axe several years ago. Hand-splitting wood efficiently is more about the speed of the axe/maul head than just it's mass (the energy in the splitting stroke is proportional to the square of the speed, but is only linearly proportional to the mass). I'm finding it just takes too much to properly accelerate a heavy maul repeatedly these days.

I'd have gone with the longer X27, but I'm not particularly tall and I hadn't been doing much hand-splitting when I made the purchase, so I figured the X25 would be a better fit.

I was propted to switch by an article I read somewhere that claimed that other than "20-somethings" in good shape, or someone who hand splits regularly, few people have the strength and control to split efficiently with a heavy maul.

[Stephen1]

The Chopper One is/was my favourite spitting tool a nice heavy head, and I always felt the wedges helped. I believe you can still order parts. We did a bunch of years ago. 
https://chopper1axe.com/index.php?route=product/category&path=59