# I bent my splitter's toe plate!!



## BlueRidgeMark (Aug 23, 2008)

I bent my splitter's toe plate today on an oak crotch!!!  


There was a thread here a few months back where somebody posted a similar pic, and somebody else basically called him a liar.

Well, I had it happen today. 

I've been gathering some standing dead oak that was felled recently, and it was some big stuff, and hard as nails. Been dead or dying a long time, I'd guess. Maybe 10 years? I've been aware of it standing there dead for about 4 years, and it was long gone then. It's dry right down to the bone, and did I mention that it's hard?

Anyway, there were some crotches, and one of them flat STOPPED my 35 ton splitter. Had to finish splitting it with the saw. Another one came close to stopping it. 

When we were packing up, I noticed my toe plate:





















I guess the wood was bearing on the toe plate out toward the end, rather than close to the beam. Got to watch that in the future. Now that it's bent that way, wood will tend to slip out there, making the problem worse.

I'm NOT happy about this!

One thing is for sure, the many folks who say they've got a 20 or 22 ton splitter that will split anything, just haven't been splitting really tough wood.


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## iCreek (Aug 23, 2008)

Saw your other post, http://www.arboristsite.com/showthread.php?t=74150 that is a huge oak tree, good find for sure. To bad about your splitter!!!


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## JeffHK454 (Aug 23, 2008)

Whats the plate made of, I have the older version of that same Huskee (SpeeCo) splitter and my toe plats a solid steel burn-out.

It almost looks cast?


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## reaperman (Aug 23, 2008)

Well, on the bright side, you cant complain about poor welds.

But, I feel your pain. If my splitter did that I'd be pissed too. I wouldnt hesitate to raise a stink at the place you purchased the splitter. From the photos the splitter looks somewhat newish. A splitters frame should be under warrenty for years. Good luck


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## Wood Doctor (Aug 23, 2008)

35 ton is incredible force, especially delivered by a 2-stage pump. Looks like Huskee (MTD?) designed a splitter that could deliver more force than the foot could take on the end.

If the welding is still intact on the front of the I-beam, you could weld a 1/2" thick plate about 2" wide on the front of the toe to help square it up. Regardless, I would send these Pics to Huskee and ask them what they recommend.


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## husky362 (Aug 23, 2008)

*it's funny how stuff bend's*

ive seen 4" axels snap like you cut them


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## BlueRidgeMark (Aug 23, 2008)

Wood Doctor said:


> 35 ton is incredible force, especially delivered by a 2-stage pump. Looks like Huskee (MTD?)



Speeco. I wouldn't by anything MTD! They've ruined too many good names.






Wood Doctor said:


> designed a splitter that could deliver more force than the foot could take on the end.




Yeah, looks that way.




Wood Doctor said:


> If the welding is still intact on the front of the I-beam, you could weld a 1/2" thick plate about 2" wide on the front of the toe to help square it up.



Thought about that. We'll see what TSC & Speeco have to say before I try anything myself. Other than the bend, it's all intact. I can't see any cracking.





Wood Doctor said:


> Regardless, I would send these Pics to Huskee and ask them what they recommend.




I plan to!


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## stihl sawing (Aug 23, 2008)

Man, That really stinks. I would have never thought you could bend one. I have the solid one too. Maybe they need to go back to the solid ones. I have bogged down mine a few times on oak or sweet gum crotches and it is still straight. I would see if it's under some kind of warrenty. I imagine if it's staightened out it will not be as stong as before.


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## Bl8tant (Aug 23, 2008)

I have the 22 Ton version of that spilitter. Second time I used it, I bent the foot exactly like yours. It didn't break or crack, just bent....so I figured I could try to bend it back. At first I tried using a sledge hammer...no luck. Then out came the oxy-acetylene torches.....1 hour and nearly a full tank of oxygen, it was finally hot enough to bend with some serious hammering from the sledge. I've spit dozens of cords of wood since, but I'm much more careful about holding the wood tight against the beam and if the splitter balks at a really stubborn piece I stop.


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## Evanrude (Aug 23, 2008)

I've used a 35ton huskee, seems it would benefit from better teeth on the footplate. The ones on there dont seem to hold the log much from sliding up and creating the leverage to bend it. Maybe owners could add different/more teeth to help grab the log better.


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## A. Stanton (Aug 24, 2008)

Sorry to hear about your problem. As I got the same kind of splitter, I'll keep an eye on mine. That should of never happened in a perfect world.


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## mga (Aug 24, 2008)

torch it up...bend it back then weld a solid thick plate behind it.

wouldn't that work?


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## gink595 (Aug 24, 2008)

Wow, Mark you've done it this time! I thought those where cast iron and the reasoning was so it would not bend!! In that second pic it looks like the beam is tweaked as well; in the top of the web by the flange?? If it is a cast you'll lose some weight trying to heat that up hot enough to bend back in this summer heat. Good luck man


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## tomtrees58 (Aug 24, 2008)

Looks Like You Have Junk## Tom Trees


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## Haywire Haywood (Aug 24, 2008)

Tom, you're always so helpful.. thanks for being a contributing member here! :notrolls2: 

How about building the face up with a wedge shaped piece of metal welded to the front of the existing toe make a flat surface again. You could build spikes into it to stop a repeat performance.

Ian


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## beerman6 (Aug 24, 2008)

Mine has the solid plate as well,both plates that have been bent (on this site) have been the hollowed out cast ones...


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## SWI Don (Aug 24, 2008)

I would guess they are cast steel. It would be much more weldable. If it was Gray iron it would be broken. If it were ductile iron it would bend but would still be more involved to weld on than a cast steel plate.

Good luck with Speeco on a solution. When I did the design for mine I designed for full tonnage at the top of the wedge (12" tall) with no damage. Apparently Speeco did not design for full tonnage at the end of the foot plate.

How thick is the solid steel plate? One solution if Speeco will not fix is to have one cut from plate and replace the foot you have.

Don


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## mranum (Aug 24, 2008)

Find someone with an oxy acetalene torch, if you don't know anyone go to a repair shop and offer them a few bucks, heat it and bend it back in place. Should be easy enough, just hook a chain from the top of the plate to the head of your ram and pull it back with the splitter, but to reinforce it put a gusset 90' to the flat side, make it look like a "t" when looking at it from the top. Use 1/2(or heavier) x 2 x 8 inch flat material and that will hold more than placing another piece flat on the back of the existing one. I can't believe they would put a cast material there, to easy to break. Cast is very hard and is designed not to bend but the trade off is its very brittle and easy to break.


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## JeffHK454 (Aug 24, 2008)

When I look at the pics BRM posted I can sure see how much SpeeCo cut corners building these newer models.

Frame looks like 3/16 welded plate with cast toe plate...my older version has a 1.5" thick solid steel plate and the I-beam is 3/8" flange and 1/2" center.

I have bent two wedges and currently have a bent one on the splitter now but I can guarantee you the toe plate area can't be bent with it's current pump/cylinder combo!

Definitely looks like some design flaws have been found with the newer models and if I was BRM I would let Huskee/SpeeCo know... make sure they know how close you where to getting injured when there inferior design failed!



If your resposable for fixing that I'd cut the whole toe plate off and head down to the scrape yard for a nice hunk of 1.5-2" steel and fab somthing much stronger.



Old style


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## Agnes (Aug 24, 2008)

*Could be worse....*

Mark at least yours didn't break!!!!

This is how mine looks after trying to split a tough piece of ash.










And I still have quite a bit to split yet....






Brought it to the welder so I'll keep ya posted on how they fix this fine mess.


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## stihl sawing (Aug 24, 2008)

Agnes said:


> Mark at least yours didn't break!!!!
> 
> This is how mine looks after trying to split a tough piece of ash.
> 
> ...


It looks like the welds broke on yours. The toe don't appear to be bent.


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## stihl sawing (Aug 24, 2008)

Mark, I sure hope speeco helps you out. They Ought to give you a new one in my opinion.[Which don't count] When you spend that kind of money on a splitter it shouldn't fail like that. Hopefully when they see the pics you send them they will Re-design it where nobody else will go thruogh the frustration that you are right now. If their a reputable company they will do something. I am kinda interested what they are going to do about it as i have one. keep us posted on the progress and thanks for sharing the misfortune and hopefully the positive response from them.


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## Junkfxr (Aug 24, 2008)

I really hate that for you BRM. I would like to know how they get 35 tons out of a 5 inch cylinder with 3000 psi anyway, that only works out to 29.45 tons. If that's all it takes to bend that piece of cast steel, I'd stay away from them in the future. Your best bet for fixing it would be to torch it off and replace it with a piece of 1 1/2 or 2 inch steel plate. Just welding gussets and supports to the already bent and straightened cast steel plate is just a cover up temopary fix, it'll haunt you for a long time, especially since the main beam has been bent on the left side.


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## tawilson (Aug 24, 2008)

mranum said:


> Find someone with an oxy acetalene torch, if you don't know anyone go to a repair shop and offer them a few bucks, heat it and bend it back in place. Should be easy enough, just hook a chain from the top of the plate to the head of your ram and pull it back with the splitter, but to reinforce it put a gusset 90' to the flat side, make it look like a "t" when looking at it from the top. Use 1/2(or heavier) x 2 x 8 inch flat material and that will hold more than placing another piece flat on the back of the existing one. I can't believe they would put a cast material there, to easy to break. Cast is very hard and is designed not to bend but the trade off is its very brittle and easy to break.


There is steel in mranum's words of wisdom.


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## wkpoor (Aug 24, 2008)

There is one more design flaw that I have seen twice on the 22ton. If a piece gets stuck real tight and you are retracting it through the gate the force on those uprights can bend the welded angles that guide the wedge foot. I have emailed Speeco recently and got no response. I called them last year about something and got nothing but attitude on the phone. They seem to believe there unit has no flaws. I think over all for the money they have a good unit. They just need to be a little more receptive to customer comments.


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## mga (Aug 24, 2008)

JeffHK454 said:


> When I look at the pics BRM posted I can sure see how much SpeeCo cut corners building these newer models.
> 
> Frame looks like 3/16 welded plate with cast toe plate...my older version has a 1.5" thick solid steel plate and the I-beam is 3/8" flange and 1/2" center.
> 
> ...



that's the key right there: make it a safety issue. tell them the log flew out and almost hit you or a helper...just make it a safety issue first BEFORE you make any mods to the splitter.

once you cut or change anything....you're on your own.


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## triptester (Aug 24, 2008)

If attempting to straighten the foot plate DO NOT try to use the wedge to pull back on the plate because most splitters when the wedge is mounted to the ram it is only held in place with a 1/2" bolt.


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## skid row (Aug 24, 2008)

Sorry to see your bent toe plate. If the store where you bought it does not make things right I would do as some other AS members said. Cut the toe off and weld in a 2" thick plate with some anti slip steel strips. 

Just my .02 worth.

Hope they make it right for ya......Keep us posted........ Good luck.


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## Patrick62 (Aug 24, 2008)

*A suggestion*

If you end up doing the repairs, think about changing it around.
I prefer a splitter that has the wedge on the end, and the ram with the foot.
Toss in a small outfeed table and you are set.

I will also have to agree that it took a pile of force to bend the sucker. My splitter would have broken as well under such conditions. Thankfully I am not splitting really hard stuff.

-Pat


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## walexa07 (Aug 24, 2008)

tomtrees58 said:


> Looks Like You Have Junk## Tom Trees



+1

Waylan


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## Scootermsp (Aug 24, 2008)

*Weld a new plate*

If you know a good weldor, you could have the entire footplate cut off with a good size plasma cutter and have an entirely new footplate fabricated from solid 1 1/2 or 1 3/4" plate and welded onto the beam, you might only lose about 1/2" of your beam. I think removing the damaged plate entirely is the way to go. Just be sure the wedge has some clearance. (provided you have no warranty in effect)


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## BlueRidgeMark (Aug 24, 2008)

TreeCo said:


> Mark sorry to see your splitter damaged. Do be careful with it......that bent toe combined with another high pressure splitting attempt may launch the chunk of wood quite a distance and hurt somebody.



Yeah, Dan, I hear you. I've got plenty of splitting to do, so this has to be fixed, pronto.

I'm hoping TSC (where I bought it) will do the right thing and just give me a new one.


Til it's fixed or replaced, I'll split any crotch pieces with a saw!


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## BlueRidgeMark (Aug 24, 2008)

mga said:


> that's the key right there: make it a safety issue. tell them the log flew out and almost hit you or a helper...just make it a safety issue first BEFORE you make any mods to the splitter.



No, I'm not going to lie to them. In fact, I may direct their attention to this thread so they can see the exposure this issue is getting. 

It IS a safety issue, though. As Dan pointed out, it certainly isn't safe to continue using it.




mga said:


> once you cut or change anything....you're on your own.




Yeah, and I won't touch it until I've got a decision from TSC and/or Speeco on their responsibility in this. If they tell me I'm on my own, I'll sure let everyone know, and _then _I'll see to fixing the beast.

A new toe plate sounds like the best approach to me, if it has to be repaired.

I won't change the setup because most of my wood is too big to lift. I split in the vertical position almost entirely.


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## WidowMaker (Aug 24, 2008)

BlueRidgeMark said:


> Yeah, Dan, I hear you. I've got plenty of splitting to do, so this has to be fixed, pronto.
> 
> I'm hoping TSC (where I bought it) will do the right thing and just give me a new one.
> 
> ...



===

I'm betting they tell you it was operater abuse/misuse. The pressure point is not intended to be out on the toe and off to the side, like that.


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## 046 (Aug 24, 2008)

WOW... that guy from Canada that reported the first bent 35 ton toe plate was not making it up. 

well this makes the first documented failure for speeco splitters. 

I'd talk to speeco before doing anything... sure would like to see how speeco handles this warranty issue. steel is warranted for 3 years. 

-----------------
http://www.speeco.com/warranty/terms.php

Warranty Terms

Special Products Co. warrants that the equipment manufactured by SpeeCo and delivered hereunder will be free of defects in material and workmanship for a period as outlined below. 

1. Three-point linkage: 1 year
2. Hand-held diggers: 1 year
3. Three-point diggers: 3 years
4. Quick Hitch: 3 years
5. Log Splitters
1. Hydraulics: 1 year
2. Engine: 2 year (warranted by engine manufacturer)
3. 15-Ton Splitter Engine 1 year
4. Steel Components: 3 years





BlueRidgeMark said:


> Yeah, Dan, I hear you. I've got plenty of splitting to do, so this has to be fixed, pronto.
> 
> I'm hoping TSC (where I bought it) will do the right thing and just give me a new one.
> 
> ...


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## Andyshine77 (Aug 25, 2008)

This thread came up at the right time. I was splitting some Hickory with my 22T last week when I noticed the splitting wedge was slightly bent to one side. I called Speeco and told them what happened, they said the steel components have a 3 year warranty, and they would send me a new wedge free of charge. The guy I talked to was very helpful, so I'd give them a call. 1-800-525-8322

BRM. My 22T has split some nasty stuff in it's day. Something to remember is the fact that the 22T has a smaller wedge than the 35T splitter, which maximizes it's power.

 Andy.


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## Haywire Haywood (Aug 25, 2008)

Will the wedge from the 22 fit the 35? a smaller wedge might help on the really tough pieces,

Ian


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## Wood Scrounge (Aug 25, 2008)

BlueRidgeMark said:


> Yeah, Dan, I hear you. I've got plenty of splitting to do, so this has to be fixed, pronto.
> 
> I'm hoping TSC (where I bought it) will do the right thing and just give me a new one.
> 
> ...



I've worked in the customer service\satisfaction world for 15 years; I have a lot of experience with the big box stores such as TSC. If that thing is less then 2 years old they will replace the entire splitter with little hassle. ~$1600 is not worth an angry customer who buys expensive equipment.


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## BlueRidgeMark (Aug 25, 2008)

WidowMaker said:


> ===
> 
> I'm betting they tell you it was operater abuse/misuse. The pressure point is not intended to be out on the toe and off to the side, like that.




_BZZZT!_

Wrong answer. That plate is intended for holding the wood that's being split. Not all chunks of wood have nice straight sides that can be neatly positioned against the very back of the toe plate. It's made that size for that very reason.

There's no reason a properly designed machine should be able to wreck itself in normal operation.


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## BlueRidgeMark (Aug 25, 2008)

Good comments on the smaller wedge, guys. 

I'll get a letter out to TSC today. I'm not going to go the phone route. A FedEx letter straight to the CEO may be slower, but it will get more attention.


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## Wood Scrounge (Aug 25, 2008)

BlueRidgeMark said:


> Good comments on the smaller wedge, guys.
> 
> I'll get a letter out to TSC today. I'm not going to go the phone route. A FedEx letter straight to the CEO may be slower, but it will get more attention.



I would take the splitter to the store, the manager will be capable of replacing it and will act fast to avoid a potential scene. you will be pleasently suprised at their response I bet.


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## Tracker83 (Aug 25, 2008)

I bent the toe plate on my FIL's 22 ton Huskee/SpeeCo in the same fashion as the original poster. Splitting nasty twisted grain green oak. Stopped the splitter cold a couple times. I'll see if I can get pictures tonight. It is not bent as badly as the one on this thread, but still has a noticable bend. For reference, my FIL's 22 ton is 4-5 years old and had the solid foot design.


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## beerman6 (Aug 25, 2008)

Were you guys splitting in the horizontal or vertical positions when this happened?


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## Tracker83 (Aug 25, 2008)

beerman6 said:


> Were you guys splitting in the horizontal or vertical positions when this happened?


Vertical


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## WidowMaker (Aug 25, 2008)

BlueRidgeMark said:


> _BZZZT!_
> 
> Wrong answer. That plate is intended for holding the wood that's being split. Not all chunks of wood have nice straight sides that can be neatly positioned against the very back of the toe plate. It's made that size for that very reason.
> 
> There's no reason a properly designed machine should be able to wreck itself in normal operation.




===

I hope your right, but I'd bet against it...


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## Butch(OH) (Aug 25, 2008)

"One thing is for sure, the many folks who say they've got a 20 or 22 ton splitter that will split anything, just haven't been splitting really tough wood."

Thats a big no s:censored:tter!

Sorry to see your troubles with the speeco. I think they realy try to put out decent product while trying to compete with Lowes/Sears and HF. Give the local store a chance to make it right before you fire off to the SEO. TSC is usually pretty good about such things.


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## Andyshine77 (Aug 25, 2008)

BlueRidgeMark I'd give Speeco a call, It can't hurt to try. I also don't see how sending a letter to TSC will do anything, as Speeco will be covering the warranty, not TSC. I'll send you a PM with the Email address of the guy who helped me out the other week.

 Andy


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## BlueRidgeMark (Aug 25, 2008)

Well, a good update. Took advice from some of you, called TSC. The manager checked with Speeco on the warranty, and called me back. Turns out there's a warranty shop for Speeco a stone's throw from TSC, and I dropped it off there this afternoon.

They've got to order a new beam and swap it out. No static, no hassle. TSC said 3-4 days. The two young gals at the shop had no clue, but said someone from the shop would call me.

I'll post an update when it's done.

I do plan to follow up with Speeco on this as a design issue, though. The TSC manager said he'd seen one other like this in the last few years. I guess if they have to replace the odd unit out of hundreds, it probably makes sense to keep the design as-is, from a business standpoint.

Not everybody out there is trying to split 50 inch across, dry oak crotches! 


The bad news now is, on the way there I passed by 'my' big oak, and somebody else has been harvesting 'my wood'!!! :angry2: 

Ah, well, first come, first served. Fair is fair. 

But he'd better be quick, because I'll be back! :greenchainsaw:


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## WidowMaker (Aug 25, 2008)

Congradulations...I must say I'm surprised...


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## BlueRidgeMark (Aug 25, 2008)

beerman6 said:


> Were you guys splitting in the horizontal or vertical positions when this happened?



Vertical. Almost all of my splitting is done that way. It's big stuff. Aside from the old standing dead oak that did this damage, I get most of my wood from a log processor, and it's big, it's crotches, and it's heavy!


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## treemandan (Aug 25, 2008)

Tommy was right BlueRidge and I am sorry to say it. I just got this 22 ton unit, I don't plan to split real hard stuff with it cause the old wood The Dan lets me bring back to the yard is the prime easy stuff. Still, This is one of the better splitters for around 2200.




The of course some of that prime stuff



I have somemore somewhere, I have about 7 cords to split for this winter.


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## Andyshine77 (Aug 25, 2008)

Mark I'm glad to hear they're doing the right thing and fixing your splitter ASAP.


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## Wood Scrounge (Aug 26, 2008)

I worked for a company that did customer service/satisfaction consulting for some of the big box stores years ago. The thing they all realize it's better to make a customer happy then lose them and at least one other customer permanently. 
If you are unhappy with something from them take it back they will almost always make it right as long as you’re being reasonable. 
These places are no longer selling the top of the line products so they make up for that short fall with trying to provide good customer service.


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## CUCV (Aug 26, 2008)

BlueRidgeMark said:


> I do plan to follow up with Speeco on this as a design issue, though. The TSC manager said he'd seen one other like this in the last few years. I guess if they have to replace the odd unit out of hundreds, it probably makes sense to keep the design as-is, from a business standpoint.
> QUOTE]
> 
> If you find the time send me some rough dimensions of the toe plate. When I get a free minute I will toss it into the computer and do a quick FEA analysis on it.


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## gink595 (Aug 26, 2008)

Wood Scrounge said:


> I worked for a company that did customer service/satisfaction consulting for some of the big box stores years ago. The thing they all realize it's better to make a customer happy then lose them and at least one other customer permanently.
> If you are unhappy with something from them take it back they will almost always make it right as long as you’re being reasonable.
> These places are no longer selling the top of the line products so they make up for that short fall with trying to provide good customer service.



I agree, I work for one of the bigger metal building manufactures, I volunteered to help out in customer service once while a guy was sick, I couldn't believe how much crap we gave away, even when it wasn't our fault. It sure changed my mind set on the "willing to please" and how companies will go out of their way to try to make you happy. I found that out to be true with Lowes, they gave me a new mini fridge because the refrigerator I bought from them broke and the service company was dragging their feet getting it fixed, I called and complained almost to the point of being unreasonable and they paid for a new mini for the time I was without one and all the food content that was in my fridge, it was about as half as much of a new fridge just because their subleted repair service was crap, Kudos to Lowes for fixing that one.


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## KMB (Aug 26, 2008)

BlueRidgeMark said:


> Well, a good update. Took advice from some of you, called TSC. The manager checked with Speeco on the warranty, and called me back. Turns out there's a warranty shop for Speeco a stone's throw from TSC, and I dropped it off there this afternoon.
> 
> They've got to order a new beam and swap it out. No static, no hassle. TSC said 3-4 days. The two young gals at the shop had no clue, but said someone from the shop would call me.
> 
> ...



Good update. Hope you can get back to the wood soon.

Kevin


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## JeffHK454 (Aug 26, 2008)

I'd ask if I could have the old bent one so you can put a solid base on it.

I know if I could bend that toe plate once I could do it twice!

It is refreshing to see a store/manufacturer stand behind there products for a change


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## Wood Doctor (Aug 26, 2008)

BRM said, "The bad news now is, on the way there I passed by 'my' big oak, and somebody else has been harvesting 'my wood'! 

Ah, well, first come, first served. Fair is fair."
--------------------
Claim jumpers! Some people have no respect. It was obvious to them that someone had already started working on that mother lode. They had no respect for your work, and their greed overtook their courtesy. So, they just started taking it.

I only wish that I could have been there to help you bring in that old oak tree, one way of the other.


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## BlueRidgeMark (Aug 26, 2008)

Wood Doctor said:


> BRM said, "The bad news now is, on the way there I passed by 'my' big oak, and somebody else has been harvesting 'my wood'!
> 
> Ah, well, first come, first served. Fair is fair."
> --------------------
> ...




No, it was done with permission of the property owner, and I knew someone was going to make an attempt. I was just hoping that they didn't know what they were doing. Bad for me - they apparently did!

But I made sure not to leave any easy stuff for them.  I cleaned up all the smaller (smaller meaning 18" or so!) pieces, except for a few that are holding up the big rounds.

It was understood to be a 'first come, first served' deal from the get go, so I have no grounds for complaint.

But that doesn't mean I can't moan about it on AS, right? 


I'm just hoping I get my splitter back in time to be out there Saturday morning, and that there will still be some wood left!


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## BlueRidgeMark (Sep 4, 2008)

*Update On Warranty Response*

Well, I took the splitter in to the warranty repair center last Monday, August 25th. The warranty center is a local company that contracts to do this work. (They also sell outdoor gear, ATVs etc.) 

I was promised a call as soon as the tech took a look at it, but I was warned that probably would not happen until Wednesday, as they were backed up. Okay.

On Friday I called, and had to insist a bit to get to talk to someone who knew something. I was put through to a young man who stammered and muttered and finally admitted he hadn't done anything because he had no clue how to get parts or otherwise process a warranty claim.  

*sigh*

It was late Friday, so on Tuesday morning I called Speeco. Got voicemail, left message, got no return call.

This isn't looking good.



I called again this morning. Got a live person named Mary. Explained the problem. Here's what Speeco is going to do:


Fax the correct warranty forms to the repair center.
CALL the repair center to explain the warranty process to them, so they'll be able to proceed.

So far, so good, as far as Speeco is concerned. I'm happy with _them_, at this point.


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## wdchuck (Sep 4, 2008)

Why not take your saw to the remaining oak and cut it down to chunks you can haul home? At least you won't lose the wood to someone else. Split them to size later.


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## husky455rancher (Sep 4, 2008)

yup thats what i would do. if i have "claim" to some wood i try like hell not to let it sit. i was a little slow with some oak and i screwed myself outta a few truckloads


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## wkpoor (Sep 4, 2008)

I saw my big stuff up on site into manageable pieces as normal practice. Just did a 30"+ maple last Saturday. Each 16" length of but log was sawed into 6 pieces. Just the trunk filled my dump trailer. Will be real easy to split when I get around to it.


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## Booshcat (Sep 5, 2008)

Mark, Sorry to hear about your problems and I hope it's repaired quickly and free of charge.
I've never seen any report of this happening on an MTD splitter though.
Something about living in glass houses comes to mind.

Good Luck,
Bob


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## 046 (Sep 5, 2008)

didn't want to post until I received my new frame/foot. 

when I saw Blueridgemark's bent foot... got worried and checked mine out.... sure enough it was bent... not very much... but it was bent. 

put a straight edge and took pic's for speeco. They immediately shipped a new body/foot to me via truck at no charge. Yes new foot is substantially beefier!

they are also going to pay two hours to switch out... it's such an easy job switching parts... 2 hours is very_generous. 

all you do is un-bolt hydraulic cylinder/wedge. set to side without disconnecting hoses. then stand up old body/foot. unpin... move aside old body.... then stand up new body into position... pin... lay back down, then bolt cylinder/wedge.... done..

speeco has a 3 year warranty on steel parts.... everyone that's got a 35ton speeco needs to check out their foot with a 90 degree straight edge. 

Speeco's customer service has been the best I've dealt with! 
no one predicts stuff like this happening... what counts is how the mfg handles it.... I'd do business with Speeco again without hesitation!


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## jerry wayne (Sep 5, 2008)

*Grammer???*



Haywire Haywood said:


> Tom, you're always so helpful.. thanks for being a contributing member here! :notrolls2:
> 
> How about building the face up with a wedge shaped piece of metal welded to the front of the existing toe make a flat surface again. You could build spikes into it to stop a repeat performance.
> 
> Ian



That is alright grammer here in S.E. Tucky....around Laurel county>If you can say "i dont care to do that " ,around here it means ,you wouldnt mind doing that.......takes awhile to git used to it.........different part of K.Y . me thinks though


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## The Groove (Sep 5, 2008)

*cracked toe plates*

I went to Home Depot to check out their log splitters and in the rental dept. 
they had 3 Huskee splitters 2 of them the welds at the plate were cracked
and the toe was bent over I'm going to see if they will sell one cheap.


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## 046 (Sep 6, 2008)

welcome to AS... your first post..
can you post pictures? 



The Groove said:


> I went to Home Depot to check out their log splitters and in the rental dept.
> they had 3 Huskee splitters 2 of them the welds at the plate were cracked
> and the toe was bent over I'm going to see if they will sell one cheap.


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## A. Stanton (Sep 6, 2008)

The Groove said:


> I went to Home Depot to check out their log splitters and in the rental dept.
> they had 3 Huskee splitters 2 of them the welds at the plate were cracked
> and the toe was bent over I'm going to see if they will sell one cheap.



Good thinking.


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## JeffHK454 (Sep 6, 2008)

The Groove said:


> I went to Home Depot to check out their log splitters and in the rental dept.
> they had 3 Huskee splitters 2 of them the welds at the plate were cracked
> and the toe was bent over I'm going to see if they will sell one cheap.


Where you planning on buying one cheap then Calling SpeeCo for a warranty claim or rebuilding yourself?


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## The Groove (Sep 6, 2008)

*bent*

I went there to buy a used splitter. Then I saw they were bent I thought I could buy one cheaper and fix it myself. I didn't ask about them because I had to go to work. I guess you could try to warrenty it though. I'm going back to find out about buying one. I'll take pics of the bent ones. They did have a vermeer 6 inch 25 hp wood chipper for sale so I told my brother about and he bought it for $3200. new it was $11,000


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## Vangellis (Sep 6, 2008)

When I was at HD last week I saw they had 12 ton Earthquake splitters and I think some rinky dink 8 ton? Yard Machine ones. Looked cheap as all heck. Whats the deal on the earthquakes?





Kevin


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## [email protected] (Sep 16, 2008)

*Toe Plate*

Blue Ridge Mark,

Has your toe plate been replaced yet? I wanted to make sure you got taken care of. Heard about your issue and I wanted to extend our help if it hasn't already been replaced. We like to think our steel has no match, but when a situation like this comes up we do honor our structural warranty.

Thanks for putting the splitter through the field test with that oak! We split what we can here in Colorado, but it's great to have this kind of forum for real-time use.

Let me know if there is anything we can do for you.

[email protected]
800.525.8322 ex.146


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## stihl sawing (Sep 16, 2008)

Way to go, Glad to see a company back it's product. I have a 35 ton older model that has been flawlees. It's nice to know if ever it does give me a problem speeco will listen. I know mark will appreciate the effort to make his splitter right.


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## wkpoor (Sep 16, 2008)

> Let me know if there is anything we can do for you.
> 
> [email protected]
> 800.525.8322 ex.146


Carolyn, Glad to see Speeco responding on this forum. I've mentioned somewhere in this forum your 22ton unit has a small issue. The wedge gate( as I call it ) could stand to be a bit more robust. Me and my neighbor both have one and we have both managed to bend the so call (built in log holder..nice marketing on that one ). If a piece doesn't split and gets really stuck tight in the retraction back through the gate there can be enough force up high to bend and distort those angles welded onto the beam ( you know...built in log holder). Those angles in my opinion should be chucked for a more conventional method of guiding the ram on the beam and install real log holders. Of coarse the gate would need redesigned then too. Bill


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## [email protected] (Sep 17, 2008)

*Built in log cradle/gate*

Bill,

Thanks for the comments & R&D ideas! Can't wait to see the pictures. 
I had never really looked at the practical use of the 3pt ground stand before since we see the vertical operation more often than not. Definitely something to reconsider for 2009. 

Have a good one!

[email protected]


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## BlueRidgeMark (Oct 4, 2008)

*UPDATE! Finally fixed.*

Hi, folks. Been too busy with a new job to hang around here, but I wanted to give an update on this thread.

Well, I split some wood today.  Just a short run to make sure everything was working right. Tackled some more of that ancient oak that caused bent the toe plate. Everything is dandy! I'm a happy camper! :biggrinbounce2: 


Now, about that customer service....


Other than the one message I left that didn't get returned, Speeco has been terrific. (Hey, it happens. ONCE doesn't mean anything except that you are dealing wiht humans.) TSC has been terriffic. The warranty repair center has been.... less than terrific. 

How? Check the calendar. I bent the plate on 08-23-2008, a Saturday. I had the splitter in to the warranty repair center (a local shop, not part of TSC) on the 25th, a Monday. (Right at closing time.)

I finally got a call from the warranty center last Friday (26 Sept) that it was ready to pick up. They aren't open on Saturday, so I had my wife pick it up this week.

That's ONE MONTH to get this thing fixed.

In between were multiple calls to the warranty center. They never returned calls, but they did promise to several times. When I didn't hear from them as promised, I called on Friday, only to find out they had NO clue how to process the repair. It sat there, with NOTHING done to it, because they didn't know what to do and didn't have sense enough to call Speeco and ask! They did NOTHING from Tuesday to Friday when I called them! Then they did nothing until Speeco called them!

That was late Friday, and I was swamped Monday, so on Tuesday morning (a week after taking it in), I called Speeco and explained the situation, and they volunteered to fax a copy of the procedures to the repair shop. (Maxx Powersports in Winchester, VA.) Based on my conversation with the repair guy at Maxx, I asked if someone at Speeco could *CALL* Maxx and walk them through the process. (I didn't think they would be able to follow written instructions. I'm serious.) The gal at Speeco _cheerfully_ agreed to do that. And apparently, did so, because things started happening then. The replacement beam was shipped pretty quickly (by Speeco) and installed after a while by Maxx. Uh, NOT quickly, but not too bad, either.

What really held things up was the detent valve. It had been leaking, more and more each time I used it, until the last day I used it it was just pouring out fluid. While I had Speeco on the I asked about it, and they said they'd had a bad batch of o-rings in some of the valves, and would replace it under warranty. I was just under the 1 year limit on the hydraulics, but I have a feeling they'd have taken care of it even if I'd been past warranty. They volunteered the info about a known problem and got it taken care of. That's good customer service in my book.

Apparently the warranty procedures are a bit different on the hydraulics, though. The valve had to come from TSC. That's where things got hairy, and TSC shone. I had to bug Maxx and get TSC to bug Maxx to get things going. Maxx seemed to assume that TSC would just somehow 'know' to ship a valve, and so things sat again until I made more phone calls. Without going into a phone call by phone call rundown, I'll just say that the manager at TSC was on the ball. He returned phone calls promptly, checked on status and called back when he said he would, and in every way earned my repeat business. 

Maxx? Well, they were never rude, but they sure didn't make things happen, and they didn't return calls when they promised to.


So, final analysis:

*I'm very happy with my splitter, and would not hesitate to buy another Speeco product. *  

Thanks to all of you who encouraged me to contact them!


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## BlueRidgeMark (Oct 4, 2008)

Carolyn, thanks very much for checking in here. I didn't see your post until to day. As you can see, all is well now.

While we're on the subject of design changes, I echo a suggestion made earlier in the thread. The toe plate needs more teeth. It would really help.

I'd also like to see an hour meter on the engine.

I do love your built in log cradle, and I think your design in this area is far superior to anybody else's. The way this holds the wedge is a much better idea than the typical bolted on wedges, in my opinion. It works very well.


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## Wood Doctor (Oct 4, 2008)

Wonderful!
Now, Mark, while you have been getting Speeco's attention and service, I have managed to collect seven more cords of huge rounds that range from 12" to 30" in diameter. They need your attention immediately, but I can't figure out if it's better for me to ship the rounds to Virginia via rail freight or for me to arrange a UPS pickup and have your splitter transported to Nebraska. opcorn:


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## beerman6 (Oct 4, 2008)

:greenchainsaw: Good deal!


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## BlueRidgeMark (Oct 4, 2008)

Wood Doctor said:


> Wonderful!
> Now, Mark, while you have been getting Speeco's attention and service, I have managed to collect seven more cords of huge rounds that range from 12" to 30" in diameter. They need your attention immediately, but I can't figure out if it's better for me to ship the rounds to Virginia via rail freight or for me to arrange a UPS pickup and have your splitter transported to Nebraska. opcorn:



Okay, where's the 'raspberry' smiley here, anyway?


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## Wood Doctor (Oct 5, 2008)

BlueRidgeMark said:


> Okay, where's the 'raspberry' smiley here, anyway?


I'm aghast at the quotes from UPS for the pickup and delivery of the splitter and the alternative of UP Railroad for the rail freight charges to transport the big rounds to VA. Doesn't look good in either case. Looks like the firewood business is destined to be a local operation. 
We're toast. :spam:

P.S. Mark, I just saw another vintage log splitter today with only a 3" cylinder, a 16 gpm pump, and a 5 hp Briggs driving it. The toe plate was solid steel, at least 1-1/2" thick, welded to the I-Beam. Guess what? The weld was tight, but the toe plate was bent down about 1/2" on the end from the perpendicular. Even that monster plate gave a little.


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## ericjeeper (Oct 5, 2008)

*I have the 28 ton Speeco*

We were splitting some green Beech today about 22 inch diameter. Some of it had knots like beeches do.. My splitter would drop into low gear and just keep on pushing.. It is one of those deals where you stand way the heck away from the wood and grimace, But that dude just kept on cutting through it. I am very pleased with the unit. Only downfall is cycle time is pretty slow compared even to our 30 plus year old 21 ton lil brave splitter with hundreds of cords ran through it.
That Honda engine is a jewel.. sips fuel and starts easily..


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## FarmerSid (Oct 6, 2008)

046 said:


> WOW... that guy from Canada that reported the first bent 35 ton toe plate was not making it up.
> 
> well this makes the first documented failure for speeco splitters.
> 
> I'd talk to speeco before doing anything... sure would like to see how speeco handles this warranty issue. steel is warranted for 3 years.



So now you believe me! LOL! It has bent again since is we tried to straighten it. Since we are in Canada, they may not warranty it. I'm going to call the speeco rep and see what they say.


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## 046 (Oct 6, 2008)

yes... please accept my apologies for not believing you... standard mode on AS is no pictures... it didn't happen  

please do call speeco... betcha they'll warranty it... wonder how the shipping will be taken care of? 



FarmerSid said:


> So now you believe me! LOL! It has bent again since is we tried to straighten it. Since we are in Canada, they may not warranty it. I'm going to call the speeco rep and see what they say.


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## BlueRidgeMark (Oct 6, 2008)

Awwwww, that's sweeeet! Okay, group hug now!









Alright! That's enough! No need to go on and on about it!







Hey, I said that's enough! Knock it off! Leggo o' him!




Okay, that's better.





Sid, glad to help out a fellow Canadian!


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## [email protected] (Oct 6, 2008)

*Toe plate & valve repair*

BlueRidgeMark,

Good to hear you finally got taken care! Sorry it was such an ordeal with service. We are trying to organize a dealer network to reduce the lack of communication between service centers, the selling dealer and ourselves. 

Always like to hear suggestions like yours because they come from people who really use the splitters! An hour meter is an idea that we may see in 2009 & I have forwarded your ideas along to R&D for consideration.

Quick question. I thought you might be able to help me with something; we have come up (finally) with a four way wedge that sleeves on to the existing wedge. It is intended for soft versus hard wood. You wouldn't happen to have an idea where we might get a chart that shows the relative hardness of wood, would you? 

Have a great day! [email protected]


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## PA Plumber (Oct 6, 2008)

[email protected] said:


> BlueRidgeMark,
> 
> Good to hear you finally got taken care! Sorry it was such an ordeal with service. We are trying to organize a dealer network to reduce the lack of communication between service centers, the selling dealer and ourselves.
> 
> ...



Wouldn't a btu chart be "good enough?"

Or were you looking for something along the lines of Rockewell results?


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## timothykamp (Oct 6, 2008)

I bought the same splitter from TSC and bent the foot with a tough oak crotch exactly the same way. I welded 2 chains to the sides of the foot and just pulled it back. I brought it to TSC and they took a month, but got me a new beam for free, and told me to keep the old one. Now I have 2, and the old one I'm going to torch the foot off and add a 4 way wedge and instead of pushing the wedge to the wood, I'm going to push the wood into the wedge.


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## Andyshine77 (Oct 6, 2008)

timothykamp said:


> I bought the same splitter from TSC and bent the foot with a tough oak crotch exactly the same way. I welded 2 chains to the sides of the foot and just pulled it back. I brought it to TSC and they took a month, but got me a new beam for free, and told me to keep the old one. Now I have 2, and the old one I'm going to torch the foot off and add a 4 way wedge and instead of pushing the wedge to the wood, I'm going to push the wood into the wedge.



That's a good idea, but you lose the ability to split vertically.


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## 046 (Oct 6, 2008)

sure glad to hear a four way is finally an option... a four way used in vertical mode can be hazardous ... pieces of wood can fly off at speed...operator is directly in front of log in vertical mode. 

species of wood matters more than hardness determining hardness of split. how fibrous wood determines difficulty. for instance elm has a reputation for being difficult to split. http://www.arboristsite.com/showthread.php?t=75394

here's closest chart that I'm aware of... a link to the JUCA site, which has the most wood burning data on the WWW. chart has a rating for difficulty of split. (oak is rated hard, but is one of the easiest to split)

http://mb-soft.com/juca/print/firewood.html 

FOREST PRODUCTS LABORATORY has the data you are looking for
http://usasearch.gov/search?input-f...+split+wood&affiliate=fpl.fs.fed.us&x=42&y=14

Wood species guide 
http://www.fpl.fs.fed.us/documnts/usda/amwood/woodspeciesguide.pdf



[email protected] said:


> we have come up (finally) with a four way wedge that sleeves on to the existing wedge. It is intended for soft versus hard wood. You wouldn't happen to have an idea where we might get a chart that shows the relative hardness of wood, would you?


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## BlueRidgeMark (Oct 6, 2008)

[email protected] said:


> BlueRidgeMark,
> 
> Good to hear you finally got taken care! Sorry it was such an ordeal with service. We are trying to organize a dealer network to reduce the lack of communication between service centers, the selling dealer and ourselves.




Yeah, I got the impression that they just had never done one before, and had no clue what to do, so they did nothing. It was great to have you guys call and coach them a bit.



[email protected] said:


> Always like to hear suggestions like yours because they come from people who really use the splitters! An hour meter is an idea that we may see in 2009 & I have forwarded your ideas along to R&D for consideration.



Great!



[email protected] said:


> Quick question. I thought you might be able to help me with something; we have come up (finally) with a four way wedge that sleeves on to the existing wedge. It is intended for soft versus hard wood. You wouldn't happen to have an idea where we might get a chart that shows the relative hardness of wood, would you?




Uh, sorry, no clue on that. A BTU chart, as suggested, would get you into the ballpark, I think. But hardness isn't the only factor, and maybe not even the biggest factor. Grain has a lot to do with it, too. That gnarly old oak that bent my plate is easy to split, when I'm working straight grained pieces, even though it's hard as nails. I'd think a 4-way would work just fine on it. With the regular wedge, I had it popping before I was halfway through it.

The crotches are another matter!  

Then, too, some wood is just very stringy (elm, locust) and holds on tightly (straight grain or not!), even though it's not as hard as oak.

I think you should consider getting some different species and trying them out, rather than relying only on hardness to guide you.

OR, publish a guide and discuss all the factors that make a wood either difficult or eazy to split, without trying to say _this_ wood is suitable for the 4-way, and _that_ wood is not.


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