Log splitter, the sequel

[Patrick62]

Well I played with it for a few today. Here are some pix!

The 3 way split works really well. I might havve made it a bit tall. However pieces can slide under for a single split really well. I need to make a fantail catcher so that big hunks don't call off the bottom, they need splitting again.
If you can see, the pusher has a round plate that swivels on a bolt. This allows logs to twist rather than the beam. I have already seen this thing tuwn more than a inch while splitting...

This engine has enough power to move the machine, but very little extra.
If I went with a much more powerful engine, I would be tempted by a 22GPM pump. And a very serious beam. Then I would have to use a motor speed control to keep road speed within reason.

It drives well in snow, might have something to do with having a bunch of weight on the may-pop tires....

Comments? Suggestions? Questions???
-Pat

 

[SilentElk]

Nice rig for sure! I'll comment more later when I have the time. As far as controlling the speed if you had a bigger motor, a flow control valve would work fine and probably cost about $15 on Ebay. Of course you could always slow down the engine to also reduce speed.

I sure like that thing! It's pretty cool!

 

[okietreedude1]

Flip the splitting cutter around and add a swivel to the I-beam to make it a verticle splitter. Horizontal splitters are a pain in the back.

Other than that, its pretty cool looking. what do ya charge for a custom made model?

 

[Patrick62]

Vertical??

Flip the splitting cutter around and add a swivel to the I-beam to make it a verticle splitter. Horizontal splitters are a pain in the back.

Other than that, its pretty cool looking. what do ya charge for a custom made model?

Ain't no way to do that with this machine. The beam is part of machine. Plus! I hate vertical splitters. I doubt that I am the only one with this opinion.

Custom made.... I had not thought much about it, yet.

Start adding this up, and it is :censored: crazy.
Estimated costs:
Cylinder $200
Pump $150
engine coupler & bracket $50
10hp engine $400
Valves $150
Hoses $150
Tank $75
I beam $100
Drive axle $100
Wheels etc, $25
Steering box $25
Odd bits of steel $100
Labor.... God only knows!!

I just added that stuff up and came to $1500 in parts. Minimum.
Not counting welding rod, or gasoline for my generator (off the grid). Or oxy acetylene, mig wire and gas, the list goes on. Probably double that.

I bet I could custom make one for about 3 large....
Crazy isn't it?
-Pat

 

[jp hallman]

I'd drive that puppy in the next "Founder's Day" parade if'n I were you. Sling candy at the kids.

 

[Patrick62]

Yep....

Open center, and in series. I did not know any other way to do it.

I have thought about running a parade with it. We have a real nice one for the 4th up here. Would you Grab a big log and have it wedged in the split??

-Pat

 

[SilentElk]

Open center, and in series. I did not know any other way to do it.

I have thought about running a parade with it. We have a real nice one for the 4th up here. Would you Grab a big log and have it wedged in the split??

-Pat

Put a wagon behind and split the wood into there. You will get a lot of looks, laughs and cheers. It would be a great day.

 

[okietreedude1]

YOu may hate verticle splitters, but now that I have a strict horizontal, It :censored: picking up wood. Especially the big ones. W/ a verticle you simply have to roll the log into place instead of picking it up. Thats my .02.

Other than that, it IS way cool.

 

[Patrick62]

YOu may hate verticle splitters, but now that I have a strict horizontal, It :censored: picking up wood. Especially the big ones. W/ a verticle you simply have to roll the log into place instead of picking it up. Thats my .02.

Other than that, it IS way cool.

I don't have the same wood up here, vertical isn't necessary. There are ways to create a log lifter. Toss in a level work table opposite side of beam. Could be made to work.

-Pat

 

[Patrick62]

I was thinking about increased line friction and also that some valves are not good for power beyond.

I was wondering how the plumbing would work if the valves were plumbed in parallel. The cylinder valve would have to be held to one end or the other of the cylinder in order to get pressure to the drive valve....sort of like a dead man switch.

The reason I'm thinking about the plumbing is that my system is 28gpm and I'd rather not run all of that oil through the drive motor valve if I don't have to. All of my splitting ram hydraulic lines are 3/4inch and my drive system could be plumbed with 1/2inch hose and valve. Like your system....I'm not looking for something that goes 10mph. Just a walking pace would be fine with me.

Dan

28 gpm. I think the valves are rated at 25 max. I know my motor is rated at 14 GPM max. How to do it.... Hmmm.

I think a flow control valve would be in order. There is one that goes to 30 GPM so that would take care of that. Also gives you control over your speed. Probably down to a complete stop. I don't see a problem with oil flowing thru the valve(s) on it's way to the tank.

-pat

 

[tawilson]

It wasn't long ago an auto cycle valve set up was discussed but I think it cost around $200. It would be neat to hit the valve forward and have it split the piece and then returning to start waiting for the next piece.


Dan

I was in on that and I bought it. A timesaver. I forgot the numbers, but I think I have closer to $300 in it.

 

[johncinco]

Nice job. No matter what the cost, that has to be a fun one to show off.



I can see it now. ESPN Ocho, wood splitter racing at its finest.

 

[tawilson]

Nice. Is that a Prince valve and do you have a part #?

Dan

Yeah it is. Here's a link to where I got it. It's the RD5200 Autocycle. There are some different numbers instead of the zero's due to the configuration. I got 3/4'' ports and had the power beyond sleeve installed just in case I ever need it. I called and the man I talked to new exactly what I wanted, got it ready and shipped out in no time. You can go to the Prince website and download the manuals, too.http://www.cylinderservices.net/components/valves/monoblock.htm

 

[Patrick62]

Log splitter race!! Oh man!

Nice job. No matter what the cost, that has to be a fun one to show off.



I can see it now. ESPN Ocho, wood splitter racing at its finest.

That would be fun! Driving this thing I feel like I am driving a tractor. Except for being a bit under powered... I can change engine....

I built the stupidest rotating staging table and stuck it on the thing. I will get photo's eventually. Made out of conduit, it looks right smart silly on there.

-Pat

 

[mdlmjohnson]

Prince autocycle valve

TreeCo: I think it is item# 9-6587 at Surplus Center. Prince Autocycle Valve RD523MMEE5A1A1. $250 at SC.

I am planning on using it in the splitter that I am about to build.

 

[jp hallman]

I couldn't see one in the pictures. An oil cooler might be in order if you were to "drive" it in a parade. Wouldn't be a bad idea to have one on it for hot weather work anyway. Put a by-pass on it for winter work. I like your splitter. Good to see you thought ahead and painted it.

 

[Patrick62]

Oil cooler?

I thought that having a large enough tank was enough cooler...
The tank is a cleaned out 20 gal air compressor tank. It contains something like 15 gallons of oil. The slightly cheesy part is that I created the suction filter with tin drilled with about 1000 1/16 holes (takes time) and then welded it up. It will filter out gravel, sticks, bowling balls, spark plugs, etc, But not much else.

I have a new verdict after messing with it today. I need a more powerful engine. I reset the points, and peaked it out as best as it gets. Runs well enough, but when I drive it the engine slows to about 1/2 speed, and the throttle is wide open. Ain't good.:bang:

Running the splitter is better, but it takes quite a bit of power to drive the ram as well. Even with the pressure turned down to keep it running. Ain't good either.

So, I do some searching and am settled on getting atleast a 12hp engine. Single cylinder should be sufficient (and cheaper, as these things go). If a 12 would actually produce 12 at sea level, then it should be able to do 8 up here. I have been told that it takes 8 to drive a 16GPM 2 stage, and I now am convinced of that. Thankfully I built the machine so that it is easy to swap other engines in there!

-Pat

 

[Patrick62]

Somedays are better

It shouldn't take much power to move your splitter around. Even one HP delivered to the wheels is going to move you several miles per hour. I would guess that something is not matched up right.

Is your two speed hydraulic pump kicking into low gear when you are driving around?

I've got a Carlton 4400 self propelled stump grinder that uses a Ford rear end for drive that is driven by a hydraulic motor and it moves around even at idle and there is not even a minor change in engine speed moving around.

I was figuring as much, but the machine is telling me a different story. Engine slows down a bit when running the cylinder even without a log in it. However! Put it in drive mode.... engine slows down a bunch, throttle is wide open and it travels at walking speed. Today was a "good" day as it only died twice. Once backing uphill to get to the pile, and another time when I hit a knot square on. Other than that it did fairly well. I went thru about a cord in about 1 hour. Not bad for being underpowered.

When selecting a hyd motor I could have gone with a much larger one. This one has a 15.7 cu in displacement, and the pump is almost exactly 1 cu in. This should give me a 16 to 1 ratio between the two. toss in the 4:1 axle, and the crawl ratio should be lower than my jeep!

Nothing is binding, axle turns easy, brakes are removed, driveshaft is a hunk of pipe with bolts thru it. no serious friction there.

Everything is telling me that I need 8hp at the pump, and best I have now is 5 3/4 adjusted for altitude. The 6.5 was doing 4 3/4 hp, and it was barely movable on level ground.

-Pat

 

[woodchop]

Patrick,

Looks good!!!
I agree withTreeCo about the 1/2" lines. It's hard to tell you what the problem is excactly from here.
I used 3/4 " lines, valves and hydraulic fittings on mine. I have a 10Hp motor and 22 gallon 2 stage pump on my splitter and my motor does not slow down when I move the cylinder.
You could use the cylinder hoses to make a closed loop on the valve, then when you pull the lever you can tell if you have a restriction in the hose, it could be a collapsed lining in the hose.
One suggestion on the splitter is that you probably should add a restraining strap on the front of the cylinder. It prevents the cylinder rod from bending.

 

[Patrick62]

That is interesting!

Concerning my hoses....
The splitter valve has 1/2" work ports, so I assumed that I could run 1/2" line to cylinder. Cylinder actually has 3/4" ports with bushings screwed in.
Hydr motor has 1/2" ports, so I assumed that I could run 1/2 line to them, as the motor valve has 1/2" ports (that I repaired).... Since the motor isn't designed for more than 14 gpm anyway, it should work. The RPM of the motor sounds about right at about 195, and I have the engine set to 3100. But the biggie that I really should replace is the line from the pump to the split valve. It is 1/2", and fairly long, screwed into a pump that has a 1/2" port... Hmmm.

Replace all the hoses with 3/4?? Maybe I should. The suction & return lines are made out of that 1" stuff that has all the flex of a hunk of wood. Awsum hose!

I split with it for about a hour today, it did fair. Didn't even die.

I still think I want a 12hp or better engine on there. I have also considered sticking a gear ratio between the motor and rear axle. It would not hurt anything, take like a old 3 speed, and gut out 1st and reverse, leaving 2nd and high. run some linkage and I can have a high and low and a neutral. I have run the motor with the coupler removed and the engine slows a bit. It must be friction of the lines. I am still learnin' about this stuff.

-Pat