Splitter wedge mount location on log splitter-

beergut · May 9, 2009

Thanks for all the comments!
I actually ended up welding the wedge to the beam- an 8" x 1" wedge - Just for the sake of keeping it simple, plus, I was running low on argon and it's a 2 hour round trip to fill the tank.
Another (potentially stupid) question- I just picked up this SpeeCo Log Splitter 3 pt. control valve. There's no mounting holes or bracket to bolt it to my splitter. The only flat area is on the top of the valve. Am I supposed to drill & tap this flat area to mount it? Even then, I'll have to build a bracket to allow me to mount it from the top... I couldn't find any info from their web site.
I bought this Speeco valve to replace the Victor Fluid valve I'm currently using- The Victor valve keeps creeping forward on me while the engine is running. Plus, I wanted to get a detent valve, which the Victor is not.

-Mike

Scotty370 · May 9, 2009

Now that's strange to me! No mounting holes? What's chances of incorporating the work ports to hold it to a 1/4" plate. Sort of like a bulkhead? IE come out of the work ports with a hydro fitting that has 2 jam nuts to sandwich the mounting plate, then attach your hoses under the plate. I'd be doing lots of sweating, drilling into a valve body! ~Scotty

PS- Also a comment on the 'dedent' valve. Mine is dedented in both directions, and kicks to center at the end of each stroke, either forward or reverse. I know the 'Safety-police' won't like it, but I wouldn't have it any other way!~S

beergut · May 9, 2009

Totally agree with you Scotty- Drilling into a valve body doesn't sound like a good idea to me either. The bulkhead method sounds promising, I just wonder if that would be too much back & fourth stress on the fitting acting as a mount over time

Diamondpilot · May 9, 2009

Many of the new valves I see on store bought splitters are mounted directly to the cylinder with a pipe nipple from one work port to one inlet port on the cylinder. Like this picture.

I guess they do this to simplify the building of the splitter, no bracket needed. This also keeps down cost on the materials for the bracket and the hose needed.

Chris

mrcaptainbob · May 9, 2009

If I may recommend a mod to the blade...there were two angle irons welded vertically about two inches to the rear of the leading edge of the blade on my splitter. The angle walls look like 1 1/4 x 1 1/2. The shorter side was to the rear so the forward side has a fair ramp angle to it. Sure spreads the pieces once the blade starts it way.

GE222 · May 10, 2009

Nice project.
I am very glad that I mounted the wedge on the beam. My neighbor purchased his with the wedge attached to the cylinder. His splitter has two stops which are supposed to hold the logs in place as the ram is retracted. I have seen him fight with several pieces which got stuck.

Yes I have also noticed that units that can split vertical have a ram mounted wedge versus horizontal only have a beam mounted wedge.

If possible, I would get a different valve which did have mounting holes. I used a Cross double spool valve which was great to mount. The second spool on mine is for the log lift. Saves on my back.

I agree with Mrcaptainbob, my wedge has "wings" to spread the split wood piece. I used some scrap 3/4" thick plate wedges, but I believe the angle iron would be the easiest way to go.

I also have a 2" receiver socket at the back end. I have pulled a trailer behind my splitter when being pulled around with one of my larger tractors. Sometime the wood I am splitting is in multiple locations, with the storage location somewhere else. I made a tail light bar to insert into the socket when the unit is pulled down the road.

turnkey4099 · May 10, 2009

LD1 said:
I would not weld the wedge to the cylinder. All the designs that I have seen have the wedge bolted to the ram, but the bolt doesn't actually do anything when splitting. Their is a push plate on the back of the wedge so you don't shear/bend the bolt. The bolt is only used in reverse.

And as far as putting a wedge on both the cylinder and the beam, I have not tried it so I cant speak from experience, but when you have a peice of stringy wood that doesn't split all the way, you have a lot of leverage to pry them appart with only one wedge and the "hinge of stringy stuff" being at one end of the wood. With two wedges, and the "hinge" being in the middle of the wood could be frustrating.

.

The odds of both wedges making a split that meets is astronomical. You would get a lot of very thin slices on good splitting wood. On sstringy stuff you would wind up with two batches of strings to free up.

Harry K

turnkey4099 · May 10, 2009

Wedge on beam for me. The drawback there is if you are buying a commercial unit, you are pretty well stuck with the vert/horiz models and wedged on ram. You can find Horizontal only ones but they run big bucks.

I just replaced my old homebuilt 1986-2009 RIP. It was underpowered and slow as well as having eaten its share of wood over those years.

My thoughts:

Height - get it up to about where your knuckles brush the beam. Mine was low until 2007 when I finally wised up and raised it 9" - world of difference!

Wedge location:

On ram (tip-up models):
Nice: The wood still to be split is right in front of you.
Bad: the "works" are right there with some of it in the way in horizontal mode. Also I have had splits fall off the log cradle and hit the engine. It is still in break in mode and that log cradle will be modified.
Bad: On wood that tends to "pop" it tends to come right at you (I caught one right in the 'nads') With wedge on ram they go away from you. I have seen some fly as far as 6' off my old splitter.

On beam:
Good: Any flying stuff is going away from you.
Good: All the finished stuff clears the work area without having to pick it up and toss it aside.
Good: Plentyof ways to build a table to hold the stuff that still needs splitting.

Bad (sorta): With an 'off-feed' table you have to pull the unsplit stuff back all of about 16" or less if it splits before full ram extension. That only takes a minor twist to one side, reach and pull.

Other than having unsplit stuff right in front of you (not a big deal) I can see no advantage to wedge on ram. That it has to be there for 'tip-up' operation is not an advantage.

My big hate of wedge on ram is having the 'works' right in the way of the operator.

Harry K

SpringHollow · May 10, 2009

Killing baby trees - you guys should be ashamed! Wait until the PETT people hear about this. Seriously, I could not lift half of the logs i split. I am amazed you guys can use a horizontal splitter without a serious log lift. 24" or more diameter green oak logs chunked to 24" get pretty heavy. I am impressed if you guys are lifting those for a few hours not to mention all that bending over. Maybe i need to start eating my Wheaties and spinach and stop being such a wimp

Squatting down or sitting on a short log in front of a vertical splitter is relatively easy on my bad back. I like to bring logs or chunks close to where I am going to stack, pile some near the splitter, split and toss into a tall pile in front of the stack. When stacking, just reach over and grab the splits. Goes pretty quick and minimizes bending. As my row of wood gets longer, i just relocate the splitter a little bit.

I have thought about building a splitting table but then i would have to use the tractor to load the table. Could do it by hand for 16" diameter stuff. But the vertical works so well, I have never felt the need.

One big plus of the horizontal would be the bidirectional spliters.

Ken

SpringHollow · May 10, 2009

Killing baby trees - you guys should be ashamed! Wait until the PETT people hear about this. Seriously, I could not lift half of the logs i split. I am amazed you guys can use a horizontal splitter without a serious log lift. 24" or more diameter green oak logs chunked to 24" get pretty heavy. I am impressed if you guys are lifting those for a few hours not to mention all that bending over. Maybe i need to start eating my Wheaties and spinach and stop being such a wimp

Squatting down or sitting on a short log in front of a vertical splitter is relatively easy on my bad back. I like to bring logs or chunks close to where I am going to stack, pile some near the splitter, split and toss into a tall pile in front of the stack. When stacking, just reach over and grab the splits. Goes pretty quick and minimizes bending. As my row of wood gets longer, i just relocate the splitter a little bit.

I have thought about building a splitting table but then i would have to use the tractor to load the table. Could do it by hand for 16" diameter stuff. But the vertical works so well, I have never felt the need.

One big plus of the horizontal would be the bidirectional spliters.

Ken

turnkey4099 · May 10, 2009

ksimolo said:
Killing baby trees - you guys should be ashamed! Wait until the PETT people hear about this. Seriously, I could not lift half of the logs i split. I am amazed you guys can use a horizontal splitter without a serious log lift. 24" or more diameter green oak logs chunked to 24" get pretty heavy. I am impressed if you guys are lifting those for a few hours not to mention all that bending over. Maybe i need to start eating my Wheaties and spinach and stop being such a wimp

Squatting down or sitting on a short log in front of a vertical splitter is relatively easy on my bad back. I like to bring logs or chunks close to where I am going to stack, pile some near the splitter, split and toss into a tall pile in front of the stack. When stacking, just reach over and grab the splits. Goes pretty quick and minimizes bending. As my row of wood gets longer, i just relocate the splitter a little bit.

I have thought about building a splitting table but then i would have to use the tractor to load the table. Could do it by hand for 16" diameter stuff. But the vertical works so well, I have never felt the need.

One big plus of the horizontal would be the bidirectional spliters.

Ken

I don't follow just how you are getting those big rounds near the splitter. Sounds like you are moving them around by hand. Kill the tree and then park the splitter there? No, that can't be as you say you also pile it at the same time. In my case, the splitter stays home which means that anything I cut has to be broken down to a size I can load and if I can load it there, I can put it on the splitter. Currently working a bunch of locust killed by the locust borer. Butt cuts ranging up to 30" plus. All go through the vert/horiz in the
horizontal mode

The biggest round in that bunch would have been right at 24". Any bigger and I have to start quartering them before loading vice halving.

I weighed one of the blocks I unloaded last year, 137 pounds and that wasn't the biggest one. Dunno how much longer I can do stupid stuff like that though, passed 74 last March

.

Harry K

SpringHollow · May 10, 2009

Not sure why it double posted. If possible, i prefer to use the tractor to bring the logs to the pile. Then chunk, split, and stack right there. Helps that the trees are on my land. This year, I had several loads of logs delivered because i ran out of time. Making a logging arch is on my wish list.

If that is not possible, then i take the splitter to the tree, chunk, split, and toss into the trailer. The portable gas winch works great for bringing the trees to the trail.

Ken

WilliamBos · May 10, 2009

Take the splitter to the wood like we do. Lower it down, and roll the log on.

Quarter them up, put the legs back on and split away. Load on a wagon as you split. Then pile to dry.

SpringHollow · May 10, 2009

Very nice ! Or get the skidsteer mount ones where you leave the log on the ground. But they seem very awkward to use and lots of tractor time per log.

Scotty370 · May 11, 2009

BG- I was just at TractorSupplyCorp. Sure as can be, they use a pipe nipple and screw one end in the work port, and the other in the cylinder port, and that's the mount! The other work port has a 90* to a hose to the other end of the cylinder. ~Scotty

beergut · May 12, 2009

Well- $60 in fittings later and a little welding, I figured out how to mount my new spool valve. I had to cut the original mount and reverse it to gain enough clearance from the cylinder, then I used a bulkhead design to mount the valve, it's pretty solid. So nice having a detent valve! All I have left now is to mount the new axle I picked up for it, which will raise the splitter a good 8".

turnkey4099 · May 12, 2009

beergut said:
Well- $60 in fittings later and a little welding, I figured out how to mount my new spool valve. I had to cut the original mount and reverse it to gain enough clearance from the cylinder, then I used a bulkhead design to mount the valve, it's pretty solid. So nice having a detent valve! All I have left now is to mount the new axle I picked up for it, which will raise the splitter a good 8".

Nice! I miss the detent valve I had on my old splitter - I should have changed it to the 'non-detent' one I had before I sold the thing. Yes, a detent valve is a hazard and I would not let anyone else use it for that reason. I almost lost a finger due to that valve.

I also miss not having a 'center mount' valve on the new one so it would be operated from either side...but then being a tip-up model with offset axle I guess it couldn't be anyhow.

On the method of mounting the valve. My Troy Bilt also has the pipe nipple mount. However, on the opposide of the valve it has two tapped holes for an alternate mount.

Harry K

Aussiebushman · Jun 4, 2009

Just a thought about the safety factor. If the wood is not cut square, it can slip from the push-plate and fly off with considerable force. My Wedge is on the beam and this acts as a fulcrum, making the log fly away from and not towards the operator. The last time this happened, it punched a nice hole in the shed door and I'm glad it was not in me!

Cheers

Alan

Massey_lover · Jun 7, 2009

What kind of wood are you guys splitting that it flies off the splitter with enough force to go through a shed door? I have a Wallenstien Horizontal/Vertical splitter with the wedge on the ram, and the only stick that's ever flown off of it was cedar, spliiting drywood. And the biggest advantage to having the wedge on the ram is that when you split, the blocks don't fall off the end of the splitter, but they stay right on the tables so you don't have to pick them up twice.

SPYDERLK · Jun 8, 2009

Massey_lover said:
What kind of wood are you guys splitting that it flies off the splitter with enough force to go through a shed door? I have a Wallenstien Horizontal/Vertical splitter with the wedge on the ram, and the only stick that's ever flown off of it was cedar, spliiting drywood. [[And the biggest advantage to having the wedge on the ram is that when you split, the blocks don't fall off the end of the splitter, but they stay right on the tables so you don't have to pick them up twice.]]... Yay!

I have wedge on ram. Home made with hoizontal beam. To address the chance of angle cuts slipping off the stop plate I made mine just 2" wide and also put some teeth on it by welding some beads on the face and grinding slots about every half inch.
larry