Let's build the biggest non commercial splitter ever!

[BrokeFarmerJohn]

Here's a question, idk if such thing exists but Is there step up valves? Say hooking them up in a series, one valve builds the return pressure to X amount and the second valve takes X pressure and builds it up to the 60gpm.

 

[texasranger556]

Not sure what you mean, you're mixing flow and pressure. Perhaps you mean a pilot controlled valve. I'd think most valves over 50 or so GPM are going to be piloted or actuated some way other than manually.

 

[muddstopper]

When you start getting up to the 60-70gpm flow ranges, those levers get a little hard to push and pull. The valve in the pic I posted does have a lever and is self centered. Its rated for 70gpm. It uses a air cyl to shift the spools. Now the problem with air shift is you cant feather the valve, its either centered, letting oil just pass thru the valve, or its wide open, directing the flow to the cyl, motor or what ever.

As for the valve building the pressure, thats not the way it works, no pressure is built until the oil flow meets resistance, the cyl splitting the log is what causes pressure to build. the harder the log is to split, the more pressure the pump will build. There should always be a relief between the pump and the control valve to protect the pump. The control valve in my pic has a main relief as well as extra reliefs on the A and B ports. You can set the pressure in both directions. The Valve is also a closed system valve, but is convertable to open center by removing the adapter for power beyond.

There are several kinds of piloted control valves, and I have only seen a few. Air is one type, using hyd pressure is another, When it comes to using oil to shift the valves, I have seen a couple of types, one uses a smaller lever actuated control valve, usually at low pressure, 250-600psi, to direct oil to shift the main control valve. Another is the electric solenoid valve that shifts the spool that directs oil to shift the main spool in the main control valve. From what I have seen, the latter, is what seems to be the most common. You will see a 12 or 24 volt DC, solenoid on top of another spool valve thats bolted on top of another spool valve that mounted on a subplate. Inside factories, the solenoid valves could be AC voltage instead of DC. Rexroth Hydraulic Proportional Directional Control Valve R9947117 & R9955887 | eBay, Heres one such valve on ebay and they are asking $1150 for, and you would still need to buy the subplate to go with it. This why I said the OP's project can get expensive in a hurry because if you dont have some of these parts just lying around, you're going to have to scrounge very hard to find them, or start hitting the catalogs.

 

[FarmWrench]

I have a "large" splitter. Once the piece of wood is too large to handle by hand it makes sense to be as large as your log handling allow.

We did 4'-5' wood for maple syrup.

 

[FarmWrench]

You will be splitting the ugly stuff.

Yard trees with metal. (Or bricks, or..)
Syrup trees with spile holes and nails.
Forked and giant crotch pieces.
Stumps.
Species like elm.

This wood needs the simplest​ of wedges. I have made a four way that just drops onto the main wedge for the rare "easy" piece.

I can split 8' with 30" of stroke. (Usually less)Once the crack has started let a wide wedge and not a long stroke do the work.

 

[muddstopper]

I have a "large" splitter. Once the piece of wood is too large to handle by hand it makes sense to be as large as your log handling allow.

We did 4'-5' wood for maple syrup.

While I dont have a reason or purpose for such a large log splitter as the OP is proposeing, thats not to say they dont have a purpose. I have seen several videos of such monster splitters, and there are commercial manufacturers that build similar machines.

I am as crazy as the next guy when it comes to bigger, better, more powers arg, arg, arg. My current build, that has been sidelined for over a year now, is using twin 4.5in bore cyl with 30in strokes. double pump @75gpm of oil, powered by 7.3 diesel., 12 way wedge. I will have two conveyors and a hyd chainsaw, Also will have its own knuckle boom to keep it fed. It doesnt make sense for my use as I only split about 4 cord a year for personal use. More a case of having parts laying around and trying to find a use for them than having a actual need for such a machine. Even with a big selection of parts, this build isnt cheap, I have spent around $4 or $5000 buying stuff I didnt have, but thats been spread out over about a 5year period. I guess that sometimes even if you can do something, doesnt mean you should, but wheres the fun in that.

 

[Oldpath05]

It's sounds like to me that if one buys everything new needed to build a giant splitter, be pushing 20k, if that's the case this project is not practical, it's just a fun project for something to do for people who have time and $$$$, from what I'm reading here it's not even sounding doable for 5k.

Wonder if the op started looking up the cost of all the pumps, valves, fittings after you guys scared him, and said maybe I'll wait a few more years for the stars to line up, OR did he say, that's no problemo, I know a guy who knows a guy who knows a guy................

 

[FarmWrench]

Ours is old, redone. Originally had to drive pump, bigger cylinder, valve from a scraper. ...All stolen off the beam. It go a cylinder too short and a small valve that plugs into the scv. When I get some WiFi I'll dig out pictures of the block I made to let the cylinder do three lengths,.

Speed is not your friend with the big wood. If are burning 4' wood vs 16" you are handling less pieces.

Most of the big splitter are solving the same problem of concrete crushing. Trying to dispose of a problem and make something useful, while getting paid.

For those of us with someone holding our beer and watching, springs can be compressed on that useless return stroke.

 

[NH Mike]

What do you guys think of a control valve like one of these?

D08 4 Way Open Hydraulic Solenoid Valve i/w Vickers DG5S-8-S-0C-E-T-WL 12 VDC

 

[FarmWrench]

Backhoe or excavator pilot valves are a cheap start. If i was going to do more than a week of wood. The selinoid valve could be rigged to operate from a backhoe seat.

I really can't over emphasize the difference in how long wood splits compared to short wood. You simply don't need to complete the stroke.