Looking for opinons on log splitter build.

[marcomjl]

I have 3 options I'm thinking about.

1. Build and piece together a kinetic log splitter. I like this the best due to the speed. (I want to be able to split wood fast whether at home or where I'm gathering wood.)

2. Build a hydraulic log splitter attachment for my Mini skid steer (Dingo 323 10.8 gpm on high pump, 4 gpm on the low pump) I like this idea cause I can utilize the power out of my machine but not sure if its more powerful than a standalone splitter with a dedicated motor around 9hp with a fast cycle time?

3. Buy a used hydraulic splitter hopefully for less than $600 that can compete speed wise with the two above. That's if I find one in that price range.

 

[Craig Clayton]

This came up last year about the kinetic splitter. I found some very scarey wheels on Youtube.

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-E4GmFX3Puo]wheel of death part 6 - YouTube[/ame]

I like # 3 option if it is in good shape and keep the dingo to handle the wood.

I want to get / build /repair a mini skid steer.
I am not as young as I use to be but I am getting smarter.

Craig Clayton

 

[J_J]

If you only have about 4 to 5 GPM's, and you want a fast log splitter, then the Prince LSR-3060 fast extend valve with a 4 in cyl should work for you.

But, how fast is fast for a young guy or an old guy.

 

[beeforty]

That kinetic splitter may split fast but for an aging guy like me you have to pick up each piece to split I have a regular splitter that has a pivoting beam, so I pull up next to my cut pile, sit on a fat chunk and just reach over , grab a piece and toss the splits to the side. Don't let the cylinder fully retract unless you are doing long ones and your cycle time is cut down:thumbsup: My cylinder has a longer throw than what I burn. Or with your Dingo mount with a Q/A on the side of your bucket, you can split and load as you go

 

[lostcause]

i find the splitter speed thing to be sometimes a non-factor. if you have a crew of 3 people or more to split, then i guess everything counts, but i usually do it solo.

my splitter is powered by a 5.6gpm tractor pump, has a 3.5" cylinder with an 18" stroke. i've split about 10 cord in the last 3 or so years since i built it, and it has never failed to split a piece. around here you don't get a lot of hardwoods over 2' diameter, and i've had no issue with anything that size. i split 16" because my stoves take a max of 18" and 22" respectively. the 3.5" cylinder helps offset the 5.6gpm pump for speed.

even if i rush as fast as possible, once i pull the lever to retract i have to clear the split wood and pick up another piece and put it on the bed to split. rarely ever am i waiting on the splitter. also, i have a fairly steep tapered wedge, so the wood often splits apart well before the cylinder is fully extended. only really stringy pieces require full extension. this speeds both splitting and retracting time too. add in the fact that i don't have an overlength ram like many i see - 24" throw for 16" wood.

again, these are all based on me splitting alone. if i had a crew i could possibly notice some benefits of a faster machine.

 

[marcomjl]

Well its just going to be me. I've got a few softwoods but a bit of red oak, ash, and different maples and fruit wood. Pretty hard stuff. A friend's uncle is finishing up using his splitter and will sell it to me for $300 in a week or two. It's supposedly a 22ton, 26hp, commercial troy bilt splitter. I know of no such thing. Especially the 26hp? with a 22ton only? IDK but I know its 20ton+ since he's splitting hard oak and some really big pieces so I'll wait and see when he's ready to sell shortly.


If this doesn't fall through, I'm thinking of a 4gpm single stage pump with the prince regen valve or a 9-10hp 20ishgpm 2 stage pump. Either way I need a 24" ram since my insert can take up to 22" easy and I like the big long pieces they cook and last the best.

 

[Oldmax]

Bite the bullet and get ta least a 11 GPM two stage pump.

 

[lostcause]

Especially the 26hp? with a 22ton only?

I know its 20ton+ since he's splitting hard oak and some really big pieces

If this doesn't fall through, I'm thinking of a 4gpm single stage pump with the prince regen valve or a 9-10hp 20ishgpm 2 stage pump. Either way I need a 24" ram since my insert can take up to 22" easy and I like the big long pieces they cook and last the best.

when i was a little kid, 30 years ago, the only splitters you ever saw were 4"x24" running on a 5hp or less engine. the same one has been misused by my family members for that 30 years now, and it's guaranteed to have split several hundred cord by now. it has had an engine replaced twice that i can remember and i'm sure the pump too, but the cylinder is the original. if you figure on somewhere around 2200psi on a 4" diameter cylinder you should get just shy of 14 tons unless there's more math involved than that. i never saw anything that it couldn't handle. i remember seeing 3+ foot diameter rounds thrown on, and there was never an issue of the wedge not going through. on big pieces sometimes the wedge would pass through without the round popping in half, but that's a function of the size of the wood and not the power of the splitter.

by today's standards 20 tons seems kind of puny, but consider this: 20 tons will push a 1/2" diameter punch through 1/2" thick steel plate. now go take a 1/2" punch and drive it by hand into a piece of steel. then take a splitter wedge and use the same hand force to drive it into the end of a log. you will be lucky to notice a scratch on the steel, but you will clearly see where a wedge will start to press into a piece of wood. i see these huge numbers as more of a marketing tool than anything. bigger is always better to 99% of the consumers. thing is, to get more force you need more cylinder diameter. you then need more pump and more engine just to keep the speed of a smaller splitter, let alone be faster.

i will admit hydraulics aren't my thing. there's a lot of technical things i don't know about how it all works, so i'll leave that to the experts. the thing i do see is that most use a two stage pump, and i would believe that this is so that when not loaded you get the benefit of the high volume, therefore faster travel. when it hits the load it kicks into the lower volume higher powered mode.

 

[J_J]

There is something wrong with the numbers, as

Tonnage produced by

4 in cyl-----3000 psi-=18.8 ton

4.5 in cyl--3000 psi--=23.8 ton

5 in cyl--3000 psi----=29.45

5.25 cyl--3000 psi---=33 ton

It takes 10 HP to pump 5 GPM at 3000 psi.

---------12 HP----------22 GPM at 650 psi

---------12 HP-----------7 GPM at 2500 psi

Troybuilt makes a 27 and a 33 ton splitter, and uses a 277 cc engine to power the larger splitter. I believe that is about 9 HP.

GPM's determine the speed of cyl cycle time.

Operating pressure provides the force.

 

[marcomjl]

There is something wrong with the numbers, as

Tonnage produced by

4 in cyl-----3000 psi-=18.8 ton

4.5 in cyl--3000 psi--=23.8 ton

5 in cyl--3000 psi----=29.45

5.25 cyl--3000 psi---=33 ton

It takes 10 HP to pump 5 GPM at 3000 psi.

---------12 HP----------22 GPM at 650 psi

---------12 HP-----------7 GPM at 2500 psi

Troybuilt makes a 27 and a 33 ton splitter, and uses a 277 cc engine to power the larger splitter. I believe that is about 9 HP.

GPM's determine the speed of cyl cycle time.

Operating pressure provides the force.

Oh there's definitely something wrong with his numbers lol. I asked twice and got the same numbers then just gave up on the phone hahha. Until I get a call back soon my guess is it is a 27ton troy built or a 22ton husky that can be mistaken due to colors being the same. Either way I hope it falls through, see how it is and then if needed maybe replace something for a little more speed. I got dozens of big 28"+ oaks to take down looking to start a good 3-4 year supply and then sell the rest. I might even have a deal on a conveyor to load my truck too.