show your homemade splitter pics here

[Short Game]

Short Game, Sorry if I offended you. I must have posted my reply in the wrong place. My mistake. It was meant for someone else.

Nice machine I love the twin cylinders.

Not to worry. Stuff happens.

If I had it to do over, I'd go with a 4" cylinder. It just happened to work out this way for me, building it without a clue at the time. I built it originally to have the works movable from the 18" max. to just over 24". The wedge is removable and I had hoped to make it push a fro blade and split shakes too. After I doubled the rams, it was amazing how much it would flex the 4X4X1/4 tubing, as well as the rods, with the two working against each other when up against a knot. There was as much as an inch of arc in the tube. After I fitted the truss, that was no longer an issue, but now I'm stuck with the 18" maximum and disassembly became much more difficult.

 

[me0418840987]

Alright, I'll show mine off. The only problem I have is I need a faster cycle time, currently just under 2 min, but there is nothing short of a solid steel block that can stop it. I posted in the hydraulics section. I want to use a 40 gpm pump from a garbage truck, but have no idea what psi thewy put out, or if they are adjustable. I want to couple this with a Ford 300 I-6 from a 81 F 100. Crazy? Maybe, but why not. It goesa into the category of The price is right, Free. I have two ford engines, and can get the pump for an even trade for my 11 hp briggs and 16 gpm pump I currently have.

 

[Short Game]

If Paul Bunyan had a splitter...

Looks like a contender in the heavyweight division.

 

[me0418840987]

Well, first pump option is out, pump on the garbage truck spins way to easy by hand. Went to Northern, and they are out of stock on cast iron CCW hi pressure gear pumps, Maybe get them in by September she says...

 

[me0418840987]

Update on my splitter. I have almost all of it done. It will be running as soon as autozone has my points distributor in so I can get rid of all of the extra wires. I installed a Ford I-6 from an 81 f100. I actually needed a CW pump, so I was able to get that as it was in stock. 45 gpm valve from Surplus center. I got an oil cooler from a concrete truck. I salvaged a 20 gallon fuel tank from a wrecked boat. A few* hours later, we had it mostly together. Waiting on fittings from the implement dealer, and my return filter. Hope it works as good as it looks. Short game, Heavyweight division is right. I hooked it to my Dodge caravan, I have helper springs in it, and have hauled 27 bundles of shingles plus tools tothe job site with it. It made it squat farther than that. I used to pull it with that, It will only be pulled with the truck from now on It will be interesting, Ill take it to the truck scale when it's done.

 

[DiskDoctr]

will post some more pics.

All nice splitters and processors. We're beginning (planning stages) a firewood processor and the posts are helpful.

Here's a question about glastron23's build.

Your "control station" at the splitter appears to sit on the ground. How do you move the processor? Does the vertical hydraulic cylinder that moves the splitting wedge somehow lift the entire "cage" for ground clearance?

I was amazed at how close this is to what we are planning

Thanks.

 

[glastron23]

Discdoctr.. the control station is at the rear of the unit at working height from the ground. The vertical cylinder just pulls the splitting wedge up or down to the Ibeam, the cage is attached to the top of the processor frame and is also to be used to attach the lifting winch for the folding 12 foot split wood conveyor (if i ever get around to attaching it). as far as moving it we have a trailer hitch on the front and use the truck for highway or the tractor around the farm, the unit is sitting on a torflex axle that keeps the machine low to the ground.

 

[glastron23]

sorry about the wrong pic

 

[DiskDoctr]

Discdoctr.. the control station is at the rear of the unit at working height from the ground. The vertical cylinder just pulls the splitting wedge up or down to the Ibeam, the cage is attached to the top of the processor frame and is also to be used to attach the lifting winch for the folding 12 foot split wood conveyor (if i ever get around to attaching it). as far as moving it we have a trailer hitch on the front and use the truck for highway or the tractor around the farm, the unit is sitting on a torflex axle that keeps the machine low to the ground.

Thanks for your quick reply!

When I was looking at the pics you posted, an earlier one looked like the support area under the splitting wedge had legs resting on the ground?

I couldn't figure how you would raise those legs and get enough clearance for moving the trailer...

I must be looking at it wrong

Do you have another pic from behind the operator, a little wider view? (No, not a pic of the operator's behind, a wider pic of the processor's splitting wedge! )

I just hope ours turns out half as well. How do you like it now that you've had it a while? How often do you use it?

How does the chain/bar hold up?

We are comparing bar/chain with a circular blade and a shear blade. We're looking at up to 24" logs, figuring a 36" bar and cut into about 18"-20" long pieces. We want mostly hardwoods here in Pennsylvania and some of it may not be clean (rocks, dirt, who knows)

I don't think the shear will be able to go through 24" of oak or hickory, but I don't know how to find out? We can use some backhoe cylinders for force, but I don't think it will shear that size?

So we're back to the chain and bar, but I worry about how it will hold up.

Sorry so many Q's. It's a big undertaking for us and will help several of our families here on the farms

Thanks.

- JC

ETA: I see you added a pic while I was writing it. That's EXACTLY the view I needed for the splitter part, thanks! I thought the axle was farther forward in the other pic.

 

[glastron23]

Hi JC,, no problem answering questions, YES it a big project, took about 4 months to do (weekends mostly)
We installed 4 corner trailer jacks to level the machine, we really only use the 2 front ones.
We also looked at a circular blade, not cheap for a 60 inch wheel, and shears but was afraid of the lack of cutting force in big wood and cost of material for the shear.
We use a 404 harvester chain and bar, it lasts really nice. We filed the chain 4 times this year and have hit a few rocks and it doesn't really slow the chips down at all. The bar is a GB unit and they are really strong, we have the oil turned up a bit ( about 2 gallons a year). This is the third year for it and we split 12 cord at dads, 10 cord next door and 3 cord at a friends this year.
We have modified the split wedge, we removed the 6 way blades (it jammed more than it was worth), the wood clamp (would change it to a straight up and down style), changed the engine to 25 HP (had 15 hp and knew it wasn't enough) and we are going to modify the log loading arms to except 12 to 16 foot wood, we now use 8 to 10 foot.