ATV hitch for wood splitter, back saver

[bogydave]

Made if from the log puller I made a few years ago.
Just added 2X4 for 2" ball.
4X4 at bottom has a 2" hole made with a 2" hole saw, 2" deep, chipped out the hole so it fits
over the ball on ATV. This way the weight is still on the ball, not much on the rack.
Top 4X4 has a holding bracket so it don't bounce off the ball when the suspension move up.
Not for fast speed & it does lock up the rear suspension, but at slow speeds, no prob.
4'" wide inside, 7" outside.
Bracket to hold it at the top to the rack. Slide the aluminum angle over the rack & ball, slid in the piece of plywood.
put in the bolts, I go hand tight. Good to go.
just cut a piece of a 2X6 down to 4" wide, screwed & braced it a little higher than the log splitter
tongue , just have to lift it an inch or so to go on the ball,
I leave it mounted to the ATV & split wood. The tongue jack on the splitter is a finger pinching "mo-fu'r".
It fold up easy now, out of the way, no pinched finger or fighting to let it down to the ball on the ATV.

 

[BrotherBart]

Looks good. I hear ya on the finger pinching. Fortunately my splitter sits level hooked to the ball on my garden tractor.

 

[woodmeister]

I like it i'll try it, my back s**ks.

 

[Jags]

Dave - is this just a method to get the ball height higher than the atv ball, or is this a "lift" of some type that aids in getting the splitter hooked up?

 

[bogydave]

Dave - is this just a method to get the ball height higher than the atv ball, or is this a "lift" of some type that aids in getting the splitter hooked up?

No "lift" design, all manual lifting, just only lift 2".
Just found it easier to brace one hand o the ATV, lift the splitter tongue with the other hand 2" & set it on the ball
VS lifting the tongue, swinging in the tongue leg, (take both hands) lowering the tongue to the ATV.
Leave it hooked up until I put it away.
To me , it is easy to lift the tongue from knee height, (no bending needed, the back saver part) to 2" higher, move forward 2" & drop on the ball, all one handed.

But your idea would be easy to incorporate into a lever that did that, with a few modifications.
(a lever, pivot point & a few pins)
Good thought, gives me ideas

 

[Jags]

Dave - is this just a method to get the ball height higher than the atv ball, or is this a "lift" of some type that aids in getting the splitter hooked up?

No "lift" design, all manual lifting, just only lift 2".
Just found it easier to brace one hand o the ATV, lift the splitter tongue with the other hand 2" & set it on the ball
VS lifting the tongue, swinging in the tongue leg, (take both hands) lowering the tongue to the ATV.
Leave it hooked up until I put it away.
To me , it is easy to lift the tongue from knee height, (no bending needed, the back saver part) to 2" higher, move forward 2" & drop on the ball, all one handed.

But your idea would be easy to incorporate into a lever that did that, with a few modifications.
(a lever, pivot point & a few pins)
Good thought, gives me ideas

Ahh...got it.

 

[Kenster]

The 35ton tongue is super heavy on a ball hooked up to the low tow plate of my Husqvarna lawn tractor. So much weight that it bent the plate down.
So, I drilled out the heavy metal "fender" right behind the seat and stuck the ball there. It keeps the beam of the splitter perfectly level, which also means it is balanced and therefore easier to move around.

 

[Sean McGillicuddy]

The 35ton tongue is super heavy on a ball hooked up to the low tow plate of my Husqvarna lawn tractor. So much weight that it bent the plate down.
So, I drilled out the heavy metal "fender" right behind the seat and stuck the ball there. It keeps the beam of the splitter perfectly level, which also means it is balanced and therefore easier to move around.

So were are the pics

 

[Kenster]

So were are the pics

Thought you'd never ask...

 

[Como]

Sounds pathetic but I could not raise the energy to push the spitter up hill and I had boxed myself in with wood, so I got out the hand winch and tow rope. it worked.

One more day and I am finished.

I am not sure how much I have blocked and split, 25 cords plus I guess.

 

[swagler85]

Thought you'd never ask...

View attachment 85822

View attachment 85823

Now that's a good idea

 

[MasterMech]

Thought you'd never ask...

View attachment 85822

View attachment 85823

That's sad when the fender is stronger than the hitch plate. Great ingenuity on your part tho!

 

[Bocephous]

Bogydave,

Do you have any pics of the log puller?

 

[velvetfoot]

Kenster, nice solution, but with my lawn tractor, a couple of years old Ariens by Husky, the fuel tank is right under the seat there plus there's no flat spot to mount the hitch.

What I've been doing, though it might seem somewhat lame, is using a Harbor Freight trailer dolly with the angle iron that holds it up removed. I tie the handle to the hitch hole. It's quite an extreme angle for the ball into the splitter hitch, but it hasn't popped out yet in many trips up and down the driveway. When I get close to the splitting location, I untie the handle and move the splitter into position by hand.

The trailer jack and roller at the end of the beam proves very helpful. What's nice about this jockey trailer is that it's low stress-no big weight on the hitch. If I had any welding equipment or skills, I could weld up something with the right angles, but the downside of that could be that the angles wouldn't be right for manually moving the splitter with the dolly. Maybe something adjustable.

 

[MasterMech]

Kenster, nice solution, but with my lawn tractor, a couple of years old Ariens by Husky, the fuel tank is right under the seat there plus there's no flat spot to mount the hitch.

What I've been doing, though it might seem somewhat lame, is using a Harbor Freight trailer dolly with the angle iron that holds it up removed. I tie the handle to the hitch hole. It's quite an extreme angle for the ball into the splitter hitch, but it hasn't popped out yet in many trips up and down the driveway. When I get close to the splitting location, I untie the handle and move the splitter into position by hand.

The trailer jack and roller at the end of the beam proves very helpful. What's nice about this jockey trailer is that it's low stress-no big weight on the hitch. If I had any welding equipment or skills, I could weld up something with the right angles, but the downside of that could be that the angles wouldn't be right for manually moving the splitter with the dolly. Maybe something adjustable.

I been wondering lately about using one of those or building something similar to convert the splitter into a 4-wheel wagon. Takes the tongue weight off the tractor and could use a regular pin and clevis hitch setup so the pull would be straight back and not bend the hitch plate. It's the ball acting as a lever that bends the plate.

 

[bogydave]

Bogydave,

Do you have any pics of the log puller?

2" hole in the bottom 4X4 to slide over the ball.
1/2" eye bolt thru the top 4X4 to hook the log skidding chain.
Used some 4" aluminum angle to slide over the ATV rack to hold it on.

I have had to repair it a few times. being made of wood, some pieces split & break. But I
like that it breaks & not the rack or hitch on the ATV, (like a shear pin ) easy/cheap to fix
a couple pieces of 2X4 & 4X4 wood.

 

[Flatbedford]

That's cool. You almost never see stuff like that made of wood on forums. I always feel like I should have a welder and know how to use it before I try to build anything for my truck or tractor. Wood sure is easier to work with.

 

[Bocephous]

Very cool, BD. I may borrow/steal that idea.