Where to place log splitter beam over axle?

[sdnomad]

I am in the process of putting together a log splitter. My question is how do you decide what percentage of the beam should be in front of the axle. Do you go by a percentage of beam in front of the axle, or by a certain amount of tongue weight?

My beam is 63 inches long.

Thanks,
Doug

 

[JackD_ME]

Most trailer manufacturers figure about 10% tongue weight. Not that it will matter for towing but it could be important if you plan to move it by hand.

 

[yooperman]

I'm planning on building one myself. The one I have now is good but I want a bigger,faster, stronger one. One thing I notice with my current splitter is the brace for the fender is up to close to where I stand and it can make it tough to move out of the way to handle a piece. 95% of the time its not a problem but my new one will have the axle far to the back and out of the way. Once at the yard it will stay there anyway and only move around the yard.

 

[computeruser]

I think the first question should be whether you plan to tow it on the road or not. If not, then issues of tongue weight, balance, tracking, etc, become irrelevant. I'd want to put the tank and engine and axle as far away from the operator as possible since balance isn't nearly as important as operator comfort and function. It is plenty easy to install a sturdy jack or stand on the far end of the splitter; there is no need to "balance" it perfectly.

The placement of the axle and tank on Ed*L's splitter made it a breeze for two people to run and load the splitter, one on each side, simultaneously. It was plenty stable this way when towing it down the road behind the tractor, too.

Most commercial splitters are at most partially right in their layout. Many are dead wrong. Look to the logic of your intended use of the tool and not just what you see online and at the store for your design.

 

[triptester]

If the splitter is going to be used in the horizontal position with the wedge at the end of the beam and the tongue is at the same end you will want the tongue weight to be about 10% or a comfortable weight that will allow you to move it by hand.

A 63" long beams seems a little short. What length stroke will your cylinder have?

 

[sdnomad]

63" is the measurement from the front blade of the wedge to the back mounting hole of the cylinder. With the cylinder mounted there is 26" between the wedge and the ram.

If the splitter is going to be used in the horizontal position with the wedge at the end of the beam and the tongue is at the same end you will want the tongue weight to be about 10% or a comfortable weight that will allow you to move it by hand.

A 63" long beams seems a little short. What length stroke will your cylinder have?

 

[Sprig]

Agree with Treeco, but you could go a bit lighter if you're not running it down the highway. In my opinion it is a matter of balance and access, you don't want too heavy a tongue weight (hard on you and the hitch), and you don't want the wheels to be in your way at all. On the side-to-side balance, that should be fairly easy to approximate and my gut tells me its easiest on the engine to have its main weight over the axle, not as much bouncing around and jarring as well as not having it act on the axle and prying the tongue off the hitch when ya hit a bump (that is if its rear mounted).
Just a wee 0.02$ fer the windy afternoon.



Serge

 

[cabinman]

axle

looking at the pics on your pump post,..Id move it back another 6/8 inches,.. Give your self all the room you can, to load and split, if you add a log lift you will be glad you have more room to work, Iam flerting with different ways to feed the splitter, other than bending over and pickin rounds off the ground, More room to work the more options you have for customizing, your machine down the road, Nice lookin project, have fun with it,..E, J,

 

[tanker]

Mine originaly had the axle all the way to the back,made it easy to back in tight areas with pickup but a real b$$ch to pick up and hook up by myself.When the olds car axle lost a bearing, I narrowed up an old house trailer axle and used it only 14" farther forward, now I can pick the tongue up 1 handed. My wedge is mounted on the hitch end of the splitter and I designed it a certain distance from the hitch since I use my truck to haul with and this lets me split with the tail gate down and throw intothe truck in 1 easy motion.Table mounted on the side of the splitter lets me put the loader bucket on it with a full bucket of wood and I can easily reach across and pull,roll onto the splitter. My splitter height is probably taller than most but I made it where I dont have to bend over to split wood

 

[cabinman]

Mine originaly had the axle all the way to the back,made it easy to back in tight areas with pickup but a real b$$ch to pick up and hook up by myself.When the olds car axle lost a bearing, I narrowed up an old house trailer axle and used it only 14" farther forward, now I can pick the tongue up 1 handed. My wedge is mounted on the hitch end of the splitter and I designed it a certain distance from the hitch since I use my truck to haul with and this lets me split with the tail gate down and throw intothe truck in 1 easy motion.Table mounted on the side of the splitter lets me put the loader bucket on it with a full bucket of wood and I can easily reach across and pull,roll onto the splitter. My splitter height is probably taller than most but I made it where I dont have to bend over to split wood

nomad, you can easly check your tounge weight,.put the tires on and lift the tounge, looks like the saddle you made fur the axle will hold it fine, slide it back and forth until you like it,.the axle position will only change the hose length, so make the hoses last,..lookin at the size of the beam, all the way back would probably still be easy enough to lift,..

 

[triptester]

I see from the pump thread how you are able to use what I thought might be a short beam.
Placing the engine behind the tank may allow you to move the axle back a little further .

 

[turnkey4099]

I'm planning on building one myself. The one I have now is good but I want a bigger,faster, stronger one. One thing I notice with my current splitter is the brace for the fender is up to close to where I stand and it can make it tough to move out of the way to handle a piece. 95% of the time its not a problem but my new one will have the axle far to the back and out of the way. Once at the yard it will stay there anyway and only move around the yard.

Yes! Yes! and Yes! again. Keep that axle/wheel/fender out of the way of the operator. I have #7 of a series we built in the boss's factory. Each had a modification to the previous. Mine got the axle moved to the rear of the beam because we were tired of the wheel bits being in the way.

Yes, it does make a heavy toungue weight for moving it by hand but a trailer dolly (cheap in Harbor Freight) solved that problem.

as far as towing goes, the heavy tongue weight has no effect...well, hooking it up isn't fun but...

I see most commercials have the axles in the way. Now on a 'tip-up' there is no other way t do it but one the regular ones...

Harry K