The splitter is working out great. So good that I sold my old hydraulic splitter. The last time I put gas in it was 4.3hrs. The tank holds under a gallon so I got a gallon in a can. So I filled the splitter with gas from the can with a gallon and ran the splitter some then put the remainder of the gas in. It ran to 9.5hrs. So I got 5.2hrs from a gallon of gas. The fuel efficiency amazes me. My old splitter used 1/2 gal an hour and this one use 1/5 gallon, less than half the gas. Then on top it that it is close to 50% more productive than my old splitter. So the cords per gallon on the split second is way better. So far I've just done maintenance to it. I've greased the rack. I also tightened the belts a little, new belts always stretch a little. Splitter has 13 hours on it now.
Very nice piece of equipment there 94! I'm still curious of how it would handle some gnarly, knotty wood. I saw the vid with the crotch , and the stringy gum. How does the retract feature work if it gets buried in a round? also (maybe a topic for a different thread)....how did you make the hydros faster on the last splitter?
The thing looks sweet splitting the wood you throw at it. I would love to see a 32 inch diameter, 20-22 inch long block of hickory on it. It would make me a believer for sure.
I know when my dr power got buried in a knotty piece of wood I hit with a hammer and it was ok. Every now and then you will get a few pieces like that..
I could watch this all day lol, I did get some splitting done today love listening to the sound of the maul splitting those logs.
I missed this thread. Very nice splitter. Congratulations 94BULLITT. Now that you have had it a while. How is everything going with it?
Great thread and appreciate you taking the time to do it. Doesn't suit my needs but I assure you if I was in the firewood business, I'd own one for secondary splitting. Your ideas on the pluses of that brand are spot on to me, width, stability, low motor, etc. The only thing I can see I'd change would be a taller wedge. Probably that small for less fatigue but 10 inches would save most all the flipping I can see you have with the smaller one. Again, thanks for doing this for all to have some real experience and info. Well done.
I just saw these 2 replies. Sorry I did not see them sooner. Thanks. It has split everything I have thrown at it and I think it has 17.8 hours on it now. The splitter has 2 large springs that retract the ram. It depends on how the piece jams the ram on how I remove it. Sometimes tapping back on the wood to knock it off the wedge is best. Then sometimes tapping up on the piece of wood is best. I adjusted the unloading valve on my old splitter. The unloading valve is what makes the pump switch from the 1st stage to the 2nd stage. By adjusting the unloading valve you allow your splitter to make more pressure in the 1st stage so it stays in the 1st stage longer. For example the stock setting may be 500psi but you may be able to go to 800psi. It won't be a night and day difference but it will help a little. You usually remove a cap nut on the pump and turn a screw in to make it stay in the 1st stage (low pressure, high GPM). What I did was I turned mine all the way in. Then ran the ram all the way out to the end and of course when it hits the end it should switch to the 2nd stage and the engine should not stall. Don't hold the lever long with the ram all the way out just hold for not even a second. Well mine engine stalled. So I backed it off a half a turn and retried and it stalled again. I kept doing this til the engine did not stall. Once you have it to were it does not stall split some wood to be sure it is ok and does not need a final adjustment. I'm a not a hydraulic expert so I hope I explained it well enough. I have a video on the second page of it splitting Hickory. I originally was told it was gum but then a local wood expert told me it was hickory. I saved a piece of it to show to another guy for second opinion. Split second says the force on this splitter is equal to a 35 ton hydraulic splitter.
Thanks for the kind words Kevin. My old hydraulic splitter wedge was 6 3/4" IIRC. If a piece would not split I would grab a hold of it and pull it apart or at least try to but my old splitter was not real fast and me pulling it apart was faster. With the Split Second I have had to retrain myself. I actually am wasting time by trying to pull it. It is faster for me to flip the piece and let the splitter split it. I guess the did not go with a taller wedge because of stress on the beam and/ or rack. I am going to keep this thread updated like I did with my old splitter. Hopefully it will make people feel more comfortable with a Split Second or Kinetic splitter.
I think it would be a good selling point for a manufacturer to have a stronger beam with a rack centerline a couple inches higher. I understand why they do it but to me it to me anyway, it seems to be one thing that would be easy to improve on. I bet they will in the future in a different model.
Here is about 3 1/2 hour work from today. I split whole time. My Dad kept wood on the log lifter and threw the splits away.
Depending on how much you are planning to split a conveyor would be a great addition IF you are planning to split a lot off the trailer as you showed before. Moving around to where the wood is wouldn't matter as much but if it is a staging thing, conveyors rule.