Log splitter pics ?..?..?

[Roospike]

How about a log splitter pic post topic .........What ya got ? How does it work for you ? Happy with it ? Mine is a Swisher brand i bought about 5 years back . 8.5HP - 26 ton . Just the right size , we do a lot of Oak and .........( O' No Warren , i have to say it ) ELM ! Splits its share of 36" rounds and does a fine job . I'm sure the larger size ( 30 ton ) would be even better / faster but for under 15 cords a year it does super, no regrets on size. ( i do about 8 or so cords + i splits my fathers wood + my brothers wood ) The only thing i have had to do to it over the years is oil / air filter / gas / htdro filter and the plastic hydro cap did crack so i had to buy a new one for $2.50

 

[Roospike]

Picture #2

 

[MountainStoveGuy]

Here is my splitter.

 

[suematteva]

8 lb head and fiberglass handle modification and a 6 ft 195 lb operator with a muffler modification

 

[Roospike]

8 lb head and fiberglass handle modification and a 6 ft 195 lb operator with a muffler modification

Ha," Muffler modification" Your killing me .

MountainStoveGuy& Vintage 181

Don't know how you do it . That's just too much work . Of coarse 15 cords a year even with the gas splitter isn't a cake walk either . I know a lot of people around the country that are family and or friends that all get together and buy 1 gas splitter for all of them to use . Saves a lot of $$ if you have family or friends that burn wood too and ya'll can get together and have a splitting party . I see a lot of gas log splitters for "rent" ... about $50. a day . Dont sound like a bad deal . Got all your wood gathered and do a 1 day rental . With the size of wood i end up getting like 36" rounds the gas splitter does make life a lot easier .

 

[MountainStoveGuy]

I only split 3-4 cords a year, not counting helping the neighbors. On the large rounds i wack it untill i cant anymore, and bust out the wedge if i cant get it to pop. I like the work, and the wife... oh nevermind

 

[Jags]

Here's my home made brute that splits about 8+ cords per year. It sports a 5" x 24" ram, 16 gpm 2 stage pump, 8hp electric start engine, electic log lift, road speed running gear and an extra heavy web 9" I beam. I think this thing could split engine blocks if you had a need to. :cheese:

 

[suematteva]

Jags,

Looks Great, probably will split engine blocks..

What pump you got on there? What did it run for parts & time? rough figures. thanks

 

[Jags]

I purchased the Ram, Valve, splitting wedge, pump and then later, the electic winch - brand new. As close as I can remember it....

Ram - $300 3000 psi Prince - local equip dealer
Wedge - $20 Northern Hyd. (Note - this does require low hydrogen welding because of hardness)
Valve - $89 - N. Hydraulics
Pump - $160 - N. Hydraulics
Winch - $49 - Harbor Freight (Note: power in/ power out 1500#)

The other components such as I-beam (came from a local "Erecting" service) 12 pack of beer
Axle/ tires - old boat trailer - on hand
Tank - hand made
Hoses - from the farm/friends in fork lift business.
8hp electric start - traded another engine for it.
Steel - The farm

So basically I have a little over $600 bucks in it, but ALL major components are NEW (or were at the time of building this thing) except the engine, which was a very low hour unit. This is very comparable to many of the $2500 and above units on the market now. And it is VERY powerful. I have left the relief valve at the factory setting of 2250 psi because I have NEVER found ANYTHING that this couldn't handle with power to spare (and I run the engine at about half throttle most of the time). Yep, this includes 36" American Elm "Y" splits also.

It was a blast to design and build. The most head scratching came from trying to design a log lift (after thought) with the ability to remove easily (less than 5 min.) Although since it has been installed, I have never removed it - works great as a work table when not lifting stuff.

As far as time goes - About a year thinking about it. 2 weeks to picture it in my mind. 3 weeks to gather the materials, and a weekend to build. I'm not even gonna go into the cost of beer while I was thinking about all this. In all fairness, this was the second splitter I have built, so the actual time spent to assemble and weld was minimized because of past experiences.

 

[suematteva]

Jags.

THANK YOU.

 

[elkimmeg]

Mine is an electric splitter scroll down the post for cpmple description and details
https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/150/

 

[Roospike]

Here's my home made brute that splits about 8+ cords per year. It sports a 5" x 24" ram, 16 gpm 2 stage pump, 8hp electric start engine, electic log lift, road speed running gear and an extra heavy web 9" I beam. I think this thing could split engine blocks if you had a need to. :cheese:

I like the splitter ,cudos to your design and effort forth in building it . The log lifter / log rack I'm sure is an awesome add on . I dont care how old you are when it come to lifting 36" rounds..... is just too much work. A1 splitter brother man .

 

[Jags]

Elk - I'll bet that thing does a pretty decent job and is nice a quiet. I couldn't really imagine the voltage drop I would get running the 15 miles of extension cord I would need to get me to the woods though. ;-) *snicker* Do you run that in the 115V or 220V setup?

Roospike, thanks for the kind words.

 

[elkimmeg]

The hydrualics the barns pump and detent valve can support up to 25 tons oll one needs to do is wire it to 220 and swap out the hydro piston. I can also set up to work witha gas engine, A simple swap out 4 bolts and an allen wench and done up to ahonda 5.5 hp
Being in construction naturally A have a good generator I can also put into service and then yess I can go 15 miles away and still use 12 ga extention cord.

IT's not for comercial usage. Not that it would break down but I would have a 4 way splitting head and speed would be more of a concern. My approach this works out very well Cut a little split a little and stack. I do not do this opperation all in one day but contineus year round. I mean if one needs brute strength pass on this.

I only split what I can lift into my trucks. Very few times will I pick up a 30 round without a wegde and maul it in half first.
This is so far superior than the ryobi 4 -7 type ton splitters I know I tried them. The 20 length capacit suits me fine that the limit of the Encore and 16" for the Intrepid. After I bought it I took one look and figured out right away I could have built it some parts on Epay Northern Hydro But at $740 not bad. 14 cords latter and it still suprises what it can handle. And you got the quiet right no gas fumes Never had to pull a starter or run to the gas station. The next part of my operation will be the Makita 16" electric chain saw
I have burned out another cheapy. Who knew wood procesing could be so quiet?

 

[triptester]

New to forum, always looking for a new way to build a splitter. My latest design is a combination of SUPERAXE and TIMBER DEVIL splitters. 8 hp., 5x24 cylinder retractable for hyway travel ,full suspension, and lights.

 

[Roospike]

New to forum, always looking for a new way to build a splitter. My latest design is a combination of SUPERAXE and TIMBER DEVIL splitters. 8 hp., 5x24 cylinder retractable for hyway travel ,full suspension, and lights.

Awesome , Great design . I like the upright with the table & log lift ,hyway travel ,full suspension what else does one need?...... except for maybe someone to run it wile you pop a cold on. . Makes that hard work a little easier . Welcome to the pound triptester .

 

[ourhouse]

What is the cycle time on the ram?

 

[triptester]

Earthharvester, the cycle times vary with the toughness of the wood, it has a barnes 16 GPM 2-stage pump. I have not timed the cycle but it would be listed at 14.2 seconds.

 

[suematteva]

New to forum, always looking for a new way to build a splitter. My latest design is a combination of SUPERAXE and TIMBER DEVIL splitters. 8 hp., 5x24 cylinder retractable for hyway travel ,full suspension, and lights.

Welcome to the forum..nice setup..looks real stable when your horsing the mongo pieces around

 

[begreen]

That's impressive. I love it and the story behind it too. Nice job!

 

[michaelthomas]

Here is my splitter. She has an 8hp briggs snowblower engine that drives a 19 gpm single vane pump via a belt. She has a 40" cylinder with a 5" bore and a 2" ram. She is built on an old mobile home axle and 9" I beam. She has a custom built hydraulic fluid tank that holds about 10 gallons of fluid. The single vane pump is not ideal for this setup as it tends to bog down a bit under extreme pushing. I have learned to flutter the detent valve a bit when she is bogging down and it has gone through some pretty gnarly red oak crotches. She is so big that she requires a truck to move her aroud the yard which isn't ideal, but you just plan your work around where she is and where I can get her with a truck. I Bought her from an old farmer guy who had built it a few years back and had a failing back so he stopped burning wood. I bought her for $350 which i thought was a bargain considering the cylinder alone would cost $200-300. She isn't the prettiest of the fastest but she has gone through about 8 cord this year and has done fine.

 

[Jags]

Triptester / Michaelthomas - welcome to the forum. Both of those machines look like they can kick some serious A and ask for more.

Triptester - is that log lift working off of the downward stroke of the Ram or is there a winch back there somewhere? Cool design either way.

 

[Mo Heat]

... But at $740 not bad.

Hey elk, Looks like that thing went up about $100 since last year! List is now $839 for the 12 ton (model H12-3) with the electric motor. Did you order yours direct from the Ramsplitter site?

Oh, my splitter looks just like MSG's.
Only, I have a fiberglass handle (8 lb Luddell from Home Cheapo).

 

[triptester]

Jags, the lift works off the down stroke of the ram. The lift cycles with each stroke or it can be disabled in seconds by unhooking the cable.

 

[Harley]

I thought I was done for the season, but had to bring the splitter out to bring over a friends house to split up some downed trees for next year, so I took a few pics while loading it. It is kind of a different setup... belt driven, no hydraulic. Only a 4HP Honda motor, but about a 3, maybe 4 second full cycle time, and it does get through the most knotty pieces real quick. The real good part of the setup is the little work table, where the splits don't go off onto the ground on the side, and that it's up high enough so you don't kill your back by bending over.

When I get it back, if anyone likes, I'll post some pics of the inside works of it when I get it cleaned up.