Some hard wood but mostly popular getting ready to buy my cylinder have any recommendations?
All I split is hardwood. A little Ash but mostly hedge { Osage Orange} locust and mulberry. My main go to splitter is homemade with a 4X24 with a two inch rod cylinder. I run a 28 GPM two stage pump. I don't feel the need for a five or six inch cylinder. Wedge design is key. Reading the wood is key also. I like the speed with a four inch cylinder and a 28 GPM pump. If I were building today I would get a custom cylinder with a oversize rod for quicker retract. Look a surplus center Lincoln Nebraska for cylinders. Check our stock 9-030-24, 9-12864-24 and a old stock 9-20234. Don't cheap out on the cylinder. Its the heart of the splitter.
Poplar doesn't take much to split. 4" would be fine, and give some head room for bigger harder wood.
Can't agree with either of your assessments. Been running a cheap 5" china no name cylinder and 16 gpm pump for 12 years now. First 8 odd years i was doing 10 cord a year with it, since then I've pretty much been doing all the wood for myself and my old man, which brings me closer to the 20 cord per year mark. Never had the cylinder apart or an issue with the pump. I get everyone's reject trees, big stuff that no one else wants/ can handle. I wouldn't trade a 5" cylinder for a few seconds in speed and the power loss of a 4" cylinder.
Head room ? Here’s a pick of beam so far about ready for trailer I hope
Head room in this case = some extra splitting force, over a 3" cylinder that most seem to get by with just fine.
Well my rugged made cylinder should be here today and get it mounted thanks for the help along the way
I was planning on using 5.5 Honda motor I have had I hope enough of power plant if not plan on buying bigger motor thanks for info
Wedge and clivis welded waiting to make some extra money to get my hydraulic stuff oh welds not welded second time dad said lol
Well got pump but love joy didn’t have set screws hell it didn’t even have holes where one would go waiting on feed back from company but got motor mount welded and motor bolted down here’s a few pics
So box you mean push plate?
In my opinion the box beam thickness is pretty thin in wall thickness. I'm running a 1/2" thick wall thickness on the box with 1/2" plates on both sides, running the full length. It will even spring some on a stall. The top plate you will not equal near the strength as steel on the sides of the box beam. Just expressing some real world experience to you. I've repaired others homemade and factory built splitters so I can normally pick up where weak spots are.
