DR broke down now :(

[Patrick62]

We were splitting a load of wood this morning, and the DR splitter started jumping outta gear on every stroke. "Houston, we have a problem". Hauled it back over to the shop and Told Dennis, call me when you have it fixed. Meanwhile..... we are damn happy to have the "slow" hydraulic ones.

Then, I remembered you guys saying something about the hardness or something about the rack and pinion.
Uh oh. I now am thinking that they are not quite up to Super Split standards.... 20 cords at most is what I got before having problems.

I wonder if they are going to rebuild my machine, or try and weasel out of it.

 

[Marshy]

Sounds exactly like the problem already identified. Maybe they will update the rack and it will be all good.

 

[macattack_ga]

If your lucky it will be an adjustment.
Yours should be new enough to have the new handle... DR upgraded me after i chewed up the rack & pinion.

When I got mine back it was WAY outta adjustment. Without the benefit of instructions, it appears the engagement mechanism should be just beyond perpendicular to the rack.
This way the handle won't fly forward when you engage and the rack meet resistance.

Mine was returned from shop (with new handle, rack, pinion) with the engagement mechanism WAY past perpendicular and therefore didn't push the rack into the pinion far enough. (Imagine a pendulum swinging back up).
It was grinding horribly with very little push. What a terrible noise to hear from a new rack!!!

Darn cool splitter, but I recommend the extend warranty...

 

[flotek]

Ahh that sucks you just got that thing and it's already crapped the bed ! I almost bit the bullet on one of these a couple years ago , I'm so glad I bought a hydrolic huskee22 ton instead , sonething about that design tends to eat the racks apart ..seems if you want a fast splitter the super split variety are the only reliable choice , I'd get my money back and run for the hills if it were me . If it does it once it'll do it again . I'd get a refund

 

[Patrick62]

I can see what you mean. Peering down into the mech of the thing, it would take considerable force to hold the engage. If you were much over center... it would tend to lock itself into forward. And on the opposite side of the engage, it would take a bunch to hold it in.

We shall see what they come up with.

 

[sunfish]

This is why we recommend the Super Split.

Hope yours gets fixed.

 

[Patrick62]

Meanwhile.... I am ordering stuff to replace my homebrew tank on the blue splitter.
It gets me a little nervous to be down to one functional splitter.

Perhaps I should have read the thread on the DR pinion and rack before I flew off the handle and bought this thing.
Demanding a refund isn't really my style. I have to give them a chance to repair the machine.

 

[cre73]

Thier commercials seem like they have a decent return policy, give them a chance to fix it if it breaks again return it.

 

[NHMike]

When I bought my DR, it had to be repaired twice within 2 months. I had been on the fence about the Super Split & the DR. I was worried that if it went down twice it that short a time, what would happen after the warranty was up. I returned it for my refund and bought the Super Split.

That was one of the best decisions I've made regarding equipment. What a world of difference in the two machines.

 

[Marshy]

Gentlemen, I recently added the DR splitter line to the product review section of the forum. If you have some free time please go make a 1-5 star review of the product (not just a comment, please use the star ranking!), add a pic of your splitter and a written comment. Please share any insight you have in regards to the warantee process if you have had and issues. Thanks!

http://www.arboristsite.com/community/showcase/dr-rapid-fire-splitter.27/