could use some input on a project I've had bouncin' around in my head. I could use a log splitter as I plan to start heating with wood next winter. I own a late '60's john deere industrial backhoe. so I thought to save $ I could utilize the hydraulics to fab up a splitter using one of the stabilizer cylinders (4" X 20 or so inch stroke). my thinking is to just lower the stabilizer, disconnect the outward pin-to-foot pin, lift up that end of the cylinder and attach it to my fabricated bed, attached somehow to the bachoe. i would need a support for the outward end of the bed, of course. I thought of attaching the splitter wedge to the cylinder rod and a solid flat end to the far end of the bed so I don't have to go chasing after the split pieces. I'll try to attach some pics from a 3pt splitter on Ebay that looks like what I'm trying to do and also a pic of the back of my hoe. anybody ever tried this approach? thanx for any help in advance
backhoe log splitter
- Thread starter wowbw7
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I've ofter dreamed of a way to split wood from the seat of a backhoe. A search with google found this.
YouTube - Backhoe Wood Splitter 2
This is not what I envisioned though. My thinking is a scissor like device that splits using the curl piston on the BH.
Dean
YouTube - Backhoe Wood Splitter 2
This is not what I envisioned though. My thinking is a scissor like device that splits using the curl piston on the BH.
Dean
radioman
Super Member
hmm - just thinking outloud here - how well would a brotek ripper and thumb would work ? if the thumb was changed out to a wedge shape instead of flat teeth and the ripper grinded to a blunt cutting edge ?
hey, fellas. thanx for the input. jb, I'm retired, so I have plenty of time to monkey around. and cost is a concern. i love to recycle and use what ever is available. it just makes sense to me to use the hydraulics on the backhoe and by using the stabilizer, the control handle is within easy reach. the 4 inch cylinder is a concern, but the largest wood i would be splitting is maybe a 12 inch chunk of elm. do you think it can handle it? i don't know, as i've never split wood before. that youtube video is interesting, but it would be tough to get the wood split into the size pieces you'd want, i would think. if i go with the 3pt type as in the pictures, i would have to get an I-beam about 6 feet long. anyone know what size to look for? 6 or 8 inches wide? 8, 10 inches high? or is there an alternative to the I-beam? so many questions.....
crashz
Elite Member
My only quam would be safety. To operate it effectlively to split wood, you'd have to be on the ground. And the only place to have your feet on the ground and hand on the control lever is behind the machine, standing next to the boom. If you bump that swing lever the wrong way...
Or you'd be jumping back and forth from the cab to the ground.
Or you'd be trusting someone else, sitting in the cab, not to wack you with the bucket.
Or you'd be jumping back and forth from the cab to the ground.
Or you'd be trusting someone else, sitting in the cab, not to wack you with the bucket.
radioman
Super Member
crashz- why would you need to be on the ground ? if the tractor is next to the pile and you can pick it up with the backhoe and move to the splitting pile, you could split the wood right there then move back to get more ETC. there would be no safety issues involved since you oare sitting in the backhoe seat away from the wood. did you take a look at the you tube video that was posted earlier ? When i said i was thinking out loud - the bucket could be swapped for a splitter wedge and the thumb bracket should be a blunt wedge as well . using it like a scissors action- you be able to split apart the big stuff without picking it up. Boy that would be a time saver. If you already have a wood splitter or go old school with splitting maul- the broken up wood pieces would be easier to manage. 
crashz... safety is a big concern for me also but in this case it's not a problem. the backhoe has 2 safety pins. a 1 inch pin is dropped into a hole running thru the swivel plate on the boom and another hole in the tractor mount itself, eliminating the chance of boom swing. another pin does the same for the boom so it can't drop. both are, I believe, to prevent any accident , should a hose break or cylinder fail during transport. the handle controlling the stabilizer is the short one closest to the cylinder, so it's within easy reach from the ground. maybe you can see it in the third pic i posted.
crashz
Elite Member
Radioman - I didn't watch the video. But I was initially thinking the same thing. If you could mount a splitting head in place of a bucket and have a thumb or grapple that is strong enough to hold the wood in place it would be the cat's meow. You could probably split as fast as two people with saws could cut and save all the back breaking of lifting and/or rolling huge peices of wood to place on the splitter.
Wow- I'm familar with the boom locks on my fathers Cat 416, which are totally effective, if you remember to put the pin in place.
Wow- I'm familar with the boom locks on my fathers Cat 416, which are totally effective, if you remember to put the pin in place.
Talking about safety .... I hope I dont offend anyone, but there seem to be a few issues with the splitter in those pics. The welding on the flare plate on the wedge does not seem to have penetrated very well, and IMO the angle iron on the cylinder is too thin with no gussets. In fact, in the one pic it even looks like it is bending, which will start to put an uneven load on the bolts. I would be worried about a failure right there.
I noticed the sub par welding too. but I was thinking about that angle iron.... is it really needed? if the back end of the cylinder is attached solidly to the beam, and the rod end is attached to the wedge slider ( which one would assume won't pop off the beam), is the angle iron really serving any purpose at all?
F.L. Jennings
Bronze Member
Built a splitter onto the backhoe of my Kubota L4200 last winter. Still making improvements/modifications but it works great and have split 3-4 cords so far.
1. Utilizes the bucket pivot cylinder to do the splitting.
2. can be detached and bucket put back on.
It'll work, go for it!
1. Utilizes the bucket pivot cylinder to do the splitting.
2. can be detached and bucket put back on.
It'll work, go for it!
Zork
Veteran Member
- Joined
- Dec 14, 2003
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- 1,121
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- Virginia
- Tractor
- '04 Branson 3520, '51 Fergy, '96 MTD 18/46, '02 Craftsman GT5000/48
Your opposite outrigger would need to be isolated from the system, otherwise one side of the tractor would lift as the equal psi pressure was put on the log.
Zork
Veteran Member
- Joined
- Dec 14, 2003
- Messages
- 1,121
- Location
- Virginia
- Tractor
- '04 Branson 3520, '51 Fergy, '96 MTD 18/46, '02 Craftsman GT5000/48
Built a splitter onto the backhoe of my Kubota L4200 last winter. Still making improvements/modifications but it works great and have split 3-4 cords so far.
1. Utilizes the bucket pivot cylinder to do the splitting.
2. can be detached and bucket put back on.
It'll work, go for it!
Can you post pictures with more machine and less close up?
Zork
Veteran Member
- Joined
- Dec 14, 2003
- Messages
- 1,121
- Location
- Virginia
- Tractor
- '04 Branson 3520, '51 Fergy, '96 MTD 18/46, '02 Craftsman GT5000/48
Look at this. YouTube - BACKHOE WOOD SPLITTER
fjb2c, that video was my original thought but i didn't think the downward pressure would be enough. looks like it works pretty good for this fella, though. i know the stabilizer has enough downward force to throw my 13,000 lb backhoe around pretty easily, but i was thinking it was maybe equivalent to 5 or 6 tons. i just don't think it's enough. the wood that guy is splitting must be pretty dry.
F.L., i also thought about using one of the other cylinders...bucket or boom...but by using the stabilizer cylinder, i have easy access to the control valve (i don't have a cab, so it's 'right there'), & it should have the capacity to split a 20 inch log. i've done alittle looking around on the net and it looks like a 6w25 i-beam is what i should have for the beam. does that sound about right? are their any advantages to having the wedge on the end of the bed verses on the end of the cylinder? i see 'em both ways, but to me, on the cylinder end makes more sense as it would eliminate chasing after the split logs.
kinda off topic, but i just found a 3d drawing program that has just what i need to render 3d images of my log splitter. looks very promising and best of all ..IT'S FREE... search on google for 'sketchup'. download the free version. amazing program
F.L. Jennings
Bronze Member
I use a cable set up I made that allows you to stand remote from the controls
I will post pictures as soon as I can. I simplified this control arrangement this past week end and it works great.
Other improvements include a split wood retract, that is aftrer the piece is split and on the retract stroke of the cylinder, the pieces are "retracted" back so that I can re-split them if I want to without having to physically drag them back up to the "breech" of the splitter.
I'll try and take some new photos to post in the next couple of days. Meanwhile here are some older pix I took.
