Log Splitter Build

[walkerdogman85]

sorry but we have the pump mounted we just took it off in the pics to shim it dont have a pic of it on there but it is done real similar to yours we had to cut the motor shaft down i will try and post a pic tomorrow. just got in a hurry when i took the pics and posted them i really appreciate the suggestions and the comments. we will put your guys advice to use thank you

 

[walkerdogman85]

hopefully we can get back to it this week

 

[merlynr]

Mine is kind of a monstrosity,but have been using it for four years now. Just added a loglift this fall.
Keep up the good work.

 

[walkerdogman85]

Well we go the beam cut down to just over 8 feet and the motor wired up and new oil and filter on it. hopefully we will have the motor running this weekend and figure up what hoses we need and get them on soon. we still have to shim the pump though but it should be splitting wood by the first of the year. We still need some 2" square tubing to make the hitch, and make a table for the splits but we are going to see if it splits before we do al of that ill post some more pics this weekend

 

[Guswhit]

====

I read on a hydrauliics site(don't recall which one) that tank should be 1 1/2 times the pump GPH rate. Seems like over kill to me...perhaps on a commerical production application, but I think on a individual use machine thats more then necsssary...jmo....

Good info you put out. I am running a 28 gal/min pump with a 20 h.p. honda with a 50 gal resivoir tank from a dump truck and if the outside temp is very warm(above 65)after about 2 hrs of splitting you can't put your hand on the cylinder or tank it is so HOT!
I am looking at a cooler unit now so I can run in the summer.

 

[jags]

Nice looking build, Walkerdog. You may want to consider boxing in the end of the beam as well as gussets. At 12" tall I am betting that you will see some twist on the beam.

And a lift or hoist is gonna be a must for that beast. You won't feel "whole" until you do it.:msp_biggrin:

 

[walkerdogman85]

Well I haven't had much time to work on the build been busy with my kids but thankfully my buddy has been working on it he got the motor running now all we need is to shim the pump and get hoses

hopefully the video works

 

[walkerdogman85]

http://static.photobucket.com/playe...38/walkerdogman85/2012-12-07_19-47-50_578.mp4

 

[walkerdogman85]

btt

 

[walkerdogman85]

ready for hoses!!!

 

[OH_Varmntr]

Looks awesome so far! Don't worry, that is a hydraulic tie-rod cylinder, not a pneumatic cylinder.

We've only got a 20" stroke splitter and want to make a bigger one but our I-beam is only long enough for a 20" stroke cylinder.

 

[walkerdogman85]

we made the hitch last night and put the jack on it we are taking to have hydraulic hoses made for it tonight it should be ready tomorrow then all we have to do is shim our pump weld the hydraulic tank fill lid on and verify stroke with our wedge placement then weld it down. Then we have to brace up the beam under the wedge and we should be able to test. His neighbor just had a hickory tree cut down so that should be able to tell us if its going to work or not lol. we have to come up with a lift still I believe we are goign to use a jib hoist with electric winch. and suggestion on how we should do that? I got a new phone so ill try and take pics asap. Also we got a new set of hubs to put on and mabye some fenders

 

[triptester]

I like to bolt the lid on the hydraulic tank so the tank can be inspected or cleaned inside.

 

[walkerdogman85]

Well we got the hoses on and our pump mounted up and our hydraulic tank fill cap welded on. Got the choke and throttle cables mounted but not hooked up hopefully tomorrow we will have it running. We still have to weld some supports under the wedge but we are closer than ever now!

 

[jags]

Generally, you don't see the return to the tank dump above the fluid level. It can cause the fluid to foam. Hopefully this is not an issue for you.

 

[john taliaferro]

Weld a table on to stage splits and logs on .Put a pad on top of the fenders ,that sucker is gonna work your tail off and a soft place gonna feel good. What color ?.

 

[Kevin in Ohio]

I know it was mentioned before but keep an eye on your temps. With a 16 GPM pump or bigger you'll be basically cycling the entire amount of fluid 3 times every minute at speed. Couple that with quite a few hard 90's I see, it's going to get warm in a hurry. Keep it up, You're getting close!

 

[walkerdogman85]

thanks fellows the return was just what we had and the guy that made the hoses made that one too long so the 90 is what we had to use. i am not sure if the pump size so i will be paying close attention to the fluid temps as we go we can probably find a bigger tank. the table is in the works we just have to bring the steel home yet we just want to get it going so we can make sure that it will even go. using used parts we arent sure lol! but if all goes well we need to put fenders on it and a jib hoist, more bracing and i am sure something else will nedd replaced when we fire it up. As far as color we are not sure what to paint it yet and suggestions? I an picking up new hubs tomorrow for it now i need to find some rims. ill be sure in post our progress and a video of it going thank you michael west

 

[walkerdogman85]

Ok here is a video of it making first split on a piece of pine thats because I just had the wedge tacked on. It moves slow but it is cold out in the teens and fluid moved like molasses it all worked and started to move a bit faster but we had to shut it down do to an error I made. When I put he love joy Half on the pump there were two different size key ways in it and I put it on the larger one and it came loose causing the spider to be torn to pieces and the seal around the pump shaft to leak. Hopefully we can just redo and be ok with out replacing seals. Also the motor governor is giving us trouble as it cut the motor out under load so there is some tuning to be done there but over all we are please that it all functions but speed is slow so am he an upgrade to the pump will happen!


Homemade log splitter test run - YouTube

 

[Zeus103363]

Looks good! The only thing I would question are the 150 lb pipe fittings on the hydraulic system. It looks like it is on the return side of the valve dumping back into the tank. I know the pressures are low, but these fittings can be dangerous when dealing with hydraulics! Word of caution! Only use fittings designed for hydraulic systems when dealing with hydraulics!