Logsplitter Wedge, This way or That, Whats the Difference?

[LD1]

They make a hydraulic auto-cycle valve that does just that. 2- levers. Pull them both and it extends fully and kicks one lever out then retracts and kicks the other out. Or something like that.

As to the retracting. They make adjustable collar stops to limit return stroke also.

As far as waiting, you just need a faster splitter. Not some 15-16 second cycle box store job. I built mine with a 4" cylinder and oversized 2" rod. Paired with a 22gmp pump, there is little time for anything but splitting.

 

[Industrial Toys]

Time will tell if my ideas have any merit. Some ideas seem good enough on paper but don't make much sense in the real world. I saw one of those skid steer mounted splitters with the wedge on the bottom. You do all the operating and moving of wood from the skid steer. What a lot of wear and tear on expensive equipment to make a bit of fire wood!

I would be most curious to see one of those auto cycle valves.

 

[SpringHollow]

I have a horizontal splitter with wedge on the end and a horizontal vertical splitter that I converted to electric. The electric one is my go to splitter and gets 99% of its use in the vertical mode. No way I could routinely lift the hardwood chunks I am splitting. I find it reasonably comfortable to sit on a 5 gallon pail with the "padded" seat cover or to half kneel while splitting. Most of these chunks are getting split 8 or more times. The other huge plus of that setup is that you have more control over where the wedge is located on the chunk when doing difficult crotch splits. If I could only have one the wood i have to deal with, it would definitely be vertical. I might feel different if I was usually dealing with 15" or smaller wood. 28 - 32" diameter green hardwood chunks are heavy.

Ken



Ken

 

[rswyan]

No mechanical splitter I have ever seen has a valve that will allow the ram to travel forward unattended.

Then you should have a look at my log splitter build thread:

Logsplitter 2.0

It uses a Prince LS-3040-1 control valve for the push block cylinder - it's double-detent ... detented on both the extend and retract.

Kind of a poor man's substitute for an full auto-cycle valve.

I'll second what LD1 said: To handle any waiting, get/build a faster splitter ...

My full cycle time in high flow mode is around 10 or 11 seconds - 5 out and 5 back in ... assuming that a full extension is actually needed to accomplish the split.

And that's only using 13 gpm pump/6.5 hp engine ... it's plenty quick enough for me.

 

[vtsnowedin]

Log splitters that cycle all the way down and back without a hand holding the control open have been built. Back in the 1970's a brand call "The lickity splitter" had that feature. Inevitably some owners got a hand or worse mangled by getting in the way of a wedge that wouldn't stop until it had done it's whole cycle. After a few law suites they stopped building them that way and no one wishing to sell his finished product should today.

 

[mikefromnh]

Here's the auto cycle valve. Pull both handles forward and let go and the cylinder extends until it hits the end of the stroke and then retracts by itself. You also set it to retract when it hits a predetermined pressure. It comes factory set at 1500psi.



1 SPOOL PRINCE AUTO CYCLE LOG SPLITTER VALVE W/PB
Most Commercial grade splitters and some processors use the prince valve.

 

[LD1]

HAve you used that as is? I would think 1500psi pre-set would tend to retract before some of the tougher pieces are split?

 

[mikefromnh]

I haven't adjusted it yet since I haven't made a 4 way wedge yet. 1500psi has split everything so far. On my last splitter I set the auto cycle to return at 2000 which split most things with a four way.

If you only pull the first lever it will extend until it hits the pressure setting and then stops. Handy for when you have a knotty piece that you don't think will split on the first try.

 

[Sawyer Rob]

No mechanical splitter I have ever seen has a valve that will allow the ram to travel forward unattended. The safety freaks would have a field day! Plus, I have never seen a splitter that only retracts to an alternate location somewhere short of all the way back before kicking off.

These are just two things that have always annoyed me about any splitter I have ever used. And the bi directional ones sound like a good idea but in practice (I believe) they are not any better.

I believe that the marriage of hydraulics and electronics is one made in heaven! The classic brains and brawn story.

Prince has the valve, it bolts right on... Lot's of guys put them on their splitters, they come on many processors at std... Some of the Timber Wolf splitters (along with a few other brands) also come with it...

It would be MUCH simpler than what you are doing.

SR

 

[vtsnowedin]

I'll try one more time.
Fully automatic valves that cycle fully without an operators hand holding it in position are fine for wood processors where the block is placed and held in position by mechanical means BUT if human hands are placing ,or holding the block in position or removing the splits away from the wedge these valves are unsafe to use. You may never make a mistake but what about your wife of children or the guy you lend or sell it to. Being twice as fast is not worth it. If you need that much speed get a wood processor.