Logs splitter fun.

[Al Smith]

So $500 might not be bad depending .You couldn't DIY one for that .Mine it took nearly 20 years to cabbage on to the components and once then it took 4 days to weld it togther and I have a machine shop and I was once a certified welder .--just an opinion nothing more---

 

[CTtreeman]

Talking log splitters is like what oil ratio and brand of mix oil .Many debates about same ,Now some facts .Most splitters use 3,000 pound hydraulics and most hyd pumps are factory set at 2750 .For example at 2750 PSI a 4 inch cylnder is around 17 ton and a 5 inch close to 26 ton .To reach the tonnange they are advertised would take 4,000 pound hydraulics exceeding the ratings of the components .In other words they lie .Of all of them made "timber wolf " is one of the few that are honest .They rate their 5 inch models at 22 tons .
As far as engines sure Honda makes a danged good engine but any engine will work .An 8 HP used Briggs engine with a 16 gallon per minute will suffice nicely .If you get on Graigs list they can be bought relatively inexpensive .My home built has an 11 HP Briggs I bought for $200, electric start and a 5 inch cylinder .

Well said. When I was researching log splitters to buy I found out just how much b.s. was involved in ton ratings. On timberwolf's website they go over how to calculate it. Long story short their stats look underpowered but they are just being honest. They have plenty of power. I bought one and love it.

I would change the valve. To extend the piston you have to pull it back towards the engine. It is just stupid and not intuitive. Id love to hear a work around for it. I spoke to a guy who owns a hydraulic shop and I am not sure it would work to disassemble and reconfigure it. Because of the detent you can't just switch the hoses around.

 

[Al Smith]

From a design conversation IMO the control valve should be top center of the cylinder not right or left ."Dirty hand " design places it left hand side which makes feeding it from right you have to reach over the cylinder which could be dangerios .Double detent,advance and retract is just plain an accident waiting to happen .You're only born with two hands ,only a star fish can regrow a new one .

 

[Woodpecker]

From a design conversation IMO the control valve should be top center of the cylinder not right or left ."Dirty hand " design places it left hand side which makes feeding it from right you have to reach over the cylinder which could be dangerios .Double detent,advance and retract is just plain an accident waiting to happen .You're only born with two hands ,only a star fish can regrow a new one .

Octopussies tew

 

[furb]

Talking log splitters is like what oil ratio and brand of mix oil .Many debates about same ,Now some facts .Most splitters use 3,000 pound hydraulics and most hyd pumps are factory set at 2750 .For example at 2750 PSI a 4 inch cylnder is around 17 ton and a 5 inch close to 26 ton .To reach the tonnange they are advertised would take 4,000 pound hydraulics exceeding the ratings of the components .In other words they lie .Of all of them made "timber wolf " is one of the few that are honest .They rate their 5 inch models at 22 tons .
As far as engines sure Honda makes a danged good engine but any engine will work .An 8 HP used Briggs engine with a 16 gallon per minute will suffice nicely .If you get on Graigs list they can be bought relatively inexpensive .My home built has an 11 HP Briggs I bought for $200, electric start and a 5 inch cylinder .

There is nothing local that looks good on craiglist or marketplace. It goes that way when you need something. I found a 8hp I/c Briggs on a trash pump at the scrapyard. It pulled over and I should have bought it and used it as a pump but I have enough crap.

 

[furb]

Grabbed a predator and new coupler at horror freight. I put a jack with a wheel on but I’ll probably swap it out with the old jack after I straighten it. It’s working and splitting. All that’s left it to drill the hole for the coupler. The rugged split just needed valve stems to fix my flat.

 

[Al Smith]

I have one just about like that residing in my woods .It belongs to my bud Tom who owns a tree service.The reason I have it is to prevent it from being stolen .Only a damned fool would try that on my property .
Long story but they had ran it with the governer bypased and blew a connnecting rod out the front of the Briggs IC industrial engine .I found a clearing mower with a good IC 8 Hp Briggs for $50 .It's kind of a "stand by splitter " because he's got two 5 inch cylinder splitters in addition to this one ..I use it every so often just to exercise it and it does a fine job .
BTW I saved the Briggs IC industrial by plating the front of the engine with bolted on aluminum sheet metal and Buna -N sheet gasket material . .Found a piston and rod from E-bay for around $20 . If you're going to be a junk yard dawg you have to be resourceful .

 

[furb]

I have one just about like that residing in my woods .It belongs to my bud Tom who owns a tree service.The reason I have it is to prevent it from being stolen .Only a damned fool would try that on my property .
Long story but they had ran it with the governer bypased and blew a connnecting rod out the front of the Briggs IC industrial engine .I found a clearing mower with a good IC 8 Hp Briggs for $50 .It's kind of a "stand by splitter " because he's got two 5 inch cylinder splitters in addition to this one ..I use it every so often just to exercise it and it does a fine job .
BTW I saved the Briggs IC industrial by plating the front of the engine with bolted on aluminum sheet metal and Buna -N sheet gasket material . .Found a piston and rod from E-bay for around $20 . If you're going to be a junk yard dawg you have to be resourceful .

i normally junkyard everything together but this was a 20 minute swap and it’s done. Everything was a direct swap. Last year I swapped out a Wisconsin for a predator and it was half a day of screwing around.

 

[Al Smith]

A Wisconsin is one heavy Judy .

 

[furb]

A Wisconsin is one heavy Judy .

The Wisconsin plus a six volt battery and starter generator really adds up. To even out the predator purchase I Frankensteined a burner together for my fifty year old boiler. One of the cast side plates had the tab that the bolt hold break off. I took a piece of strapping that holds together bulk weld on pipe flanges and drill and bent it to hold it shut. This morning went from thinking about installing a new boiler to rigging this to be almost good. The pump was leaking and there were some other issues with the burner assembly. I pulled one from a junk boiler a few years back. We got that rigged up to a more modern design, fixed the heat exchanger and realized the damper was upside down. Now that it’s right it should be a lot more efficient.

 

[Al Smith]

They say necessity is the mother of invention .Some are real brain storms that work while others are an exercise in futilty .You'll never know if you never try .

 

[Al Smith]

Octopussies tew

Then if that happened would an octo pussy be a septo pussy ?

 

[furb]

The splitter splits

 

[CTtreeman]

From a design conversation IMO the control valve should be top center of the cylinder not right or left ."Dirty hand " design places it left hand side which makes feeding it from right you have to reach over the cylinder which could be dangerios .Double detent,advance and retract is just plain an accident waiting to happen .

I actually like holding the lever down to split. Reason being if a log twists with a crotch or strange shape you can stop it right away. Much better than not noticing or being able to react in time and having to bang it off with a sledge.

Im not sure if you thought I was advocating for a double detent or not but all I said was the detent wouldn't allow for automatic operation on the return if one were to change the in and out on the valve. It only detents in one direction.

 

[Al Smith]

Not really I just commented that a double detent valve was not safe in my opinion .
You get into design thoughts when they sell these things .Tonnage,cycle time etc .It's just a marketing ploy which really doesn't mean that much IMO .Again my opinion is they all split wood and a 3 second longer cycle time doesn't make that much diff in the course of a day .It sure is a better option than an axe .Might be good exerciese if you are 25 years but myself being three times that age all it does is tucker me out .I get-er-done just takes me longer .

 

[LRFIX]

I'd have taken it not working for $500, if that's what someone was asking. Paying double if its running, to me, is like paying for what something might be, not what it is. Pass.

Anyway, these sell for $3-4k in my area so worth it. Nice find.

 

[Al Smith]

About a year ago my bud Tom who owns a tree service bought a "dirty hand" style 5 inch splitter for $1000 .Whoever had it before didn't know jack chit about hydraulics .Because of the design for example the shift from high volume to high pressure was in the pump not the valve and the valve was screwed up also .It just so happened Surplus Center had around 500 they bought as a job lot and sold them cheap,like 50 bucks .
That and reworking some lousy welds I had it going in a couple of days ,10 HP Briggs engine .
On that I'll jusy say it's a good thing the Chinese don't build submarines because with those farmer welds they'd all sink. Good Lordy my 13 year old grandson could do a better job .--mumble grumble ---

 

[furb]

I think I’m done now. I got coil for the entire return hose and couldn’t get it on. If you can push it on the hose you are good but pulling shrinks the diameter and makes it a fight. Hopefully the short piece works.

 

[Nutball]

What should be used to seal hydraulic threads? Teflon tape? I have a slow drip on the cylinder threads where the right angle piece goes in. It's the spot on the right side of furb's above image.

 

[furb]

What should be used to seal hydraulic threads? Teflon tape? I have a slow drip on the cylinder threads where the right angle piece goes in. It's the spot on the right side of furb's above image.

If it’s a pipe thread I use tape and gasolia dope. If it’s a jic fitting I just put dope on them. The taper is supposed to seal but I still do the threads. It’ll keep water out and prevent the threads from rusting and seizing. I dope union nuts for the same reason. People say it’s stupid but it makes it easier to get apart.