My Home-built Log Splitter

[thallman]

Check out the 3pt home-built splitter I recently finished and let me know what you think!

 

[sweettractors]

Excellent job. Have you tried it out yet? Ken Sweet

 

[thallman]

Yes. I tried it out before painting it. It's slower than the motor powered or pto pump powered machinces because I'm using the tractors hydraulic pump (which I'm guessing is somewhere around 7-8GMP --average for most tractors). But it's not too slow. I've modified and fixed our farm machinery before but this is the first piece I've made from scratch.

 

[Car Doc]

Nice job! :thumbsup:

 

[sweettractors]

Yes. I tried it out before painting it. It's slower than the motor powered or pto pump powered machinces because I'm using the tractors hydraulic pump (which I'm guessing is somewhere around 7-8GMP --average for most tractors). But it's not too slow. I've modified and fixed our farm machinery before but this is the first piece I've made from scratch.

I built one several years ago and speeded my splitting cycle up in a unusual way. I put vertical angle iron wings on the back of knife. This let the split occur faster, without making as long a stroke. Ken Sweet

 

[thallman]

Thanks Ken, for the suggestion. I've seen multiple people do that and considered it if this doesn't end up splitting the way I want to in the long run. The main reason I didn't do that was because I've seen people run a slip-on 4-way splitting wedge that I thought was pretty cool. In it's current state, that option still remains

 

[sweettractors]

Thanks Ken, for the suggestion. I've seen multiple people do that and considered it if this doesn't end up splitting the way I want to in the long run. The main reason I didn't do that was because I've seen people run a slip-on 4-way splitting wedge that I though was pretty cool. In it's current state, that option still remains

Yes, that 4 way split is a nice feature on smaller diameter pieces. Ken Sweet

 

[KennyG]

Looks like it should last into the next century. Any idea how much it weighs?

 

[glastron23]

Thallman... nice build, everyone talks about speed being the big thing, i know that about a hour and things slow down a lot, and i'm not talking about the machine. LOL
i like a long thin knife for tough stringy wood, it just splits better with less breakage on the side of the wood and requires less power, if we get into maple or ash then we just start to split the wood about half way then stroke back and add another block and push the first one through and so on. We found that the addition of a table at the end of the knife to hold split wood so it doesn't just fall on the ground or wood that needs to be resplit again is a real help, this one is about 2 feet past the end of the knife and is 10 inches wide on both sides,

 

[moose13]

Very nice job!:thumbsup:

 

[J_J]

Nice construction. Two comments, I believe I would color code or put one male and one female fitting on the hoses to match the ones on the tractor so no mistakes are made.

If you want to split faster, there is a fast extend valve made for log splitters that will decrease your splitting time.

Prince LSR Rapid Extend Logsplitter Valve - Cylinder Services

 

[thallman]

Thanks for the comments.

1) I hope it lasts for quite sometime. I'm not sure how much it weighs. I could pick up the hitch end before adding the cylinder by myself but now it's a but of a strain with everything assembled

2) I left the H-beam a bit long so I can add a table later down the road. I'm a little under $700 invested in this splitter after everything--shipping, taxes, paint...the whole deal. (Yes, I know I could have bought one new at this price but no where near the durability).

3) I've seen that valve JJ but didn't know if it can be used with my open-center system on my tractor -- fluid has to move at all times. I may convert to a pto pump later down the road but with the RPM's set at roughly 2,000 is splits at a decent click. And, I also am going to mark the hosed with a red electrical tape band or something.

 

[Johndeere3720]

Nice build! :thumbsup: When you run out of wood, I got plenty available for you to split. :thumbsup: I like the single wedge on my splitter because it allows me to cut square blocks to tie the corners on the stack together better. :thumbsup:

 

[glastron23]

Thallman... it's not the COST it's the FUN in building it.....**** anyone can BUY it ..... but not every one has the lack of brain cells to NOT build it ...LOL Jim

 

[brandoro]

I never felt the need for a really fast wood splitter either. Mine isn't very fast but I can keep up to it for a good long time and I don't feel the need to count my fingers after each stroke:thumbsup:.
I suppose if you usually get a work gang together and do a bunch of splitting in a day speed could be more important but for my one man operation slow and steady works out nicely.
Mine runs at a comfortable pace with the tractor at 17-1800 RPM, the tractor runs nice and smooth at that RPM and doesn't seem too hard on fuel.

 

[J_J]

thallman,

Yes, that valve is open center. They also have another valve that is automatic after setting the two levers fwd. It will split the wood, retract the rod, and shift the levers to neutral. They are made by Prince.

Surplus Center - 1 SPOOL PRINCE AUTO CYCLE LOG SPLITTER VALVE

 

[beeforty]

To make up for the slow cyle time of the cylinder, don't let it retract all the way. I just tap the handle to stop the auto retract when I am splitting peices less than my stroke length:thumbsup:

 

[Gizmo2]

I never felt the need for a really fast wood splitter either. Mine isn't very fast but I can keep up to it for a good long time and I don't feel the need to count my fingers after each stroke:thumbsup:.
I suppose if you usually get a work gang together and do a bunch of splitting in a day speed could be more important but for my one man operation slow and steady works out nicely.
Mine runs at a comfortable pace with the tractor at 17-1800 RPM, the tractor runs nice and smooth at that RPM and doesn't seem too hard on fuel.

The splitter I made years ago was not the fastest either. I could split wood faster with a double edge axe but not nearly as long, the splitter could go all day.

 

[Gizmo2]

To make up for the slow cyle time of the cylinder, don't let it retract all the way. I just tap the handle to stop the auto retract when I am splitting peices less than my stroke length:thumbsup:

I made ours to handle stove size wood and fireplace wood and used a set of bolts for stops for the shorter stove cut wood. Last picture, post #15
http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/build-yourself/147460-home-made-wood-splitter-2.html#post1724454

 

[thallman]

Hey fellows, unfortuently, I've run into a problem I can't seem to figure out. The other day I tested it out on some notty stubborn wood. Next thing I know, the two pieces of flat bar that anchor the pusher to underneath the top of the I-beam bent, a few grade-8 bolts either snapped or bent and the WORST part is the edges of the I-beam bent upward--thankfully not breaking.

From what I can tell the wood must have caused the push plate to go up alittle bending the i-beam.

Here's a bit more info.
1) I have very little up and down movement of the push plate and about a 1/4 inch move ment from side to side.
2) the hydraulic cyclinder is completely horizontal to the i-beam (thus, not applying any un-need force in either the up or down vertical direction.)

The fix and second run:

So I fixed the first problem by replacing the two pieces of flat bar that anchor the pusher to underneath the top of the I-beam with thicker 3/4" flatbar. Today ran a good bit of wood through again and ran into the same problem. This time only the i-beam bent and I was really caredful to watch for this since I know the sound it made from the first time a day prior. I backed off the pressure, hammered back down the i-beam flat, resituated the log and continued splitting.

I don't understand why this is happening. This has never happened with any other splitter I've used and the one I have built is much bulkier than anything in the store.

Have you ever heard of this happening to anyone before? Any suggestions?

Thanks, Thomas