Processor Build

[hupte]

opcorn:

 

[woodman6666]

I didn't have a stub shaft for one. Nor did I have a flywheel. The engine came out of a truck application with an automatic tranny, so I cut the torque converter in half along the circumference and machined a stub shaft to fit into the center hole of the converter. The converter then bolted to the flex plate and kept the stub shaft centered. I didn't have enough bell housing either, so I couldn't have put a plate across it to mount the pump on unless I found a deeper bell housing as well. I could've bought a PTO assembly, but the cheapest one I found was in the $2500 range and I didn't want to spend that on it. AND, with this set up, I can slide the shaft off the pump if I need to remove it for some reason. In short, it was just easier all around.
The wedge will rest up against the wedge backing plate and slide up and down against it. The wedge fits between the two main beams and those are what keeps it centered. I'm going to have it set up so that if I want to change wedges, the hydraulic cylinder that lifts it will raise it entirely out of the slot in the two main beams. At that point I can slide something under it to support it, disconnect the hydraulic cylinder and remove the wedge.

I didn't make the spikes any taller because I didn't want smaller logs to be pushed to one side or the other in the trough. You may be correct in that I'll have trouble with crooked logs, but with the spikes every 12 or so inches, SOME of them will kinda HAVE to dig into the log I'd have to think. I'm sure there are going to be modifications to be made once I get the thing running and this may be one of them.

Seeing as how you've built a few of these things, do you see a problem with using AW 32 hydraulic oil as opposed to AW 46?

I remember! I don't think the firefighter challenge happened up there this year. Or we didn't get invited. But I was looking forward to meeting you if we went again.

I would run the thicker oil. Are you running a cooler? You should even a small one on one of the accessory returns. AS far as your wedge sliding up and out of the slot that is good just one word of caution if your cylinder is underneath just pushing up and letting gravity take it back down it will be a problem for two reasons, one especially in the winter crud will build up on the sides and it wont go down, and if a piece gets funky under one of the wedges it will push the whole thing up and out of the pocket. I know this becasue of this flawed design of the blockbuster machine I owned years ago. It has to be pinned to push and pull, I would have the cylinder on the top. I hope this made sense.

 

[flashhole]

opcorn: Outstanding build, I just want to follow your progress.

 

[CRE1992]

Hey nice build! What gpm and psi is that hydraulic pump? Also if you don't mind me asking how much did it run you?

Thanks,
Charles

 

[Hedgerow]

..opcorn:

 

[Blazin]

Nice work!

 

[colson04]

This is awesome. I've been thinking about building a heavy duty splitter that uses your style push plate / adjustable wedge so I can split rounds up in one pass. Definitely want to follow this thread for some pointers opcorn:

 

[chaikwa]

Hey nice build! What gpm and psi is that hydraulic pump? Also if you don't mind me asking how much did it run you?

Thanks,
Charles

Sorry I didn't get back to you sooner. For some reason I didn't get any email notification that this thread had new posts and I've been so busy lately that I haven't regularly checked.

Anyway, that is a Schultz P50B442BYSP25-73CAK15-1, 2 section pump, 57gpm on the large side and 27gpm on the smaller side, designed to deliver 2500psi @1800RPM's. Price was $953.

 

[muddstopper]

Looks good. I do have one concern. Using flatbar topped with more flat bar should make a pretty stought beam, BUT, I think I would be afraid of the beam twisting on the wedge end when under heavy stress. Yes I see that the back plate is supported to the top frame of the machine but I dont think that will stop the twisting action. I know I used a w6x6 Hbeam for my splitter built. I also capped the top rail with 1/2plate, making the top 1 in thick. I also added 3/4 flatbar to both sides of the web. I then boxed the end with C channel. I could split anything I put in the splitter with very litte deflection using a 4in cylinder. I then added a 5in cyl which gave me about 50% more power and now the deflection is really obvious.
You are using a 6in cylinder and I think you will find your beam twisting when splitting the really nasty stuff. It might not be a concern, but is certainly something I would watch for. Then again, You might not be processing the crooked knotty stuff I expect to be using and this might not even be a problem for you.

I am still gathering parts for my own processor build. I will be using a W8x8hbeam for the built. To this I am planning on capping the flange and tipple plateing the web. I will be using Two smaller cyl for the splitting, but will be pretty equal to your 6in cyl in power. Since I plan on building one of those cookie cutter multiple splitting wedges, it takes lots of tonnage and the beam better be strong.

I really like your Ideal of a side mounted log lift for splitting rounds. I think I will incorporate that in my final design.

 

[chaikwa]

Looks good. I do have one concern. Using flatbar topped with more flat bar should make a pretty stought beam, BUT, I think I would be afraid of the beam twisting on the wedge end when under heavy stress. Yes I see that the back plate is supported to the top frame of the machine but I dont think that will stop the twisting action. I know I used a w6x6 Hbeam for my splitter built. I also capped the top rail with 1/2plate, making the top 1 in thick. I also added 3/4 flatbar to both sides of the web. I then boxed the end with C channel. I could split anything I put in the splitter with very litte deflection using a 4in cylinder. I then added a 5in cyl which gave me about 50% more power and now the deflection is really obvious.
You are using a 6in cylinder and I think you will find your beam twisting when splitting the really nasty stuff. It might not be a concern, but is certainly something I would watch for. Then again, You might not be processing the crooked knotty stuff I expect to be using and this might not even be a problem for you.

I am still gathering parts for my own processor build. I will be using a W8x8hbeam for the built. To this I am planning on capping the flange and tipple plateing the web. I will be using Two smaller cyl for the splitting, but will be pretty equal to your 6in cyl in power. Since I plan on building one of those cookie cutter multiple splitting wedges, it takes lots of tonnage and the beam better be strong.

I really like your Ideal of a side mounted log lift for splitting rounds. I think I will incorporate that in my final design.

I kinda figured using 2, 1 1/4" X 10" Flats topped with a 1" X 6" flat and gussetting them to the processor frame would eliminate most twisting issues, but we'll definitely find out when I split some of the nasty, twisty rounds the tree companies bring me. I couldn't even find a beam that would be sufficient to take the twisting stresses unless I went with something about 24" tall.

 

[muddstopper]

I realize I am not compareing apples to apples with our two beam designs. The flats as you have them spaced apart will provide more support than my re-enforced Hbeam. The gussets on the outsides should help also. With your 6in cyl, twisting is only something you can watch for and hope you have done enough. I broke the endoff a 8in Hbeam with a 6in cyl once, but it had no reenforcement. Happend so fast it was to late to stop when I realized what was happening. Only thing that has really inflicted a lot of twist to my current beam has been a 30in Whiteoak that had 4 big knots in it. I dont always split such wood, but I get enough of it I will be using a bigger hbeam with more re-enforcement for the processor build.

 

[woodman6666]

I have found that a 2x8x3/8" wall rectangle tube with a 1x6" solid flat welded on top makes a very stout beam and if that is not enough put two of these together under the solid flat and I think you will beat just about any beam for strength and twisting

 

[Rudolf73]

Subscribed opcorn: Its got a cummins in it!

 

[chaikwa]

I have found that a 2x8x3/8" wall rectangle tube with a 1x6" solid flat welded on top makes a very stout beam and if that is not enough put two of these together under the solid flat and I think you will beat just about any beam for strength and twisting

I have 2 pieces of 3" X 10" X 3/8" rectangular tubing that I was originally going to use as the 2 main splitting beams, just as you suggest, but I didn't like how wide it was going to make the top of the beam. I was afraid small diameter log would get pushed to one side or the other once they got on top of the beam and just get grazed by the wedge, or by-pass the wedge altogether. As it is with a 6" wide top, a 12" log will become an un-even split with one side bigger than the other.

 

[chaikwa]

Subscribed opcorn: Its got a cummins in it!

I'm afraid there won't be a whole lot of progress to report for a while. I leave Sunday to attend a week-long conference. The week after that I *MAY* have some time to achieve something, but the following week I leave for Massachusetts for 3 weeks. It's our busy season for fire prevention education until early or mid November. I figure I'll start splitting wood for this season sometime around December. :msp_scared: And somewhere in the whole mess I STILL have to install the outdoor wood boiler.

 

[muddstopper]

I'm afraid there won't be a whole lot of progress to report for a while. I leave Sunday to attend a week-long conference. The week after that I *MAY* have some time to achieve something, but the following week I leave for Massachusetts for 3 weeks. It's our busy season for fire prevention education until early or mid November. I figure I'll start splitting wood for this season sometime around December. :msp_scared: And somewhere in the whole mess I STILL have to install the outdoor wood boiler.

What???? The Suspense, The Wait, Ahhhhhhhhhhhh

 

[Preston]

The most important question. What color are you planning to paint it, and how in the world are you going to get into all those nooks and crannies. That's looks like as much painting as welding. Fantastic work by the way.

 

[chaikwa]

The most important question. What color are you planning to paint it...

Cat Yellow. Equipment should be yellow!

and how in the world are you going to get into all those nooks and crannies.

I'm not!

That's looks like as much painting as welding.

It will be, yes. You wanna paint it for me? (I HATE painting!)

Fantastic work by the way.

Thank you, but it's not anything any one of you here couldn't do if you put your mind to it. Welding is 99.999999% practice and .00000001% skill! As to the design, any moron can copy someone else's stuff... I'm living proof!

 

[Preston]

Cat Yellow. Equipment should be yellow!
I'm not!
It will be, yes. You wanna paint it for me? (I HATE painting!)
Thank you, but it's not anything any one of you here couldn't do if you put your mind to it. Welding is 99.999999% practice and .00000001% skill! As to the design, any moron can copy someone else's stuff... I'm living proof!

If I still had my shop I would have the equipment to tackle something like that. But sold the shop and now I have nothing to work with. But the cost of the steel would probably kill the project for me.

I really do love the work you're doing.

 

[muddstopper]

At least you have given me a ideal for an alternative to paying for hi priced metal. I am going to scrounge the scrap yards and see how many school buses I can come up with. I have been gathering parts for about 2 years now, right now I have a 58hp engine, 8x8 hbeam, 5in bore cylinder, 28gpm 2stage pump, 27in harvester bar and chain, and a hydraulic motor for the saw. I also have a bunch of small cylinders and smaller pumps for various other functions, ie, log clamp, lift arms and such. The only thing holding me back right now is metal and hoses and 30gpm pump for running the saw. ( I know someone is going to say I don't need a 30gpm pump for a saw motor, but I have my reasons)