First off, I'm no hydraulic mechanic, but I'd put a gauge on it to check your pressure. It's possible your pump is worn out or it could be adjustments on your valve. Most are adjustable to prevent building up too much pressure when getting stuck on a log. Could be set too low to be effective.
Right now it has a Predator 212cc engine (6.5hp) I'll be upgrading to a larger one (16hp) and a larger pump (22gpm) in the future for faster cycle times. The current engine is what came on it when I bought it, it's actually one of the easiest starting small engines I've dealt with, so no complaints other than it won't run a larger pump in the future.
Haha. I'm really strong 💪💪💪 I use a mini skidsteer with a BMG grapple to load the larger rounds. My end goal is to touch the wood minimum amount of times as possible. I just added a worktable around the beam and am going to extend it up to the height of a IBC tote. Wood will be loaded with a grapple, split and pushed into a tote, and the tote will be moved by the skidsteer.