Home Made Splitters

[Jags]

4 tons, USELESS! Don't waste your time or money on it. 15 tons minimum.

I might get flamed for this...but I agree. I frequently get logs that make my big boy go "what the ....". I do know that a few have reported favorably towards the little 4 ton electric, but to me it is a kindling maker. Some of the logs I split would probably bend the beam just by rolling it up on the machine. :lol:

 

[tiber]

Your advice is appreciated, thanks guys.

 

[Jags]

If you are looking for a "typical" splitter with good cycle times that will handle 98% of anything you throw at it, go with a 4" ram and 16 gpm pump and an 8hp engine.

Need more power? Go with a 5" ram and sacrifice a little cycle time. Any pumps bigger than the 16 gpm pumps start to get pricey.

 

[SolarAndWood]

Any pumps bigger than the 16 gpm pumps start to get pricey.

That must be a production thing. To go from 16 to 22 in a Haldex is 2x yet all the tractor pto pumps are within 20 to 30 bucks of each other from 11 to 40.

 

[tiber]

So just getting back to the ram, where the heck do I find an appropriate piston?

I mean I saw a garbage truck last time I was in pennsburg's junkyard, but I think that might be overdoing it.

 

[SolarAndWood]

Mine came off an old bulldozer.

 

[tiber]

Mine came off an old bulldozer.

Yes but you have a blaze king, doesn't that require a cord just to light off the cat?

 

[Jags]

Junk yards and steel reclaimers that deal with industrial equip. would be a good start. Also you might want to look up on the interweb some places that sell used/rebuilt parts for farm/industrial stuff.

 

[JeffRey30747]

Our cylinder came from a demobilized die vat at the local rug mill years and years ago. We still have one or two more of the cylinders somewhere in the scrap. I have wanted to build an updated splitter for some time but there have always been more pressing projects to tackle. I'll need to learn to weld again, too. I have never been that good at it but it has been at least 25 years since I have tried.

 

[gandrimp]

For a cylinder I got mine from surplus center. https://www.surpluscenter.com/item.asp?item=9-7678&catname=hydraulic

 

[Stihl_WoodBandit]

So just getting back to the ram, where the heck do I find an appropriate piston?

I mean I saw a garbage truck last time I was in pennsburg's junkyard, but I think that might be overdoing it.

I would call the results for a 'hydraulic' search in the yellowpages.com for the nearest big city. If they dont have any used ones for a good price, check out surpluscenter.com. If you have a Quality Farm and Fleet, TSC, or Rural King around you, check with them. My TSC sells a 4" bore x 24" stroke x 2" rod (4x24x2) for $240, but 50 miles north at Rural King (ruralking.com) they have the same thing for $169. And thats a 2500 PSI tie-rod cylinder.

 

[leaddog]

Can you guys post some pics of home made splitters. I would love to see some of the innovative ideas that haved served users well.

Thanks

Here's mine. The bottem cyl is from a truck dump box. 6inx32in and the top cyl is a 3 i/2 in x 30in. I'm running it on the low flow side of the skid steer but I'm going to run it off the high flow side soon so I can get faster cycle times. High flow side is 30GPM at 3000psi. I haven't found anything it won't split and I just let the skid steer move those BIG ones around to where I can lower the boom on them. I also have a 35ton Husky that I use most of the time but when I get those REALLY BIG ones out comes the Tank.
It was fun to build and because I used mostly scrap, used and salvage I've got less than $200 in it and most of that is hoses and QD fittings.
leaddog