Designing and building a log splitter is one of the funnest things I have ever done. Not a lotta mystery to the thing, but you HAVE to have a definate goal in mind. While you are out splitting with your current machine, think... do I like the beam height? Do I want a shorter stroke to speed things up? where would the handle and valve be better for me? Do I need to split from both sides? I am a believer in a 3 way wedge, you can see this one barely
There are a bunch of advantages of a 3 way wedge. It was created out of some grader blade and bunch of welding and grinding. Built with the point about 6 inches above the beam. IF a block is smaller, it gets split in half. Larger stuff you align with the point, and it makes thirds. Even bigger stuff, you split to thirds most of the way, and then back 'er up, rotate it about 60 degrees, and push it again. You have just made 6 chunks of wood with two strokes. I gain speed by being efficient with the machine.
Then you decide what size cylinder would work best for you. THis splitter has a 20" stroke and is fine. 18" is too short, as you need to wiggle longer rounds into position. 24" is too long unless you design a stop at 18" or so... ram travel is time wasted. what engine? what pump? what hoses?
Whole lotta fun! but a task that is WELL worth doing.