BHD
Veteran Member
my log splitter, has a 4" cylinder, (you want as heavy of a shaft in the cylinder as you can get), no fun bending up a new or even a old cylinder, (wish I would have gone with a 5" or a 4.5" at least),
I have a 24" stroke, I have about 2" from the end of stroke to the wedge,
my wedge is on the end of the I beam, that way it just keeps pushing the wood out and away from the splitter, (it more or less does it own house keeping),
you do not have to retract the cylinder all the way, if you do not want to, on shorter logs, or stack two to split at once,
I ended up adding some supports or a table like situation on each side of the I beam, I made it twice as wide on the opposite side of the valve, that way I have a place to set the split log for respliting, and it lets the split log fall open and then off the end of the machine,
at first I had it as a three point and used the tractor as the power unit, and it was fine when diesel was under $1, but when I started to figure what it was costing me a few years ago how much it was taking in just fuel at nearly 5 gallons an hr, the price of the motor and pump did not look so bad, (I actually payed for the motor and pump in fuel savings in less than one year ,my SIL used wood heat as well and he sold some also), and when you look at your SUV, it will burn most likely 4 gallons an hr, where the small engine, will usualy burn about gallon, or less,
yes they make hydraulic pumps that have a electric clutch like an air conditioner pump but if you look in to one of them your not that much savings in comparisons to the (Honda copy engine and a two pressure log splitter pump), Hydraulic Clutch Pump | Pumps | Northern Tool + Equipment
you have two basic costs your building cost and your operating cost, for the most part the operating cost will be fuel, but say you run your splitter for 40 hrs a year in your fire wood business, off the SUV, 40 hrs at any RPM would be some what like driving it , 2000 miles, (if the RPM were close to traveling 50 mph), now even at $3 a gallon if you get 20 MPG that would $300 in fuel operation costs and were on a car engine,
and you will have to have the SUV and the splitter next to each other to work it, plus the modifications to the truck, now if you use a Honda copy motor some of them are reasonably low cost, here is a 6 hp from Northern, Powerhorse 208cc OHV MaXX Series Horizontal Engine | Powerhorse | Northern Tool + Equipment for $150,
the other Idea that across my mind is if you can find a old lawn tractor and pull the motor off the tractor, and use it there is nothing that says you need to use a horizontal shaft motor to power the pump, for the most part even the small law tractors are 9, 10 hp, and many times you can get them for next to nothing, or even given to you,
If it was me I would either vote for a electric using a 2 hp motor with a matching pump, or step up to the heavier motor and go for some speed, I have a 9 hp and matching pump and with the two speed pump there is very little wait time, and with the detent log splitter handle one can put the handle in the return position and it will retract and pop to neutral when it hits the end, of stroke,
IN my building experience, I think one is better off building it to what you want the first time, even if you have to wait or it cost more than one wants it to, than to under build it or not built it big enough or with enough power or cylinder, it will end up costing much more in the long run,
I have a 24" stroke, I have about 2" from the end of stroke to the wedge,
my wedge is on the end of the I beam, that way it just keeps pushing the wood out and away from the splitter, (it more or less does it own house keeping),
you do not have to retract the cylinder all the way, if you do not want to, on shorter logs, or stack two to split at once,
I ended up adding some supports or a table like situation on each side of the I beam, I made it twice as wide on the opposite side of the valve, that way I have a place to set the split log for respliting, and it lets the split log fall open and then off the end of the machine,
at first I had it as a three point and used the tractor as the power unit, and it was fine when diesel was under $1, but when I started to figure what it was costing me a few years ago how much it was taking in just fuel at nearly 5 gallons an hr, the price of the motor and pump did not look so bad, (I actually payed for the motor and pump in fuel savings in less than one year ,my SIL used wood heat as well and he sold some also), and when you look at your SUV, it will burn most likely 4 gallons an hr, where the small engine, will usualy burn about gallon, or less,
yes they make hydraulic pumps that have a electric clutch like an air conditioner pump but if you look in to one of them your not that much savings in comparisons to the (Honda copy engine and a two pressure log splitter pump), Hydraulic Clutch Pump | Pumps | Northern Tool + Equipment
you have two basic costs your building cost and your operating cost, for the most part the operating cost will be fuel, but say you run your splitter for 40 hrs a year in your fire wood business, off the SUV, 40 hrs at any RPM would be some what like driving it , 2000 miles, (if the RPM were close to traveling 50 mph), now even at $3 a gallon if you get 20 MPG that would $300 in fuel operation costs and were on a car engine,
and you will have to have the SUV and the splitter next to each other to work it, plus the modifications to the truck, now if you use a Honda copy motor some of them are reasonably low cost, here is a 6 hp from Northern, Powerhorse 208cc OHV MaXX Series Horizontal Engine | Powerhorse | Northern Tool + Equipment for $150,
the other Idea that across my mind is if you can find a old lawn tractor and pull the motor off the tractor, and use it there is nothing that says you need to use a horizontal shaft motor to power the pump, for the most part even the small law tractors are 9, 10 hp, and many times you can get them for next to nothing, or even given to you,
If it was me I would either vote for a electric using a 2 hp motor with a matching pump, or step up to the heavier motor and go for some speed, I have a 9 hp and matching pump and with the two speed pump there is very little wait time, and with the detent log splitter handle one can put the handle in the return position and it will retract and pop to neutral when it hits the end, of stroke,
IN my building experience, I think one is better off building it to what you want the first time, even if you have to wait or it cost more than one wants it to, than to under build it or not built it big enough or with enough power or cylinder, it will end up costing much more in the long run,
