70's Log Splitter - Refurbishing

[Lone_Gun]

I've been lurking for a few months, soaking up as much knowledge as I can, and really enjoying the feel of this place. I want to first say thank you to all who make this site what it is today!

As my title says, I found a log splitter on Craigslist that was a home made model made from farm and tractor parts back in the 70's. I am in the process of bringing it back to life to help with my wood processing, as we heat our house solely with our wood stove, as we have for the past 15 years. I have always split by hand until renting a splitter in the fall of 2014. Wow, what a difference! I was splitting my firewood plus my parents firewood, so the splitter really made a huge difference! Since that time I have been doing homework to see if I could build one or buy a used one for a decent price. Well, this fall I found one and have been tinkering with it and getting it back up and operational.

The 5hp Briggs engine on it had a rusted fuel tank, and with the cost of a new tank being $80, and was told finding a used one was near impossible. I bought a Harbor Freight 6.7hp Predator for $100 and moved on.

Once I put the new engine on and got it running, I tested the unit and it was working, but not what I was expecting. I found out the pump on it is only a single stage, and once I got into any knots or tough spots in the wood, it would kill the engine. I made a few adjustments to my valve and got a little bit better performance, but was still not happy with the performance.

Also during this testing stage, I realized that the hydraulic reservoir is too small and will not cool the fluid enough and it gets really hot and the hotter it got, the performance went down. The tank holds less than 2 gallons of fluid.

So, a couple weeks ago, I ordered a new 11gpm 2 stage pump which arrived this week. I have installed it on the motor and would love to run it, but with the small reservoir, I am worried the fluid will still get too hot and I'll be frustrated with it still.

So, after all that back-story, my question is about the reservoir I want to put on. I have seen people use everything from a plastic 5 gallon gas can, an old keg, a propane tank, etc... In all I've read online, I keep hearing it said that I should have an internal baffle to help route the fluid in a way to use as much of the tank surface as possible to cool the fluid before it goes back through the pump. If I was to use one of the tanks listed above, that would not be possible. I was looking for some input from some of you who may have a similar tank on your splitter and the pros and cons of using it without a baffle to help cool the fluid.

Hopefully my explanation above makes sense, and I look forward to any input you may have.

I've read enough posts here to know that pics are important, just need to resize them and upload. I will work on that tonight or tomorrow.

 

[Jags]

Of the three splitters I have built over the years, none of them had baffles in the tank with no issues to date. The smallest tank I have used was about a 7 gallon tank. The largest would hold over 10 gallons (just to give a size ref). With an 11 GPM pump you could probably get away with a 5 gallon tank of whatever sorts.
I find that input and output position is more important than baffles. Always have the return line above the supply if possible but always submerged in fluid (reduces aeration). On my smaller tank, the input and output is on an even plane but the tank is almost two foot long, so aeration is minimized.

 

[Lone_Gun]

Here are a few pics of the splitter when I first brought it home. The current tank is a 4" cylinder by about 25" laying horizontal. you can see it in the first picture on the left side.

Splitter - Before

• Lone_Gun
• Jan 14, 2016

This is a look from behind the splitter, before any changes were made.

Splitter - Before changes

• Lone_Gun
• Jan 14, 2016

This is the splitter from the right side.

Splitter - Before Changes

• Lone_Gun
• Jan 14, 2016

This is looking at the splitter from the left side

 

[Jags]

I like the overall design, but agree that the tank is too small.

ETA: It looks like with some minor mods a tank something like this could fit where the original sits:
http://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200466863_200466863

 

[Lone_Gun]

Thanks guys. I wonder how I can get my pics to show up on the post, rather than the weird links?

 

[Jags]

Your pics are showing just fine.

 

[Lone_Gun]

Thank you Jags for the insight. One if the options I was considering is a used air tank off a semi, and it looks like that is what you have on the one splitter. What kind of threads can I get to install for the return line and the suction line on the tank? Is it a weldable bung? Sorry, don't know the terms so well yet. I have a small welder, so this may be a great option. I also like the look of that type of tank, as it helps to keep the look of the splitter from not looking too modern. I like the look of it.

 

[Lone_Gun]

While I'm on a roll here, one more question. I have a 1/2" output from my pump, and a 1" input to my valve. Can I run 1/2" hydraulic hose, or do I need to run 3/4"?

 

[Jags]

Yes - the tank on the smaller splitter was an air tank from a semi - good eye. Those are standard pipe threads (at least on the tank I used).
You can neck down the input to the control valve to 1/2" with no appreciable negative results. An 11 gpm pump simply doesn't need more than a 1/2" line.

(The build for the small splitter is linked in my sig if you have any interest)

 

[Lone_Gun]

What did you end up doing for the pump suction port off of the tank? I've got 1" input on pump and 1/2" port on my tank.

 

[Lone_Gun]

2 weeks ago I bought a semi air tank at a local junk yard. Had to add a 1" bung for the suction line and when we tested for leaks, had multiple pin hole leaks. Spent a couple hours with my angle grinder cleaning up the mess of a weld I tried. Now going to incorporate the help of a friend who actually knows how to weld this weekend to fix it. If all goes well, I should be able to mount the new tank next week and plumb it all up. I'm awful excited to fire it up with the new 11gpm pump and see it work!

 

[Sean McGillicuddy]

. I'm awful excited to fire it up with the new 11gpm pump and see it work!

Me too!

 

[Lone_Gun]

Came across an interesting issue with this tank as I was working to put the 1" port for my suction line on. When I was using a flashlight to inspect the inside of the tank, I would shine it in one of the existing ports on top and look and then move to another port down the tank. All was going well until while shining it through a port, I couldn't see light coming through. My first thought was my light wasn't working. Looked at it and it was shining bright. But no light when looking in the tank. Finally dawned on me that there is an inner plate making it 2 tanks inside. So I had 1/3 tank plus 2/3 tank on the other end. Who knew?

 

[Lone_Gun]

Well, after working on my new hydraulic tank and prepping it, I think tomorrow I can finally put my splitter back together and plumb it all up. Last weekend I drained the old tank, removed it, the valve and the old pump and the old hoses. I hope to have some good news to report!

 

[Lone_Gun]

So, good news and bad news folks. We finished up with the splitter Saturday and had it running. Runs smooth and strong.

Bad news is, we split a pile of knotty Ponderosa Pine on Sunday and managed to warp the beam where the wedge is bolted on. See attached photo.

Warped Beam

• Lone_Gun
• Feb 15, 2016

This is what some knotty Ponderosa Pine did to my I-beam.

Any thoughts? Short of replacing the beam with a heavier duty beam, I am open to suggestions. I have one friend who said I should cut out the bad part and weld in a new piece on the top, then add some 1/2" plate underneath on both sides, and then run some gussets up the side to connect the top and bottom of the beam to add more strength. I also know that I want a taller splitting wedge, as this one is too short.

On the note of the wedge, I can get an 8" or 12" tall wedge that is 6" deep and 1" thick. Would it put less stress on the beam if the wedge was thinner than what I currently have?

 

[Jags]

That is simply a bad wedge design. Bolting down the back without the front attached simply gives leverage to the front of the wedge. Easy cure. Clamp that wedge back down and weld the heck out of the whole thing. You will be applying force across a much larger area than where it is currently bolted to. It will work, I promise.

 

[claydogg84]

That is simply a bad wedge design. Bolting down the back without the front attached simply gives leverage to the front of the wedge. Easy cure. Clamp that wedge back down and weld the heck out of the whole thing. You will be applying force across a much larger area than where it is currently bolted to. It will work, I promise.

I agree.

 

[Lone_Gun]

Thanks guys... I admit this is the first time I've ever seen this approach on building a splitter wedge. I removed the wedge this afternoon and placed a large stump under the beam. Then I proceeded to beat it flat with a 12 pound sledge hammer. I think it's about as flat as I will get it now. Doesn't look too half bad.

Any thoughts on the wedge height? I want it higher, but not sure if I should weld an extension on top of the existing wedge or get a new 12" wedge and weld it directly to the beam.

 

[Jags]

Keep in mind that the taller the wedge is, the more force it creates on the beam (again - leverage). That being said, the weld on wedges do a fine job. The purchased ones are of a harder steel and will need to be welded with low hydrogen rod.

 

[Sean McGillicuddy]

If you go with a taller wedge ,You could weld a support on the top back edge of the wedge @ 45 and weld farther back on the beam to help with flexing.
Like in this pic.

 

[Lone_Gun]

Great advice, thank you Gentlemen. I will be ordering a new wedge this week.

 

[cachunko]

I'd definitely make the wedge taller. The wedge on my speeco is maybe 7-8 inches tall? And there are many times I wish it was taller. Obviously as everyone has said, weld that sucker on to the beam.

 

[Sean McGillicuddy]

If you get a shorter/taller wedge you might pick up a couple of inches in log length.
Then watch out!

 

[Lone_Gun]

It's been a while since I was able to give an update on this project. Way more setbacks than I am happy with. My small Wire feed welder would not do the job. A friend of mine offered to weld it for me and so I prepped all of the pieces of steel to reinforce the beam and headed over to his place. We got started with it and his welder broke down. Just my luck!

I took my splitter back home with my tail tucked between my legs... Several weeks went by and I checked to see if he got his welder working, only to find out he's raising baby chicks in his shop and can't roll up the door to do welding.

Finally my son and I decided to buy a welder on Craigslist and weld it ourself. After quite a bit of practice, the day came when we decided it was time. 2 weeks ago on a Sunday we started to weld it. About 6 hours in we were finished. Yes, I know 6 hours seems like a long time for this sort of thing, but for a couple of guys without a lot of welding experience, I think we did a great job. We've tested it with some knotty pine and it appears to be solid. I am hoping to split through the remaining rounds we have once I get some stacking done.

I am working on resizing the picture so I can post it so you all know it happened... [emoji3]


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[Lone_Gun]

I'm going to see if the pic is finally able to load. I obviously don't do this enough to be great at it yet... I'm determined though. I'll get there.

Log Splitter

• Lone_Gun
• Jun 11, 2016

New Wedge