Multitek Model SFP-18

by Bill Gove, Sawmill & Woodlot Magazine, Feb/Mar 2001

In the past two issues (IS&WM) Oct./Nov. 2000, Dec./Jan. 2001), I reviewed smaller machines suitable for a start-up operation, or for a part-time producer. In this issue, I decided to review another small model made by a company that has the reputation for building a durable product, Multitek.

Designated the SFP-18, this 3,800-pound processor produced by the Wisconsin-based company has been on the market for a limited time.

I found two operators in New England, both in Massachusetts. As it turned out, both are landscaping companies and use the firewood processor as a sideline business.

The temperature was bitterly cold on the day I pulled into the yard of Luongo’s Landscaping in Quincy, Massachusetts, located just across the road from the large, abandoned Quincy shipyard. The cold but moist air swept in from Massachusetts Bay and kept us moving around.

Tony Luongo keeps three employees busy except for the winter in the competitive business of grounds maintenance and landscaping. From mid-August through February, he cuts and splits the logs that have accumulated in the yard as a result of his tree removal work. When producing firewood, he prefers to work alone.

Tony purchased the Multitek SFP-18 a little over a year ago, but his machine looked almost new. He has not used it hard and obviously takes good care of it. Watching Tony operate the processor, I was impressed with the ease of operation, despite the large size of logs he chose to use for demonstration. The 25 HP Kohler gasoline engine handled the chores quite well.

Unlike the large Multitek models that have a very effective patented grapple system to feed the log through the cut-up saw, the SFP-18 uses the standard chain feed in the bottom of the log trough. This is the system most other makes of firewood processors use, and was the obvious choice for a less expensive, smaller model such as the SFP-18. The chain feed generally works fine provided that there is no ice or snow and that the logs are not distorted. Tony, however, was processing some large chunks of salvage wood from one of his landscaping jobs, and the feed was giving him trouble when the lugs on the chain failed to make contact with the log end. He had to keep turning the log by hand in the trough, and this took time. Larger lugs on the chain would be a definite advantage.

Tony uses an 8-way wedge that he keeps on the shaft for all sizes of wood. The 8-way worked well for the large material he was splitting, though he still had to throw a number of pieces back into the splitting trough for re-splitting.

The wedge floats on the shaft and can be raised out of the way hydraulically to leave the 2-way wedge for smaller material.

The frame of the machine appeared to be quite rugged, more so than some of the other makes of smaller machines I’ve inspected. It’s quite portable, too, as it’s only 18 feet long and weighs less than 2 tons.

Walking around to the back side of the processor, I spotted what I feel is the only major design problem of note. The motor is mounted next to the log trough with no protective covering over it.

I asked Tony if he had ever had any problems with logs falling over the back side of the trough while loading the logs. He replied that he had had some close calls, and showed me the uprights that protrude above the back side of the trough to prevent logs from rolling off onto the motor. Logs leaning up against them had bent the uprights.

I asked Tony what production rate he could achieve with his SFP-18 while working alone. He said that if using good wood (not too small or oversized), and if the logs were all lined up and he had a conveyor (which he doesn’t have now), he could cut a cord an hour. After watching him operate, I would say that his figure was an ideal one.

But working alone through the cold weather months, Tony isn’t concerned about big production. He only cuts around 50 to 100 cords a year. He charges $165 per cord delivered. The wood he buys to supplement his log supply cost $45 per cord.

On a later occasion, I took the opportunity to visit another user of a Multitek SFP-18. C & C Landscaping of Marlboro, Mass. Owner Chris Camgemi had a more expansive yard with a good supply of firewood logs on hand, some of which had been there for a year or more.

Chris has also found landscaping to be a competitive business and keeps 4 to 10 employees busy, depending on the season. Much of his wood supply comes from site clearing work, which gives him an ample supply of logs from the steady home building in the area.

As soon as I walked over to the machine, I could help but spot some obvious damage to the top of the processor motor. As I had suspected, Chris described how a log came up against the upright guards, broke a couple of them off, and fell down on top of the motor. I was reminded of a similar machine, a Bilt-Rite, which was also vulnerable to this. An operator built a protective cover (IS&WM, Oct./Nov.2000) over the motor. This would be a wise step for this model.

Chris has had the machine for one year and has cut about 1,200 cords. He usually keeps the machine covered with a tarp when not in use, especially in the winter and feels that this is a wise move because he has no overhead roof. The frame of the machine is built from heavy-duty metal, and it’s rugged, but it makes sense to prevent rusting on the machine.

One of the safety features that Multitek incorporates on their processors is a bank of loose hanging chains just behind the splitting wedge, designed to deflect a piece of split wood that might fly up from the splitter toward a nearby worker. Both operators I visited eliminated this safety feature by wrapping the chains out of the way.

When hanging down loose, the chains interfered with the operator stepping over and replacing an oversized chunk for re-splitting or straightening out a wood jam at the wedge. When the operator is actually operating the splitting ram, he is safely positioned behind a rugged Plexiglas shield mounted on the frame. One of the operators even removed the metal shield that arches over the path of the chain saw to deflect a broken saw chain that might fly off the bar. Perhaps that shield does occasionally get in the way of an advancing log, but leaving the guard intact seems to be wise.

Chris uses the 6-way wedge but feels that an 8-way would be much better for the size of wood his residential customers prefer. He said that his production is 3/4 to 1 cord per hour with two men working on the processor.

Firewood sales in heavily populated central Massachusetts are brisk, even at the $180 per cord price that he charges for partly air-dried wood.

The SFP-18 can’t effectively handle large logs. The maximum rated diameter is 18 inches, but such a log would have to be free of irregularities to move through and even then would require extra handling, as I noticed during my visits. The maximum rated length is 12 feet, which is all right provided you don’t put the heavy butt end on the rear end of the trough. The log will tip up.

The log trough is short at 10 feet, but, after all, this machine is designed in a compact fashion for a low investment and will have to be treated accordingly.

Chris said although the SFP-18 was a fine little machine for its intended purpose, he would probably soon be moving up to a larger processor. And he said it most likely would be a Multitek.

MANUFACTURER’S COMMENTS

Because the SFP-18 is economical to operate, it is a popular start-up firewood processor.  In addition to the low initial investment, this little heavyweight features a quiet, efficient 25 HP Kohler gas engine with support arms to advance logs 18 inches in diameter and 12 feet in length.  To maintain its low cost, the SFP-18 uses several excellent features that include a non-powered log deck and a bottom chain for log feeding.  Production is rated with one man at one cord per hour.  The powerful hydraulic splitter with interchangeable 4-, 6-, or 8-way splitting wedges is also vertically adjustable.  A rugged, 20-foot long discharge conveyor for loading the truck or stockpiling is an optional feature.  This highly mobile machine additionally includes a single axle with electric brakes and a 2-inch ball hitch