OK, I'm interested....who has one of these Hypersplit splitters to tell me more?

I don't think that's a YTL splitter. Doesn't resemble the other YTL stuff I have seen. Typically, YTL's will also have a model number that starts with YTL-XXXX too.
By the looks of the ram, it has quite a large diameter rod compared to the cylinder, this will help retract it nice and fast.

I know I've read that a lot of the big box store splitters are like that and I fully expected mine to be the same...until I put a 3,000 psi gauge on mine and it flat out obliterated it the first time I tested it fully extended. I actually turned it down to something like 3,200 psi (needs 3,880 psi to put out the rated tonnage). I don't know if other YTL models are the same or not. Mine was spec'd by TSC solely for them. I know the Champion splitters (not YTL) are over-rated as far as tonnage.

 

The splitter Walt is talking about is close to the end of this video...

 

Dang! Id love to get one of these based on the speed. Just looked it up and can only get the 22 ton here at TSC. It has a Kohler engine on it rather than the B&S. Just as good?

 

Interesting. Especially the that about the oil temperature possibly being an issue. I will say that after updating the old 5 hp Briggs to a modern 6.5 predator, the old Didier with it's maybe 1 gallon reservoir will get warm, if not even hot if it's warm out. But I've still seen zero issues even with the hydro fluid essentially steaming out of the top of the reservoir cover. Does that Didier splitter need a buffer reservoir? Sure does. But it hasn't posed any problems as it's, even with long running time on a tank of gas.

 

Kohler is better than Briggs.

Edit, and I would take a Briggs over a no name Chinese engine. But I'd probably take an LCT, predator, or similar Chinese engine over a briggs. Some Briggs are Chinese even. Kohler are rebranded as rehlko, but are the same thing. Kohler just wanted to get out of engines and stuff like that and only do plumbing fixtures.

 

Hard Working Man did a review of one of these on YouTube.
I was at Walt's GTG but somehow got stuck splitting elm for two days on a different splitter. Never got the chance to run the new splitter

 

Tonnage doesn’t mean much if you have a good sharp wedge with a narrow profile. I have my homemade splitter turned down to about 16 tons and it still runs the 4 way with authority, and it needs sharpening. A wide wedge will require significantly more tonnage. I have seen a huge improvement in splitters just by going to a narrower wedge.

Higher tonnage on the label is an easy way to get more for an over rated machine. 20 tons is plenty, but they make it appear sub par by offering 24/28/32/38 ton machines and that makes many consumers think the base model is not going to cut it.

A bigger diameter rod will improve cycle times by speeding up the return stroke, but you have to watch the gpm returning to the tank because it can go very high and put stress on the system and make a LOT of heat. The biggest heat maker is restriction. Anything over 16 gpm in 1/2” lines/fittings is going to get warm fast. You can only go so fast before you have to spend major $$$$ on components.

Downsizing the cylinder can speed up cycle times a lot, but you do lose some tonnage. It is a good way to go too, if you can spare a few tons. Going from a 4” to a 3” cylinder will cut cycle times and tonnage in half. Your gpm to the tank will go up a bit, so keep that in mind. It works great on non stringy woods, but be careful because more cycles per minute will heat the oil more and raise temps.

A 3.5” cylinder is a sweet spot for tonnage, cycle time, and temperature. You lose a little tonnage from a 4” cylinder, but you cut a few seconds off your cycle time, and your gpm to tank doesn’t spike like a 3” would.

 

Is that the max stroke length? Thank You for the pics to help me better study these!

 

How many people can actually keep up with a splitter with a 6 second cycle time? You’d have to have a supply of staged rounds that is fed to you. Stopping and restacking a pile of rounds for staging is just extra work and is pretty pointless, right? The retract time would be around 2.5 seconds, so if it takes longer than that to clear the splits and get a new round in place, most or all of the advantage is lost.

These are not push through models, and that means manually removing the split wood from the beam. That is a LOT of extra work and takes time away from actually running the splitter. I have both types, push through and wedge on ram. The wedge on ram is nice in vertical mode for big rounds, but the push through is by far the most efficient. Load a round and hit the lever. Grab another round and hit the lever. Fast and easy.

Unloaded cycle time can be very fast, but loaded cycle time will always be more if the pump is shifting between stages. The loaded cycle time is what you should be looking at if you are worried about speed and if you can actually keep up with the machine.

“Shift pressure” (also called kick down pressure) can be a huge factor in cycle time, but is limited by hp and wedge design. Assuming you are splitting wood that requires the splitter to shift between stages; A higher pressure will shorten cycle time and a lower pressure will add to it. It should be set to shift just before max hp is reached. This will give you peak efficiency. More hp and/or a sharper/more efficient wedge will allow a higher pressure.

I have seen a lot of videos of “fast” splitters, but the operators are slow or inefficient and the machine produces leas wood than a “slower” model. It is painful to watch someone run the “fastest splitter” in xyz category or from abc brand and they are lagging behind the machine. All of that marketing is gone out the window. If the next round isn’t dropping in as the ram retracts, time doesn’t matter.

It takes 2-3 people to run most splitters efficiently. A push through is going to be the most efficient by a long shot. It minimizes handling and accidents too, because the wood is moving away from you, not out toward you. One person runs the splitter and one person feeds rounds. They can process a lot of wood in a short time with minimal effort with a 4 way wedge.

Re-splitting can be a trade off between types and the effort depends on the design of the splitter and the size/grain of the wood.

 

If you are dealing with "goldilocks wood" yeah, otherwise pulling large chunks back for a resplit gets old by the end of the day.

 

This is the fastest splitter I've ver used. The secret is detent on split and return cycle both. You can lay a round in there, hit both levers, walk over and grab another round and it'll be ready when you get back. Detent on split is a true game changer, though the valve body looked like it cost as much as my last motorcycle did. The 4 way is even on a cylinder so it can be height adjusted. I think they were around $12k when you could buy one.



I don't think I could take advantage of a 6 second cycle, but I could run at my max speed instead of my splitter's. Not a wide gap there, but it is there most of the time.

Found the specs for it.
General Specifications:Weight 1,100 lb (499 kg) Length 102 (259.1 cm) Height 44Ԕ (111.8 cm) Width 59 (149.9 cm) Engine Honda 13 hp (9.7 kW) Fuel 1.72 gal (6.5 L) > Cutting 4-way, 1-way Log Length 24 4-way, 26Ԕ 1-way (61 cm, 66 cm) Beam 8 (20.3 cm) Ram 2Ԕ rod x 5 bore (5.1 cm x 12.7 cm) Cycle Time 10 seconds, total Flow 22 gpm (83.3 L/min) Pressure 2,500 psi (17,237 kPa) Tonnage 25 tons (22,680 kg) Hyd. Capacity 14 gal (53 L) Towing Coupler 2Ԕ (5.1 cm) ball > LS-101-02/08Made and Printed in the USA Copyright 2008 RAYCO Manufacturing, Inc., Wooster, OH 44691 RAYCO Manufacturing Inc. retains...

 

Those things are beasts!
Had a job offer as a welder at Rayco many years ago...didn't take it though...however my nephew did weld for them for some time, many years after I talked with them.

 

They got gobbled up by Morbark or someone. I loved that company when they were independent. They made a mini dozer that's out of this world for making and maintaining trails. The owner wasn't scared to make machines that no one else was or try different things. The Rayco name is still around, but the magic seems to have been lost.

 

That's exactly how John got started...by building a stump grinder in his garage because he couldn't get what he wanted...then other people started asking him to build them one too, things progressed from there...the rest is history...

 

The woodsplitter remains an anomaly in their line. In my mind he was forced to use a splitter at some point and thought...'this could be better'.

 

I really like this! I’m always trying to keep a piece of 2x8 or something on the foot of the splitter, to no avail as it keeps sliding off and in short order breaks in two. When I’m splitting vertical of course!

 

Fully retracted


Fully extended

 

T.Jeff Veal used this idea to make a backer for one of his splitters. His was not removable as mine was but he liked it and it worked well for him. Maybe he can post some pics of what he came up with.

 

We tried some tubing, but it bent, so we then used 1" and 1/2" flat bar stacked and bolted to the foot...

https://youtube.com/shorts/HKWo3pC72jw?si=gACu_ksewmiPdHKd

 

Thanks!!