Tractor Wood Splitter

Larry Caldwell · Jan 7, 2017

I need a wood splitter, and the commercial ones with small engines seem pretty slow. I'm thinking about either buying a pre-built one or building my own out of a splitter with a bad motor. The ones I have seen on YouTube seem to run best with about a 20 gpm PTO pump. That cycles a 5" ram in about 6 seconds, both directions with about a 24" stroke. My tractor only puts out 8.3 gpm at the valve, so I think it would be no faster than one with a little motor.

Tractor powered hydraulic log splitter - YouTube

In any case I need something that rotates to vertical, because I have oak rounds as big as 3' to split and I can't lift them. I assume I need something in the 30 ton range to get the work done. That means a pretty good sized cylinder. I think my tractor would probably handle a 25 or 30 gpm PTO pump with no problem.

Has anybody tinkered with something like this?

4570Man · Jan 7, 2017

Why don't you build a log lifter? After my wood splitter was stolen I'm going to have to build one. The plan is a horizontal only with a log lifter, wedge on the end of the beam, and a large table to catch the split pieces. Here's about what I have in mind.

They claim a 10 second cycle time with 22 gpm which is acceptable to me. My other splitter did 13 seconds. I wished it was faster, but it wasn't that bad. I plan on building a self driving unit with a lawn mower conversion. I'll probably end of scrapping that idea in favor of a self driving unit propelled with the lawn rear end and powered with the lawn mower engine which is a 18 hp Briggs&Stratton vanguard. I don't want to power it with my loader tractor because it needs to move wood. I could power it with the B7200, but it'll probably be sold in the feature.

Sawyer Rob · Jan 7, 2017

My pto splitter has a 20 gpm pump on the pto with a 5" cyl, and it works very good.

Keep in mind, all the ports, hoses and valves ALSO have to be rated for at least 20 gpm too, and you need a 15 gallon or so hydraulic tank on it too...

SR

TomSeller · Jan 8, 2017

Sawyer Rob said:
My pto splitter has a 20 gpm pump on the pto with a 5" cyl, and it works very good.

Keep in mind, all the ports, hoses and valves ALSO have to be rated for at least 20 gpm too, and you need a 15 gallon or so hydraulic tank on it too...

SR

Exactly. A tank is required. And a vent, should have a filter too. Tanks are often 1 gallon per each GPM to help cool the fluid.