Let's build the biggest non commercial splitter ever!

[texasranger556]

According to the description, that splitter feeds some sort of firewood processor. With that said I agree with you that for most people it makes more sense to cut then split. However, it is likely that anyone with an 80 ton log splitter doesn't fall under the "most people" label.

 

[MossRoad]

The wedge on that splitter is bigger than the conning tower on a submarine!

 

[NH Mike]

I'm building something that will split my yearly wood in a weekend or two. The beam was free, the motor was free, the axle and wheels $100, the steel to build frame and dual hydraulic lifts is free, the cylinder $700. And I can tow it with my 1 ton Cummins. I'm making it stronger than average so I can rent it out and not have to worry about people breaking something. So please give me ideas like pump size, valve recommendations, anything that you guys can think of that will help. And I think most would build this if they had all the free stuff to do it.

I'll get some rough plans together so that you have an idea of how the cylinder is going to be mounted and things like that, again any help would be appreciated.

 

[LD1]

Let me ask what your budget is?

Pushing it to 100 GPM if you keep it to 2000-2500 psi is reasonable.

But a 100 GPM pump, you are talking several thousand dollars. Same for a valve sized for the flow. A few grand there. Then a bunch of 2" and 2-1/2" hydraulic hose. Easily another grand. Not to mention $1000+ in oil. So even though you got a killer deal on what you have, the hydraulics alone is gonna push $10k IMO.

And realistically, who is gonna want to rent it? Someone with equipment to be able to load logs, certainly has a splitter already. And the average Joe splitting bucked up firewood at 18"-20" long, that splitter offers no real advantage over a $1500 box store model.

Don't get me wrong, it's gonna be a cool project and a monster of a splitter. Just think it all through before you decide for certain that this is what you are going to do. Price the pump, hoses, valves, etc. Then decide. If you have a $10-$15k budget, great. We can advise. But I am hesitant to offer any suggestions til I know you understand that this ain't gonna be cheap.

 

[MinnesotaDaveChalmers]

I'm building something that will split my yearly wood in a weekend or two. The beam was free, the motor was free, the axle and wheels $100, the steel to build frame and dual hydraulic lifts is free, the cylinder $700. And I can tow it with my 1 ton Cummins. I'm making it stronger than average so I can rent it out and not have to worry about people breaking something. So please give me ideas like pump size, valve recommendations, anything that you guys can think of that will help. And I think most would build this if they had all the free stuff to do it.

I'll get some rough plans together so that you have an idea of how the cylinder is going to be mounted and things like that, again any help would be appreciated.

Yep, or some variation of it.
Log length ram to feed the log to the beam mounted hydraulic chainsaw.
Cut the chunk, push forward, cut another, push forward, etc.

All the while split pieces are falling off the end - or at least that's what I would do.

 

[texasranger556]

I'm building something that will split my yearly wood in a weekend or two. The beam was free, the motor was free, the axle and wheels $100, the steel to build frame and dual hydraulic lifts is free, the cylinder $700. And I can tow it with my 1 ton Cummins. I'm making it stronger than average so I can rent it out and not have to worry about people breaking something. So please give me ideas like pump size, valve recommendations, anything that you guys can think of that will help. And I think most would build this if they had all the free stuff to do it.

I'll get some rough plans together so that you have an idea of how the cylinder is going to be mounted and things like that, again any help would be appreciated.

Do you plan to actually split logs or mostly smaller stuff with an occasional log or even a stump? If you only need a 20-30" cycle you could get by with smaller pump/reservoir/valve etc, and just deal with a longer cycle time for long stuff. A quick search on surplus center shows a 40 GPM pump for $400 if you can come up with the adapters to drive it.

I suppose with your current design you could load the log, then saw it before splitting, and push it all through at once. Could be an efficient workflow if you installed a remote to do the cycle from your skid steer while grabbing the next log.

 

[BrokeFarmerJohn]

So my ideas to make it a bit more user friendly so you can "rent it out".

As someone who would rent this thing here's my thoughts to add to this, I would be content dragging logs to a large splitter like this, cutting the log in 6ft sections and rolling the log next to this splitter and like a portable sawmill it self loads the log, splits it.

The 18in cuts can be made with a chainsaw after its split, only prob there would be the efficiency of cutting the wood to length after its split.

Splitting 6ft logs 6-8 ways then cutting would be faster then cutting and splitting I feel, at the very least less effort. Also would lessen the time this splitter would be on site, split a bunch of trees return the splitter and cut to length later.

As the split wood piles up a way to hook it to a tractor and drag it a little and keep splitting, (a small axle, plate type sled ext). That way you could drop it off and all you would need is a small tractor to use it.

 

[crazyal]

The problem with cutting a 6' length of log is that you can't move it by hand. On my much smaller splitter I can split a round in half, toss one half to the side while I finish splitting the other half. I can easily line the round up with the wedge to split them to the size I want. Something with a stroke that large is most likely going to have the valve/ lever so far from a 24" round that you couldn't reach both. Then there's the weight of the log. I think you'll end up having to add cylinders on each side of the beam to move the log/ round to help split it where you want.

As for renting it out, I'm not sure if there's going to be much demand for something that most people couldn't move. Sure you can tow it with your truck and drop it off but once you leave how are they going to move it? Also have you thought about fuel usage? 5 gallons of gas will run my little 5.5hp Honda all weekend long. People aren't going to be happy if the burn through 20 gallons a day. Just things to think about. It does sound like a cool project.

 

[LD1]

Do you plan to actually split logs or mostly smaller stuff with an occasional log or even a stump? If you only need a 20-30" cycle you could get by with smaller pump/reservoir/valve etc, and just deal with a longer cycle time for long stuff. A quick search on surplus center shows a 40 GPM pump for $400 if you can come up with the adapters to drive it.

I suppose with your current design you could load the log, then saw it before splitting, and push it all through at once. Could be an efficient workflow if you installed a remote to do the cycle from your skid steer while grabbing the next log.

Dropping the GPM to 40 and short cycling the splitter only 24" (to match what is currently avaliable in a normal splitter) would give over a 20 second cycle for the thing to go 24" out and 24" back. Thats WAY too slow IMO.

And its not a good idea to cut a log first and push several rounds through. Good way to have big rounds flying at you.

Splitting 6ft logs 6-8 ways then cutting would be faster then cutting and splitting I feel. Or would lessen the time this splitter would be on site, split a bunch of trees return the splitter and cut to length later.

Less splitter time...sure. But longer saw time. And trying to cut split and splintered wood is a PITA. A 8' log will give about 5 rounds bucked to length. Thats 4 cuts. And 5 cycles of a splitter with a 6-way wedge. Using that splitter, ok, one cycle, but now you have to make 24 cuts.

And just the whole logistics of hauling logs, loading the splitter, etc vs bucking rounds at 16-18" and dealing with more manageable pieces. If it was mine, I'd try to incorporate a saw into the splitter itself. And build the wedge design more like a firewood processor. Cycle the ram 18", saw the splits, cycle another 18, saw the splits, etc.

OP: Research some processors. I think you are wasting your time trying to make nothing more than a scaled up version of a simple splitter.

 

[BrokeFarmerJohn]

Successful Sawmilling Series - Stacking the Deck - Home-built log loading deck for portable sawmills - YouTube