Probably easier to put it on a trailer?
New SpeedPro Kinetic Log Splitter from TSC...
- Thread starter stumpy75
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Probably easier to put it on a trailer?
KiwiBro
Mill 'em, nails be damned.
Is the towing package on their website? I can't see it there. It's not on their order form either. Did it have suspension? Was it capable of highway towing? What's stopping these top-heavy machines from tipping over other than the coupling connection?
TFPace
ArboristSite Operative
New parts
I picked up my machine yesterday.
I brought along some material to test and the SpeedPro worked flawlessly. The owner of the shop had never witnessed a kinetic splitter and was impressed.
I looked at my old parts and my old rack looked fine. I am glad I have the "new" parts. Time will tell how these improved items hold up.
I picked up my machine yesterday.
I brought along some material to test and the SpeedPro worked flawlessly. The owner of the shop had never witnessed a kinetic splitter and was impressed.
I looked at my old parts and my old rack looked fine. I am glad I have the "new" parts. Time will tell how these improved items hold up.
Cedar-Acres
ArboristSite Lurker
Pulled the trigger...
My local TSC finally got their units retrofitted and put them out for sale yesterday. I decided it was time to jump into the game and purchase one. I started it up before purchasing it, just took one pull of the starter rope. I cycled it a few times, shut it down, loaded on the trailer and took it home. I have a bit of interstate to travel and didn't want to risk towing it at those speeds. Got it home and the first thing I did was align the motor with the flywheel, it was off about 1/4". When tightening everything down I found the outboard belt tensioning screw locknut had a left-hand lock washer and would not tighten. I replaced it with a right-hand lock washer and checked every other bolt/washer on the machine. That was the only left-hand I found. I noted that the wedge is not sharpened to a fine edge. It has about a 1/8" flat on it. Is that normal or should I sharpen it? Opinions on this are welcomed!
The motor isn’t running all that fast at full throttle and the ram speed doesn’t seem to be unreasonably fast. It is noticeably quieter than the Briggs on the hydro splitter. I need to get a tachometer to see how fast it is running. Any suggestions on a good tachometer to put on this motor?
Next I towed it out to the wood pile and proceeded to split some wood. After about a chord I had only two crotches it couldn't split, it actually did the violent disengagement on those. You don’t want to have your hand on the lever when it does that, not pleasant! I hit each about 5 times and it wouldn't split it, just disengaged each time. So I pulled them off and took the MS460 to them. I did have a few times that the ram stalled and loaded the motor down on a nasty chunk and I manually disengaged and then hit it again to finish the split. I need to look at why I got the violent disengagements and see what I can do to correct that. Toward the end of the session the ram failed to retract and I found one of the retracting springs had come off. It was a simple matter to hook it back up again, but shouldn’t it be designed better??? The return springs are slack when the ram is fully back. I think I will adjust them so they have some tension on them, that should keep them from jumping off.
All in all, it performed reasonably well and I feel it was worth the money as long as nothing physically breaks. It can stand some tweaks and I am learning its quirks. I was able to split a chord in about an hour and a half. With the hydro it would take me 3 to 4 hours to split a chord. The main slowdown was the time it took me to retrieve and load the rounds onto the splitter. The splitting itself was faster than I could keep up with. A helper would make the whole process much faster. I want to split a couple more chords before I put the hydro up for sale, but at this point I believe the SpeedPro will handle all the splitting I do.
My local TSC finally got their units retrofitted and put them out for sale yesterday. I decided it was time to jump into the game and purchase one. I started it up before purchasing it, just took one pull of the starter rope. I cycled it a few times, shut it down, loaded on the trailer and took it home. I have a bit of interstate to travel and didn't want to risk towing it at those speeds. Got it home and the first thing I did was align the motor with the flywheel, it was off about 1/4". When tightening everything down I found the outboard belt tensioning screw locknut had a left-hand lock washer and would not tighten. I replaced it with a right-hand lock washer and checked every other bolt/washer on the machine. That was the only left-hand I found. I noted that the wedge is not sharpened to a fine edge. It has about a 1/8" flat on it. Is that normal or should I sharpen it? Opinions on this are welcomed!
The motor isn’t running all that fast at full throttle and the ram speed doesn’t seem to be unreasonably fast. It is noticeably quieter than the Briggs on the hydro splitter. I need to get a tachometer to see how fast it is running. Any suggestions on a good tachometer to put on this motor?
Next I towed it out to the wood pile and proceeded to split some wood. After about a chord I had only two crotches it couldn't split, it actually did the violent disengagement on those. You don’t want to have your hand on the lever when it does that, not pleasant! I hit each about 5 times and it wouldn't split it, just disengaged each time. So I pulled them off and took the MS460 to them. I did have a few times that the ram stalled and loaded the motor down on a nasty chunk and I manually disengaged and then hit it again to finish the split. I need to look at why I got the violent disengagements and see what I can do to correct that. Toward the end of the session the ram failed to retract and I found one of the retracting springs had come off. It was a simple matter to hook it back up again, but shouldn’t it be designed better??? The return springs are slack when the ram is fully back. I think I will adjust them so they have some tension on them, that should keep them from jumping off.
All in all, it performed reasonably well and I feel it was worth the money as long as nothing physically breaks. It can stand some tweaks and I am learning its quirks. I was able to split a chord in about an hour and a half. With the hydro it would take me 3 to 4 hours to split a chord. The main slowdown was the time it took me to retrieve and load the rounds onto the splitter. The splitting itself was faster than I could keep up with. A helper would make the whole process much faster. I want to split a couple more chords before I put the hydro up for sale, but at this point I believe the SpeedPro will handle all the splitting I do.
sunfish
Fish Head
I split all my wood here in the wood lot, so no need for me to tow.
But I do like to take the SS to some of our gtgs around here and just roll it up into a 5'x10' tilt trailer I have. Easy on and easy off. Works great for me...
TFPace
ArboristSite Operative
Tiny Tach
Cedar-Acres,
Welcome to the brotherhood of SpeedPro owners.
Here is a link to the Tiny Tach. Is will suit your needs and is made here in the USA. Tiny-Tach: Gasoline Tachometers
Work safe,
Tom
Cedar-Acres,
Welcome to the brotherhood of SpeedPro owners.
Here is a link to the Tiny Tach. Is will suit your needs and is made here in the USA. Tiny-Tach: Gasoline Tachometers
Work safe,
Tom
Cedar-Acres
ArboristSite Lurker
Thanks for the suggestion!
philwillmt
ArboristSite Operative
See post #232...deja vu. Hey, that rhymes! I also found a left handed lock washer on the right hand threaded flywheel retainer bolt (non-driven side...the driven side has a left hand threaded retainer bolt that is supposed to have a left handed lock washer, and it did.) I sharpened the wedge on mine razor sharp, and it helped tremendously. I found that it would slice through knots instead of stalling or disengaging on them. As for handling the split pieces, I found that simply putting a 55gal drum on the operator side of the splitter table gave me a place to set the pieces that needed to be split again. And, the drum is a comfortable working height for me which requires no bending over.
Food for thought...
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Cedar-Acres
ArboristSite Lurker
Thanks for the info. I will be sure to double check the flywheel retainer bolt lockwashers. I had been considering sharpening the wedge but thought there might be a good reason for it not to be so sharp. Your experience with sharpening it confirms what I was thinking. I will take the angle grinder to it and give it a nice sharp edge. I have already shortened up the eyebolts that anchor the return springs so they have some tension on them at all times.
Russ84na
New Member
As I said in my post of 3/17 # 876 I got my speed pro and gave it a try.
After the first day the unit worked just fine, but my shoulder wasn't doing that well so I decided to relocate the engagement lever/handleView attachment 232240
The plate is 1/8" with the holes drilled to line up with the canopy holes and the center push rod hole.
The distance between the pivot bolt and the push rod is shortened and the length from the push rod to the handle is longer. This makes the hole thing easier to push. Especially at the lower postion.View attachment 232241
View attachment 232242
So far I have gone through about 3 cords of splitting and the unit has worked just fine.
Run the engine at a speed just enough to keep the flywheels working for the wood you are splitting and be careful how you put the logs into the cradle.
Yesterday I found a bolt under the machine. I looked everywhere for where it came from. Finally I went to the owners manual and on the last page I found it. It was the bolt, thick washer and lock washer that hold the clutch onto the shaft of the engine. This is hard to get tight as the engine wants to turn as you tighten it. I decided to use a little blue loc-tite on it just in case.
I am so far very pleased with the speedpro and judging from the number of neighbors that have stopped by to see it in action...
After the first day the unit worked just fine, but my shoulder wasn't doing that well so I decided to relocate the engagement lever/handleView attachment 232240
The plate is 1/8" with the holes drilled to line up with the canopy holes and the center push rod hole.
The distance between the pivot bolt and the push rod is shortened and the length from the push rod to the handle is longer. This makes the hole thing easier to push. Especially at the lower postion.View attachment 232241
View attachment 232242
So far I have gone through about 3 cords of splitting and the unit has worked just fine.
Run the engine at a speed just enough to keep the flywheels working for the wood you are splitting and be careful how you put the logs into the cradle.
Yesterday I found a bolt under the machine. I looked everywhere for where it came from. Finally I went to the owners manual and on the last page I found it. It was the bolt, thick washer and lock washer that hold the clutch onto the shaft of the engine. This is hard to get tight as the engine wants to turn as you tighten it. I decided to use a little blue loc-tite on it just in case.
I am so far very pleased with the speedpro and judging from the number of neighbors that have stopped by to see it in action...
TFPace
ArboristSite Operative
Report
Hello Russ,
Thanks for the update. I am pleased with the report.
I was expecting some negative report.
Work safe,
Tom
Hello Russ,
Thanks for the update. I am pleased with the report.
I was expecting some negative report.
Work safe,
Tom
philwillmt
ArboristSite Operative
See post #743...same thing happened to me. I think the blue Loc-Tite is the way to go.
csmith
ArboristSite Lurker
speedpro fixed
I got my upgrade and still had disengagement . So I got the old parts that were replaced and milled 1/16 inch off the old cam.replaced old parts and it works perfectly .never disengages . If speedpro would move stop rod the same amount it would fix all their problems
I got my upgrade and still had disengagement . So I got the old parts that were replaced and milled 1/16 inch off the old cam.replaced old parts and it works perfectly .never disengages . If speedpro would move stop rod the same amount it would fix all their problems
my new speedpro
after much research and waiting... i finally brought home a speedpro last week.
overall a very good machine but:
much like other reports,
the flywheels are not balanced well giving the machine a wobble big enough to shake loose MANY fasteners .
i found 4 bolts/washers... on the ground after splitting for an hour. found where they belong and tightened well. spoke w speeco about the flywheel issue and they gave me authorized service centers locally. one of which has been out of business for over a year.
the next to closest shop has never even seen a kinetic splitter, leaving me hesitant to drop it off for fear of making matters worse. do these independent repair shops have a machine shop at their disposal to true the flywheels? should i just bring them to my trusted machine shop and eat the cost? shouldn't have to with the warranty...
aside from those issues, the motor runs well, splits ANYTHING i put on it. the handle needs relocation. my shoulder is fine but the wrist hurts... split 2 cords in a bit over 2 hrs...
very good machine overall...
has anyone successfully treated the out of round flywheel issue?
after much research and waiting... i finally brought home a speedpro last week.
overall a very good machine but:
much like other reports,
the flywheels are not balanced well giving the machine a wobble big enough to shake loose MANY fasteners .
i found 4 bolts/washers... on the ground after splitting for an hour. found where they belong and tightened well. spoke w speeco about the flywheel issue and they gave me authorized service centers locally. one of which has been out of business for over a year.
the next to closest shop has never even seen a kinetic splitter, leaving me hesitant to drop it off for fear of making matters worse. do these independent repair shops have a machine shop at their disposal to true the flywheels? should i just bring them to my trusted machine shop and eat the cost? shouldn't have to with the warranty...
aside from those issues, the motor runs well, splits ANYTHING i put on it. the handle needs relocation. my shoulder is fine but the wrist hurts... split 2 cords in a bit over 2 hrs...
very good machine overall...
has anyone successfully treated the out of round flywheel issue?
sunfish
Fish Head
After all that research, why did you buy one?
nysparkie
ArboristSite Member
nysparkie
ArboristSite Member
RapidFire (DR) sells a towing kit. Not for highway use. Their instructions are for yard or local field use only.
Cerran
Addicted to ArboristSite
You may also want to consider the Fasttach as well. I tried a friend's Tinytach and ended up buying the Fastach on BSnelling's recommendation. I was not disappointed with my choice.
It's made by the same people as the Tiny Tach:
http://www.tinytach.com/design/handheld.php
I even used it for setting the idle on my corolla the other day when I did a tune-up.
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KiwiBro
Mill 'em, nails be damned.
After all that research, why did you buy one?
Good question. One I'd be keen to learn the answer to also. Perhaps it was the research that confirmed various work-arounds exist for many of the products issues and have been documented in places like this thread, to the extent it's worth tackling those when they arise? Perhaps it's the knowledge buying this product rather than alternatives will be sure to leave enough to feed the family and pay the mortgage for another month? Perhaps the research revealed a company that is trying to stand behind their product, albeit rather slowly? I dunno, but I genuinely would be interested to learn why a suitably informed buyer would buy this product.
