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