Thread: My splitter build - I need opinions

Well, it's getting about time to put some pieces together and melting some metal, so before I do that I want some opinions. I will lay out my general plans, post some pics and see what develops. My initial thought is a horizontal splitter that can pivot but I'm not sure how often it will be used vertically. I just want the capability. I have not done any work yet but I have inherited some pieces already made. None of the welding is mine. I plan to go over everything and redo what is needed. I have a 5hp engine, a 4" x 24" ram and 11gpm pump. The beam is 6" x 6" x 3/8" and is 6 feet long. The tank is 5.5 gallons and it will be about 30" to the top of the beam. I also plan to make a table for it. Here are the pictures I have:

Dave

i built mine on top of a small boat trailer. the leaf springs work out great for towing.

good luck with that and post the pictures as you move along. always great to see home made stuff.

for years I used the 11gpm pump, it's slow, but it'll get the job done, my cyl is the same dimensions as yours. I've now upgraded to the 28gpm pump and really love it. I understand you only have a 5 hp engine. sounds like you've got a pretty good plan and start to your project.

3/8 beam sounds great. my neighbor has built nearly a dozen in the last two years. and he lets me field test them. he and i agree that they should be made to tilt, but rarely ever use that feature...especially with a proper table. i should get some pics of his better work.

he fabs 'em all up from used, mostly junkyard parts. every now and then a new part is purchased, but he makes awful faces and noises when he has to pay retail. he fabbed the axle for the next one from 4" tubing and junkyard hubs-and will use "doughnut" spare tires. the currently being finished one is on a boat trailer frame.

as a tester, i pushed the end out of one, discovered a bad o-ring in the control valve in another, and vibrated the fender offa his favorite one...all in a day or two. i put the fender back on with nylocks.

two things i'd change about how he builds them, first i'd isolate the engine on rubber mounts, second i'd put the return line below normal fluid level for reduced aeration of the fluid. and the engine/pump coupler isn't covered (yet) on the current one. that's dangerous. and then i have some of my own metallurgical ideas about the high-stress points. his approach is to add more metal, burn a lot of rod, grind it smooth and paint it pretty.

pretty sure he had a 5 or 6hp pulling a 16gpm, maybe two-stage.

oh and i meant to say--try to get the balance right--so that when you unhitch it, it's easy to balance and roll around--caveat-sometimes this means adding ballast to the front when splitting larger wood as i found out. he puts a foot on the drop "jack" large enough to stack wood onto.



good luck with it.

looked at pics. sweet axle! big wheels roll easy. keep the tire pressure low for "suspension" and resistance to punctures.

we like to drill and tap the splitter "foot"-the part opposite the wedge for at least three pointed bolts to project through and into the wood. keeps the wood from walking on you--especially when sloppy sawn. you might be planning that already. just sayin'.

i think you will be happier with a 13.6 gpm pump with that engine and cylinder.

I have inherited all the parts, so I am going to build it with what I have. I can always upgrade as needed. I want to see how it goes with the 2 stage pump and the 5 hp motor. I can always "improve" the parts as needed. Thanks for the ideas & keep them coming!

Dave

Dave,

Looks like you've got a good start to a good splitter.

Your 11gpm pump is the perfect match to your 5hp engine... that will give you an approximately 14 second cycle time. If you ever go to a larger pump, you'll have to go to a larger engine also, unless you lower the pressure where the pump switches over to the lower stage only, and then you might still be wanting for more horsepower on a tough piece of wood.

Right now the only issue that I see with what you have so far is the backstop on your beam... 20 tons is enough force to bend that single piece of plate that you have as your backstop... I would double it up if it were mine. But other than that, looks great!

Originally Posted by WadePatton

oh and i meant to say--try to get the balance right--so that when you unhitch it, it's easy to balance and roll around--caveat-sometimes this means adding ballast to the front when splitting larger wood as i found out. he puts a foot on the drop "jack" large enough to stack wood onto.

Yet another reason why I like a permanent wedge mounted at the trailer tongue.

Originally Posted by xlr82v2

Right now the only issue that I see with what you have so far is the backstop on your beam... 20 tons is enough force to bend that single piece of plate that you have as your backstop... I would double it up if it were mine. But other than that, looks great!

That's what I was worried about. I will get another piece of plate at least that thick (maybe a little thicker) and add it to the bottom. I'm not real interested in waiting until something is ruined to fix it....

Dave

Foot reinforcement would not need to be a plate, you could use channel iron or schedule 40 or 80 sq.tube, depends if you are going vertical with it on occasion or not. In any case it should be reinforced, I bent a 1.5" thick 6" wide 8" high plate on my 30 ton unit. ( dang crotch piece of elm).

everything sounds good so far. i do agree with the toe plate being a wee bit to thin. i have built two splitter now (one recent) and both were horz-vert. i hardly ever maybe once a year use it in vert. like one guy said if you have a nice table thats really all you need. you might wanna consider taking some height off your wedge or making it a two stage wedge. right now with how big the wedge is you might have a hard time geting the wedge in the wood with one shot. here is link to my splitter build and if you have questions please feel free to ask. Home built log splitter number 2

Originally Posted by mx_racer428

everything sounds good so far. i do agree with the toe plate being a wee bit to thin. i have built two splitter now (one recent) and both were horz-vert. i hardly ever maybe once a year use it in vert. like one guy said if you have a nice table thats really all you need. you might wanna consider taking some height off your wedge or making it a two stage wedge. right now with how big the wedge is you might have a hard time geting the wedge in the wood with one shot. here is link to my splitter build and if you have questions please feel free to ask. Home built log splitter number 2

MX sure builds a good looking splitter. With a lot of thought put in to it. I would not be surprised if there is a coat of wax on it already

It seems like you have a good start towards your splitter. I would reinforce the toe plate also. You could weld some 3/8" or1/2" X 2" bar stock on edge and that would reinforce it a lot.

Beefie

Originally Posted by Beefie

You could weld some 3/8" or1/2" X 2" bar stock on edge and that would reinforce it a lot.

Beefie

Originally Posted by mx_racer428

everything sounds good so far. i do agree with the toe plate being a wee bit to thin. i have built two splitter now (one recent) and both were horz-vert. i hardly ever maybe once a year use it in vert. like one guy said if you have a nice table thats really all you need. you might wanna consider taking some height off your wedge or making it a two stage wedge. right now with how big the wedge is you might have a hard time geting the wedge in the wood with one shot. here is link to my splitter build and if you have questions please feel free to ask. Home built log splitter number 2

I have been following your thread and am going to incorporate a lot of things I saw on your splitter. I really like the table. I also really like the attention to detail. I hope I can come close. Thanks for the tip on the two stage wedge. My father in law made the wedge a while ago and I have not modified anything yet.

Due to the length of my beam I may have some issues. As it is now, I have about 2" more beam than I have fully extended ram/wedge and anchor for the non-working end of the ram. May be time for some ingenuity...

Dave