Building a log splitter

[HeX0rz]

Hey boys, been a long time since I've reared my ugly head around here. Getting back into the groove of firewood, possibly. Give you all a little run down on my situation:

Circumstances changed and had to move for work. So I sold my log splitter for extra money and space. Well, now I might be getting back into the firewood sooner than I thought. So I wanted to set out and build my own splitter. I wanted to make it count and really make it something worth having. As I think buying one for $1400 is just out of the question for what I would be getting.

I have a couple problems though, I have a good idea on what I want to do, but not sure on the specifics. Thats where all you smarty pants come into the picture. I need to figure out what I need to base my log splitter off of. Engine, pump, ram? I don't want to fall asleep splitting. I was figuring that I should be basing it off of the motor.

If I sit there and buy a 4-stroke small engine honda for a few to several hundred, whose to say that I should pursue a larger engine? Maybe an engine from a vehicle? What about a diesel? I would really love to put a diesel on my splitter.

Okay, if I get a large enough engine, then the question comes in of how do I calculate what size pump, ram, etc. do I need? I've been trying to find a calculator online to figure this out, but no luck.

I've already got a 8x20' trailer frame to use as a base for the splitter. I can shorten it or whatever needed to build off of. I was thinking about affixing it to the trailer and loading my split wood on it after.

What kind of I-beam? I just got quotes for a 8"x8"x6' and a 8"x12"x6'. There around $200. Would like to make the splitter efficient as possible. Thinking about having a push plate on the ram into a splitting wedge. 2-way and a 4-way style.

Maybe even ponder the idea of using a small hand-crank style winch crane to lift rounds onto the splitter. Or would it be worth the trouble of adding one hydraulicly?

Ayhoo, nice to be on here again and bother everyone! Hope I can get some wise advice! :msp_wink:

 

[cattoon]

If you want diesel.......

I just got a surplus center catalog and they have a 13hp yanmar engine for 995$ radiator is separate for $150, make a heck of a power plant for a splitter, they have several pretty good deals on engines

 

[triptester]

To match engine and 2-stage pump fiqure 1/2 hp. per gallon minimum. Examples 11gpm-5.5 hp; 16gpm-8 hp.;22 gpm-11 hp.
Single stage pumps generaly will require 2hp per gallon to produce 3000psi. When choosing an engine only get the horsepower you need to operate the pump a bigger engine only cost more and burns more fuel with no added tonnage.
For the beam you will want at least a 6x6 wide flange beam with 1/2" thick flanges. The beam will have to be around 8 foot long.
The best place to start is to look at the specs Timberwolf, Biltrite, Split-ez.

 

[joelaycheck]

Build one like this.

Homemade 30 ton Log splitter with log lift and adjustable 4-way blade - YouTube

 

[HeX0rz]

I just got a surplus center catalog and they have a 13hp yanmar engine for 995$ radiator is separate for $150, make a heck of a power plant for a splitter, they have several pretty good deals on engines

I was eyeing a 4bt cummins. Haha, but heck, thats alooot more.

To match engine and 2-stage pump fiqure 1/2 hp. per gallon minimum. Examples 11gpm-5.5 hp; 16gpm-8 hp.;22 gpm-11 hp.
Single stage pumps generaly will require 2hp per gallon to produce 3000psi. When choosing an engine only get the horsepower you need to operate the pump a bigger engine only cost more and burns more fuel with no added tonnage.
For the beam you will want at least a 6x6 wide flange beam with 1/2" thick flanges. The beam will have to be around 8 foot long.
The best place to start is to look at the specs Timberwolf, Biltrite, Split-ez.

What is the pressure in a system such as this? What would be a good match for 15-20hp engine, as far as ram size? So if I got a 20hp engine and a 2-stage pump, I could get a pump with a 40gpm rating? If I can make cycle times short, and make good power to rip through anything I throw at it, then I'm in business.

Why 8ft long and not 6?

 

[blades]

length of beam dictated by overall length of cylinder extended plus wedge and push plate or foot plate depending on configuration also weather you want a table after wedge if pushing into wedge. If ya got welding capabilities a couple of rectangular tubes ( 1/4" wall say 4x6) side by side makes a great beam stronger than W beam. Various ways to add guide rails to it. max pressure on most 2 stage pumps 3k psi. Max flow I have seen is 28 gpm in first stage. if ya want powered accessories then ya need a valve/s with power beyond. Wallet and imagination is only limits.

 

[muddstopper]

When i buit my splitter, I used parts i had laying around and what I could salvage at the scrap yards. By far my biggest expense was purchaseing hyd hose.

I had a 25hp Kholer engine, 4in bore x2ft stoke cylinder, a regular log splitter valve I had bought 20 years ago and had never used. Hbeam is a 6x6x1/2. I found some old 1in plate in a scrap pile for the pusher plate and slide. I also found some old 3/4in t1 steel plate in another scrap pile. I used a steering cylinder off some sort of construction equipment for a hyd adjustable 4way and a $10 used control valve off a old ditch witch trencher. The hydraulic pump I picked up out of the dirt at the scrap yard and they gave it to me. Its a Vickers V20 and pumps 14gpm. Tore it down and washed it up and it looked like new and works like new. I guess you couild say my splitter was built for cheap, but it would be hard to duplicate for less than $3grand if you had to buy everything new. I think the Kholer engine now is close to $2grand by itself.

Anyway's. Getting back to your question as to how big. A couple of things to consider. Cylinder size being very important if you need tonnage. Those big box store grossly overstate the tonnage of their machines. What you need really depends on what kind of wood you will be splitting. Most folks can get by with a lot less than what they have or want. That being said, nothing like having the power when you need it. My splitter with the 4in cylinder has never bogged down no matter what size croch or knotty piece of hardwood I throw at it. Bigger cylinders are needed for multiple wedge designs, but again, it all depends on what you are splitting.

Cylinder size will also effect splitting speed. It takes more oil to fill a larger cylinder so its only natural that a large cylinder is going to be slower than a small cylinder if everything else is equal.

Rod dia is also important when figureing your cycle times. Wood splitters dont really see any forces when retracting, they are made to push. A large rod dia will lower the retraction power, which you dont need anyways, but it will also increase the speed at which the cylinder retracts. Get the biggest rod dia in the cylinder that you can find, it will improve your cycle times since a large rod fills more of the cyl so it needs less fluid.

Port size on the cylinder will also effect speed. The smaller the port, the more restriction on oil flow. This restriction also will cause excessive heat build up in your hydraulic fluid. If you are going to use a high flow hyd pump, go for at least 3/4 in ports on your cylinder.

Another restriction to oil flow is the splitter valve. If you are going to use a regular splitter valve with return detent for hands free operation when retracting the cylinder, It might be hard to find one that will flow more than the 28gpm 2 stage pump that was mentiond as a possible pump selection. Make sure your valve is rated for the oil flow you intend to pump or you will only heat up your oil without creating more speed from your splitter. There are valves out there that return some of the oil from the piston side of the cyl to the rod side and will increase the speed of the cylinder upon retraction. They are commonly called regen valves and really help if you are using a large bore cylinder.

For pump selection, I mentiond that my single stage pump puts out 14gpm and I use a 4in bore cylinder. I have never measured my cycle times, but its faster than I can feed it. 22 or 28 gpm pumps would speed it up, but I can keep 5 people busy feeding and stacking with it as is so I dont see any need for a larger pump. I never run the engine at full throttle either, to do so would only waste fuel. I have more engine than I need, but heck, I didnt have to buy it.

On the Hbeam and re-enforcement. My 6x6x1/2 Hbeam was a little short to mount the splitter wedge and cylinder on. I ended up adding metal to each end to make it work. What I did was plate the top flange of the beam with 1/2in metal, just to create a flange that wouldnt bend over time. I took 3/4 in plate and welded to the web of the beam, extending to just beyond the back support plate for my adjustable wedge. I sandwiched my adjustable wedge between the 3/4 plate and the support plate in the rear of the blade. I used a 1.5inx6in stroke cylinder mounted at the bottom of the wedge so it could be raised and lowered by hyd. I used more of the 3/4 plate at the rear for my cylinder mount, running some down each side and some extending up for the cylinder pin. Sort of L shaped. I thought this might be a weak point, but so far, it hasnt bowed, twist or bent and I have split some knarly stuff. An 8in beam might be overkill, but if I already had it, I wouldnt hesitate to use it. In fact, a 8x8x1/2 hbeam is what I intend to use on my processor build.

You mentioned a handcrank lift for those heavy round. I did build a knuckle boom type of lift for mine. Didnt make a grapple, just used log tongs on the end of the boom. My salvaged control valve had plenty of extra ports, so why not. A lift will really save your back on the heavy stuff, but on smaller stuff, it just slows you down. I was using mine to lift logs for bucking. I would hook to one end of the log, lift it up and then buck with the saw. I got carried away and lifted a 14dia 12' red oak with it and broke it off at the base. I'll put it back on one of these days when I get roundtoit. What I used and what failed for the swivel for the boom was the front hub off a front wheel drive car. The hubs are usually held on with just 3 bolts and the axle runs thru them to power the wheels. I figured if it would hold up a car, it would lift any splitting round I wanted to pick up. Worked great until I got over confident in its ability and I didnt factor in the load multiplication of a 14ft long boom fully extended. For a normal round lift arm, I still think the hub assembly is a good choice and is very easy to mount a boom on. Just dont use a 14' boom and try to pick up full logs.

 

[swen2jef]

Log splitter speed Calculator

Hey HeX
I have been acquiring parts for constructing a splitter also. I found this site useful. Log Splitter Speed Calculator by International Hydraulics

My plans are to use a 13 hp vertical Briggs with a belt drive for easy cold starts. The engine was free, just needed a carb. I fabricated an intake manifold and used a Chonda clone carb. It should be able to run an opposite rotation 16 gpm 2 stage pump at part throttle with this engine.

With my 5" X 24" cylinder on the 16 gpm stage, the calculator estimates:
Extend Time= 7.7 sec. Retract Time= 6.5 sec. Cycle Time= 14 sec.

With this calculator Hydraulic Force the splitter should have at least 25 tons of force.

I plan on using 12" H-pile, HP12X74 for the beam. Scrap from a bridge project I worked on.
If any one sees a problem with this let me know.

Thanks in advance
The Embarrass Jack pine savage :msp_biggrin: