I have decided I would like a splitter with log lift and 4 way wedge. So far I like the wolf ridge splitter and it is made a couple hundred miles from me which is driving distance. I sell a couple cords of wood a year and would like a new toy to make it easier. I now have a 37 ton horizontal - vertical splitter. The wolf ridge has a pan beyond the wedge that i think I could put the bucket of the tractor under to catch the split wood. Opinions on this and others like it are welcome. Not handy at frabicating anything myself.
Have you taken a look at the Ruggedmade 37 ton? Comes with a log lift and 4 way wedge and a nice log table. I'm going to pull the trigger on one very soon. Much lower price point. Only down side is "some assembly" is required.
china engine and not as refinded in my opinion. things like hydraulic 4 way wedge. and larger hydraulic tank. but thanks for sujestion If I could look at one in person it might change my mind.
I agree with both your points, and if that is important to you and you have that money to spend on it, go for it.
I would like to see one in person too, but can't locate one close to me. I asked them for references and they said they couldn't give out that information. (good that they value privacy). I watched a lot of videos on line and really haven't heard negatives other than the assembly concerns (not a big deal to me). There are a couple guys on line who modified it for a hydraulic wedge.
Wolfe Ridge, and Brute Force makes some nice splitters in Wisconsin as well. Eastonmade makes fine machines as well. In my opinion, if you want a tool spend the extra money and skip the Chinese crap.
The only higher end factory made wood splitter I have been around was a TimberWolf TW5 or TW 6. A buddy of mine and myself went over to Iowa a few years ago to help work up some wood for a friend that was laid up. We ran his timberwolf for three days probably ten hours a day and by the end of three days I couldn't stand up straight. My back was done. The splitter was great log lift, four way but the working height was too low for us. Both of us are around six foot. I wish I would have hauled my homemade one with the log lift over there. If that said I would go ran a Wolf Ridge and make sure the working is were you want it and if it isn't have it built so it is. Enjoy the new tool {TOY}.
Stay away from Rugged made
Friend bought one told him not to.
Look at Woodmizer and Woody's equipment as well.
For comfortable working height with a log lift I'm real happy with my Timberdevil. Foot actuated splitting ram very well built. Timberdevil has been at it since the late 70's.
In a hurry, forget it ,they are backed up 3 months.
This is what I bought in 2017
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/26307/timberdevil_before_mod.jpeg?easyrotate_cache=1609427181)
I converted it to self propelled this fall.Splitting wood is almost fun now.This is my 3rd and last splitter.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/26307/20201231_112335.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1609446344)
Quote from: Bruno of NH on February 07, 2021, 12:53:40 PM
Stay away from Rugged made
Friend bought one told him not to.
Look at Woodmizer and Woody's equipment as well.
Can you add some meat to those bones? Did he have issues or was this your opinion that you gave to him (and now me), and if so, what is the basis?
A bunch of the parts didn't fit right. He had a tough time getting the valve bank put together and when he did it had bad parts. Had to wait for replacements and do it all again.
I would put my money on any of the others mentioned.
Just my opinion.
I own 2 splitters, both home made, a 3 point hitch splitter that I use occasionally and a big horizontal that needs a pump and motor but when I have a bunch to split I borrow the neighbors Iron & Oak splitter that seems well made. The reason I don't buy one or fix what I have is that the neighbors splitter comes with a powerful teenage boy that I let hunt in my woods.
the beauty of community based free trade at work. A tax free win win
Looking at diferent splitters on line the wolfe ridge and brute force basic models are basicly similar. Only difference between them is wolfe ridge 4 way is hydraulic and brute force is manualy adjustable. how important to have 4way hydraulic adjustable?
I think it depends on how often you will make the adjustment. if 90% can be done in one position, fine, if each log needs an adjustment then hydraulic. it would depend on the price difference as well. I made an 8 way that slips over the face of mine, and I almost never use it.
On my processor that has an adjustable wedge, if there is wood in it, it only goes one way- up. It can't go down because wood is wedged underneath it. So I have learned to sort my wood by size so I don't need to adjust it. Still, when it is time to move it it's nice to hit a lever instead of finding a wrench to loosen a bolt to manually adjust the wedge. BTW, I think the Brute Force entry level model is more comparable to the Eastonmade Ultra- they are set up with a smaller cylinder and still have a larger engine/pump for fast cycle times.
If I was spending $$$ on a splitter the hydraulic wedge adjustment would be important to me. The wood I process varies greatly in diameter. I'm constantly adjusting the wedge height on my processor.
Quote from: trapper on February 08, 2021, 11:33:12 AM
Looking at diferent splitters on line the wolfe ridge and brute force basic models are basicly similar. Only difference between them is wolfe ridge 4 way is hydraulic and brute force is manualy adjustable. how important to have 4way hydraulic adjustable?
If you are going to spend the money to have a nice splitter. Spent a little more and get the hyd adjustable wedge. You won't be sorry you got the hyd wedge.
barbender brute force has an option for a 4 1/2 in cylinder. Planing on a road trip to look at both in person if the weather moderates next week.
For what I do, I'd want the speed of the smaller cylinder. Too many people go with a splitter that will split the biggest ugliest hardwood crotch they can find, when those are such a small part of what you'll probably end up splitting. Half the time they're not worth the fight anyhow. Watch the videos on the Eastonmade Ultra, they split some stuff that is ugly enough, and I believe they use a 3.5" cylinder.
I really like the Eastonmade Ultra. If Andrew could incorporate a log lift he probably couldn't keep up with orders. He has done much in a short time advancing splitters. I hope his taking on the Bells processors doesn't cause him to loose interest in splitters.
Quote from: barbender on February 08, 2021, 04:18:32 PM
For what I do, I'd want the speed of the smaller cylinder. Too many people go with a splitter that will split the biggest ugliest hardwood crotch they can find, when those are such a small part of what you'll probably end up splitting. Half the time they're not worth the fight anyhow. Watch the videos on the Eastonmade Ultra, they split some stuff that is ugly enough, and I believe they use a 3.5" cylinder.
I couldn't agreed with this more. I split most of the 15 cord of hedge and locust that I burn a year with a homemade splitter with a four inch cylinder and a 28 GPM two stage pump. I like the speed over the strength of a five or six inch cylinder.
Hi trapper:
I have not used any of those heavy build splitter units but I can say from my own processor the multiwedge adjustability is absolutely necessary for my logs. I have noted that the Eastonmade units have several things that I would include with my splitter (when I make a new one).
1. Adjustable wedge.
2. Log chunk sits above beam (raised bed) so that adjustable down is possible without clearing previous splits.
3. 1st wedge angled upward so not to drive the chunk down into beam and therefore driving wedge up.
4. Chunk centering so hands can stay clear of operation if desired.
5. Heavy build for real world use.
6. Heavy hydraulic wedge - I have seen alot of damage to these parts and can only imagine how quick some of the lighter units would be ripped apart.
Good luck
jmur1
My processor has a 4" cylinder. Seldom do I come across pieces that can't be split :)
Good point barbender but no need for speed at my age. But then again I help a lady split wood that sells campfire wood. Her deceased husband made a splitter using a vw engine and a 6 or 7 inch cylinder. He used a single stage pump. It has about twice the cycle time as my 37 ton box store splitter that has 5 or 6 hp engine. Times I have to be careful not to stall the engine on her machine.
Timberwolf TW-5 here, log lift and adjustable 4 way wedge. It's old enough it has the auto-cycle also.
Very pleased with it, been a trouble free machine.
Ed
I agree I had the same luck with all my Timberwolf splitters.
Just a TW1 for now and the immediate future.
There are a lot rumblings and complaints about the new ownership at TW. I haven't really heard from any Bruteforce owners, I've seen nary a complaint from Wolfe Ridge and Eastonmade customers.
Andrew says he has some new things on the horizon for splitters and the extra room at the Bells location will help him cut down on lead times.
Here's my Wolf Ridge 35 high output. I upgraded to the auto cycle, electric start Honda, and 6 way wedge. Comes with the 4 way, so I have both. Hydraulic log lift and wedge up/down are game changers, and so is the 8 second cycle time. 5" cylinder, 4" heavy duty ram. The return stroke is super fast, and if I stage my logs, or have a helper (which I do), I can split 3 cords an hour.
This is a true 35 ton machine. I split a lot of HUGE nasty tree service wood, and this thing is incredible. Nothing it can't split.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/15890/20201224_121842_resized.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1612932193)
The other half of the log lift is in the "Stow" position for towing. Awesome machine. I split 31 cords of firewood in January this year alone. Very happy with it. Well worth the money.
I'd also recommend staying away from the chinese Rugged Made machines, if you want to actually work it hard. A friend bought one, against my warnings, and is having all kinds of trouble with it. There's a reason it's so cheap, and that's because every component on it is as cheapo as you can get.
i spy a milwaukee milling machine. 8)
Quote from: woodworker9 on February 09, 2021, 11:46:46 PM
I'd also recommend staying away from the chinese Rugged Made machines, if you want to actually work it hard. A friend bought one, against my warnings, and is having all kinds of trouble with it. There's a reason it's so cheap, and that's because every component on it is as cheapo as you can get.
Can you please give details about the "all kinds of trouble" your friend is having?
There is a huge price difference between your 35 which is probably about $17,000 (with lift, adjustable wedge and 6 way) and the ruggedmade which is $4,000 (delivered). My demand is very different. My annual splitting will be about 15 cords per years vs your 30 cords per month or whatever it averages.
I am 100% on board with Buying American, and do whenever it's possible given all factors. I'm looking at USA made steel toed boots right now. I can find those. However, when any of us need or want to buy a new TV, that is going to be a tough job!
Quote from: mike_belben on February 10, 2021, 11:35:18 AM
i spy a milwaukee milling machine. 8)
Kearney and Trecker Model 2K, universal horizontal with the 5:3 ratio high speed universal head. It's a dandy. They don't make em' like that anymore.
Chipmeister
My 35 HO was $10,500, and I got a discount for paying cash cash. I don't know if there have been price increases (probably should since he's 6 months out on orders), but the price list is posted on the website.
I am not gonna spend any time discussing a chinese made machine. He's getting rid of his, as he's sick and tired of it not functioning correctly. Probably gonna lose $1500 or so selling it. I won't help him fix it, as I warned him not to buy it in the first place. I do a LOT of machining and repair work in my shop, and I don't work on chinese machines. Buy quality, and cry once.
I know he tried using it like a commercial machine should be used.....all day long, and he got the hydraulic fluid wayyyyyy too hot because they designed it poorly with that 12 gallon rated hydraulic reservoir, which really is going to hold only 9 to 10 gallons. The heat probably damaged the seals on his components....don't know for sure, but that's what his problems stem from. chinese junk.....
Quote from: woodworker9 on February 10, 2021, 11:17:45 PM
Quote from: mike_belben on February 10, 2021, 11:35:18 AM
i spy a milwaukee milling machine. 8)
Kearney and Trecker Model 2K, universal horizontal with the 5:3 ratio high speed universal head. It's a dandy. They don't make em' like that anymore.
i had to look that name up.. now i realize that the machine i recall wasn't a milwaukee brand, it was a Kearney and Trecker "milwaukee" model. interesting past time the industrial revolution was. definitely defined much of the northeast.
I use a 30" warrior on the bobcat. Paid 2k for splitter I sit in the cab and push a button. I can stack and split at the same time. I tried a 4 way wedge but was like campfire wood and alot of waste so stuck with the single wedge.
At 44 years old I'm trying to work smarter and dont want all the extra handling of the wood. Alot of the wood I handle is 24"+ around so made sense to get bobcat splitter since I had a bobcat already
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/53914/20200317_151313~0.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1613062796)
Quote from: Arctiva on February 11, 2021, 12:01:37 PM
At 44 years old I'm trying to work smarter
OMG Arctiva, you are so old! :D :D I wish I could throw wood around now like I could when I was 44. :-\
But seriously Arctiva, you are smart to take care of your back now because you'll still want to use it when you're 72.
Wife and I drove up to look at the wolfe ridge splitters in person. Put a deposit on a 28 pro. looks great now to wait until the end of june for it. The desk chris uses is made from a big slab.
Quote from: trapper on February 17, 2021, 09:06:25 PM
Wife and I drove up to look at the wolfe ridge splitters in person. Put a deposit on a 28 pro. looks great now to wait until the end of june for it. The desk chris uses is made from a big slab.
I think you will like your new {TOY} tool. It will give you something to look forward to and get your mine on this weather. June will be here before you know it.
Wish i had the new splitter with log lift tree trimmer left a load of honey locust with some butt peices over 30 inches across. Cut them down some with chainsaw but still heavy to resplit. Also some black walnut butt cuts that big. Any black walnut over 4 foot long I will make into lumber. New splitter should be here by end of june.
Have you been in contact with them since your trip in Feb? Curious if they are able to hold to their build schedual and quoted prices with all of the material shortages and price increases most manufacturers are dealing with. Hope yours is both on time and on budget! :)
They are honoring the quote on orders before before the price increase. Looking at the serial numbers they post the timeing looks about right. They added on a weekend shift also. I later ordered a 30 inch stroke instead of 24 and it was added at the regular price and no change in my place in line.
Quote from: trapper on June 01, 2021, 11:19:33 AM
Wish i had the new splitter with log lift tree trimmer left a load of honey locust with some butt peices over 30 inches across. Cut them down some with chainsaw but still heavy to resplit. Also some black walnut butt cuts that big. Any black walnut over 4 foot long I will make into lumber. New splitter should be here by end of june.
Even with a hydraulic lift, when I get that big, I don't even bother with it. If I had a real shortage of firewood, I might feel differently, but as it is, it's just not worth the hassle of dealing with.
I have a lot of wood but most is dead ash and elm. I dont cut my oak because I dont have many and want to leave them for seed. Have quite a few hickory but prefer to leave them grow so the locust is the best i have available free. I also burn a lot of slabs in owb so some real good wood is handy to have.
sold my speeco splitter today. Guy came to look at the splitter my fil made at least 50 years ago. Still works good has an almost new engine . Advertised it for $500. Told him the speeco was for sale also but hadnt advertised it yet for $1000. He bought it. My new wolfe ridge should be ready in about a week May be ready for the doings they are having this coming saturday. They are calling it the firewood frenzy. Guess I will have a week to catch up on sawing some lumber.
Quote from: cutterboy on February 12, 2021, 07:01:49 AM
Quote from: Arctiva on February 11, 2021, 12:01:37 PM
At 44 years old I'm trying to work smarter
OMG Arctiva, you are so old! :D :D I wish I could throw wood around now like I could when I was 44. :-\
But seriously Arctiva, you are smart to take care of your back now because you'll still want to use it when you're 72.
The struggle is real, few years ago my right arm was so sore from lifting and throwing wood I had to wear a brace for about 10 months before the tennis elbow went away. That's when I got a wood splitter for the bobcat. I couldn't even hold a coffee cup without the brace. Back is plenty strong, tennis elbow is no joke though
Quote from: Arctiva on July 12, 2021, 06:33:11 PM
The struggle is real, few years ago my right arm was so sore from lifting and throwing wood I had to wear a brace for about 10 months before the tennis elbow went away. That's when I got a wood splitter for the bobcat. I couldn't even hold a coffee cup without the brace. Back is plenty strong, tennis elbow is no joke though
I've had that problem myself. Let me guess: you were picking up the split chunks by their ends and tossing them back-handed on to the pile?
When I caused myself a bout of that, my Physical Therapist wife told me that that is one of the worst possible motions: wrist cocked back at an awkward angle and throwing backhand. They don't even have to be heavy, enough repetition can cause a problem - especially if you do what I did: don't do any of that kind of work for months, then try to split up your entire year's supply of wood in a weekend. I might have been OK if I had worked up to it (though she says "probably not - you need to face the fact that you can;t bounce back from these sorts of things as you get older")
A good hookaroon can help a bunch. No bending or grabbing to pick up splits off the ground. I bought a Logrite hookaroon a few years ago and wouldn't do firewood without it now.
I use a pulp hook. Also brought my new wolf ridge splitter home today.
I have told myself no more firewood until machines and conveyors run it from logdeck to dumpbed. Atleast the motions in fabrication have some variety.
It takes almost nothing for my elbows the get inflamed and refuse to straighten these days. Fused c2/c3. Degeneration in C4, 5 and 6 is making my arms go numb. 2 torn shoulders. falling apart already.
As I enhanced my firewood equipment to try to meet demand the elevator was the last link.
Having been through the process; a good elevator would be the first step I would take toward automation. Conserves your back, hands, wrists, and elbows more than you imagine if you never worked with a one.
I started using an elevator agree with the above 2 comments, and the elevator is often the most overlooked part. An elevator is worth one health teenager and you only have to feed it when you need it.
Why not build a large elevated table that you load with the tractor bucket where you can roll the rounds to the horizontal splitter. A quick toss and it gets piled for you by the elevator.
This has been my process for a couple of years now. I liked it so well that I built large pallets and a metal framed table to hold them at splitter height. I never realized how useful an elevator is until I had one. I will never do without.
Quote from: John Mc on July 12, 2021, 06:39:33 PM
Quote from: Arctiva on July 12, 2021, 06:33:11 PM
The struggle is real, few years ago my right arm was so sore from lifting and throwing wood I had to wear a brace for about 10 months before the tennis elbow went away. That's when I got a wood splitter for the bobcat. I couldn't even hold a coffee cup without the brace. Back is plenty strong, tennis elbow is no joke though
I've had that problem myself. Let me guess: you were picking up the split chunks by their ends and tossing them back-handed on to the pile?
When I caused myself a bout of that, my Physical Therapist wife told me that that is one of the worst possible motions: wrist cocked back at an awkward angle and throwing backhand. They don't even have to be heavy, enough repetition can cause a problem - especially if you do what I did: don't do any of that kind of work for months, then try to split up your entire year's supply of wood in a weekend. I might have been OK if I had worked up to it (though she says "probably not - you need to face the fact that you can;t bounce back from these sorts of things as you get older")
Was actually just everything. I was cutting wood, lifting cuts into the truck, throwing out the truck, splitting the rounds with a axe, throwing on the pile loading the stove, moving the pile closer to the stove.
Quote from: btulloh on July 12, 2021, 06:46:52 PM
A good hookaroon can help a bunch. No bending or grabbing to pick up splits off the ground. I bought a Logrite hookaroon a few years ago and wouldn't do firewood without it now.
I use my Logrite hookaroon for moving wood around and like a walking stick when in the woods. I need some help standing up if i have knelt to look at something interesting. It never hurts to turn over a stick of wood before picking it up, either!
Quote from: John Mc on June 05, 2021, 08:55:07 PM
Quote from: trapper on June 01, 2021, 11:19:33 AM
Wish i had the new splitter with log lift tree trimmer left a load of honey locust with some butt peices over 30 inches across. Cut them down some with chainsaw but still heavy to resplit. Also some black walnut butt cuts that big. Any black walnut over 4 foot long I will make into lumber. New splitter should be here by end of june.
Even with a hydraulic lift, when I get that big, I don't even bother with it. If I had a real shortage of firewood, I might feel differently, but as it is, it's just not worth the hassle of dealing with.
If I want the wood I chainsaw the really big ones into quarters, imo it's faster.
Almost like a big log on a sawmill. Time wise, it is really worth it? I saw down some big dead white pines. More than 2 feet across. Those need to be split in the vertical mode. ;D Than I have to split them again. ::) I myself don't like something more than 2 feet across on a 6 inch beam. Hard to hold onto.
Unless you have a splitter like this. ;D
taking the splitter for a ride (https://forestryforum.com/board/index.php?topic=56449.0)
@DMcCoy (https://forestryforum.com/board/index.php?action=profile;u=26370) you're right.
Some times it is faster, ESPECIALLY when you're talking big knots in some VERY hard woods, like hickory. Some woods are just easier to deal with that way. I've had 2.5' diameter red oak rounds like that. When you're talking about hand splitting, a whole new meaning to life. But when everything is right, it's opening up a whole new meaning of "being in the zone".
Quote from: trapper on February 06, 2021, 05:19:30 PM
I have decided I would like a splitter with log lift and 4 way wedge. So far I like the wolf ridge splitter and it is made a couple hundred miles from me which is driving distance. I sell a couple cords of wood a year and would like a new toy to make it easier. I now have a 37 ton horizontal - vertical splitter. The wolf ridge has a pan beyond the wedge that i think I could put the bucket of the tractor under to catch the split wood. Opinions on this and others like it are welcome. Not handy at frabicating anything myself.
After using the vertical style splitter, the horizontal that pushes the wood through the wedge, and finally the horizontal that keeps the wood in one place, I found that I liked the last style the best, to my surprise...
I always thought I would want one that pushes the wood through the wedge, so I could do just what your describing, load it directly into the bucket for dumping and stacking later. I found that I (personally) didn't like this method after trying it out. It filled the bucket quickly/awkwardly and before too many pieces were in the bucket, they were already toppling out onto the ground (just the nature of how wood 'stacks itself') and I ended up picking them all back up anyways.
Due to my 'picky' nature of my firewood sizes, I found I would resplit a lot of my wood. I realized the best way for me to ease my work flow, was to take the wood directly off the splitter and stack directly into either a bucket, or trailer. I do end up restacking all this wood, so essentially I handle it extra (that holy grail of not handling wood more than once is not achievable for me :D) but in the end it saves my back since I'm never bending over to pick the wood up, either off the ground from the splitter, or off the ground from after I dump it to a pile to stack later.
I ended up with a split-fire brand log splitter with the 4 way wedge and log lift. The log lift is worth it's weight 100%. For the most part, I go directly from the splitter to the grapple or a trailer, then move the wood and stack in it's final location. I split a lot of smaller wood, and still use the 4 way wedge approximately half the time.
I think that I'd love a conveyor at the end of a 4 way log splitter which pushes the wood right onto it, but I'm not at that level of firewood production, so this works for me pretty well. I split for myself and don't sell firewood, we have a woodstove and outdoor wood boiler, and heat with wood almost exclusively. It's simple, doesn't kill my back, and gets me what I want. Just another option to a very personal preference decision for you.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/17127/29348124-1F8E-4843-9C75-2F31A4DD604E.jpeg?easyrotate_cache=1627628101)
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/17127/83375CDC-70CB-4BB0-B142-E1AC31135639.jpeg?easyrotate_cache=1627627698)
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/17127/0468EF8A-B98A-494D-AC5B-95AA48C16586.jpeg?easyrotate_cache=1627627666)
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/17127/3D44899F-0FE9-45DF-8283-83CA695CD388.jpeg?easyrotate_cache=1627629864)
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/17127/82134DB2-C4B8-468A-AB1E-12DB33C0BDD5.jpeg?easyrotate_cache=1627629865)
I still have one that's much better than a "regular" splitter listed in the for sale section of the forum.
Logrite Firewoodinator Firewood Processor in For Sale (forestryforum.com) (https://forestryforum.com/board/index.php?topic=115591.msg1827336#msg1827336)
How about making racks for your wood and stacking it on the rack as it comes off the splitter then move with pallet forks.
That is what I do but only three racks so far to put at the end of the pile to keep it from spreading towards the house.
I use to handle each stick 4 to 5 times from long length to boiler now I am down to 2 times for most and a extra one for the little bit of wood I keep in side.
Now I use pallet forks on the 3 PH of the tractor to move and hold logs up for blocking then shove the blocks into a pile with the front bucket after it is all blocked up I will split and stack on pallets for 3 pallets then split and stack in the tractor bucket to dump into a pile on a cement slab or pallets to keep off the ground. Thinking about making some bins with pallets and some old chain link fence I salvaged.
All done the hardwood for this year, I will still cut up some dead softwood for the shoulder season.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/18975/20210725_125928.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1627647385)
When we were designing the Split Second kinetic one of our areas of focus was to minimize handling and time spent bending over to pick up the other half of the split which is a common problem with the classic moving wedge design. We designed our oversized table so that there was plenty of room to keep the unsplit halves up on the table while you work the chunks down to final size. theoretically the only time a split should come off the table is when it is to final size and it is pushed off the end of the table into whatever output container you are using. If you ever do the math on number of times you bend over to pick up partially split pieces to put them back on the splitter if 50% of them fall to the ground it adds up fast in both time wasted and back pain. Another nice feature of the fixed wedge designs are that the splitting movement will actually automatically push the final splits off the table with no effort. We designed a log lift for our unit that is helpful up to 200lbs, but it can also be better used as an in-feed staging table so that a helper can feed the machine without getting into splitting zone for safety reasons. One person can split fast with a kinetic, but usually the machine will outpace one person trying to load and split by themselves. Still faster than a hydraulic, but not operating near it's capacity. Here is a quick plug for the firewoodinator for sale in the classifieds. I know that unit well from our competitive market work and it has a lot of innovative features that are directed to the overall splitting process. If I did not already have one of the ones I helped design I would be seriously considering grabbing it.
firewood conveyor in Firewood and Wood Heating (forestryforum.com) (https://forestryforum.com/board/index.php?topic=104843.msg1630742#msg1630742)