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Log Splitter

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Andrew

04-07-2002 11:22:25




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A few of my friends and I are thinking about going together and building a log splitter. I was wondering if any of you guys have built one or if you have any ideas. Some of the logs we have are pretty big and knotty. I am thinking about powering it with a old briggs 23, It puts out over 10hp but it is the old hp with a lot of torque, Would this have enough power? We also have a two cylinder 20hp Wisconsin but I thought that might be overkill. I was thinking about a upright splitter since some of the logs would be extremely hard to get on a horizontal . One of the guys used to rent one with a table that would lift the log up to the splitter...Any help would be appreciated!Thanks
Andrew

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cannonball

04-08-2002 06:51:44




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 Re: Log Splitter in reply to Andrew, 04-07-2002 11:22:25  
made one for tractor ..made wedge about 1/2 inch longer at top than bottom..helps keep wood from trying to ride up...mine wedge is 4 inches wide at back..used truck spring for cutting edge..have nice day



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Ninh Hoa

04-09-2002 15:10:48




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 Re: Re: Log Splitter in reply to cannonball, 04-08-2002 06:51:44  
Just a note on your plan. I had planned to do the same thing - for years. Last spring I started hauling chipped trees for landscaping. I was getting the chips for free. Anyway, I noticed that this tree service had multiple spliters sitting the their wood lot. They sell firewood in the winter. So I asked them if they had any splitters they weren't using. As it turned out, they did. Had one "up in the barn". Long story short, I ended up buying it for $250. Vertical/horizontal, on wheels, starts on second pull. 5 hp, 20 ton - all the splitter that I'll ever need. So, you might give taht angle a try too. Good luck.

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Fred OH

04-08-2002 06:29:18




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 Re: Log Splitter in reply to Andrew, 04-07-2002 11:22:25  
If you use a John Barnes 11 gallon per minute two stage pump (they're available at Tractor Supply for around $100) and a 4 X 24" cylinder, you can get by with a five horse motor and save a lot of fuel over the long haul. (read good idea today) Your cycle time is somewhere around 14 to 16 seconds (coupled directly to the motor) (larger cylinders require more cycle time)and if you put a 2000 lb. gage on it, you will find that most of the splitting takes place around 700 lbs. of pressure excepting for old knots and other really tough stuff. The pump never gets out of the first stage on most of it. (read an easy life) Best to use an oversize I beam...1/2" thick flanges will probably never let you down. Use a ten gallon reservoir so your oil won't get hot from all the recycling. On a five horse motor if you try using just any 'ol pump, seems like everything is just fine till you hit the wood and then it just dies, not enough power to turn the pump. Those John Barnes 11 and 16 gpm pumps were designed to do just what you're attempting and work good as others will too, just in case you run into this problem. These are some tried and proven methods, your mileage will vary. It's a fun project for the mechanically inclined in your group and will serve you for years. L8R....Fred OH

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John

04-08-2002 05:46:01




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 Re: Log Splitter in reply to Andrew, 04-07-2002 11:22:25  
My homemade splitter has a 10 horse kohler engine and I never run it much past a fast idle. I have a 4 inch by 24 inch cylinder and it will split about anything. Don't put on a longer cylinder than the wood you are planning too sp



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SHANNON SIZEMORE

04-07-2002 22:38:46




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 Re: Log Splitter in reply to Andrew, 04-07-2002 11:22:25  
SMALL ENGINES 5 TO 10 HP WILL WORK FINE BUT USE A TWO STAGE PUMP AND THE LARGER THE CYLINDER IN DIAMETER THE BETTER BECAUSE THIS WILL DISPLACE MORE FLUID AND PRODUCE ENORMOUS TONNAGE.. BUT BEWARE STRENGTH OF I BEAM AND WEDGE UNIT MAY BE COMPROMISED..OBSERVE SAFETY ULTIMATELY!!!!! !



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jeff b

04-07-2002 21:45:19




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 Re: Log Splitter in reply to Andrew, 04-07-2002 11:22:25  
Tractor log splitters are nice because they have a lot of power. They cost a lot more to use. I used one on a 50 hp tractor and we ran it about 1800 rpm so there was plenty of flow. The big engine burned a ton of gas while barely doing work equivilent to a 6-8 hp engine. This guy realized that and bought a freestanding model. It has a 5hp engine and is rated at 25 tons. It has more power than is needed. It has a two stage pump (a must) and could break the 8-12 inch oak logs I was splitting without shifting down unless it had a lot of knots. It is suprisingly quick since you don't need to split the full length of the log, you only need to split a few inches and then pull it to the side and it will break apart easily. I never needed more power, and the splitter worked faster than I could since it took me longer to get a log and stack it than it did to actually split it.

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thurlow

04-07-2002 20:20:01




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 Re: Log Splitter in reply to Andrew, 04-07-2002 11:22:25  
Andrew, if you or one of your friends have even rudimentary welding skills, building a splitter should be no problem. Either of your 2 engines should work fine. Personally, I'd rather have one mounted on a three-point hitch if you have a tractor with external hydraulics and 3-point. Have never used a vertical splitter, but have thought they would be a back-killer (bending over or squatting). Mine has a 2-spool valve and a "gin-pole" with another cylinder. Using logging tongs, I can lift any size block onto splitter and work standing up and never have to let the splitter up and down. Anyway, go on and build one; you'll be glad you did. Just be careful using it; like any piece of machinery, a moment's inattention can be threatening to your limbs or even to your life.

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Paul

04-10-2002 21:30:26




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 Re: Re: Log Splitter in reply to thurlow, 04-07-2002 20:20:01  
I've used vertical and horizontal splitters, and I like the vertical one better. I use one block of wood for a seat and operate it sitting down. Park the trailer close by and flip the chunks in it from the sitting position. I use an old boat cushion to sit on - keeps my butt warmer. A feller could draw damp sittin' a long time on a block of wood in cold weather. . .



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Kevin

04-07-2002 15:57:03




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 Re: Log Splitter in reply to Andrew, 04-07-2002 11:22:25  
Unless you guys are going into the firewood business, that 10hp will be fine. I have watched an older 5hp split wood all day long, but the aveage length is only 2-3 feet.
Good luck!



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PCC-AL

04-07-2002 14:35:49




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 Re: Log Splitter in reply to Andrew, 04-07-2002 11:22:25  
Hi Andrew,
Some friends of mine were in the timber equipment manfacturing business way up in the northern cold country before retiring here. They had one of the first log splitters I ever saw and it was a hoss. I'm thinking the motor was about 8-10 hp and don't remember the brand. Anyway, it would split anything I was man enough to roll on it. It was limited to 36 inch length, but I put some logs on it that exceeded 4 feet in diameter. I don't like the stand up types because big logs are sometimes hard to stand on end, but fairly easy to roll. Good luck.

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JD 4000

04-07-2002 11:31:51




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 Re: Log Splitter in reply to Andrew, 04-07-2002 11:22:25  
I got a big home build log spiter but dont have picture of it right now, I use two 7x7 bars about 7 feet long and weld them 1 inch apart together and a cylinder is about 4 1/2 to 5 feet long about 8 inch around and the shift is like 4 1/2 around.. it runs on a JD 4000 71 tractor on 3 pt. it can go down way to ground and roll log there. it's pretty strong log spiter we every build, last time had 2 went broken as the tree wood is real hard. this one we build never give in. this one can take up to 3-4 feet trees. if you dont have tractor it's best to find a pump off a dump truck and run on a 18hp engine.

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