My advice so far is "The Super Split looks like a good fast wood splitter, and the Chomper looks like a good choice in processors."
Anyway, what direction would you send this guy?
He wants to cut and split as much as he can. Right now, he is cutting and splitting around 10-15 cords a month. He has a hydraulic wood splitter, and a chain saw, and the basics.
I told him that I liked the super split due to it's speed. And the chomper due to the lower infeed location, and being set up for a solo operation, without a log skidder.
Any advice would be appreciated. I will forward it all to him. He is around 40 yrs old, and is NOT internet savy.
Nate
PS, his concern about both of these tools is that a pretty good percentage of the wood he handles is around 18" - 24" and larger diameter.
Well then neither one would be the best choice. Chomper won't handle wood that big and it would break your back to pick up those pieces to put them on a super split.
stonebroke
He is a great big guy. Around 265 LBS, and 6'2" tall.
Arms like goliath.
He presently loads his hydraulic splitter by hand, and it is kind of slow.
As you know, the main trunk of the tree may be big, but go 15' up, and it gets smaller.
I did not know about the SIZE factor, until AFTER my first post. He called me, and then I edited it in.
Nate
http://youtube.com/watch?v=hhmKBDIAXd0
This is about the best one I have looked at but you don't need the tumbler.
Split-Fire makes a really good splitter. I have the SS 290-4, it has a 9HP Honda, 4way head and a hydraulic lift table.They are well made but expensive.
John
http://www.split-fire.com/index.html
look at timberwolfs products...they are all top of the line. and also on there spliters they have a hyd log lift and 5 sec cycle times. ( i have one myself ) . super splitter is a good fast machine but y our wood has to be knot free and gun barrel stright, also there table ( beam hight ) is waist high....... just my 2 cents
Thanks guys. I really do think that LARGER knotted logs changes the equation significantly.
I called him, and told him the web sites to look at timberwolf, and the Split-fire.
I also told him about this one:
http://www.youtube.com/v/2bVAAx3mMKY&rel=1
He got kind of excited about it! (he is a real hulk of a guy!)
Somehow, I think a log could come flying out of it, if it were not placed right!
Thanks again,
Nate
That looks like an amputation just waiting to happen.
Nate,
I have two Bachtold 25 ton spliters from Bachtold. Never had a problem and would buy another.
Quote from: John_Haylow on January 18, 2008, 07:55:13 PM
Split-Fire makes a really good splitter. I have the SS 290-4, it has a 9HP Honda, 4way head and a hydraulic lift table.They are well made but expensive.
John
http://www.split-fire.com/index.html
Yup, best splitters I've ever seen - have both sold and used them - nothing better.
cheers eh?
I've seen splitters made from square haybalers. One version had knife/wedge welded to the flywheel. The block to be split was placed so the knife would hit it. The other version had a wedge/knife welded onto the plunger. Timing was crutical with both if the operator wanted to keep his fingers but they did work well ::) :) ;D
I have a SuperSplit which I really like. It does handle knotty and twisted wood, it may take a couple of hits to get through a tough piece. At the 10 to 15 cord volume per month assuming this is weekend work he would have to process 3 or 4 cords a weekend. Working alone I can split about a cord an hour, that is a combination of easy to split stuff and larger knotty pieces.
Timber Wolf makes a pretty fast commercial splitter that will self-load large pieces and split them pretty quick with a 6-way wedge. As long as the split pieces come out the right size you don't have to re-split anything making the number of split pieces per hour higher than a SuperSplit. The price of a commercial grade Timber Wolf unit is a good deal more than the price of a SuperSplit.
Each type splitter has their pros and cons. Both are good machines. Should this person be looking to increase the volume of firewood produced and they can afford it a firewood processor might be the best way to go.
Randy
Hello there, I have owned a Super split since 1982. Same machine, different engine(first one wore out). Outside of a few things breaking(minor), I have split 1000,s of cords of firewood. It is by far the fastest machine out there. If you are a recreational firewood person, go for hydrolics. You will spend more time waiting for the splitter to return to receive another piece of wood than you will splitting firewood. But if you are serious about splitting wood as fast as possible, Super split is the way to go. It has the Guinness Book record for splitting 16" wood(1 cord=20minutes) Build your self a loading table besides the splitter to the height of your splitter. Also check out the height of the stand the splitter is mounted on. I built an extension that is adjustable to save on the stooping I do when splitting. Learn how to split by hand before using a splitter, that way you will know how to split 'problem' pieces.
"The Enchanted Forester"
When I split alone, the speed of my hyd. splitter is fast enough. While it returns, I either reposition the piece, stack a split piece on the pallet beside me, or pick up another piece to split. Plenty of things to do between 'splits'. And while the ram is coming forward, I stretch the back muscles a bit for some needed relief. :)
If more than one person, then waiting for the ram to move gets to be the limitation.
The Super Split does intrigue me, however.
It has the Guinness Book record for splitting 16" wood(1 cord=20minutes), a full cord or face cord. Cause 3 face cord an hour is slow, even at 8.1 face cord an hour doesn't seem to be that fast. Unless the guy is pulling my leg he said the one that i am buying cuts and splits 18 an hour. It has two splitter wedges on it tho but still one is 9 an hour hhmm interesting???????
I finally got him to see the Split-Fire one. He could not find the hyphen on the computer!
He says that is the one he is buying. (after seeing it) He is worried about his back, lifting heavy logs, and he figures that WITH the hydraulic lifter (he does alot of BIG trees) that he will do better. He wants to improve production so as to pay off his double wide.
He really is a super guy, and I want to give him the BEST advice I can.
So, thanks for the help.
Any advice about the Split-fire? With the loader, it will cost 3100 he says. Which is less than the supersplit.
Nate
Your friend must be looking at the SS-255, just a size down from the SS-290. I think I paid around $4500 for the SS290 with the hydraulic table and the 4 way head.They have some neat design features, they use a two way cylinder which means they split in forward and return mode.
The 4 way head can be changed back to a two way in about 30 seconds.The only thing I would change would be to lengthen the tongue hitch about 12 -16", and they will do that as an option.It makes it easier to hook up to your vehicle or bike etc, I plan to do this on mine.
They will also put quick connect couplers on the table hoses if you wish so you can remove the table at times. That would only take a few minutes.Some people do if they are going to be splitting a lot of small wood for longer periods.
John
Quote from: Nate Surveyor on January 21, 2008, 09:33:20 PM
I finally got him to see the Split-Fire one. He could not find the hyphen on the computer!
He says that is the one he is buying. (after seeing it) He is worried about his back, lifting heavy logs, and he figures that WITH the hydraulic lifter (he does alot of BIG trees) that he will do better. He wants to improve production so as to pay off his double wide.
He really is a super guy, and I want to give him the BEST advice I can.
So, thanks for the help.
Any advice about the Split-fire? With the loader, it will cost 3100 he says. Which is less than the supersplit.
Nate
The prices I saw on the SuperSplit were around $2,500 for the mid-range model which I have. It may be an old price list that I looked at. However, at that price that is less than the Split-Fire.
I haven't called either Super Split, or Split Fire, but he has.
It is entirely possible that he is not comparing apples to apples, but he is more comfortable with the slower speed of the ram of the Split Fire. (That is, he might have gotten scared of the SPEED of the Super Split), And he also may have his extras confused.
Either way, I think I will call them, and get an info pack. And price list.
I just yesterday split 2 cords of wood with a cheap MTD machine, and the fact is, I am gonna get a splitter too! I don't need the speed of the Super Split, or the Split Fire, so I'll probably buy my friends OLD splitter!
Thanks a ton...
Nate
I bought the standard "J-Model" SuperSplit a couple of years ago after seeing it at the logging expo in Bangor, Maine. Without the engine but with the optional table it was $2180.00 delivered. I put a 1/2 horsepower electric motor on it and it's the very best 2000 bucks I've ever spent. It makes splitting firewood fun.
I purchased my SuperSplit at show prices 2 years ago. I paid around $2,250 including shipping and the 6 hp. engine.
As far as speed or cycle time goes don't let that intimidate you. The ram takes 3 seconds tro move roughly 28 inches in one direction, that is only about 9 inches per second, and about 1 second to return to the starting point. That sounds a lot faster than it looks. What you can do is run the engine at a little slower RPM and the cycle time will be slower without having much effect on the capaticy of the splitter.
The way the controls of the splitter work one hand is used to begin the splitting cycle keeping it out of the way. The other hand can be if necessary placed on the top of the piece being split to hold it in place. The flat pushing end is about 4 inches high keeping it well below the top of the piece being split and your hand. When you position the piece to be split tight against the splitting wedge there is not room for fingers to be in the way. If your wood is 16 to 18 inches long the splitter will have to travel about 9 inches before it starts pushing the chunk into the wedge. As with any log splitter you don't ever have your hand on the end of a piece being split.
The one rule you never break with a SuperSplit is only one person positions the chunk to be split and runs the controls. The down side of hydraulic splitters is the time it takes for the ram to return so usually some one runs the lever while another person puts the chunks on the splitter. When one of them does not pay attention a hand gets pinched. The chance of this happening on the SuperSplit is greatly reduced when only one person runs the machine. You can have some one feed the operator wood or help take away and increase production.
I watched a SuperSplit with an electric motor work once and all you heard was the sound of the wood splitting apart, nice and quite.
Randy
My Friend David, who has the need for a bigger splitter, has a wife who often runs the lever, while he loads the splitter.
As is often the case, wife is petite, and he is a monster!
Anyway, I think it would be best to run all of them for a month, then buy one!
David lives EAST of Dallas Texas, near EMORY TX. This is near Sulphur Springs, Greenville, and Tyler. Do any of you have a SUPER SPLIT, or a SPLIT FIRE, or some homemade variety, that I could direct him to go and see? He would not mind a road trip to go and see.
He is a "hands on" learner. Loves to be doing stuff. And he and his wife have adopted a little girl. They are good folks, that would not give you the heeby geebies to come by! (unlike some species of folk! ha ha)
Thanks a ton,
Nate
Look at a timberwolf TW-6 with tablegrate and loglift. ;)
Check out www.splitez.com , they are in California I think , they have a line of incredibly powerful and strong splitters :o :o :o. I'm in the process of building one very similar to theirs.
I think you'll be very impressed .
Steve
Thanks Mr Walnutlogger. I think those go a little higher in price than he is ready to spring for. :-\
And, Mr Wannabeone to, thanks. I have not looked at those. Do you know any prices?
$ around 3-4k is his limit for now.
Nate