wood splitter

gus · Post by **gus** » Tue Mar 06, 2012 3:27 pm

I heat my shop with wood and have been splitting by hand. That ended last year when I tore my rotor cuff and can't anymore.

I would like to see some photos of home built splitters. I want to mount one on the 3 pt of my 420 and use it's hydr.

I'm thinking a vertical would be easiest to use since you don't have to lift the logs.

Your thoughts?????
Gus

Willyr · Post by **Willyr** » Tue Mar 06, 2012 7:38 pm

LOL attach a splitter to front of your crawler and go to town.

Lu47Dan · Post by **Lu47Dan** » Tue Mar 06, 2012 7:39 pm

Gus, I can not remember right now but do you have a loader or a dozer? A loaders hydraulics might be worth using to run a splitter but the output (GPM) of the hydraulics on a dozer is not high enough to give you efficient cycle times.
Here is the thread on building my splitter.
http://www.shopfloortalk.com/forums/sho ... php?t=9464
Find on older rusted out deck lawn tractor and use the engine out of it to power the splitter.
The thread on my log lifter not quite finished as of the date of the post.
http://www.shopfloortalk.com/forums/sho ... hp?t=31469
I have converted two three point hitch splitters over to stand alone models over the years for people I know. They are much happier with them now.
I will be taking more photos of my splitter once I have the lift finished and the catch tables fabbed and installed.
Video of my splitter operating.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nSr_yYqe4Oc
Dan.

doc40c · Post by **doc40c** » Tue Mar 06, 2012 9:14 pm

hi Gus! I've used different types of splitters and finally built my own. I'll give you my 2cents on what works best for me. A stand alone unit on wheels works best for me. However, being mobile means people are going to want to borrow it ( most of my friends have their own), but if i do lend it out I come with the package as the operator. Secondly, put the wedge on the cylinder and weld the backstop to the beam. This way the wood stays in the same position and you're not chasing moving wood. Also, put some tables on both sides of the beam to catch the split wood so you don't have to bend over to pick it up if it needs to be split again. I built my splitter to go vertical if I want to, but found myself working on my knees a lot. I foung it easier to leave it horizontal and use 2 people to load the large logs or my preferred method is to roll the large logs into my loader bucket, then raise them to beam height and roll them onto the splitter. Hope this may help, good luck! Randy from Michigan

digitup2 · Post by **digitup2** » Tue Mar 06, 2012 11:19 pm

I agree Randy a self powered unit is the way to go I have a hydraulic unit that we run with a 6410 tractor and I bought a self powered unit that can work up right or down heck leave the tractor powered unit at home I can take the splitter to the bush with my little 4200 Kubota and what a difference if you split any amount of wood you will like the self powered splitter it's easier to run and a hell of a lot cheaper on fuel in the long run I Took the 6410 and threw split wood direct in the loader then dumped into the old dump truck I let others use the tractor mount unit [without the tractor]and will sell it but if asked to lend or rent my self powered splitter the answer is NO just go get your own I swung my but off for years with an ax or maul so can the next guy I built cradles on both sides of the split deck and do it all standing up I can't split bent over unless it is a big block then split down and lift it on the cradle and work at it like that I find that if you can bribe of blackmail the younger generation into lifting the blocks it is even better on us old guys to just have to split .I got one of the larger Champion 22ton splitters at the neighbors yard sale for 500 bucks and it's a 2011 model I know they are Chinese [Not the neighbor the splitter !!]but they are a good splitter.mine has a good cradle but I extended it further and put a engine guard plate on it for when the wood gets jammed on the wedge and you can pull back to the engine guard and pop the block off the wedge there .Just my opinion .Digitup.

gus · Post by **gus** » Wed Mar 07, 2012 10:54 am

Thanks for the replies. It's making me rethink my plans..

I don't use more tha 1-2 cords/yr to heat my shop so I'm not doing a heavy volume. Most of the wood I split will be large pine that is dead or wind damge on my own property. Some could be up to 30" diam and they get heavy, even when dry.

The tractor is a dozer, but I do have enough hyd power as the tractor has a front mount 8-10 gal pump.

I've been looking at factory units but I have about everything but a beam to make a splitter. I also have a 5hp Briggs engine and a pump and an old 16" cylinder, and an old valve

......

Need to do more thinking on this

Willyr · Post by **Willyr** » Wed Mar 07, 2012 12:54 pm

If you build your own. Some of the more recent splitters use a box tube for the beam welded shut on the ends. There is a plate welded on top for the splitter ram to hold onto. The box beam acts as your fluid reservoir.

Not certain, yet I have heard some where that your pump gpm should dictate the size of your minimal tank in gallons.

Willy

PS the above post about using your crawler with a ram, I was being absurd and trying for some of my bad humor.

gus · Post by **gus** » Thu Mar 08, 2012 2:24 pm

This finest tool I've found for cutting wood..well, holding it....is my small excavator with a thumb. I grab whole logs and hold them at waist level and just walk down the log dropping chunks...just watch your toes

Chains stay sharp longer too...no dirt bites

Gus

Post by **Lavoy** » Thu Mar 08, 2012 6:45 pm

Keep in mind that you are PSI limited. 420 runs at about 1025PSI, most modern log splitters will be 2250PSI and up. Not a problem, but you will need to adjust your ram size to compensate.
One thing I have seen on some towed splitters is the ram tilts so it can be used vertically, or horizontally, I think that would be a slick setup, and not that difficult to do.
Lavoy

Lu47Dan · Post by **Lu47Dan** » Sun Mar 11, 2012 8:32 am

Gus, another thing to keep in mind is a vertical splitter is hard on the back. I feel that a horizontal splitter is much more comfortable to use. About 95% of the time with a vertical you are bent over using it, with a horizontal the figures reverse, you are bent over only about 5% of the time.
When I built mine I built it to fit me, at 6'6" tall I am above average in height and I wanted to be comfortable when I was using it. I have used many different splitters but I like the horizontal the best.
As to lifting the logs on to the beam I am building a lift to cure that. A ramp and table can do the same thing in a pinch.
I also found that more often then not it is easier to load the wood into my trailer and then haul it home to be split was the most efficient way to do it. I unload right onto the splitter and place it right onto the stake.
Video of the first test run of my lift.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mkv8_rwEDDA
Dan.

gus · Post by **gus** » Mon Mar 12, 2012 11:46 am

This has been VERY interesting to me.

I've been quite surprised at the number of replies saying horiz is better. I'm now going to go with a stand alone unit vs the 3 pt mount.

Lavoy's mention of a combination set up where it will work either vert/horiz sounds good. I will have some large stuff (around 30" maybe bigger) on occasion that I will not want to lift. Do the vert big stuff and then switch to finish the smaller stuff.

When I get the other 420 going, I will have the big loader to use to get the logs up to an easy to handle level.

My stove will take about 12"X24" logs

Willyr · Post by **Willyr** » Wed Mar 21, 2012 11:06 pm

If you do make one? Put car tires on it to move it around. Those dinky tires you see on the newer models? They are great for the citys, but terrible if your in the woods. Larger tires will roll better in rough wooded conditions.

If you have a horizontal, it is not that hard to create your own log lift. Basically a parallel surface when raised, when lowered has one side that you roll the log onto, then as you raise it, the log is brought to your working height.

This is a image I googled. "hydraulic lift for wood splitters" There was a listing to build your own.

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