Ford Log Splitter???

[papossefan]

Saw this on a local craigslist ad https://harrisburg.craigslist.org/tls/5275507574.html

Has anyone ever seen one of these before? I am curious how they work and if it would be faster or slower than a hydraulic splitter.

 

[olyman]

Saw this on a local craigslist ad https://harrisburg.craigslist.org/tls/5275507574.html

Has anyone ever seen one of these before? I am curious how they work and if it would be faster or slower than a hydraulic splitter.

worm drive?? me thinks it would be a bit slow,, but probably works well, within its limits.....

 

[lindnova]

Interesting.

I wonder how fast it would be also. Durability on a worm gear for this use?

 

[cantoo]

I had one like that a few years ago but it wasn't a Ford it was a Gibson. I fixed it up and sold it. Worked fast enough for easy splitting stuff but was too low and too finicky for keeping.
Google search images for Gibson Power Bolt. Google videos and the hearth one comes up. There is a video of one on the hearth site too.

 

[unclemoustache]

Looks like a similar principle to the Super Split. If it works all right, I'd jump on it.

 

[bryanr2]

posting got deleted on CL. I'd have liked to have seen what y'all were talking about.

 

[cantoo]

bryanr2. Like this one but a Ford

 

[ChoppyChoppy]

Are they all slow like in that video?

 

[cantoo]

I think the one I had was maybe faster. The handle part was a little wonky to setup but it did work good.
Sorry guys I typed the name wrong, it's GILSON not Gibson.

 

[GM_Grimmy]

I would not want one of those, as you'd have to replace that ball screw and the ball nut more often than it'd be worth. We have the same thing in our CNC machines and when the ball nut gets loose, it can be really hard to turn the screw. You can get a lot of force out of it, but I just don't think the maintenance of it would be worth it. I'll stick to my hydro.

 

[olympyk_999]

I would not want one of those, as you'd have to replace that ball screw and the ball nut more often than it'd be worth. We have the same thing in our CNC machines and when the ball nut gets loose, it can be really hard to turn the screw. You can get a lot of force out of it, but I just don't think the maintenance of it would be worth it. I'll stick to my hydro.

this splitter is using a lead screw, or an acme screw...not a ball screw!

 

[blkcloud]

If take a sledge hammer and wedge over that..

 

[GM_Grimmy]

this splitter is using a lead screw, or an acme screw...not a ball screw!

Same thing would happen though.

 

[olympyk_999]

Same thing would happen though.

no!
ball screws are for precision applications...ball nuts are designed to take up the back lash in the machine making them a very tight fit...they also have moving parts in the nut that wear out which cause binding issues
a lead screw can be used for precision applications or applications such as this splitter...just depends on the thread fit between the screw/nut...the thread fit in this splitter is likely very sloppy, and when properly greased should last a very long time in this application.
also the lead nut in the splitter looks to be very long resulting in lots of thread contact during the highest load it sees (starting the split)
ball screws in applications such as machining centers as you described, use very short ball nuts ...often 2 short nuts per screw. our biggest machine where I work has a 12' x 14' bed that only moves in X axis...the ball screw is around 3" diameter, and uses 2 nuts around 6" long at each end of the bed...that's not a whole lot of contact area for a 30' long screw...

 

[row.man]

That looks slow, though much safer than my old screw splitter
https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&sou...jOvJftibiX04tUvZg&sig2=YJ26bvGXxbjSQXKCsYKGMw