Bottom half of log splitter is done (Pic's)

Now we are waiting on money for hydraulic cylinder, hoses, and hydraulic fittings, and hydraulic oil. Engine sure runs strong and good. I am anxious to see how it does on 10 cord of wood this year. Prices have gone way up since we done the first one,but still not what they are asking for factory new. This one also figures out to be 40-50 ton. Our first one has never failed us on any size or type of hardwood. Splitters are designed to save a lot of joint and muscle wear and tear. Will show more pictures when it is completed and running.
Regards,
Lou

Nice craftmamship Lou , at the end of the day your tiered from splitting with an axe ---the splitter never gets tiered and will out work many men .

Larry --ont.

How do you come up with 40-50 ton? And why? You must be using a very large diameter cylinder or a very high pressure pump. The one I built only calculates out to 12 ton and it splits everything we have. I built it specifically to split pi$$ elm, we have a lot of it dying.

I was given a lot of that wood from a local when I first got here. One thing he told me was to split it the way it grows, from the bottom up. Course when you have a 20" log in your hand, sometimes it's hard to tell which way it was growing.

"But the proof is in the pudding". Put it in the splitter and if you go as you should it will split much easier than the other way.

I didn't believe that at first but my first experience was a log that I couldn't split so I turned it around and hit again and went right through it.

Nice. I would brace the tongue to each side, and put a bracket on the muffler. The end weight of the muffler will loosen it at the engine, or break the pipe. (been there in my youth trying to be "cool") Jim

American Elm or "Ulmus Americana" can be difficult to split when fresh cut live or its not been dead for too long. Over the years I've cut and split many full cords of it, some being up to 36" diameter. Not all of it is gnarly twisted grain, much of it is or in between. The straight grain wood is easier to deal with for sure.

The twisted grain wood does not split cleanly, you can make a pile of stringy, broken up pieces which in my opinion is useless for decent fire wood.

2 things stand out to me to make it easier.

1.) Let the blocks dry out, how long depends, the longer the better, but if it has to be split on short notice, line up the best checking you can find on the end, either end, no matter what way it grows, does not matter. I often reverse the block/log and line up these check marks to get a decent split. I have cords of blocks waiting to be split, bucked since mid fall of '14, these will be so much easier to deal with having dried first, but I have a lot more elm logs to haul in, just can't stop this dutch elm, its destroying a 30 year growth of all elm around here for the most part, shameful as these trees are beautiful, I'd prefer to let them grow, but have cut all the dead and dying ones I can to get them away from healthy ones.

2.)If its difficult wood, noticeably different than other blocks or trees I've cut, its better to then just split 2" planks off the outside, keep splitting around the outside until you know that center piece won't stack if split, as sometimes its just best to leave it or it just makes a mess of it.

If its crotch wood, I split this crotch first, you can see the wine glass like shape in the grain once halved, it just seems to work easier and that goes the opposite way of its growth.

Elm is time consuming to process, there is no doubt, you can make a mess of it easily, but I find its well worth doing as it does burn like Oak, just does not give you the same coal bed, however with plenty of it on hand, the fact that it does grow fast, its a viable source of firewood in these parts as I see things.

Maybe a upgrade in the future
splitter

Evidently you don't look at pic #4. There isn't any way to put brace to the tongue with out going through the pump mtg housing bracket.Our first one has been in operation for over 10 years with out any braces as you suggest,plus show me any small Mfg splitter who braces as you state. As for the muffler, you gotta talk to the engineers of lawn tractors who uses a double chambered muffler with out braces. We used the same pipe configuration with a way smaller/ lighter Brigg's muffler.You just missed your calling as an official log splitter manufacturer.Having worthless ideas is just another worthless idea.Lets see and examine one of your concoction's yea right!!!!.
LOU.

Russ,
Using this formula.

1.Measure the diameter of the piston. As an example, a piston has a diameter of 5 inches.

2.Square the diameter, multiply it by 3.14 and divide the result by 4 to calculate the area of the piston. In the example, squaring the diameter of the piston gives you 25, multiply 25 by 3.14 gives you 78.5 and dividing 78.5 by 4 gives you 19.625 inches squared.

3.Multiply the piston's area by the splitter's pressure rating. In the example, the splitter has a pressure rating of 3,000 pounds per square inch (PSI). Multiplying 19.625 by 3,000 gives you 58,875. The log splitter has a splitting force of 58,875 lbs..

The numbers are just an example,not what we are using. It will give you a tonnage of the splitter.

The reason for having a high ton rate is it is better to have it and not need it,than to need it and not have it.We like having extra hyd fluid for a cooler running system,not like the homeowners versions people can buy at local stores, most are only 3 to 5 gallon of fluid capacity and are always running hot after the first hour,seals,bearings, really take a beating on the pump and cylinder,causing leaks and pump failure,valve leakage,so having extra fluid takes longer to heat up to high temps.

link is to a 50 ton splitter from Amazon,so you can see the specs for it.

LOU
poke here

Black, thanks for the compliment. It is nice to have an extra as daughter can use one while w use the other, no waiting in line and no rental fees with deposits.lol.

LOU