we have had our Split-Fire splitter for over 17 years and counting. Every once in a while when you reflect on things you think ‘that is one of the best investments I ever made’. That is definitely the case here. We live in southern Michigan. We split 5 or more full cords of hardwoods every year. It splits everything. It starts every time. And it is reasonable to handle and operate. Even at 70 years old, I can lift it by the tongue (with cylinder retracted) and walk it around when necessary. Too many people equate size, horsepower and hydraulics (cylinder size and tons of splitting force) with ability/capacity. But this unit is elegant in its simplicity. It has a smallish 9 hp Honda with a 2×24 hydraulic cylinder. I have yet to feed it something it could not handle. The secret is in the construction of the log stops. They impart mechanical leverage/force that when coupled with the hydraulic force is unbeatable. The two way splitting action is a dream. Theoretically, the retract direction has a little less force. But from a practical standpoint there is no difference. And running the cylinder in a piece of rectangular steel virtually eliminates any opportunity to bend the cylinder shaft. Something that can unfortunately happen on one of the brutes, with a huge engine, large cylinder and standard log stops. The icing on the cake is the hydraulic lift. For pieces up to a certain size leave it in the fully raised position and stack your material to be split on your “temporary work table”. When you get into the bigger material roll them up to the lowered lift and raise them with the lift. In either case, then get to work splitting in both directions. With the lift/table the work stays directly in front of you at all times…..no falling to the ground off the back side or the end. One option that I highly recommend is larger tires. It raises the level of the splitter and eliminates a lot of bending. And it makes transporting more agreeable.
— John and Pat Tubergen – South Michigan