Hard Cover for a Splitter

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ETpilot

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Anyone make a hard cover for their splitter. I’ve covered my old splitter with tarps and plastic sheets and just hate them. I get heavy rain and high wind and over time they just deteriorate. With rain, it just collects in the low spots and you have gallons of water to drain. With wind they just tear, wind moves the cover if not properly secured. The Sun also works against the cover. Just a real pain for me.

I’m going to make a lightweight, easy to remove hard cover, I think. LOL. I checked out the foam product at Lowe’s today. Next trip I’ll buy the foam then find the time to make the cover. Wish me luck!!!

Here is my old splitter.

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I have had this same idea for my own splitter. I have used a canvas tarp in the past, but it takes a little effort to get it strapped down secure enough to satisfy me.

Possible solutions include some kinda really big rubbermade tub, or two halves of an IBC tank connected together.? Maybe a calving hut?

In the mean time, I keep putting mine back in the barn, but I can see the convenience of being able to leave it on the wood lot were one working up wood regularly.
 
Glad to see others have thought of this. Putting it in the barn requires towing it. Jeep, RAM Truck or Ford Tractor. Inconvenient. I like to leave it out where I split the firewood. Cover would be just for weather protection. Don’t need a metal cover. I’ve been studying my splitter, measuring and a design is shaping in my mind. Will use cardboard patterns before any foam cutting. Will post what I come up with. Hopefully a workable product.
 
My thoughts exactly on the bed liner, I use a couple modified ones to cover my wood between my pine trees. Would work great for the splitter.
 
I made one out of aluminum spar and heavy vinyl that apparently was a deck from a Hobie cat catamaran. it was in my neighbors scrap. The heavy vinyl is crimped into the hollow aluminum tube it came that way
The bottoms spar vinyl goes to the left in the picture. the aluminum spar is drilled and there are pins that hold it on then when that’s done the top aluminum is the vinyl going to the right and there’s another pin that drops down to hold that. And then I have chains across the bottom with snaps at all it from blowing in the wind it’s been about 10 years now and I have no idea how many years it was exposed as a catamaran
 

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I don't have a complete hard cover, but, i did cover the motor. I came up with a big nursery tree container,(tree pot) its made out of pretty good quality plastic, and it completely covers the motor, then i put a large plastic bag over the whole thing, its one that covers a full pallet of wood pellets for pellet stoves. Works like a dream, even if the bag blows off, the motor is still covered, and its a good tight fit. I'll get a picture of it tomorrow and post it up, so you can see what i mean.
 
H-Ranch that is the thread that got me thinking about a cover. LOL.

mijdirtyjeep I’m going to use home building insulation foam. I work with different foams in building model airplanes. Will cover in fiberglass. Pictured is an airplane canopy mold. Three pieces of foam glued together then cut and shape, covered in fiberglass. I think this should work well for this cover. Will see. Any foam not used will be saved for modeling.

Kevin j. Hobie Cat, lots of fun. Used to own one.

Woodchuck 71, Only black snakes around the house and cutting area. One Copperhead once long ago. Another story when close to the pond. I do keep a good lookout. Thanks.

I’ve had 3 days of heavy rain last week. Another system is moving through the next couple of days. Too wet to work. Poor splitter out in the rain.
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I don't have room in any building any longer for my chipper shredder, wood splitter and a couple of walk behind mowers.

You guys ever thing about the igloo dog house tops?
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You can remove the cover from the floor ****note thr clip in the left front corner, there are 3 more like it.
they also have a air circulation vent on top. can find them on craigs list many times free or real cheap.

:D Al
 
Covering is a catch 22.
The motor was always my concern.
Don't cover, and the flywheel to magneto spots rust over time.
Cover, and you get mice if left unused for long.
I do not cover the engine on the conveyor or PackFix (a pallet bundler).
In the spring I change oil, and start.
If the engine doesn't start, the first thing is fresh gas. The second, on the Honda horizontal shaft, is clean the flywheel contacts with 3M pad.
Maybe sun is an issue if your in Texas, and a small canopy would work.
I use the SuperSplit, which has exposed bearings on the push plate slide system so, unlike our old splitter (pictured), it is stored inside. Not as convenient as leaving it at the conveyor.
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I finally found a use for my recycling bin! I put one over the wedge and one over valve handles. I also bent a piece of tin to put over the muffler as a heat shield. My tarp has lasted twice as long as the last one, and theres no apparent wear yet. I wish I would've done this sooner.
 
I hate the wind blowing all the time. A breeze is fine but I hate the wind about as much as anything. I've been places where the wind never stops blowing, day and night. So much so that trees have a constant lean to them because the wind is always pushing on them in the same direction. I have an uncle that I love to visit except that he lives on a hill and the wind never stops blowing. So much so that a walnut tree in his front yard has a permanent lean and all the branches are all leaning the same way.
Spent a week camping at the beach and the wind never stopped blowing the whole time. I had more of a wind burn then a sun burn. Having to anchor everything down all the time and the wind always tearing things up, no thanks. In the summer a breeze is nice because it helps cool you down but in the winter forget it, the wind cuts through me like a knife. The best material for cutting wind is thick leather, even gortex doesn't stop the wind from penetrating through and stealing your body heat.
Down here in mid summer the wind stops blowing all together and when your in the woods and it's hot and humid, it can be a b!tch.
I ride motorcycles and dress in full leather gear even when it's 100 degrees I do it because the road surface can be 150+ degrees. If you go down, just imagine sliding on a 150 degree road with no protection. as long as you kept moving and had some wind it would cool your sweet down but if you had to stop in traffic you fry like bacon. Racing moto cross you had a good wind blowing that cooled you down but when you stop and there was no wind you would gush sweet because the wind wasn't cooling your sweet and over heat. I always kept a big fan running so I could stand in front it keep a breeze to cool off all the sweet that would just gush after you stopped you stopped riding. Back then we were kids always went bear foot and your feet would get so callouses the burs were better then blistering heat of the hot road When I was a kid we walked barefoot everywhere in the summer and the road was so hot you couldn't walk on the pavement without burning blisters on your feet only to find the grass on the side of the road was full of grass burgs. My feet got o tuff I could just slide my foot across the grass and just let the burs roll of your feet. Now I always wear boots so I have tender foot and I walk like an old man, limping and along as if I was walking down a gravel road.
No wind in the winter is a blessing because of the wind chill factor, In the summer a breeze is good but not heavy wind. Heavy wind in the heat is like being in a blast furnace. Heavy wind in the winter is pull your core heat out of your body no mater how many layers you have on, except for thick leather. It cuts wind better then anything I have tried. Winds can be blessing or curse depending on the weather. Ive been in places it's so dry and cold you can't breath and burns. Twins can suck under the right conditions.
 
I’ll take some of that wind instead of the constant rain I’ve had since late yesterday. Still raining tonight and more to come tomorrow. It will be a while before things dry up here. I guess I’ve started on this project. I cut some scrap foam I had. Testing the glue. Actually it is a primer that grips pretty good. I’ll see how strong it is in the morning. I’ve used it before but need to check if it is strong enough for this project. Tomorrow, while it rains, I’ll do some sample cuts. I’d like the top of the cover to be one piece rather than glued pieces as originally thought. If I can cut and bend, it will be a one piece top over the splitter foot and cylinder. Interesting project. Hope it works out.

Lots of wind in the Winter. Hardly any in the Summer. Summertime good for flying model airplanes.

Just checked the weather. There is a system stretching from West Texas to here in East Texas. All heading my way. Wonderful.
 
free truck topper from the side of the road usually the back window is busted , build a basic frame for it to get it off the ground a bit just far enough to get the splitter under it.
only question is if you roll the splittter under it or roll it over the splitter , since the splitter already has wheels I would roll it under .

could be as cheap as 4 rounds for the 4 corners set the free topper on the 4 rounds and run some lag bolts down into the rounds

I want no part of splitting when it is warm enough for snakes (that we don't have ) or wasps 30*F is about perfect working weather for me

colder than 10 and my splitter doesn't like to start so easy
 
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