Log splitter design for short stroke cylinder

[billbill1]

Could you bolt the two cylinder base plates together and attach one clevis to the frame and the other to the wedge, tee the hoses together, and get 36" of stroke?

 

[dynasim]

Does anybody regularly use 15" of stroke on a log splitter? If not, put the wedge on the cylinder, and use a backup block to finish the long stringy ones.

I split by hand, and rarely, except in rotten logs, need to drive more than a couple of inches before it splits.

A 7" cylinder on cut hydraulics is going to be slow.

Chris

 

[smfcpacfp]

There are a lot of good ideas, but I agree with Dynasim. Seldom do I need to go more than a few inches. Yellow birch and elm are often stringy.

How long is the wood you are going to split?

I would just use one of the cylinders and build it conventionally. Here is a picture of my home build approaching 30 years old:

 

[Redneck in training]

I have two 7" cylinders to build log splitters, but the stroke is somewhat short (15-18"). Does anyone have experience in building a splitter that works like a hinge or scissor action? Any other ideas out there? The cycle is slow, about 1 second per inch with my tractor hyd. but I am fine with that, and could possibly build a 4 or 6 way wedge.

Use obtuse wedge so it would split halfway trough the log. Design it so the anvil could be repositioned to different distance from the wedge. Design the wedge so it gets progressively wider as it enters the log.

 

[mbohuntr]

I don't think the scissor idea is too safe, a lot of compressed energy just waiting for a weak spot...The straight ram uses straight force and liquids cannot be compressed. little stored energy to hurt anyone...Just my 2 cents...

 

[matrob]

Thanks for the good discussion. I am thinking that the safest route would be to build it conventionally. Besides weak points as many have pointed out, there would be many pinch points in the design, requiring guarding, etc. If It wouldn't be such a large machine, using both cylinders would be fine, but I would be approaching an 8ft long implement on the back of the tractor. I have seen the units with moveable wedges and would be interested in the reinforcement around the slots where the wedge drops in to. That way I could plan ahead and also use an additional block on the pusher end, when necessary.

Sure appreciate the ideas and honest advice and look forward to hearing more.
matt

 

[Brad_Blazer]

Or sell the two 7'' cylinders that you have and purchase an appropriate splitter cylinder... I forsee nothing but trouble down this path.

Mike

Best idea so far. One other thought I had was the chain travel doubler like you see on forklifts. Again the problem is handling the incredible force capability of a 7" cylinder.

 

[sizzami]

hate to be a negative nelly but there is no material i am aware of that would hold the force required on the scissor pivot pictured in the space availaible my advice having built a few splitters is drop the dough for exactly what you need a good splitter can last a couple of generations and remember moving parts wear out.

 

[chip_laugal]

If you built the unit like normal to take the longest log you wanted to split and the log did not split all the way, you could back up the cylinder and drop a spacer between the log and the fixed end.

Chip

 

[tommu56]

I like what chip said
"If you built the unit like normal to take the longest log you wanted to split and the log did not split all the way, you could back up the cylinder and drop a spacer between the log and the fixed end."

or build it conventional and cut your wood to suit (18") and then your wife wont have any problem loading stove for you

tom