Generac K10, 10-Ton Kinetic Electric Log Splitter - 50 State/CSA Compliant

I did not have room for a full sized hydraulic. I tried a 5 ton hydraulic and it only lasted a year and could only do 75% of what I needed to split. I bought the dr power version used about to cords of mostly elm 4 years ago. I was actually quite impressed. I've split rounds 24 inches in diameter that I had to lower on the thing with a power winch. 15 minutes and lots of turning and repositioning and it was all split up. For smaller pieces in 10 inch range and it splits in 1 hit in seconds. Much faster than a 22 ton hydraulic on these small pieces. I am at the point where I had to replace the toothed rack for $125 but I'm ok with that if I get 4 more years out of it. This thing is high impact so plan on tightening all bolts each year. It handles up to 16in pieces safely. You can do a max of 18 but you need to "slap" the release lever to get your hand away quickly or it can literally bust your knuckles. Electric really beats dealing with finicy gas engines. Be sure to have a heavy gauge extension cord and you will rarely trip a breaker. if your belt is adjusted properly. Also you will want a sturdy bench or place it on a trailer or tailgate to avoid a lot of low bending.The key point fo me that minimizes the negatives is that I can stand this thing against a wall and it only takes up a few square feet and it can do near the work a hydraulic that will take up a full space in the garage. If space is an issue this is the best option I've seen.

Jams, does not always recoil, pain to adjust timing. Yes, it splits most anything, but after multiple cords split loose bolts, guide came off twice. Just not for real wood splitting needs. Good for your suburbia home and a small fire place. I will give to my dad soon and shopping for something stronger that can hold larger pieces of wood.

Works great for pine & for log's. My experience over all was good.

At its best this splitter would not split 15-16" long, 16" diameter rounds; straight grained 12" diameter rounds were fine. This splitter had a lot of kickback and some grinding when engaging the gears with the handle. After 1.5 years the rack gear (which is driven by the pinion gear) is completely stripped, at the location where it usually hits a 16" log round. DR is saying it should have been adjusted better and was not assembled correctly by the dealer. The cost of parts sufficiently high that it is not worth repairing.

Used this for 3 years, splitting maybe 4 cord of Cottonwood and elm each year. I absolutely loved it. It would smash through wood far bigger than I expected and it would do it quickly. The problem is in its design. It is a spinning gear and the bar is shot forward by pushing teeth, on the bottom of the bar, down onto a spinning gear. There is no cushion and no gentle engage. The result is that after 3 years, it started breaking teeth off. I am switching back to hydraulic. This is a great device that is designed to tears itself up over time. If it was cheaper this might be acceptable, but this is too expensive to be a disposable device. I recommend that you skip this and just spend the extra money on a gas powered hydraulic machine that is designed to last.

works just fine for our needs

In short this is a poorly designed and marginally built piece of equipment. That said with constant monitoring, adjusting and some minor modifications you will be able to split wood all day. To successfully operate you'll need Metric wrenches sized 13-17 mm, a 14mm deep socket and drive, Philips screwdriver, a hatchet, a splitting maul or sledge hammer and grease. I used spray lithium grease. There are several undersized bolts with spacers, washers and nuts that need to be replaced with longer heavier bolts, washers and lock nuts. The two bolts that hold the side rails must be replaced and spaced out a little from the central I-beam. Then the flywheel covers (both sides) need to be spaced away from the I-Beam and notched. A corresponding notch is needed in the rails where they meet the covers so that they don't hit the flywheels. Once you've done this and adjusted the belt tension you'll just need to oil the ram (top, bottom and sides) every hour of use and the pinion gear every few hours. The photo show the interference of the flywheel cover and the back part of the rail. This pinches the moving part of the ram so that it doesn't return after the power stroke. Also in the picture is the back bolt that needs to be replaced. The purpose of the hatchet and the splitting maul are to help free larger pieces that get impaled on the splitting blade.

Had issues with the motor tripping the breaker after only 3 seasons of use. Very disappointed with my investment. This is the start of 4th year of use, motor was locked up. Got it freed up and spinning, but it still trips the breaker to often to be able to use it. Over time, all the bolts that hold this thing together have jarred loose.