New SpeedPro Kinetic Log Splitter from TSC...

[COUNTRY6543]

That's what makes this country great, the fact that I can buy what I want and you can buy what you want. I needed a splitter, TSC is a mile down the road and I jumped. I looked at the design and felt confident that if anything were to need fixed I was more than capable of fixing it. I also knew the warranty was there and if I needed to use it I could and if I didn't that was a bonus. My situation, My money, My choice. I believe Dozer and I feel just about the same.

 

[COUNTRY6543]

I hope this works. Trying to upload photos of my mods.

 

[COUNTRY6543]

For all you that don't have a SpeedPro, This is far from the factory setup. The rod is a half inch rod that I replaced from the original factory 3/8. The rod and tube at the bottom is the buffer I made to keep the cam from jumping over center. Someone let me know if those pics are there. I am new at this. Give me a Hammer, welder and cutting torch and I will build you a small city, give me a computer and I will give you a blank stare.

 

[Oneslackr]

Right, and no one is an idiot for spending $1000 more on something else. Goes both ways...

No, I do not have more money than I know what to do with... :msp_smile:

LOL. Ok. It seems that someone from the DR/SS camp has their knickers twisted into a knot based on my previous post. I don't think there is 1 post in this thread, including my previous post, that implied that spending $1000 more for a DR/SS made someone an idiot. We're all aware that the DR & SS machines cost more and are higher quality than the SpeedPro is. I don't think anyone disputes that or thinks that someone who bought a DR/SS is some kind of dummy.

However, there have been posts in this thread that did imply that people who purchased the SpeedPro were idiots and that isn't right. That was all I was trying to point out in my previous post.

I saw a video on YouTube that showed a nice little kinetic machine that worked like it was supposed to & it seems it would be great for 1 person or a small crew. I tried to post the link earlier but I guess that isn't allowed on this site, since my post never appeared. So if you look on YouTube & search for firewoodinator you should find the short 2:06 video for it. I wonder how much something like that costs? It does more than a regular splitter but it isn't some big/crazy/very expensive industrial size wood processing machine either.

 

[Dozer Man]

Pics look good

Pics came through fine.

Country, your pics look good. I see from them what you did with the "cross bolt" to stop the cam from kicking up. I want to tear mine down to get a look at the "cam stop". After rereading your post from last night, and others from today, I can't help but wonder if that isn't one of the big issues also.

 

[Dozer Man]

Logrite firewoodinator!!!

LOL. Ok. It seems that someone from the DR/SS camp has their knickers twisted into a knot based on my previous post. I don't think there is 1 post in this thread, including my previous post, that implied that spending $1000 more for a DR/SS made someone an idiot. We're all aware that the DR & SS machines cost more and are higher quality than the SpeedPro is. I don't think anyone disputes that or thinks that someone who bought a DR/SS is some kind of dummy.

However, there have been posts in this thread that did imply that people who purchased the SpeedPro were idiots and that isn't right. That was all I was trying to point out in my previous post.

I saw a video on YouTube that showed a nice little kinetic machine that worked like it was supposed to & it seems it would be great for 1 person or a small crew. I tried to post the link earlier but I guess that isn't allowed on this site, since my post never appeared. So if you look on YouTube & search for firewoodinator you should find the short 2:06 video for it. I wonder how much something like that costs? It does more than a regular splitter but it isn't some big/crazy/very expensive industrial size wood processing machine either.

The LogRite machine is a badxxx setup. I've seen video's of it before (although I don't remember hearing "firewoodinator" before). I read somewhere on AS that it sells for around $10k. Not sure about the price but it is one heck of a setup for serious production.

Thanks for the post, and I agree. I can't knock the SS splitters at all. They are the kinetic splitter of which all kinetics will be compared. As for the DR, they copied a great machine and time will tell if they did it right, so far so good though.

I "try" to go by the age old adage of...If you don't have anything nice to say, it's better to not say anything at all (iow...keep your xxxxxxx mouth shut!). Ok, I said I try!!!

 

[sunfish]

LOL. Ok. It seems that someone from the DR/SS camp has their knickers twisted into a knot based on my previous post. I don't think there is 1 post in this thread, including my previous post, that implied that spending $1000 more for a DR/SS made someone an idiot. We're all aware that the DR & SS machines cost more and are higher quality than the SpeedPro is. I don't think anyone disputes that or thinks that someone who bought a DR/SS is some kind of dummy.

However, there have been posts in this thread that did imply that people who purchased the SpeedPro were idiots and that isn't right. That was all I was trying to point out in my previous post.

I saw a video on YouTube that showed a nice little kinetic machine that worked like it was supposed to & it seems it would be great for 1 person or a small crew. I tried to post the link earlier but I guess that isn't allowed on this site, since my post never appeared. So if you look on YouTube & search for firewoodinator you should find the short 2:06 video for it. I wonder how much something like that costs? It does more than a regular splitter but it isn't some big/crazy/very expensive industrial size wood processing machine either.

No Knickers in a knot here. I get your point and I might have read a bit more into your post than was there. Just had to comment on my money tree.

Oh and welcome to the site, this is a good place...

 

[TFPace]

Nice improvement Country

 

[Oneslackr]

No Knickers in a knot here. I get your point and I might have read a bit more into your post than was there. Just had to comment on my money tree.

Oh and welcome to the site, this is a good place...

No problem. We're good. Thanks for welcoming me to the site.

Logrite firewoodinator!!!
The LogRite machine is a badxxx setup. I've seen video's of it before (although I don't remember hearing "firewoodinator" before). I read somewhere on AS that it sells for around $10k. Not sure about the price but it is one heck of a setup for serious production.

Thanks for the info. It is a nice machine but if it is $10k then that is way out of range of my meager budget.

 

[Dalmatian90]

If it's the post I'm thinking about, I think you linked to the video through the company's website which is a no-no unless they're an advertiser.

But posting the YouTube videos themselves is OK as I understand it:

<iframe width="640" height="360" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/4Fx1k1iGH9w?rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

$5800 for the SS mounted to the trailer only, which gives you portability + a really nice work table.

$9800 to get the frame, capstan, and log lift.

Like all wood processors, I think you really need to be using them commercially (at least part-time), or "threshing ring" style where it's commonly owned by several different families, to make sense -- I'd hate to think how much wood someone is burning if they alone can justify the expenditure just for themselves

 

[Naked Arborist]

in the real world

I think D&B Mack pretty much nailed it in his last post to this thread.

Now who wants to sell me there Speedco they are ever so pissed off that they bought one. This sucks they are not on the market now. After all the R&D done hear these things should be bulletproof with just a few mods. Damn shame they did not just give out a few for some gear-head to debug. "I'm a piney and trust me, if it can be broke, we can brake it". I think they would have saved themselves a lot of time and aggravation in the process. Biggest losers now are all the rest of us just waiting to get our hands on one. The company will survive, no dought, now they just need to get them up to "Speed" lol, SOON, to save face and rebuild there rep with this machine.

I'd bet someone in field research got their ass grilled good for this. That's just a shame because the blame lies with whom ever signed this manufacturing contract of the "cheaper" rack. Faulty parts are always the "Achilles heel" of any good design.

 

[COUNTRY6543]

I truly believe that this is not a rack problem and a few minor adjustments will make these splitters just as reliable as any other machine on the market. There is just nothing to them, they are so simple. If this thing had mother board and wires running all over the place I would have never even attempted this but it's just a few peices of steel. There is not that much to go wrong with it. We are not dealing with a space shuttle here. I beleive that with the rear cam stop that I have solved my bent rod problem and if it keeps jumping out of gear then I might try to move the foreward cam stop a little. These are very minor tweaks by the factory that has probable cost them a boatload.

 

[COUNTRY6543]

Ok Folks, sent an email to Speedco ref. to what I had found out. Got a reply from a gentleman that said he was forewarding my letter to their engineering department. I hope they respond just to see if I am right. Sense of pride thing I guess.

 

[Jules083]

I just joined after lurking and reading this thread for about a month and a half now. I bought my speedpro when it first came out, thinking that it would soon be pulled off the market because some idiot cuts their hand off or something. So far I've only split about 2 cords with it, and it has worked well. I had to tinker with it a bit at first, I think it was assembled in a hurry.

My question is with the handle 'popping up' when it hits a knot or something hard. People postiing here are saying that the handle shouldn't pop up, and that it should stall out the flywheels or slip the clutch first. I'm thinking that the handle popping up might be more like an emergency release, and it should pop up before breaking something. Am I right, or is something wrong with mine? Maybe that bent rod guys are talking about? I'll pop the cover and have a look at the engagement rod to double check.

It's not that big of a deal except tht my girlfriend normally runs the splitter while I stack, and it's nailed her hand pretty good a few time. I'm leaving all of the safetys on for sure with her around though. I should build her a big shield out of expanded metal and two more saftey switches, one for each foot. She's accident prone sometimes.

I was about the teeth getting ripped off the rack, and what could fix the problem. Has anyone thought of a way to put a shear pin on the unit somehow? All of my farm equipment uses them, and if someone with experience in metal strength could figure out what size pin to use it might solve that problem. Changing a shear pin would be an inconvience, but nowhere near as bad as waiting on a new rack to come in.

 

[sunfish]

Jules, I have a different brand of flywheel splitter, but I can say for sure, it is not supposed to jump out of gear when it hits a knot. I believe the sudden and violent disengagement is what's breaking teeth off the rack.

Also, a shear pin here is not good. The clutch and belts should allow enough slip to keep from breaking stuff.

 

[Jules083]

Thanks sunfish. I'm going to pull the cover off tomorrow and have a look inside, see what's going on in there. It's done it since it was new, I assumed it was supposed to do that.

 

[Dozer Man]

Sunfish is correct imho

Imho, if the ram hits something unbreakable, it should just stop. The flywheels should just stop. The engine should keep running because it has a clutch. The operator should then disengage the handle and then the flywheels will recover rpm's immediately and then you resume operation. Anything else is going to result in broken parts eventually.

If you need something to compare this theory to...Go jump into any size of a loaded truck with a manual transmission... go through the gears till you reach highway speed in high gear...now, on your way up a hill with the cruise control on...hit the shift lever with enough force to knock it out of gear...BANG!! Not a good noise and trust me if you do it enough times...something will break. If you've ever missed, or partially missed, a gear in a big truck, downshifting while going up a big hill, you know what I mean. You learn quickly to make sure that you engage all gears thoroughly, everytime.

Just my $.02

 

[COUNTRY6543]

Great analogy! That is exactly what is happening. That's why the teeth go, POP!!!

 

[KiwiBro]

The belts must have some sort of tensioner, so can this be set to be loose enough to slip if the flywheels suddenly can't spin? Otherwise that shock load has to flow back to the clutch and unless that has a shear pin/keyway that breaks, then back to the motor which can't be good for the motor. Do the belts slip? Do the clutches have a shear pin or keyway?

 

[philwillmt]

The belts must have some sort of tensioner, so can this be set to be loose enough to slip if the flywheels suddenly can't spin? Otherwise that shock load has to flow back to the clutch and unless that has a shear pin/keyway that breaks, then back to the motor which can't be good for the motor. Do the belts slip? Do the clutches have a shear pin or keyway?

The belts should not slip. The tensioner is a slotted engine mounting plate, so once the proper tension is set, it is set until the belts wear. There is too much wrap around to allow the belts to slip, and they should not slip anyway. I believe the flywheels should come to a complete stop and the clutch slip when something hard is struck, just like others have suggested. I also sent an email to the SpeeCo service representative, asking about the design of the push ram and whether or not it should be disengaging automatically, violently! He replied back that he would forward my question to their engineer, and later told me his engineer would be out until Monday. I'm curious to see what the intended design on this ram is. Again, I think the auto disengagement is a flaw.