Super Split
That alone would do it for me...one less gas hungry mouth to feed
! I'm surprised I never heard of those before now. I researched far and wide on electric splitters and never came across this one for some reason. I think if I had I would have saved up to get one.
I bought mine a year ago - I saw it in action at the Common Ground Fair here in Maine. I normally do all my splitting in the dooryard, so have ready access to electric. And if I do need to use it remotely, I have a portable 4kw generator. This is the first splitter I have owned. I tried out various ones in the past - stand alone and PTO mounted, gas and electric. All the hydraulic in comparable price range were waaay too slow. In the past my personal splitter has been a Chopper-1 axe - 5 cords/year since the 70s.
Super Split is the fastest splitter I have ever used - and I can even use it in the barn - quiet and no fumes! This is great when I run short of kindling. It takes me about 15 minutes to split two weeks worth of wood for the wood stove in the barn which I burn continuously in the winter.
All of that said - there are a few items you should know - its relatively expensive - ~$3K (I think I got mine for $2400) for the "Heavy-Duty" model with table and 1.5hp electric motor (can be wired for 110 or 220). Comes standard with little wheels suitable for moving around the yard or property. Can be loaded in the back of a pickup easily. If you need to be able to tow it on the road, you will need optional highway wheels and hitch.
Aside from seeing it demonstrated at the fair, the other thing that convinced me they are pretty good is that the company has been around quite a while and you very seldom see a used one for sale. There have been some problems with them in the past, but if you go with the HD model and take care of it, it should last the typical 15-25 years or more. Keep it under cover or stored inside.
It is designed for one person operation - too dangerous for two people, however, you can have a helper to hoist rounds to an adjacent table for ease in loading and to clear the split wood to a pile or vehicle. You need to keep the ram track clean - it tends to build up pitch on it. I keep a sharp stiff paint scraper in my back pocket and occasionally give it a quick scrape. This will help keep the ram from sticking. If the ram does not return smoothly, then it is time to clean it.
I load my 4' logs on a wood rack on a deck that is the same height as the table - cut them to length and they are easy to move from the deck to the splitter table.
The splitter cuts through crotches with ease - may take 2-3 hits on particularly gnarley ones. For simple crotches on medium pieces like oak, you can split from below the crotch and it will halve it right through the crotch. Or you can split from above the crotch and shear the two branches of the crotch apart - I find either way works well.
For very large rounds, split a quarter out of the side, then just start rotating it and split pies out of it .
Start slowly - put the round on the table, place one hand on the round to steady it, keeping it clear of the path of the wedge and use other hand to operate the lever.
