# Splitfire log splitters - anyone got one?



## tassie phil (Jul 28, 2011)

Hello all, 1st try on this forum, so please forgive any mistakes! I am importing a splitfire 4290 into Tas, Australia, the first one to come that I'm aware of, and wondered if I can get some feedback on any of the splitfire models? All replies appreciated.


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## JimiLL (Jul 28, 2011)

Im interested as well


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## Axe Man (Jul 28, 2011)

I rented one last year. Split ash, cherry, maple and yellow birch with it. Not much experience with splitters but it was flawlees for the 10 hours that I used it. I used a speedco 25 ton splitter a few years ago and the splitfire was definately faster than the speedco. Will be renting the splitfire again next week.
They're made in Ontario about an hour from where I used to live. The place I rent from is a national chain and the splifire is the only make they use.


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## Iron man (Jul 28, 2011)

I don't like it..Think about it this way the faster you get your wood split the sooner your back in the house with 3 screaming kids and a wife asking you to empty the trash.


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## zogger (Jul 28, 2011)

*Ya, but.....*



Iron man said:


> I don't like it..Think about it this way the faster you get your wood split the sooner your back in the house with 3 screaming kids and a wife asking you to empty the trash.



If you run outta wood to split, that gives ya an excuse to not only not go back into the house, but to leave the immediate vicinity in your truck, with a chainsaw!

" 'need mo wood to split' 'gotta go..be back...later...' "

And once your yard is slap full, then ya got ANOTHER excuse to split in your truck, to go sell the surplus....to help pay for saws and splitters and trucks...

See how this can work to your advantage?

Now, the only tricky part is convincing her that a bassboat is the best possible dual use trailer thing for hauling wood around out on your expeditions....


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## DSS (Jul 28, 2011)

I use one. It's a rental so I don't know the model. I have nothing bad to say except it's a little too low for me.

For a small machine, it will really split. Anything I can lift, it will handle. I've split some very nasty elm with one, no problem. It would get a bigger log tray if it was mine. Seem very well built. They stand up at the rental shop, so they must be.

If I was going to buy a splitter, this would probably be it.

Looks like model #255 maybe?


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## tassie phil (Jul 28, 2011)

Thanks Axeman and DSS, Interesting that you are both renters. I decided on this machine because I plan to rent it through the local sevice station (gas station I think you'd call it) and try to recoup some of the cost. As to being too low DSS, the one I'm getting has larger wheels and front prop to get it up to a better working height. I looked at lots of chinese log splitters on ebay and through shops, but all very slow cycle times. I think I might as well pay a good price and get a good machine, and hopefully get lots of years without problems. The other thing is lifting big rounds. I've ordered a log lifter with the 4290. It not only saves your back, but makes a good feed in table to stack smaller logs on so you can split a batch at a time. All up it's costing me around AUD$6500, which is more than 4 times the cost of a Chinese splitter, but should rent out at around $100 a day. After all, I suppose most of us only need one a few days of the year, so why not get a return on it! Splitfires can be registered to tow on the road which you can't do with the cheapies (over here anyway).


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## sthomps (Jul 28, 2011)

We bought a three point hitch one and like it a lot. As said before, a national chain rents them out. We use to rent a gas one and really liked how fast you could split compared to a one way splitter.


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## DSS (Jul 28, 2011)

tassie phil said:


> Thanks Axeman and DSS, Interesting that you are both renters. I decided on this machine because I plan to rent it through the local sevice station (gas station I think you'd call it) and try to recoup some of the cost. As to being too low DSS, the one I'm getting has larger wheels and front prop to get it up to a better working height. I looked at lots of chinese log splitters on ebay and through shops, but all very slow cycle times. I think I might as well pay a good price and get a good machine, and hopefully get lots of years without problems. The other thing is lifting big rounds. I've ordered a log lifter with the 4290. It not only saves your back, but makes a good feed in table to stack smaller logs on so you can split a batch at a time. All up it's costing me around AUD$6500, which is more than 4 times the cost of a Chinese splitter, but should rent out at around $100 a day. After all, I suppose most of us only need one a few days of the year, so why not get a return on it! Splitfires can be registered to tow on the road which you can't do with the cheapies (over here anyway).


 
A log lifter would be nice for sure. I just noodle them till I can lift them, a little more work.

I only need it about two weekends a year, so it doesn't make sense for me to buy one. 100$ a day, wow. I can rent one for the weekend for $40 odd dollars.

I don't know how much they cost new, but I could have bought a second hand one from the rental shop for $1800 canadian. And I thought that was a lot of scratch....

These ones are towable, they have lights on them. The rental shop has zero problems with them, I think you'll like it.


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## Axe Man (Jul 29, 2011)

Wow! $40 for the weekend. Here, between Fredericton and Woodstock it's $70 for the day.
Am planning on getting one and was going to go to the States for a $1000 Huskee but the speed of the Splitfire is nice. From what I've been quoted I'm looking at about $3000 for a 3265.
So hopefully next year, until then the cherry, ash and maple will be split with the fiskars.


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## tassie phil (Jul 30, 2011)

I suppose the renting price directly relates to the original cost of the machine. In Australia we would have to pay around $5720 for a 3265, plus $880 extra if we got the log lifter with it. So shipping halfway around the world is not a cheap exercise! Still, there's nothing like it made here. 
The wedge shaped end plates are supposed to make it around 35% more efficient than having a flat stop. The halves of the log bend round the stop as it splits, where a flat stop forces the wood back onto the sides of the wedge, so using more power to ram it through. Another feature I like is the wedge block slides in teflon spacers. I have hired an Aussie built splitter and there was quite a lot of wear on the I beam so must be a lot of friction to overcome. I see timberwolf have grease points there but most don't, and who wants grease all over the place anyway. 
When I work out how I'll post some pics of the unit that is somewhere on the way between NZ and Tas. (the splitfire dealer is in NZ)


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## wampum (Jul 30, 2011)

I have owned a Split fire for about 3 years now. I really like it,and have had no problems at all with it. Here is a review I did in March about the Super Split and the Split Fire at my GTG. 

"We had a Super Split and a Split Fire at our GTG in March. I liked the height of the Super Split and the large table. It is truly a nice machine to run.Pros where the height being comfortable to split,but that also required you to pick the rounds up higher. It is also next to impossible to tow in that configuration.It is extremely easy to tip,even wheeling it around by hand it is top heavy. The guys that brought it had it upset when they loaded it in the back of the truck. And we had trouble when we re loaded it for the trip home. It has to be tied down good to keep it from tipping over in the back of the truck or trailer.When it was set up on a level spot it was nice. All of the wood that it split could easily been put on a conveyor. We split nothing but cherry,contrary to what I have read it will not split every thing. Sometimes an extra hit will do it,sometimes you have to beat the log off. To be far,this does not happen often but it happens.Over all its a great splitter,but it does not split anything you throw at it.Also at times a piece of wood would really get thrown out.Kinda like hitting a round with an axe and have the wood go flying.

The split fire like the super split is well made. The split fire splits in both directions and has a four way wedge that the super split does not. I do believe from our experience that the split fire will keep up and in cases be faster then the super split.Wood the super split would not split the split fire easily split. Cons.The split fire we had was set up to tow on the road,that is great for going longer distances. But when stopped it is to low to split comfortably. This was rectified by putting the splitter on 2 car ramps and the front on a block. It was quit easy to use after that,and was as comfortable as the super split. The back and forth splitting was fast and nice,however this does not allow the wood to go one direction for a conveyer or pile. You basically got to throw all the splits off by hand.The table also is not as large as the super split.This can be changed,you can make it longer. I do believe that you can get a log lift for both splitters. As I get older this might be nice.However I just put large rounds in my loader bucket and slide them off at the same level as either splitter.
Both were very economical on fuel,both had their advantages. This particular day the split fire split all that was thrown at it,the super split did not. Cost wise they were both very close to $3000.00. Personally I would be happy with either unit,they both had pros and cons. 

Splitting 15 to 20 cords or less a year I would probably choose the split fire. Its a great splitter and seems to be tough as nails. It also handled the knotty wood better.

Over 15 to 20 cords I would probably choose the super split,especially if I had access to a lot of straight grained wood. It is fun to run and it pushes the wood one way,fast.So you can put the wood on a conveyor easily. I would keep a good hydraulic splitter around for the hard to split rounds.

I tried to be as far as I could about this review. I actually like both of these splitters,but neither is perfect."

Hope this helps. Dave


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## tassie phil (Jul 31, 2011)

Great to get your comparison Dave, thanks. I've been looking at the super split too, but the manufacturer is not interested in exports at the moment. To get the kind of wood you blokes speak of we would have to cut down an orchard or botanical gardens! All we use over here is gum tree in one form or another. We get a load of logs delivered, about $600 for a ten yard truck, which might be 12 or 13 tons. The logs will be straight, twisted, knotty, large and small. I had a pile of knotty rounds that I just couldn't split with a block buster, until I hired a splitter, and it sailed through all except one, had to work on that one for a few minutes, and the results weren't pretty, but it all burns. I notice you measure your wood in cords, how much would a cord weigh or measure. We mostly go by tons.
regards from down under, Philip


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## DSS (Jul 31, 2011)

tassie phil said:


> Great to get your comparison Dave, thanks. I've been looking at the super split too, but the manufacturer is not interested in exports at the moment. To get the kind of wood you blokes speak of we would have to cut down an orchard or botanical gardens! All we use over here is gum tree in one form or another. We get a load of logs delivered, about $600 for a ten yard truck, which might be 12 or 13 tons. The logs will be straight, twisted, knotty, large and small. I had a pile of knotty rounds that I just couldn't split with a block buster, until I hired a splitter, and it sailed through all except one, had to work on that one for a few minutes, and the results weren't pretty, but it all burns. I notice you measure your wood in cords, how much would a cord weigh or measure. We mostly go by tons.
> regards from down under, Philip


 
A cord here is 4' x 4' x 8'. 128 cu ft. Weights could be all over the place depending on species and dryness of course.

By the ton seems like a strange way to buy wood to us.


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## tassie phil (Aug 4, 2011)

A couple of pics attached of my Splitfire. Things modified from the original are: hitch, coupling, light plug, work table, loglifter, wheels, safety chain, front prop. Some are to comply with Aus design rules, others are to make a better working height.View attachment 192913
View attachment 192914


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## Axe Man (Aug 4, 2011)

Congrats on your splitter Phil.
I know in California all small engines have to be " carb compliant " to meet the strict air quality standards there. I also know that your PM has just past a carbon tax law for OZ. Will this law effect the production of small engines, or importation, as in being carb compliant or is it business as usual, " Just hand over the money "


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## walexa07 (Aug 4, 2011)

tassie phil said:


> A couple of pics attached of my Splitfire. Things modified from the original are: hitch, coupling, light plug, work table, loglifter, wheels, safety chain, front prop. Some are to comply with Aus design rules, others are to make a better working height.View attachment 192913
> View attachment 192914



Love the modifications you did to your splitter. I added larger wheels to mine and centered/extended the tongue much like you did. I'd like to make it sit higher, extend the log lift, and make a removable work table that pins in where the tongue attaches.....maybe even have the work table hinge up so that it stays attached.

What height did you set yours to?

Thanks,

Waylan


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## tassie phil (Aug 5, 2011)

It is around 800mm or 31.5" off the ground. Haven't sighted it yet, looking forward to getting it sometime next week hopefully. Another mod I forgot to mention is that has 2 handle controls, so you can't have a hand on the log. This may be a pain to use, so if too unwieldy i will change it back to single control. Mainly a safety issue for rentals, because there is sure to be some idiot who will get their fingers in the way.:msp_scared: The dealer who sold it said 'keep your hands on the round of the log, never on the cut ends' and I think that is good advice.


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## tassie phil (Aug 5, 2011)

Thanks Axe Man, the carbon tax is not passed yet, and may never be. The labour party is ruling by the grace of a couple of independants and some greens, so they have an uphill battle to get anything passed. If it is passed it will only affect around 500 large polluting companies such as coal fired power plants. Of course, the costs will be passed down to us all eventually. As far as I know the Honda small engines are fairly efficient at polluntant control, and nowhere near as bad as a 2 stroke - they will be the first small engines to be banned. I do know that power bills are going through the roof here, so it makes wood heating more economical and more and more people are changing back to it.


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## TJ-Bill (Aug 5, 2011)

I've used one before and really liked it. You can split a pile of wood with one of those and 3 people.!!


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## Axe Man (Aug 5, 2011)

Yeah Phil, I've been following what's going on down there on the JONOVA site. Hopefully Gillard will be removed from office before it takes effect but it doesn't look like Abbot is much better.
Good Luck with your splitter and the rentals and also with the carbon tax legislation. It's destroyed the lower income families in the UK.


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## Machold (Aug 14, 2011)

I have the SplitFire 3203 for 3pth running off my rear PTO. Excellent product, does a lot of work. Only limitation is the tractor's gpm volume. I have a Kubota B3030, running 9gpm, a little slower than the 4290 but not a problem. Best of all, it's made locally in Ontario, my home province and not too far from where I am. Solid work horse.


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## tassie phil (Aug 17, 2011)

good to hear that Machold. The tractor powered Splitfires are popular in NZ too, and I hope to sell some here in Tassie. How do you get on with big logs, do you have a log lifter? How much time does it take to complete a full cycle? I have a little articulated Holder tractor which I'm hoping will be suitable to demo the tpl splitters on.


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## Machold (Aug 17, 2011)

Without trying to be facetious, what's a big log? I think my machine will handle a 24" length. As for getting the wood onto the machine, herculean effort is my best method. I don't have too many really heavy buggers. I put the hitch down as far as it will go, load the log, and then raise it higher to make for less bending of the back. The machine is b-directional, it takes 14 secs to go in one direction. For a look at my wood pile, go here:
http://www.arboristsite.com/firewood-heating-wood-burning-equipment/170976-2.htm#post3104042


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