DR duel action splitter, does anyone have one?

[My Oslo heats my home]

I have researched a few threads for horizontal splitters here and have viewed most of the favorites. Cost and incentives from DR have caught my attention. They are offering an interest free program for 36 mos. on their products this summer and that alone may work for me. BUT, I know very little about their machines.

Ultimately I'd love to have the rapid fire but it's kind of pricey. I was thinking I'd like to be in the 1-1.4k range.
Does anyone have either the dual action or the rapid fire that could comment. Thanks...

 

[Machria]

all you want to know about the DR's:
https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/dr-dual-action-log-splitter.85985/#post-1361051

https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads...litter-any-good-comments.112201/#post-1492289


Thansk to the good info in there, I've changed a H/V model. I'm about to pull the trigger on the Dirty Hand Tools 22 ton unit. Looks really nice, 10.9 sec cylce time, resonably priced, and no tax or shipping from Log splitters direct.
http://www.logsplittersdirect.com/Dirty-Hand-Tools-100171-Log-Splitter/p11198.html

 

[Ram 1500 with an axe...]

all you want to know about the DR's:
https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/dr-dual-action-log-splitter.85985/#post-1361051

https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads...litter-any-good-comments.112201/#post-1492289


Thansk to the good info in there, I've changed a H/V model. I'm about to pull the trigger on the Dirty Hand Tools 22 ton unit. Looks really nice, 10.9 sec cylce time, resonably priced, and no tax or shipping from Log splitters direct.
http://www.logsplittersdirect.com/Dirty-Hand-Tools-100171-Log-Splitter/p11198.html

Out of curiosity, how come you are going with this over the husky 22, thanks... I'm in the market for one too

 

[Machria]

Faster cycle time, comes with a log cradle, and delivered to my house for $1200. The Husky would cost me more after tax and shipping from TS (there are no TS's on Long Island).

PS- one more thing. I also have a REALY bad taste in my mouth from the name Husky, which is the Home Depot brand for tools for the most part. Some of that stuff is real CRAP. Not saying the splitter is, don't know, but.....

PSS- The Husky is 49" wide. The DHT is 46" wide. I need to be able to get it thu a 48" door.

 

[Ram 1500 with an axe...]

Ok thank you, can you please create a post to let us know how you like it when you start using it? Thank you...

 

[Machria]

of course. And check my post, just added 2 PS's.

I'm just wating for a storage shed to get delivered any day no, once delivered I'll order the DHT22 and I have plenty of rounds (30" oak) just waiting to test it.

 

[Bster13]

I really don't like the dual wedge/action type splitters.... most of my splits pop apart after the wedge travels only a few inches into the round, there is no need to have the wedge travel all the way through the wedge, then come back again on the next piece. With the type of wood I have split a traditional splitter will be faster.

 

[Machria]

I really don't like the dual wedge/action type splitters.... most of my splits pop apart after the wedge travels only a few inches into the round, there is no need to have the wedge travel all the way through the wedge, then come back again on the next piece. With the type of wood I have split a traditional splitter will be faster.

Yep. AND, the Dual units won't go Verticle for the big stuff!

 

[Ashful]

Faster cycle time, comes with a log cradle, and delivered to my house for $1200. The Husky would cost me more after tax and shipping from TS (there are no TS's on Long Island).

PS- one more thing. I also have a REALY bad taste in my mouth from the name Husky, which is the Home Depot brand for tools for the most part. Some of that stuff is real CRAP. Not saying the splitter is, don't know, but.....

PSS- The Husky is 49" wide. The DHT is 46" wide. I need to be able to get it thu a 48" door.

First, it's Huskee, made by SpeeCo... not Husky, sold at Home Depot. If you had to pay shipping on a Huskee from TSC, then there are probably better deals, but I still would not be looking at the DR dual action.

The big downside I see to the dual-action splitters is that the force is not applied in-line with the ram, but below it. This sets up forces on the carriage that require a stronger carriage, or limit the amount of force that can be applied to the same carriage. Perhaps why they only offer this option to 15 tons. Since these carriages are being used and abused in the woods to split firewood, and not in a clean little laboratory, simplicity always wins.

Also, as has been pointed out by many others, the one-way cycle time of the DR dual (not "duel") action splitters is as slow as the two-way full round-trip cycle time of many hydraulic splitters, but with much lower tonnage per dollar.

Huskee: $1099 regular price, regularly $999 on sale (call your TSC, and they'll give it to you at $999)
DR: $1299 regular price, $1199 on sale

Huskee: 4.0 inches per second ram speed
DR: 1.8 inches per second ram speed
(even if it's dual action, it's MUCH slower... especially considering very few rounds require full travel)

Huskee: 22 ton
DR: 15 ton

Huskee: 26" max log length
DR: 20" max log length (I cut to 20" ± 1"!)

Huskee: countless satisfied hearth.com'ers
DR: ???

 

[Ashful]

Oh... and have fun lifting these onto that DR.

 

[firecracker_77]

I like my Huskee but it won't work if you have specific dimensions to accommodate.

 

[firecracker_77]

Oh... and have fun lifting these onto that DR.

View attachment 109623

That's the big thing about a supersplit. You have no vertical action for the big stuff.

 

[firecracker_77]

For the 3 or so cords I have a season, the Huskee is a champ. I split it with a buddy...$500 and some change each. Gotta' love it

 

[Ashful]

That's the big thing about a supersplit. You have no vertical action for the big stuff.

Heh... that's not my big stuff!

Here's my big stuff:

 

[firecracker_77]

Oh... and have fun lifting these onto that DR.

View attachment 109623

Your pic motivated me to get out there and saw a couple logs tonight in anticipation of the next time I get my Huskee out, which will probably be once or twice more this year.

 

[firecracker_77]

Heh... that's not my big stuff!

Here's my big stuff:

View attachment 109625

What does a Huskee do with that? I guess it depends on log length. It only does 26"

 

[Ashful]

What does a Huskee do with that?

Actually, I don't know... those big rounds are oak, and I can't get 1500 lb. rounds onto the splitter, even vertically! The photo above is just a 24" diameter (250 lb.) branch round from a much larger ash tree. I did muscle a few of the 40" - 44" diameter x 20" long (700+ lb.) trunk rounds from that tree onto the splitter last fall, and it was very hard on both me and the splitter, so I resolved to just noodling anything that big anymore.

Still... point being... you're not going to put "little" 250 lb. rounds up on that DR splitter, without hating yourself in the morning.

 

[firecracker_77]

I have 250 pound oak rounds. What I've been doing is muscling them onto their sides and using my big saw to cut them in two 125 pound pieces. The resulting splits will be much shorter, however, I can move the rounds to the splitter without hernia surgery, and I don't mind having shorties in the winter. Easier to fill cavities in the stove for overnight burns and when you want to pack full.

 

[firecracker_77]

Actually, I don't know... those big rounds are oak, and I can't get 1500 lb. rounds onto the splitter, even vertically! The photo above is just a 24" diameter (250 lb.) branch round from a much larger ash tree. I did muscle a few of the 40" - 44" diameter x 20" long (700+ lb.) trunk rounds from that tree onto the splitter last fall, and it was very hard on both me and the splitter, so I resolved to just noodling anything that big anymore.

Still... point being... you're not going to put "little" 250 lb. rounds up on that DR splitter, without hating yourself in the morning.

I have no idea what to do with something that big. What is noodling exactly? Is that cutting against the wood grain lengthwise?

 

[firecracker_77]

Here's an afternoon with the Huskee by myself. Some would say the hydraulic splitters are too slow, but I'm ok with this much output. If I had a helper to move the rounds to the splitter, I could have done twice this much maybe. Fatigue got to me.

 

[Machria]

First, it's Huskee, made by SpeeCo... not Husky, sold at Home Depot. If you had to pay shipping on a Huskee from TSC, then there are probably better deals, but I still would not be looking at the DR dual action.

Hey, thanks! Never noticed the difference in spelling "Husky" and "Huskee"! That's nuts! They are the same color's, and use the smae FONT in the name.... What the heck?

Anywho, like I said above I'm not interested in a Dual action OR a DR brand unit. I've deciced on the Dirty Hand Tool 22 ton. Comes with the log cradle and will be cheaper for me since I have no TS nearby.

 

[firecracker_77]

Hey, thanks! Never noticed the difference in spelling "Husky" and "Huskee"! That's nuts! They are the same color's, and use the smae FONT in the name.... What the heck?

Anywho, like I said above I'm not interested in a Dual action OR a DR brand unit. I've deciced on the Dirty Hand Tool 22 ton. Comes with the log cradle and will be cheaper for me since I have no TS nearby.

Get whatever works for you. 22 ton should be just enough.

 

[Machria]

Here's an afternoon with the Huskee by myself. Some would say the hydraulic splitters are too slow, but I'm ok with this much output. If I had a helper to move the rounds to the splitter, I could have done twice this much maybe. Fatigue got to me.

View attachment 109627

How'd the splits get UNDER the wheels of your splitter?

 

[firecracker_77]

How'd the splits get UNDER the wheels of your splitter?

How it happened was when I have rounds not seated properly, the ram pushes the log into the ground and lifts the splitter, and the surrounding pile slides under the splitter. That's where the helper would have been handy....keep the split would away from my splitter zone.

 

[lammi66]

I recently bought the DR Rapidfire and have only split about 2 cords with it, but as of right now I love it!! I will probably love it more when it is not 90 degrees with 90% humidity. Everyone is correct about not having the vertical split, but for the big rounds I use the fiskars splitter to shave some weight off and load it up. Not sure what the cycle time is on a hydraulic, but it is 3 seconds with the Rapidfire and THAT is a timesaver. I have had to run the ram 2-3 times on some crotch Ash, but it has not failed. I am sure some gnarly Elm would slow it down. I have had some buddies stop over to see it in action, and all were impressed!! I was not looking to spend that much but 36 months, same as cash, pushed me over the edge!!