New SpeedPro Kinetic Log Splitter from TSC...

[Dozer Man]

Bad comparison

These small gas engines have a governor, that increases throttle when a load is applied. So that should not be a problem.

Also agree with what Phil said, a 3-4 hp gas motor is all that's needed with this type of machine. A 1 hp electric motor will run one...

After rereading what I wrote last night, using a snowmobile as a comparison was a bad idea. The more I thought about it, and after some sleep finally, a snowmobile won't go unless the engine rpm is above the clutch engagement speed.

You're absolutely right about the small engine governer though, it will automaticaly increase throttle under load to maintain its rpm.

The bigger problem would be trying to run the engine right on the clutch engagement speed. I've tried all different throttle settings. And after hearing about the problems others have had, I just decided the lowest setting was the best. I'm guessing that 2500-2600rpm is where I've been running. That's just enough rpm where the engine and clutch seem to smooth out. But that's still better than 450 flywheel rpm. Compared to your J model running at around 300rpm, imho that is too much difference. The speedpro is running as slow as it will go, and the flywheels are still way too fast. If someone runs these things at WOT, which someone said these engines are revving clear up to 3900rpm, then the flywheels are cranking 700+rpm!!! I've cranked this thing up that fast a couple of times, it will actually lift smaller rounds off the cradle as it splits them. That kind of ram speed isn't necessary for any kinetic splitter. It just seemed destructive to me.

 

[sunfish]

After rereading what I wrote last night, using a snowmobile as a comparison was a bad idea. The more I thought about it, and after some sleep finally, a snowmobile won't go unless the engine rpm is above the clutch engagement speed.

You're absolutely right about the small engine governer though, it will automaticaly increase throttle under load to maintain its rpm.

The bigger problem would be trying to run the engine right on the clutch engagement speed. I've tried all different throttle settings. And after hearing about the problems others have had, I just decided the lowest setting was the best. I'm guessing that 2500-2600rpm is where I've been running. That's just enough rpm where the engine and clutch seem to smooth out. But that's still better than 450 flywheel rpm. Compared to your J model running at around 300rpm, imho that is too much difference. The speedpro is running as slow as it will go, and the flywheels are still way too fast. If someone runs these things at WOT, which someone said these engines are revving clear up to 3900rpm, then the flywheels are cranking 700+rpm!!! I've cranked this thing up that fast a couple of times, it will actually lift smaller rounds off the cradle as it splits them. That kind of ram speed isn't necessary for any kinetic splitter. It just seemed destructive to me.

Yeah, I figured your snow machine comparison was an middle of the night thing.

That kind of speed will really hurt somebody, sooner or later...

I run my SS between 1/2 to 2/3rds throttle most of the time. Wide open on the nasty stuff.

 

[Dozer Man]

Yeah, I figured your snow machine comparison was an middle of the night thing.

That kind of speed will really hurt somebody, sooner or later...

I run my SS between 1/2 to 2/3rds throttle most of the time. Wide open on the nasty stuff.

Snowmobiles run using centrifugal clutches (drive and driven). For some reason I had a mental picture of the snowmo clutch engaging when I was thinking of clutches. Basically similar drive principle, but with much different outcomes.

BrainFart !!! :msp_tongue:

 

[indiansprings]

I'd say that Speeco will stand behind each and everyone of the units. They have always had an excellent reputation on here for standing behind their products, in the time I've been on this forum excellent customer service has been documented several times. I'll bet it boils down to one of their suppliers not heat treating racks consistently. I'm sure they are being very detailed in precisely identifying what caused the issue. I'll bet they will address the issue once they have identified the problem and correct it on any units in the field. It is clear they are dedicated in perfecting their version of the inertia splitter.
IMHO they will own the inertia splitter market once the problem is resolved. The price point is were inertia splitters should be, being a part of the Blount Corporation they have the capacity to mfg at volume levels that can service the entire "wood splitting market" something Super Split or DR could never do. It is clear they are passing on the saving of mass production on to the consumer. Every company has had it's hiccups in new product roll outs from time to time, just look at the recent Husky 562 fiasco. It's how a company handles them that matters in the end. I'm betting on Speeco making it right with every customer that purchased one. Their product just screams value, once it is rolled back out, it will soon become the dominant player in the inertia splitter market, due to value and the companies ability to distribute effectively. Not only through TSC but all the other stores that carry Blount products (Oregon,Carlton) etc.

 

[Dozer Man]

This thread alone...

With over 46000 views, and over 600 replies, this thread alone should show Blount/SpeeCo how much interest there is in kinetic splitters. This thread gives me good outlook that speeco will fix these things right. There are lots of potential buyers watching this thread to see what happens with the speedpro. Once they get the teething problems fixed and get these things reliable, I don't see SS or DR lowering there prices just to compete. I see speeco raising there prices.

 

[RichL]

SpeedPro Update From SpeeCo

We want to give everyone an update on our SpeedPro mechanical log splitter. As many of you know by now, we decided, in collaboration with our retail partner, to put the SpeedPro on temporary hold due to a non-safety related issue. We have determined that due to an inconsistent heat treat process, the teeth on the racks have the potential to break. To date this has only occurred on a small percentage of units, however, that's still unacceptable to us. Therefore, all the units have been placed on temporary hold until all store inventories can be inspected and the racks on the affected units replaced.

We are in the process of testing updated racks. Upon approval of the racks and receipt of the required number of parts we will deploy our nationwide service network to the stores to make any repairs necessary. At the same time, customers who purchased a SpeedPro and experienced a problem, or just want their units inspected, can call our technical support line at 1-800-525-8322 (prompt 2, then 1) to obtain service. We will communicate further when our new rack inventory is available and our service centers are ready to make repairs.

We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience this temporary hold has created. Here at SpeeCo we take great pride in producing high quality products and will continue to stand behind our products with industry-leading customer service.

 

[indiansprings]

This is outstanding information, it's rare in this day and age that a company stands behind what it sells like Speeco has done. It shows a dedicated level of corporate responsibility to it's customers.
I think this statement should answer anyone's questions about the unit. Looks like the supplier of the rack provided a small percentage that was not heat treated properly. It should remove any doubts about how dedicated Speeco is in getting this unit right. When re-introduced it will no doubt provide a "value" for those that want to buy an inertia splitter. It just shows that there are still companies out there that care about the quality of product, level of service and committment to both the customer and providing a value for the average working man. Kudo's to Speeco for addressing the issue and staying the course.

 

[philwillmt]

This is outstanding information, it's rare in this day and age that a company stands behind what it sells like Speeco has done. It shows a dedicated level of corporate responsibility to it's customers.
I think this statement should answer anyone's questions about the unit. Looks like the supplier of the rack provided a small percentage that was not heat treated properly. It should remove any doubts about how dedicated Speeco is in getting this unit right. When re-introduced it will no doubt provide a "value" for those that want to buy an inertia splitter. It just shows that there are still companies out there that care about the quality of product, level of service and committment to both the customer and providing a value for the average working man. Kudo's to Speeco for addressing the issue and staying the course.

Indiansprings,

The root problems have not been addressed yet...I wouldn't sing their praises too loudly prior to anything being fixed! I definitely hope they come through on customer service, but so far I have not heard the ram disengagement issue mentioned, and that to me is root problem #1. It's the same disengagement issue that RichL himself was questioning SuperSplit owners about back in July of this year...on this very forum! Root problem #2 is the excessive ram speed, and I have not heard any fixes for that either! I believe in giving credit where credit is due, but they have got to walk the walk...not just talk the talk. So far, all I am hearing is talk, and I don't particularly like what I am hearing. I'm not saying there is not some bad racks out there...I'm sure there may be. What I am saying is that a new rack does not address root causes...it only addresses a weak link associated with the root causes. Like I said before...time will tell, and hopefully sooner than later! And, yes, I am aware that everyone has an opinion, and this happens to be mine. However, I will say that my inclinations are based on research and good ole common sense...seemingly a rarity these days! :msp_unsure:

 

[Jester3775]

Things I figured out

Hi Guys, some of my findings.
I purchased a speedPro when they first came out. (here anyway) I had a friend who had a SuperSplit so I had a little heads up on these designs.
Upon getting the first one home I noticed the engine pulley was roughly 1" out of line with the flywheel with no way to adjust without torching and welding. I returned that one and got the only other one they had, the demo unit if you will. That one was not perfectly in line either but workable.
Upon finally having some time to work with it for a few hours, here is what I found. First off, I feel like the ram speed is too fast, even upon lowering engine speed while keeping the clutch engaged. (My opinion) Tended to throw wood around, kind of scary to me. Biggest problem I found though was the ram disengaging. I ended up taking it in the shop and overviewing. If you pull the covers off and look inside you will find the "engagement" rod connects to a cast piece with 2 roller bearings that ride on top of ram or rack. I believe the problem with the rack disengagement is found here. It's not easy but if you push down on the rack and spin the flywheel by hand to engage the rack, (without engine running !) make sure the cast piece with rollers goes all the way forward. It should stop against a rod, maybe 3/8", that acts as it's stop. I believe that's where the problem is. If the cast piece doesn't go far enough over center, (from the pivot point) it will disengage too easily. I took apart and used a tie rod end fork to tap the welded in stop forward a little and that took care of the disengagement problem ! I then also loosened the belt some as well as shot wd-40 in the clutch (someone suggested earlier) and that seemed to take care of the problem (belt and or clutch slipping when it couldn't make it thru a piece of wood.) I still feel like the speed of the ram is too fast. When you lower the engine speed to compensate you loose power from motor as well as not having as much "power" stored in flywheels, because they are spinning slower. IMHO the gearing should be changed and the stop I am talking about needs to be addressed. Other side note, the problem we are having with the "engagement rod" bending I believe is from the bolted and tack welded stop on it. I believe when the ram "violently" disengages the stop and or bolt catches on edges of plate (with safety) it rides thru. I think a person should get in the habit when running the splitter to quickly and fully engage, then take hand quickly off to avoid hurting hand. (However, with the fixes I have mentioned, The "violent disengagement" is perhaps a thing of the past and this may be a non-issue)
I feel bad and embarrassed for Speeco. I am thankful for the reasonable price compared to others and I guess we need to accept that we are being used for their "quality control" however this mistake or mistakes are going to cost them to deal with. I wonder, if in the end, they would have come out better to test more themselves ? Part of me finds it hard to believe that a company of their magnitude could have something like this get away from them so far ? Perhaps this is an example of China quality vs American quality ? Bummer there is such a huge cost difference between the two
Each to their own, but I had to figure this thing out, just for my piece of mind, but I am probably done with these people myself.

 

[philwillmt]

Hi Guys, some of my findings.
I purchased a speedPro when they first came out. (here anyway) I had a friend who had a SuperSplit so I had a little heads up on these designs.
Upon getting the first one home I noticed the engine pulley was roughly 1" out of line with the flywheel with no way to adjust without torching and welding. I returned that one and got the only other one they had, the demo unit if you will. That one was not perfectly in line either but workable.
Upon finally having some time to work with it for a few hours, here is what I found. First off, I feel like the ram speed is too fast, even upon lowering engine speed while keeping the clutch engaged. (My opinion) Tended to throw wood around, kind of scary to me. Biggest problem I found though was the ram disengaging. I ended up taking it in the shop and overviewing. If you pull the covers off and look inside you will find the "engagement" rod connects to a cast piece with 2 roller bearings that ride on top of ram or rack. I believe the problem with the rack disengagement is found here. It's not easy but if you push down on the rack and spin the flywheel by hand to engage the rack, (without engine running !) make sure the cast piece with rollers goes all the way forward. It should stop against a rod, maybe 3/8", that acts as it's stop. I believe that's where the problem is. If the cast piece doesn't go far enough over center, (from the pivot point) it will disengage too easily. I took apart and used a tie rod end fork to tap the welded in stop forward a little and that took care of the disengagement problem ! I then also loosened the belt some as well as shot wd-40 in the clutch (someone suggested earlier) and that seemed to take care of the problem (belt and or clutch slipping when it couldn't make it thru a piece of wood.) I still feel like the speed of the ram is too fast. When you lower the engine speed to compensate you loose power from motor as well as not having as much "power" stored in flywheels, because they are spinning slower. IMHO the gearing should be changed and the stop I am talking about needs to be addressed. Other side note, the problem we are having with the "engagement rod" bending I believe is from the bolted and tack welded stop on it. I believe when the ram "violently" disengages the stop and or bolt catches on edges of plate (with safety) it rides thru. I think a person should get in the habit when running the splitter to quickly and fully engage, then take hand quickly off to avoid hurting hand. (However, with the fixes I have mentioned, The "violent disengagement" is perhaps a thing of the past and this may be a non-issue)
I feel bad and embarrassed for Speeco. I am thankful for the reasonable price compared to others and I guess we need to accept that we are being used for their "quality control" however this mistake or mistakes are going to cost them to deal with. I wonder, if in the end, they would have come out better to test more themselves ? Part of me finds it hard to believe that a company of their magnitude could have something like this get away from them so far ? Perhaps this is an example of China quality vs American quality ? Bummer there is such a huge cost difference between the two
Each to their own, but I had to figure this thing out, just for my piece of mind, but I am probably done with these people myself.

Jester3775,

Spot on! Couldn't have said it better myself! I too view the violent disengagement as a safety issue...I have nearly had my fingers whacked more than once. I quickly learned to engage the ram and remove my hand as quickly as possible. I can tell you right now that I am NOT going to be happy with this unit until both of these issues are addressed. I hope SpeeCo comes through for us! I have been very patient with them thus far.

 

[Circle B MN]

Hi Guys, some of my findings.
I purchased a speedPro when they first came out. (here anyway) I had a friend who had a SuperSplit so I had a little heads up on these designs.
Upon getting the first one home I noticed the engine pulley was roughly 1" out of line with the flywheel with no way to adjust without torching and welding. I returned that one and got the only other one they had, the demo unit if you will. That one was not perfectly in line either but workable.
Upon finally having some time to work with it for a few hours, here is what I found. First off, I feel like the ram speed is too fast, even upon lowering engine speed while keeping the clutch engaged. (My opinion) Tended to throw wood around, kind of scary to me. Biggest problem I found though was the ram disengaging. I ended up taking it in the shop and overviewing. If you pull the covers off and look inside you will find the "engagement" rod connects to a cast piece with 2 roller bearings that ride on top of ram or rack. I believe the problem with the rack disengagement is found here. It's not easy but if you push down on the rack and spin the flywheel by hand to engage the rack, (without engine running !) make sure the cast piece with rollers goes all the way forward. It should stop against a rod, maybe 3/8", that acts as it's stop. I believe that's where the problem is. If the cast piece doesn't go far enough over center, (from the pivot point) it will disengage too easily. I took apart and used a tie rod end fork to tap the welded in stop forward a little and that took care of the disengagement problem ! I then also loosened the belt some as well as shot wd-40 in the clutch (someone suggested earlier) and that seemed to take care of the problem (belt and or clutch slipping when it couldn't make it thru a piece of wood.) I still feel like the speed of the ram is too fast. When you lower the engine speed to compensate you loose power from motor as well as not having as much "power" stored in flywheels, because they are spinning slower. IMHO the gearing should be changed and the stop I am talking about needs to be addressed. Other side note, the problem we are having with the "engagement rod" bending I believe is from the bolted and tack welded stop on it. I believe when the ram "violently" disengages the stop and or bolt catches on edges of plate (with safety) it rides thru. I think a person should get in the habit when running the splitter to quickly and fully engage, then take hand quickly off to avoid hurting hand. (However, with the fixes I have mentioned, The "violent disengagement" is perhaps a thing of the past and this may be a non-issue)
I feel bad and embarrassed for Speeco. I am thankful for the reasonable price compared to others and I guess we need to accept that we are being used for their "quality control" however this mistake or mistakes are going to cost them to deal with. I wonder, if in the end, they would have come out better to test more themselves ? Part of me finds it hard to believe that a company of their magnitude could have something like this get away from them so far ? Perhaps this is an example of China quality vs American quality ? Bummer there is such a huge cost difference between the two
Each to their own, but I had to figure this thing out, just for my piece of mind, but I am probably done with these people myself.

<img src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51AMKW9HCKL._SL500_AA300_.jpg">


opcorn:

 

[COUNTRY6543]

Ok guys, Before we started calling - emailing, Speeco had not even visited this site or looked at the boards. I know I have told Shaun at customer service about us and that he should take a look. I think that we have got their attention.

Jester is, as quoted "spot on" with the solutions. I currently have fixed two blown teeth on my rack and putting it on cruise control until this thing is figured out ( which I think we already have) Slow the thing down and move the cam stop foreward. Only thing left in question is, how much to move the cam stop foreward and how much to slow it down? The fifty million dollar question.

 

[philwillmt]

Ok guys, Before we started calling - emailing, Speeco had not even visited this site or looked at the boards. I know I have told Shaun at customer service about us and that he should take a look. I think that we have got their attention.

Jester is, as quoted "spot on" with the solutions. I currently have fixed two blown teeth on my rack and putting it on cruise control until this thing is figured out ( which I think we already have) Slow the thing down and move the cam stop foreward. Only thing left in question is, how much to move the cam stop foreward and how much to slow it down? The fifty million dollar question.

Country6453,

I would think some of the SpeeCo folks are still watching this thread, but obviously they have not been very responsive. The reason I say that is because early on when I experienced the out of balance issue with my new splitter, one of the SpeeCo service representatives sent me a private message offering to help with the issue, and that was definately appreciated! So, my guess is that they are still following this thread, but until recently have not posted any responses. The post from RichL is the first response I have seen, and based on his previous posts, I still haven't figured out exactly who RichL is, nor what is title/position with SpeeCo is. I will resume trying to get in touch with the head of Engineering next week...hopefully he will be available.

 

[indiansprings]

Without going into any details I can 100% positively say they have read and are paying attention to the threads. It is my perception they are committed to their customers 110%. I believe they more than committed to trying to make the splitter as good if not better than anything on the market.

 

[Naked Arborist]

Maybe Speedco will read this

Speedco get back to me if your interested in doing any field test with your new splitters. I am in the Delaware Valley about fifteen minutes east of Philly. If you have any splitters available to purchase at this time please contact me about them. I have plenty of wood to be split from seasoned hardwoods to green softwoods. At the very least I would like some type of reply to this message posted hear.


Now will see how good the company is about following this tread and if they are serious about getting the splitters out in the field fixed now!

I'll wait maybe a few more weeks to buy one and then I'll just build my own inertia splitter from scratch.

Bottom line is we are all losing money waiting for the factory to get it done!!!

 

[BILLSFIREWOOD]

I got my $ back and have a DR now. In the 8 days we have had it thay have split 27 cord and it is doing good. We kiln dry the firewood and the $ I get from that will pay for the DR.

 

[ziggo_2]

Did you guys get a owners manual with the speed pro...just curious if it says how to operate it as far as speed and such.

 

[philwillmt]

Did you guys get a owners manual with the speed pro...just curious if it says how to operate it as far as speed and such.

The owners manual states "the throttle should be set at the maximum speed to develop the required power. Refer to Kohler engine manual for more detail." The Kohler engine manual states "the maximum allowable high-idle speed for these engines is 3850 +/- 100 RPM, no load." I installed a tachometer on mine a while back, and I can tell you that I do not feel comfortable running mine much faster than 2600 RPM. I have consistently been setting it right at 2500 - 2550 RPM. I just went outside and ran mine, and here is what I found: maximum RPM=3790, cycle time at 2520 RPM=1.4 seconds, consistently. The owners manual states "2.5 second cycle time." There is no way that I would even consider operating this machine with the throttle wide open! It would be a disaster waiting to happen! No wonder people are blowing teeth off the racks! Whoever engineered this machine better go trade in their calculator for another model!

 

[philwillmt]

Received some information from SpeeCo today...

I got a call from the head of Engineering with SpeeCo today. We discussed the auto ram disengagement issue, and he assured me that it is normal for the rack to auto disengage from time to time, depending on the circumstances. He also assured me that the other brands do the same thing. We also discussed engine speed, and he told me there is no need to run it at full speed. I couldn't agree with him more...at least on this issue! I informed him that the owners manual says to run it at full throttle. I was told SpeeCo's remedy is going to be a rack gear and push rod (a.k.a. engagement rod) replacement. Not sure what that has to do with the over-speed and repeated auto disengagement issues, but oh well. We should be hearing something from them in one form or another within a couple of weeks. Based on this information, I'm not sure where to go from here! Not what I was hoping to hear...:help:

 

[CUCV]

How many teeth on the pinion and what is the approximate diameter? What is the diameter of the flywheel and engine pulley? As a supersplit owner I am surprised to hear that pinion is spinning that fast on the Speedpro. I have messed around quite a bit with my Supersplit and found that I did not like a faster pinion speed than what was designed.

Indiansprings,

The root problems have not been addressed yet...I wouldn't sing their praises too loudly prior to anything being fixed! I definitely hope they come through on customer service, but so far I have not heard the ram disengagement issue mentioned, and that to me is root problem #1. It's the same disengagement issue that RichL himself was questioning SuperSplit owners about back in July of this year...on this very forum! Root problem #2 is the excessive ram speed, and I have not heard any fixes for that either! I believe in giving credit where credit is due, but they have got to walk the walk...not just talk the talk. So far, all I am hearing is talk, and I don't particularly like what I am hearing. I'm not saying there is not some bad racks out there...I'm sure there may be. What I am saying is that a new rack does not address root causes...it only addresses a weak link associated with the root causes. Like I said before...time will tell, and hopefully sooner than later! And, yes, I am aware that everyone has an opinion, and this happens to be mine. However, I will say that my inclinations are based on research and good ole common sense...seemingly a rarity these days! :msp_unsure: