I just finished my homemade industrial log splitter and chipper assembly Youtube vid

[ChoppingBlock]

It was a long journey to finish my splitter. Like many projects it was justified/approved by my wife as a project to keep me busy, hopefully make some money with it and help save my back etc, but of course the budget grew and so did my plans.

I started out wanting to split on the side, so I just had a utility trailer to mount my ambition on, but then I decided, well I need a chipper too to appeal to more clientele, so I have both units on one trailer, so I bought a chipper. Then I got a huge I beam measuring 12/12"x7' which was 600 lbs with nothing attached, and well the splitter was so heavy that I needed to make the chipper tandem axle. This vicious cycle continued until its completion.

I ended up with over $2000 in cost, not including the chipper, which i think is pretty good. Heck I cut my own key way with a die grinder on a generator motor, extreme cost saving measures like that, and ebay and craigslist were how I got such a big machine for the cost, and all my own labor. The lifting boom will be especially helpful lifting very large pieces onto the splitter or into the back of a truck.

16 GPM pump; 28 GPM rated hydraulics
9 HP OHV Briggs
4"x24" ram
20+ gallon reservoir
Adjustable 4 way wedge
Lifting boom with tongs
Everything was built overly large for upgrades in the future including ram and pump size.
Estimated at 2000 lbs. The whole trailer weighs about 5k now.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mZBPpTm22YI

[video=youtube;mZBPpTm22YI]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mZBPpTm22YI[/video]

 

[SWI Don]

Great job on the combo machine. It appears they run separate power systems. Is that correct?

I like the chipper. Does it only shoot forward into the truck? Should make clean up after a drop a lot easier.

Don

 

[beavis331]

Sweet machine! You da man!

 

[torence 20]

+1 you did a very nice job congrats, very clean and proffesional presentable,,, outstanding

 

[mga]

excellent!!

nice job.

 

[GLOBOTREE]

thats realnice bro, real nice! i you ever wanna make another let me know!

 

[Jredsjeep]

at first i thought it might be a little goofy but after seeing it in action i am impressed. nice work!

 

[dellwas]

Nice!....

 

[ChoppingBlock]

Extra info

Yes they the splitter is run off of a 9HP engine, separate from the big 6 cylinder that powers the chipper. The splitter uses about 1/2 gallon of fuel per 1.5 hours of splitting time, love the efficiency of OHV's.

If I had to do it over again, I would probably buy a new splitter off the lot and just do some modifications to it and mount it next to the splitter with a lifting boom. Without a professional welding shop this project simply was much more difficult than it needed to be in the DIY garage with a torch and buzz box. The reason things got so out of hand is because I was able to buy that beam off a guy for $ 75, way less than the scrap value! The splitter wont make nearly as much as the chipper, so its a lot of weight to truck around for the little bit of use it gets. It would probably be best to attache it onto a dump trailer, and just put a large lockable tool box in its place for the saws and other equipment.

 

[needwood]

Good job man!

I really like the log lift.

 

[HeX0rz]

Real nice setup. Would be great for the right applications.

The only problem I see with any of it is the fact that the way you have your wedge setup. Because it is not together as one unit and each "way" is seperate, you cannot have a long enough stroke to force the wood through out the other side of the wedge. A time consuming and possibly dangerous thing to have to remove the wood out of the wedges.

 

[Blazin]

OUTSTANDING!!!!!

 

[FFemt5287]

very nice set up. looks like quite the back saver with that boom arm!

 

[SWI Don]

Real nice setup. Would be great for the right applications.

The only problem I see with any of it is the fact that the way you have your wedge setup. Because it is not together as one unit and each "way" is seperate, you cannot have a long enough stroke to force the wood through out the other side of the wedge. A time consuming and possibly dangerous thing to have to remove the wood out of the wedges.

Having them staged lowers the required splitting force. As far as wood getting hung up in the secondary wedges i.e. elm, that is what the next piece is for. Just shove it through with the next piece. I have had good luck doing that.

Don

 

[ctrees4$]

Well done and looks great! Put some chrome wheels on that trailer...bling bling that bad boy!:hmm3grin2orange:

 

[beav700]

Me want one. Nice

 

[bcorradi]

Very Nice Work...looks and seems to work great.