Mother of all log splitters!!!

[rancher2]

Might not be the fastest, but seriously, though: this thing's huge.
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My neighborhood WoodGuru brought his home-made log splitter by today to help show me just how it's done. This thing splits like a maniac! For reference, the I beam is 1.5 inch steel, and 15" x 15" in cross section. The pusher-plate is also 1.5", and it's driven by a 7" piston with a 40" stroke. It runs on a diesel motor, and sports and electric chain winch with overhead boom and grappling tongs.
I wish I took more pictures, but I didn't want to seem ungrateful, walking off with a camera while my 74-year-old neighbor keeps on working. In these shots he was screwing around too though, so I thought I could get away with it!

He says to me: "Grab that log next."
It was one I'd already set aside, since it was about a foot longer than my firebox. "It's too big for my stove, Joe. I gotta cut it."
"Don't worry about it." he replied.
I shrugged. I kind of wanted to see a 3-footer get split, even though it would be a pain to cut the splits down later. I could always build a bucking-crib... So I drug the log over and we quartered it.
As I'm casting around for somewhere to put these enlongated splits, Joe just plops them on the beam cross-wise and cycles the piston, shearing through all but the last inch of wood. One nice big round following finished the cuts on its way to the four-way wedge.
"Will that fit in your stove?" he asks, holding up one of the sheared splits.

We probably went through a cord of assorted hardwood uglies in a little over an hour. The cycle time on this baby is very slow, but with a 18" tall four-way wedge and seemingly-unstoppable piston it just keeps spitting out wood, especially if you stack smaller chunks vertically in front of the wedge, or shorter rounds end to end.
I gotta build me one of these!

That is one nice splitter.

 

[baroil92]

Use Caution!

Dont mean to be a buzz kill fellas... but screwing around with hydraulics when you don't know what your doing is dangerous...ie using air/water type fittings on the pressure side of a valve...a definite no no... my Dad nearly lost his leg when a hose with an improper crimp let go, while he was working a punch press at work...please be careful guys! Warning!!! pic is graphic!

 

[Steve NW WI]

Dont mean to be a buzz kill fellas... but screwing around with hydraulics when you don't know what your doing is dangerous...ie using air/water type fittings on the pressure side of a valve...a definite no no... my Dad nearly lost his leg when a hose with an improper crimp let go, while he was working a punch press at work...please be careful guys! Warning!!! pic is graphic!

True enough, BUT...not all steel pipe is Sch 40 water pipe that's not suitable for hydraulics. 1/2" Sch 80 has a working pressure of 4100PSI - well above that of the normal 3500PSI hoses.

I get a little riled every time people see "pipe" fittings on hydraulics and automatically assume it's water pipe. I realize SOME people don't know better and need the warning, but others DO know better, and use better stuff than comes on "commercial grade" equipment and get blasted for it because in a crappy low res internet picture it looks kinda like black pipe.

I've never had a good steel pipe or elbow break on me, I've been given more than one bath by broken hoses. Use what you want, just make sure you use enough.

 

[baroil92]

No one here was "blasting" anyone, just a warning, because more times than not, I've seen people who should know better, do it to save a few bucks, wether or not the fittings on this splitter are safe or not is irrelivant, there are many out there that are not safe which was the reason for the warning, so if your "riled" oh well, if this keeps one person from getting hurt, it was more than worth getting you worked up ole buddy!