Texasmark1
Well-known Member
Success, at what price? "Virgin Log" I split was cut from a live ice storm damaged tree less than a month ago. First run of the system today and yes we have sunshine and the peak was 70F. Whadda deal but it will turn nasty this week, again.
The scale is 12" that I put in a couple of pics to give you some "order of magnitude".
The knife on the splitter is 8" tall and the angle of the splitter wedges behind it were derived by trial and error. I like to split and burn oak so I am set up for that. The cylinder is on it's 2nd year but the rest of the splitter is 10 yrs old home built. Did modify it several years ago to handle longer logs......upgrade from what I had available......it's for me, not to sell.
Cycle speed is 7 seconds out and back unloaded and the log in the picture, a Hackberry, not a soft wood by any means, not oak, but not soft, it breased through.
The picture of the plastic 20"x2 solid rubber tire is another $100 addition to the pie for a set of 4. Since I had to keep the rotation on the pump cw and I had to have the pump to belt adapter fiasco and all, as I said earlier, the bottom of the pump would have been in the dirt with OEM mower tires.
I am not a purist so you are getting the first run shots. Obviously I had some fittings that I didn't get tight enough, but after my morbid experiences as a young mechanic (so I thought) at 15 or thereabouts, trying to get a broken bolt out of an engine block was no fun. I have since peeked at torque tables from time to time.
Just to give you an example of how things go, went to the nearest town of any size, auto parts store, been there for the 35 years I have been here. Wanted to shorten some hyd lines since I didn't need the length any longer.....oops, his fittings are sized for the "new hose" Gates, 4000 psi, so I got to buy new hose along with the fittings.
The local machine shop did the slots for belt tensioning and cut a slot in the pump drive shaft for the locking key.
The belt was a big deal to get 16 gpm and I used a 5/8x 63 1/2 JD production HD belt with ribbing on the inside and outside to cut down on heat. It was superb and only $28.
The cycle time is 7 seconds for the full 24" out and back. The log I split didn't phase the engine nor the splitter. Breased right through it.
So, not only did this get me out of the house when "cabin fever" is in the epidemic stage, but not have something to help me with my annual wood supply. I think I got 2x retail for the performance I got vs the financial investment.
Enjoy the pics. I certainly enjoy the pics others post and I think most of you do too. That's why I went to the trouble.
Mark
The scale is 12" that I put in a couple of pics to give you some "order of magnitude".
The knife on the splitter is 8" tall and the angle of the splitter wedges behind it were derived by trial and error. I like to split and burn oak so I am set up for that. The cylinder is on it's 2nd year but the rest of the splitter is 10 yrs old home built. Did modify it several years ago to handle longer logs......upgrade from what I had available......it's for me, not to sell.
Cycle speed is 7 seconds out and back unloaded and the log in the picture, a Hackberry, not a soft wood by any means, not oak, but not soft, it breased through.
The picture of the plastic 20"x2 solid rubber tire is another $100 addition to the pie for a set of 4. Since I had to keep the rotation on the pump cw and I had to have the pump to belt adapter fiasco and all, as I said earlier, the bottom of the pump would have been in the dirt with OEM mower tires.
I am not a purist so you are getting the first run shots. Obviously I had some fittings that I didn't get tight enough, but after my morbid experiences as a young mechanic (so I thought) at 15 or thereabouts, trying to get a broken bolt out of an engine block was no fun. I have since peeked at torque tables from time to time.
Just to give you an example of how things go, went to the nearest town of any size, auto parts store, been there for the 35 years I have been here. Wanted to shorten some hyd lines since I didn't need the length any longer.....oops, his fittings are sized for the "new hose" Gates, 4000 psi, so I got to buy new hose along with the fittings.
The local machine shop did the slots for belt tensioning and cut a slot in the pump drive shaft for the locking key.
The belt was a big deal to get 16 gpm and I used a 5/8x 63 1/2 JD production HD belt with ribbing on the inside and outside to cut down on heat. It was superb and only $28.
The cycle time is 7 seconds for the full 24" out and back. The log I split didn't phase the engine nor the splitter. Breased right through it.
So, not only did this get me out of the house when "cabin fever" is in the epidemic stage, but not have something to help me with my annual wood supply. I think I got 2x retail for the performance I got vs the financial investment.
Enjoy the pics. I certainly enjoy the pics others post and I think most of you do too. That's why I went to the trouble.
Mark