Diesel log splitter?

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Diesel, 2.5 inch ram (sounds like rod diameter, indicates a 5 inch piston), um, diesel, 700 bucks wait 700 bucks! Oh, and uh I think you said it was a diesel.
So, if the little woman organizes a sleepover at someone else's house for the kids and meets you at the door in a silk nightgown to hand you a beer when you get home from work, will you
a)run straight to the bedroom
b)go to the grocery store to get some pickles
or
c)run straight to the bedroom


Run, Forest, RUN

did somebody say diesel?
 
Any chance y'all are getting a good case of diesel fever? The Robin on my I & O runs half a day on less than a gallon. And that's at full RPM.

I don't think the diesel is any reason to go buy a $700 dollar splitter when $900 gets a decent, brand-new, horz/vert unit. Besides, we still don't know if the thing needs hoses, and if that really is a 5" cylinder then it's gonna be S-L-O-W on a 11gpm pump.
 
Pro's:
What price point would the diesel powered splitter be compared to, if it was upgraded with the pump Jags suggested, and had the hoses repaired?
Even if the total investment was $1000, I'm sure you would be far and beyond the performance of say a 27 ton MTD for what, $1300 new?

When upgraded I think it would be comparable to some $1500 to $1700 machines in terms of speed and tonnage. And the Yanmar will probably outlast any B&S or Honda.
Yes, overkill for the average woodburner but it probably won't even struggle. Fuel cost is a moot point. Diesel costs more but you would use less.

Any other commercially available "homeowner" diesel splitters out there? Why? Lots of other Diesel powered equipment especially when hydraulics are part of the package.


Con's:

Maintenance costs? Cold weather starting? Noise level? Exhaust fumes?
 
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Any chance y'all are getting a good case of diesel fever? The Robin on my I & O runs half a day on less than a gallon. And that's at full RPM.

I don't think the diesel is any reason to go buy a $700 dollar splitter when $900 gets a decent, brand-new, horz/vert unit. Besides, we still don't know if the thing needs hoses, and if that really is a 5" cylinder then it's gonna be S-L-O-W on a 11gpm pump.
Those are good points.
AND I suppose if your wood tends to be less than 24" and it likes to pop apart then those are excellent points.
But if you find a $900 splitter where I live, it is not new. It likely doesn't work well and the seller bought something different that's better. AND there's a good chance I have a lot of something in my stack that will stop it.
I'm just saying that splitter has the ingredients for what I need. Even if I had (wanted) to buy a 25 gpm pump to make it sing I believe it would be justifiable. 30+ inches is the norm, 24 would be an exception. Even if things split easy, put together a fourway wedge and split half as much. I cut 18-21 inch logs to max out my firebox. Often when I'm done with one log I have a couple day's worth of wood.

BrianK, ScottyOK, get that man's name and number and RUN. You live a LOT closer than me. I think we realize what a treasure that thing is.

Diesel Fever? *sigh* yes I might have a small problem with anything that makes a bang. This discussion could turn to religion and definitely politics. So I'm done now.

The wife won't let me put it in my coffee anymore. But sometimes I can have some over my icecream or three fingers on the rocks if she wants to drive home after dinner. I do keep a bottle of it in the home, just so I can pop the cork and smell it. mmmmmmmm d-d-d-d-diesssselll.
 
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BrianK, ScottyOK, get that man's name and number and RUN. You live a LOT closer than me. I think we realize what a treasure that thing is.

I'm going tomorrow evening to look at it and I'll likely bring it home. That's the earliest I could coordinate with the seller to go see it.
 
Any chance y'all are getting a good case of diesel fever? The Robin on my I & O runs half a day on less than a gallon. And that's at full RPM.

I don't think the diesel is any reason to go buy a $700 dollar splitter when $900 gets a decent, brand-new, horz/vert unit. Besides, we still don't know if the thing needs hoses, and if that really is a 5" cylinder then it's gonna be S-L-O-W on a 11gpm pump.

I've been pricing these small Yanmar diesels. Even used, they're often selling for more than this splitter, if you can find them. And they are used on some very high end emergency and utility equipment and generators. There's a whole line of Chinese knock offs of these small air cooled Yanmar diesels; imitation is the highest form of flattery.

I could buy this unit, sell the Yanmar, and have enough cash for both a used gas motor and a higher GPM pump. But I suspect I'll just haul it home and put it to use, as its better than what I've got, which is an old maul and a bad back and a very limited bank account...
 
The wife won't let me put it in my coffee anymore. But sometimes I can have some over my icecream or three fingers on the rocks if she wants to drive home after dinner. I do keep a bottle of it in the home, just so I can pop the cork and smell it. mmmmmmmm d-d-d-d-diesssselll.
you are a sick man, ditchrider........I LIKE THE WAY YOU THINK!
 
you are a sick man, ditchrider........I LIKE THE WAY YOU THINK!
I am the people my parents warned me about. Some folks feel sorry for my kids. What they should be worried about is when my kids are no longer kids. It's what makes the world go 'round.
 
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I picked it up and brought it home tonight. I got it for $575. I think that's a decent price.

The Yanmar diesel came off a power washer. It runs great. It had not been started since I talked to him last week but started easily on the first pull. The decompression valve makes pull starting it fairly easy. The owner claims he splits a whole season of wood for his outside wood furnace on less than a tank of diesel, and only fills it once a year. He said it just sips fuel.

The hydraulic cylinder outside diameter is 4" and the rod on the ram is 2.5".

It functions fine but the ram seems a bit slow.

There are two extra devices connected to the hydraulic lines which I am unsure of their function. One might be a very old filter but it also has a pointer on top that can be set to two different positions. I have no idea what it does but it did not change the ram speed. The other one might just be an extra port to ad hydraulic fluid.

I'll post photos tomorrow.
 
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I picked it up and brought it home tonight. I got it for $575. I think that's a decent price.

The Yanmar diesel came off a power washer. It runs great. It had not been started since I talked to him last week but started easily on the first pull. The decompression valve makes pull starting it fairly easy.

The hydraulic cylinder outside diameter is 4" and the rod on the ram is 2.5".

It functions fine but the ram seems a bit slow.

There are two extra devices connected to the hydraulic lines which I am unsure of their function. One might be a very old filter but it also has a pointer on top that can be set to two different positions. I have no idea what it does but it did not change the ram speed. The other one might just be an extra port to ad hydraulic fluid.

I'll post photos tomorrow.
sounds like a great deal, Brian. You can always upgrade the pump to a two stage which will make that splitter faster, but it'll be fine the way it is for now. Get some good pics on so we can check it out!
 
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sounds like a great deal, Brian. You can always upgrade the pump to a two stage which will make that splitter faster, but it'll be fine the way it is for now. Get some good pics on so we can check it out!
The owner claims that 4 years ago he put a new 11GPM 2 stage pump from Northern Tool. Some of the hydraulic lines are dry rotted but don't leak. I suspect upgrading the hydraulic filter and the bad lines won't hurt.
 
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OK, I have to name this thing...

I'm open to suggestions. Should I start a poll?

:p
 
Also, I asked the owner if he ever had any pieces of wood it failed to split. He said he could only recall two pieces of elm that had huge knots that he just couldn't get to split with it, because it cut through it instead of splitting it, and he had to pry it off the wedge.
 
OK, I have to name this thing...

I'm open to suggestions. Should I start a poll?

:p
suggestion #1: "grunt". When it bites into that nasty old knot on a 30 inch round you'll find out why. When you install a 22gpm pump call it "GRUNT", and a 5 inch cylinder you can rename it "GRUNT!" but don't stand near the wedge :eek:
 
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I picked it up and brought it home tonight. I got it for $575. I think that's a decent price.
It's a bargain just for the engine. You could put $500 in repairs and fabrications and remodels on that thing over the next few years and have a real beast. I bet you'll put that diesel against a 15 hp Robbins and do just as well in the tuff stuff.
 
Yup. Might be 9hp, but torque is prolly double what a 9hp gas engine has.

It's a bargain just for the engine. You could put $500 in repairs and fabrications and remodels on that thing over the next few years and have a real beast. I bet you'll put that diesel against a 15 hp Robbins and do just as well in the tuff stuff.
 
suggestion #1: "grunt". When it bites into that nasty old knot on a 30 inch round you'll find out why. When you install a 22gpm pump call it "GRUNT", and a 5 inch cylinder you can rename it "GRUNT!" but don't stand near the wedge :eek:
OK, most of the websites list the following GPM pumps and HP requirements:

GPM-HP
11 ---5.5
13 ---6.5
16 ---8
22 ---12
28 ---16

I'm assuming those hp requirement ratings are for gas motors.

What size GPM pump should this 9hp diesel be able to handle? Is there a gas to diesel hp conversion, or is it 1:1?
 
OK, most of the websites list the following GPM pumps HP requirements:

GPM-HP
11 ---5.5
13 ---6.5
16 ---8
22 ---12
28 ---16

I'm assuming those hp requirement ratings are for gas motors.

What size GPM pump should this 9hp diesel be able to handle? Is there a gas to diesel hp conversion, or is it 1:1?
I'd probably stay 16 gpm. That way if you split something big and nasty, the higher volume of the 22 won't bog you down. Look around on the net, if you can find something that backs up using a bigger pump, then go for the 22gpm.
 
If cost is an issue, you will probably want to stick to the 16gpm pump. After that they start to get pricey real fast. That 9 hp on a 16gpm pump with a 3.5 inch cylinder will be a pretty quick machine. (outside dia. of 4" relates to about a 3.5 inch ram.)
 
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In these photos, I think the device mounted between the motor and the cylinder is a filter, but it has the movable pointer/indicator on top that is viewable in the fourth photo, and I have no idea what that might be or its function. Also, in the second photo, directly above the hydraulic pump, there is a device with a large knob that is labelled "refill valve":

cater2.jpgcater3.jpgcater4.jpgcater5.jpgcater6.jpgcatersplitter1.jpg
 
Could the lever be a bypass for the filter for cold startups??

I just took another look at it. It might just be an indicator, because at one position its labelled "Filter Clean." Maybe these old filters needed to be serviced?

I wonder if it could be eliminated and a modern in line filter used to replace it?
 
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