How to Break a Logsplitter!

Billy NY · Jan 30, 2021

Well, I've never been the type considered
to be rough on things, you know the type
that can tear up an anvil, but..... not
immune from it I guess. This 28 ton huskee
has served me well.

I've split lots of elm, and plenty of
larger diameter logs. This one is 24",
heavy and the grain is braided or basket
weaved.

So, while sending the wedge through, it
slows, figured the 2nd stage would kick in,
I was not fast enough to realize soon
enough it was shearing and not splitting.
The base let loose, looks mig welded,
should have been stick welded. However,
this log should have been skipped. I don't
fault the manufacturer, or design, well
just the welds, woulda held up i think.

I'm trying to get the oem base, will
replace the wedge, will be as from factory,
base is cast steel I believe. Will stick
weld with 7018.

Being in the middle of the job. I found a
seldom used huskee 35 ton. Both made by
speeco, much better on this large elm. This
one looks stick welded.

Figured I'd share, fun to see the comments
and response in this major boo boo lol!!!

db4600 · Jan 30, 2021

Clean it up and glue it back with 7018. This p!$$ elm will split the best on a 5* or minus day. But you knew that.

chcase · Jan 30, 2021

When I was a kid and my dad was teaching me how to hand spilt a elm piece of wood.He said some day you will find a elm that will cause you trouble.

Billy NY · Jan 30, 2021

Some types of wood do seem to fracture better in the bitter cold, this darned log/tree, it'll come out in layers. Often times, I just take planks off the difficult elm, sections split from around the perimeter, then see what's left, see if I can line up a crack with the wedge. If one can buck up the blocks, let em dry a bit, you'll see the best cracks to line up and that makes a big difference most of the time. There was a woodlot adjacent to my field and it was an elm grove along the pond/marsh, grew well until D.E.D. get them all. Place also produces very nice Morel mushrooms, canopy is gone now, they did come back last year though. These logs were unusually large, I headed them up 2 years ago, bucked the blocks up early Nov. stacked and covered, split over several weekends. Figured it might have split easier with some age, but it has to really punk up for that. Some of the trees were straight grained wood, elm can vary quite a bit, very good hot burning, coal leaving wood, well worth the time to process the 4 cords of it.

used red MN · Jan 30, 2021

I would like to see your 3rd and 4th photos retaken closer up with all the wood debris cleared away. Also would like to see the block end from the opposite side taken lower to show the failure from the main frame. Also would like to see what the back side of the push block looks like. You say it is cast steel but I wonder if it may actually be a forged part. Many automotive front steering knuckles, in example the part the front wheel drive bearings set in, are forging rather then castings most people believe them to be. I have attached a link to a gentleman on another forum who built a splitter to mount on his mini-excavator. I feel he has an excellent design of his splitting knife as just a small part of the knife extends pass the gussets; last photo. This helps to avoid deformation of the initial split knife. I also feel that the stationary knife, with a moving push block is the best design of a splitter. However, that design is not conducive of a splitter that can be flipped to the vertical orientation.
Well done home built splitter

jon f mn · Jan 30, 2021

That's all mild steel so 7018 won't do you much if any good. The mig wire is more that twice as strong as the steel anyway. From what I see it was not the weld that broke, but the steel in the HAZ area and there is not much you can do about that. If you like 7018 go ahead and use it, but in this case that's not your problem and won't solve the problem.

tomstractorsandtoys · Jan 30, 2021

Dad made his own wood splitter out of a piece of railroad rail. Did all his own welding building the wedge and adding wings to it. He was splitting a knotty piece of Elm and rather than the wedge going he ripped a big chunk of the rail out. He welded it all back together and used it for the rest of his life. Tom

Frank(Mi.) · Jan 30, 2021

I finished splitting an elm that had died from the dutch elm disease about three months ago. This one was 27" across at stump level. I have an electric Ryobi splitter and it would actually split those pieces if I pre-ripped them with a chainsaw. I had to rip about a four inch deep cut, rotate the piece ninety degrees and rip another one same depth. A few pieces would not split even then so the old "whittle pieces from the edge" method would get it to where it would go. Lotta' work but as you said Elm is a nice firewood. I use big pieces to hold a fire overnight and do not have start a fire from scratch in the morning...

Billy NY · Jan 30, 2021

I'd trust your judgement Jon. What would you recommend to re-attach a new base ? If 7018 DC, electrode + is not suited to mild steel, like A36, I must be totally lost then LOL. The horizontal weld across the top flange of the beam literally had no penetration and it all looked MIG welded, not sure what wire/process.

Look at the right top curled over part of the flange added to the beam flange where it meets the curl, then where it meets the top of the curl. Where it meets the curl, looks like the weld broke, then where it meets the top, there is very little penetration to the curled part. The entire weld on top of the curl pulled away with the base. Look close at the entire weld along the top flange, it has pulled cleanly of the flange, hardly any penetration.

Now I am no expert accomplished welder with credentials to weld pipe line in a refinery, but I am confident with 7018 stick off my Miller NT 251 Trailblazer. I have a piece of angle that came off a big JD disc harrow (gang hanger attachment) that the careless brother of the farmer I worked for kept getting too close to field edges and was breaking 1/2" thick steel parts on this disc. to keep him going I vee'd out the crack, drilled the ends, welded 2 passes of 7018, heat turned up, maybe not a perfect weld profile, but pretty decent and with metal fatigue contributing I would imagine, this 1/2" angle broke again, but not at any welds. I have the piece, and later welded to the tube frame, a new 1/2" angle/hanger which never broke again, (brother not running it LOL) All mild steel.

Also, I worked for a steel fabrication shop for 5 years, they never used mig when weldging things like 3/8" thick hinge leaf heavy duty hinges to the thick steel doors we built, always stick, but most things were wire feed MIG if I recall correctly.

Anyways, be great to hear how you would repair, always something to learn.

Granted, this splitter should never really have the forces applied that were, no doubt on that, all on operator error and that darned log from H$ll !

Billy NY · Jan 30, 2021

See my post to Jon, you should be able to see where it pulled away. The MFR should be able to confirm the material, it looks cast where it broke. I have welded a cast steel Brillion cultipacker arm for the 2nd axle/roller after it broke from bolts falling out of where it was connected, that repair held up great, was cast steel, welds nice too !

High production splitters, for sure, stationary knife/wedge, but on these and for the difficult non processor type logs, they do shine as you can make firewood out of all the gnarly wood, well most LOL !!!

Billy NY · Jan 30, 2021

Had I seen this grain and knew it how strong, exactly like you say, rip cut would do it, or just halve the darned thing. Best with the right chain for ripping, but even a 4" cut might make a big difference. Non punked stringy/splintered up elm wood ignites fast, and burns hot, makes good firewood, more so when you have tons of it around.

Billy NY · Jan 30, 2021

Lot of force at work, a hydraulic log splitter is definitely a tool not to take for granted, given what they can and will do.
Easy to underestimate a log you should skip, maybe rip like mentioned above, as how many times will the ram bog down, but always go through. I know now, just toss it aside lol !

TractorTucker · Jan 30, 2021

Easiest way to break one is loan it to your neighbor.

J Hamilton · Jan 30, 2021

Exactly what I was thinking, let someone borrow it and it will come back broken, and they either didn't do it or don't know how it happened and......they don't offer to fix or pay to fix it

PJH · Jan 30, 2021

I don't know if your splitter will stand and split vertically, but if it will you can "cheat" a piece like that by pulling it out away from the beam and only letting a few inches of the blade engage the wood.

Back in the 70's there was a chunk of dead elm unaffectionately named "The Chunk From H3ll" that circulated around our neighborhood. Both ends were painted blue, and it had defeated every splitter in the community. A friend heaved it into the back of my truck and told me that here's one you can't split. I brought it back to him in pieces the next day. Everyone thought that I had built a powerful splitter. I didn't tell them that I cheated it out from the beam to get the split started. My splitter runs off of the hydraulics on a two cylinder Deere. Nothing special about it.

Steve@Advance · Jan 30, 2021

Not your fault! Poor design, poor welding.

The machine should be designed to bypass the relief valve before anything breaks.

Looks like an easy fix. Cut it loose enough to get it straight, straps, gussets, spread the load, gorilla weld it!

It will be better than new!

phil25 · Jan 30, 2021

Looks like a functional test failure..really i do suspect your fail today,
may be the collection of small cracks and stress over time( years ?) and as mentioned
the hyd safety should of operated at rated push tonnage...worth checking it is operating?
keep your stick on the ice.

db4600 · Jan 30, 2021

The farm house was heated with wood and if Ma hadn’t been a farm wife she coulda been a fireman for The Great Northern line. We had plenty of elm on the farm. Chinese, white, red, and the derivative you’re fighting with. That p!$$ elm has a story and like you said you have to read it to wittle it down on the splitter.

jon f mn · Jan 30, 2021

There is nothing wrong with welding it with 7018 if that's what you like. Just as there is nothing wrong in this case with proper mig or 6011, 6013, or 7014 or many others. It's rare that farmers have either the skill, training or equipment to take advantage the difference in welding rods when it comes to mild steel. Since mild steel is 36,000 pound strength and mig and 60 series rods are 60,000 pound strength, and 7018 is 70,000 pound strength, all are much stronger than the steel. It would be more important to get a good weld with proper penetration and clean than the difference between any of those rods for this repair. Properly welded with mig will be much better than poor weld from 7018. If it was some hardened steel then the low carbon 7018 would have an advantage of course. But in this case there would be no measurable advantage. I'm not saying your choice was wrong, only that your assessment of its advantage is misleading. If you are comfortable with 7018 then by all means use it, no disadvantage to it. Only when you said that the mig from the factory was inferior were you incorrect.

Moonlite37 · Jan 30, 2021

You said it well! This is what I preached when running a welding shop from 1980 to i994. Run the rod you are most familiar with and make a clean weld

used red MN · Jan 30, 2021

Well does not matter what I see since I won’t be the one fixing it. I personally would forget about buying a factory end piece. I would get a 3/4” plate and back it up with a couple flat bar 2in wide by 1/2in run vertical ..as in the position shown in your pics.. with the 1/2in edge welded to the back centered about 4in apart. Then gusset that all up similar to what the excavator attachment guy did. With proper gussets a 1/2in plate would probably do. But giving recommendations like this I tend to lean towards overkill.

Russ from MN · Jan 30, 2021

I built mine out of rail too, and occasionally it flexes a little, but I only have a 3.5 dia cylinder and 2500psi from the tractor. So it's not a lot of tons, about 12, but it has split any wood I put in it, and We split a lot of elm.

coonie minnie · Jan 30, 2021

If that were mine, and I was going to fix it, I'd get rid of the cast end and replace it with a heavy (like 1/2 inch or more) sidewall, 5 or 6 inch square tubing run vertically.

TractorTucker · Jan 30, 2021

One of the good things about neighbors that can break anything is that I get to pick through their junk pile in return for continuously cleaning out their carbs.

J Hamilton · Jan 30, 2021

Same here! I'll clean out your unwanted scrap for free, and some insist on paying me to take it anyway.

Billy NY · Jan 30, 2021

That explains it, and understanding the array of electrodes, processes, I've observed quite a bit of the most common of these, wire fed variety etc. The 60 series would be plenty, funny, I have stock of all those 6011, 6013, 7014.

Loosehandle · Jan 30, 2021

Sharp chain saw from the side make french fries! Presto two pieces I can lift....

37 chief · Jan 30, 2021

That's a fairly big bite all right. Those pumps put out a lot of pressure, something has to give. Stan

cjunrau · Jan 30, 2021

I built one out of half inch thick I beam. 8X6 inch. I notched it out to put the splitter knife in. splitter knife is made of 1 inch X 6 flat iron. I made a X in it to cut 4 pieces every stroke. 5 inch cylinder and run it off the tractor.
So when you look from the end it is flush so the splitter knife is welded into the I beam a full 6 inches, and goes from 14 inches above right to the bottom of the 8 inch I beam. I hope it holds for many more years. First one I bought was made same way but 1/4 inch steel with 3/4 inch knife. I broke it in 2 days.

used red MN · Jan 30, 2021

Just my opinion, but using a tube that is hollow you can’t get directly at back side of the side of the tube to support it. Gussets on the back side of the surface being pushed against are the only way I see to make a push stop that will be reliable.

Janicholson · Jan 30, 2021

Jon f mn Is on the answer. Grinding it so it has a V to near the opposite side, then the 7018 root pass. Then hammer it with a pic hammer till it is clean, then more passes and peening till it fillets out at the top. I like to Peen hard as soon as I lay down the stinger. Jim

Russ from MN · Jan 30, 2021

I always understood mild steel was in the 60,000 lb range?

Texasmark1 · Jan 31, 2021

Looks like a Water Elm. I avoided them when I could, and don't cut them any more; hard to split.....stringy fibers. One thing a neighbor, old timer here when I moved here, said to split as it grows...since it grows up, split from the bottom of the log. Numerous times over the years, I have had contrary logs, took the sledge, knocked them loose turned them around and bingo.....splitter went right through it.

How to Break a Logsplitter!

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