Love mine. already have done 12 cords in 2 years. did some hackberry trunk pieces were 28 to 30 in in diameter. So huge I needed the laoder tractor to get them to the right height. at times you might have to 'hit' and retract the arm a couple of times but it powers through all types of wood, wet or dry. True Beast
I just got a DR flyer in the mail today and it shows free shipping to a depot, $60 for home or business (you need to have something with forks to unload it), and $120 for enhanced home delivery (lift truck). When I bought mine it was $250 for the shipping and I used the forks on my tractor. They show the PRO-XL model for $2299.99 right now. You don't need the electric start. Don't get the 5.5hp model, not enough power. Get the 6hp model, I did. You'll also want the steel work table.
I use one extensively at my second job. They are not designed for knotty or crotch pieces. They are dangerous with tricky grain. The tray is good for production as the just split wood pushes earlier pieces off into the pile. It is a flywheel design that is dual belt driven. however, the flywheel is smooth cast without flanges or keepers to retain the belts if they get loose. The belt pulley and flywheel have keys and set screws in some less than obvious places that, if lost or loose allow the parts to slip out of alignment. The older designs have a cowling that is a PITA to secure after taking it off for maintenance. The speed is nice but when it gets caught, it can jerk the shoulder blade with significant force and cause the belts to burn and stretch.
This man takes his time to show people, mainly interested in purchasing a log splitter, his personal experience with the machine. He goes out of his way to make an excellent video and even answer a few valid questions. Why not commend him on his efforts and show some gratitude?? Instead a bunch of bitches are whining and complaining about the wood he chose or how he should be "doing it" correctly. You guys that respond with your own little agenda are not trolls but A FUCKING CANCER! Let the adults comment so if there are real questions for the actual video maker he will be much more likely to respond and help all of us decide if this is a machine we might one day purchase. If the maker of the video doesn't agree please have my comment removed and I apologize if I have not conveyed a message in line with your views.
bro, many lumber jacks are salty AF. just check any youtube video with the word "splitting wood" "felling tree" "stacking wood". every single video has a 10-20% dislike ratio. i have a feeling that this community of loggers are very judgmental and inconsiderate
As you were splitting , I was dreading having to pick up the wood. So I glad you are doing it instead of me. and your review showing the difficulty of splitting the sycamore really showed a complete review. That's good planning on your part
I just got a Rapidfire splitter this past week and tried it out splitting a bunch of Osage Orange (aka hedge, or bodark). It is a pretty tough wood to split, and with the exception of a couple of crotch pieces, the DR went through it no problem. Fast, too!
Thanks for the comment. You're right, it is fast. I was just trying to show that it's NOT like they show in the ad's. It doesn't just blast through every piece of wood. I did let the sycamore rounds sit for a couple more months and then they split a lot better. I like your idea of re-splitting the cedar for kindling. Enjoy.
i have a firewood business and own one of these. they are not for commercial use. they are fast when they work but they are broken down more often they not. mine has 50 hours on the meter and ive spent 100 hours fixing it. great for a homeowner
Pretty informative video. I have oak, cherry, hickory, maple, and sometimes cedar. most split pretty easily, but the hickory is more of a challenge. I'm glad you highlighted differences. It still looks pretty capable. Thanks again
Thanks for posting. It was good to see the comparison between the types of wood, Ash and Cedar are so easy to split - even manually that I was hoping someone would have a demonstration with this machine on a tougher, cross grain like sycamore. Some woods split better wet, some dry. Sycamore really does need to set for a year.
Its good video showing one how this mechanical wood splitter works, I think its real bloody good idea and its fast, the guy has done a good job making the video. In NZ you would be made by the Government controlled NZ ACC" and also by "Work Safe NZ" to use two hands to allow the release of the piston ram in which, intern allows it to split your log of wood, your are not allowed to use your hand holding the wood in place on the I-beam. If you had a 20-30deg section of steel mounted horizontal along the side of your bit of wood, it would intern help you a lot in stopping your log of wood falling off the I-beam, you would then not be required to have your hand holding the log of wood.
Sycamore wood is really tough - it's fibers have a spiral growth. I love splitting wood and when I was stationed at Fort Leavenworth (as a student, not an inmate) I had free access to sycamore's pulled from the river bank. I could split them free hand, but would have to cut them into 10 inch logs - no bigger! However - if you want to establish a base log for your splitting project - I suggest cutting a large sycamore for this. It will hold up well over time. As for aspen - pops like fire crackers! A joy to split.
In all my years of splitting sycamore and other non straight fiber woods you can get it to split a lot easier if you spray pledge on the wedge. Spray wax will help a lot.
Thanks for the video and the good and the bad, i hate the wood splitting videos that show nothing but straight perfect birch or poplar at least you had a mix thanks again sir
great video. ive had my dr rapidsplitter for 5 seasons now. I tow it around were ever im cutting. the wife even uses it. I split around 10 cord a year. everything from red oak, ash, soft and hard maple, lots of cherry. The wood nazis here would shit bricks if they seen how much cherry i burn. Anyways, its a great splitter, but a pain in the ass to move around because its so heavy. So buy the towing attachment.
I often don't even waste my time splitting elm anymore. We run a tree service and I split most if not all of the firewood we sell during the cold months. We don't generally get a lot of elm but like I said when I see it in the pile I throw it in with the longs and shorts that are taken to greencycle.
Sycamore is like elm, a "cross grain wood." They make good chopping blocks for that reason. The cross grain catches the axe bit for more chopping and less splitting.
Thanks for sharing that with us. I'm in the market for a splitter and I've had my eye on the one you have. I like it's speed and ease of use. I split some large logs, so I might have to season them longer before using this. However, I'm willing to accept that for the speed of use over hydraulics. I appreciate you uploading this.
I'm glad you found the video hopeful. If you do buy one, I'd make sure to get the 6hp Subaru engine and the optional work table. I noticed they offer a smaller engine and smaller flywheels now and that just doesn't make sense to me. I can't see paying extra for electric start either. Mine starts easy every time with just a couple of pulls. They've moved the stiff leg and lowered the engine so you can tow it easier now. BUT, that leg moved out to the front blocks you from putting a trailer or tractor bucket at the end of the work table to catch the split wood. Check my video at 23 seconds and you'll see what I mean. Good luck.
Splitters with a fixed wedge have an inherent issue with efficiency. The wood is pushed away from you and the larger pieces have to be retrieved and reset. A moving wedge splitter never moves the log, it splits it in place. Simply knock slabs off the far side and rotate the log until finished.
Ran one of these on some black cherry a few weeks ago. One person running the controls and the other loading wood.. as fast as I could load wood on the splitter, it would be split and ready for another log
Thanks for the comment. They've changed the design a little on the new models. It has improved towing setup now. Compared to my neighbors hydraulic splitter, this one is much faster and easier to use. I just need to get the wood dried out properly before splitting.
+suffolkshepherd Thanks for the questions. Yes, I still have the splitter and it has held up well so far. I've only had to replace one drive belt (it uses 2) and change oil in the engine. I split about 2 to 5 cords of wood a year. I've used this splitter on at least 4 oaks and 2 hickorys with no real problems. Yes, really knotty pieces do take several hits, but it works. And yes, I'd buy it again. DR has changed some things on the newer model but I think the basics are still the same. The Subaru engine on mine has been great, easy to start even after sitting for months, easy on gas, great.
I am actually impressed that it can split sycamore as easily as it did. As a kid I had to split this junk by hand. The issue with sycamore is very fibrous and stringy. It's tough stuff. As for the video I would like to have seen some knots in the wood to show how it would split.
Bee Bob Actually the sycamore split great after I let it sit for a couple of months. I've run oak through the splitter and didn't have any problems at all. I took the splitter over to my neighbors place and he didn't like it, he couldn't stack the wood fast enough to keep up with me. But we split a 5 ton trailer of cut wood in no time. REALLY big stuff is still done on the slow hydraulic machine.
It is a great splitter for rework as for knots it will stall and you will need to retract (sometimes and hit it again more than once) That is the nice feature of this king of splitter,
These splitters do very well, its only those tough woods that give them difficulty. And it did split the sycamore on the second effort, which would have still been faster than hydraulics. I prefer hydraulics because I am not in a hurry, but these can pile wood quick.
He should get some of that rock hard oak in South Texas. I had a 12 ton log splitter on my tractor and found out it was too small so I traded it back in for a 24 ton splitter. some of those oak logs were tough as steel.
I was splitting red oak today. 27 ton log splitter and had some issues. But once found the sweet spots it would split then shoot away from me. The wood is 10 days old from cut. Dry or wet does not bother me.
I see a lot of people remarking on safety and that it is too fast. I call BS. The machine is as safe as the operator. The human mind and hands are way faster. Most people with at least a modicum of intelligence can see that this is a machine with the potential to injure and will treat it accordingly. We need to start putting some responsibility back on the operator. It's a wonder car doors are not labelled as hazardous areas for the numbers of children's fingers they have damaged yet we all still happily use them every day.
Big Dan Every one is trying to eliminate Darwins role in evolution.. Reminds me of the drawing o an O S H A Cowboy. Things are bad when the idiots are dalling the shots
if your standing on the left or right side of the splinter the hand that would get smashed between the ram and the log has to be used to pull the lever down then you other hand is used to steady the log... so your hands shouldn't get smashed
Micah Houghton Are they accidents or stupidity, I often see the same term applied to car crashes also. They are caused by someone, they are not accidents.
The Rapid Fire comes with a 6 hp Subaru engine and that's the only engine they offer. When I get some other types of wood, I'll add an update. I'm going to try some of the sycamore again that I cut in the spring and left in the woods. Maybe now that it's dried out a bit it will split easier. Thanks for your questions, and I hope you from the video informative.
The POV is nice for a couple of minutes, but after awhile it starts to cause motion sickness. Would have liked it better with the camera mounted to a fixed location. Otherwise nice to see the DR in motion.
This is an older post but I think it’s very important to let everyone know it is very dangerous to place one’s hands on the ends of the log, sure the operator has to have a hand on the lever to throw piston but it’s always good practice to never load a splitter with hands on the ends of the log, was difficult to watch his hands in potential danger so often, if your hands are never on the log ends they can never be crushed by machine.
it's called a mechanical flywheel splitter, the technology has been around forever. It uses The momentum of a heavy spinning flywheel to drive the ram forward. When splitting tougher wood the momentum will be lost before the wood is split, requiring another strike. Far faster than a hydraulic on certain types of wood.
Thanks for the demonstration. I have four foot diameter poplar logs to split which are still a little wet. I'm guessing that this log splitter would not be appropriate.
I'm willing to bet it is the grain of the sycamore that is giving it the trouble. I use a 22 ton Huskee from TSC to split our wood. It often gives me a little bit of trouble due to the grain not being very straight.
Thanks for the information on the sycamore. I did go back and try some rounds that had sat for over a year and they did split much better. Thanks again.
own a 7 ton hydrolic and a 8.5 ton rapid splitter.. main difference . constant 7 ton vs peak of 8.5 ton. when you hit a harder part your tons drop fast with a rapid splitter. i only use my fast splitter for pine wood types. i am busy with a diy splitter. i am using a 7.5kw motor. what is ofcourse really high power. i calculated with a stroke of 2 seconds over 50cm the pure engine power delivers only 2.8 tons.. i am planning to go with a 4 seconds stroke so i have at least 5 (5,6ton) of constant power. i am using a flywheel of a boat to have some extra peak power the idea of the high kw motor is that i can add extra weight on the flywheel.
Fast is not always the answer. You won't have a second chance if you get your hand caught. Works well in straight grain wood but how does it work in knotty oak or elm?
Those look like "ideal" logs to me. Somehow mine end up gnarly, stringy, or plain BIG (I use vertical splitter). Was thinking about a DR for quick splitting after big ones are quartered.
That sycamore looks like some stuff we used to run into while cutting wood near the James River in South Dakota. We thought it was some sort of river willow. The only way we were able to split it was to let it freeze (-20 or so) and then it split ok, otherwise it was a real bear.
Burned wood all my life, sycamore does not split worth a nickle when green, but if you just holler SPLIT at it when thoroughly dried some of them will happily bust wide open lol. Sycamore grain is very cross woven and stringy, as it dries, the grain starts to release from the inside, so drying it out does most of the splitting work for you.
Sycamore has a twisted grain, not as straight of a grain as other trees. This makes it extremely hard to split. I would let it dry out a year or two before splitting or you might wear out your machine prematurely. Check out the splitter with the RU-vid title "Dad's Wood Splitter". The DR is nice but that one is the ultimate. It has a duel action hydraulic system. Very cool but probably more expensive as well.
That's still a great splitter from what I just watched you do. I just purchased a Harbor Freight 10 ton manual hydraulic splitter and for a $100.00 I am pleased with it and it beats swinging an ax hands down. I split some seasoned and some green oak with it and it was slow but it did the job. Somewhere down the road I may purchase the splitter you have here then convert it over to run on propane so that any carburetor issues would be a non-issue. I went to use my generator this last winter and I had to tear down the carburetor and clean it even though I had ran fuel stabilizer in it but it was a minor issue and I was lucky because only the needle was sticking a bit causing it to flood out but it still wasn't fun working on something with tiny parts with cold hands. I mentioned the propane conversion because that would pay off if you ever got hit with a bad ice storm and with propane, there are no issues of having to add stabilizer or to prep the engine for storage time other than changing the oil. I just converted one of my generators over to propane and the propane conversion kit was well worth the investment plus propane doesn't degrade like gas does over time. That's a really nice splitter so you may want to consider upgrading it with a propane conversion kit it in the future.. Oh almost forgot, thanks for posting this video.
I've been wanting to get a propane conversion kit for my generator. I've been looking at one from us carburation it's their new kit they call it the snorkel something or other. Where did you get yours and was it easy to install
Most propane units are easy to install. And as far as changing the valves you really wouldn't have to. It's not like a car your going to be using daily. And yea I know up here in Canada it gets cold enough. I guess it doesn't freezes per say but gels. Usually that -30C mark and colder is where it gets sketchy
OK, glad I watched because if anyone offers me a sycamore tree for firewood I will decline. I’ve never seen a log so small that gives so much resistance to splitting. Obviously, this would be challenging to a large hydraulic splitter as well. The true test of any purchase is whether you would purchase it again after using it and I have had this splitter for Many years and I would definitely purchase it again. Having the large table area is a definite asset.
Hi Peanut Man, Yes, I would buy it again. The problem is, the new models require you to have both hands on the machine during operation. Safety. Lots of comments about how you will cut off your hand. Like all tools, if you aren't safe, you get hurt. Life is dangerous. Sycamore; I found that if I cut it into rounds and let them sit for a couple months, it split just fine. Sycamore just burns fast in my wood furnace. Thanks for you comment.
I can't believe you're using that for firewood! I'll send you all the pine I can get and you send me some of that beautiful wood. Man it's a pity.. such big logs.
salvationship lol, its not being a "snob", its basic fire safety. Talk to any fireman that has been to a house fire that started in the chimney. You don't burn softwood ever, an someone that has a picture of a baby in there icon I would hope your not burning it either.
I burn everything from diapers to frozen water logged hemlock because I have a bulletproof custom made stove and stack. But you are right, people that have cheap or flimsy woodstoves and minimal firewall material better stick to burning something other than pine. Where I am at in Alaska, we do get hemlock which is as close to a hardwood as we're likely to get, but most people burn spruce that when dry is probably comparable to damp pine. As for my babies, I am always watching the woodstove, bears and creepy people for signs of danger. Thanks for the rebuke. Noted. And dismissed, You can burn anything if you take care to build and install a woodstove as if it were an incinerator. How many house fires had minimal fireproofing and thin gauge stack?
I'd have to agree with the comment about the camera moving around. Maybe a helmet cam isn't the bast choice. Also, it was hard to hear at times. Now, I have used the older non-DR version of this machine, (Super Split), and it was awesome! It was kinda worn out, but still split some tough, knotty oak. My one complaint is they should make them towable.
That difficult timber, looks and acts the same as bloody scribbly gum, eucalyptus here in Australia, I have broken axe handles trying to split that shit.( dry not green)
thx for vid. i don't get these splitter vids, though....always pre-dried wood with no knots. I cut down trees, buck and split on same day/week, let it dry in pile. I can't see that splitter dealing with fairly wet oak.
Actually red oak is one of the easiest woods to split, no matter its condition. Also, it's pretty hard to get the MC of wood low while it's still in the round. Your quibbles are imaginary, it seems.
people who start comments with "actually" are dbags, much like those who wear sunglasses indoors. It seems you are a dumbakk, as anyone who's split wet oak knows how stringy it is. I made no "quibble, little girl, I opined based on experience, and you could have answered without your 14yr old girly temper tantrum. Grow up, nancy.
Kevin Ehrlichman I've had this splitter for 3 years now and haven't had any problems with it. AND for all the pussies out there, I still have all my fingers. Unfortunately they have "improved" this splitter so that the new one's require 2 hands to operate.
Sounds pretty much like it splits what my little WEN Electric 6.5 ton does. But like with that one, there are problem woods, esp anything with knots or odd things like that. I do have to say I hate splitting elm.
Very Nice Splitter... I HATE sycamore... It seems to be like 80% water by weight (extremely heavy wood when green ) , and when its Seasoned it weights like NOTHING, and you think to yourself " I did all that work hauling such heavy wood and now THIS is all that is left ? ".. it does not throw a lot of heat, IMO and is just not worth the effort. I dont take it even when its laying at curbside for free . Not worth me even bending down.. Even a 12-15" diameter Round is a backbreaker when Green.
If it all split as easy as the ash and Cedar, you wouldn't need a mechanical splitter at all. Elm is stringy and hard to split just like the sycamore but it's almost impossible to split by hand so count your blessings. Any species of wood with a large internal knot will also resist splitting, it's just the way things go.
I couldn't hear the engine real good when you were splitting the sycamore. However, I wonder if the drive belts are a bit loose and slipping some under heavy load. I couldn't really hear the engine slow down when the ram slowed down. Are you sure the drive belts are tight?
the drive belts must slip. they are the clutch. when the ram is overpowered by the log it lets the flywheels slow and prevent them from damaging the machine. the instructions say to let the belts have a bit of slack.
