Log Splitters

[Stock]

Any more on the axe head?

[Muz]

Well its looking more like an effort from scrap heap challenge .. but it splits like a demon

Here is the knife, made from some bucket cutting edge,.. you can see I have left a small 'pre' cutter. This increases the splitting power massively from the small surface area presented. Later I'll be making a cross cut knife that drops over this one to achieve a four way split

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Initially I mounted the back end of the ram in too high a position but Ive dropped it down so its now parallel with the beam

Img_2884.jpg at the same time Ive increased the height of the pushing face Img_2885.jpg


Then Ive made a set of tables for either side of the beam. You can also see the start of the 4 way splitter head that will drop down over the cutting knife

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Next .. Ive cannibalised the head stock off a wrecked old ditching bucket to allow the whole rig to be machine mounted

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I'm not sure what I'm going to do about hydraulic control yet, so I'm just going to use the aux circuit on the digger by using the pedal in the cab. This way.. I can walk under the boom and have the splitter sitting over an empty trailer, with another trailer full of wood to be split on my other side, which should help to reduce handling a bit.

[Wee Jim]

Here are some of my splitter. The blade is from a series 3 Land Rover towbar! Also vertical over horizontal every time! Gives you a fine platform to work on!

[Stock]

Hi Jim,
does the tractor get hot after prolonged use?
Do blocks fly off ?
What type of speed does it operate at?

[Wee Jim]

The tractor is only ticking over and the oil does not get overly hot. I leave the heater on in the cab on a cold day so the dog stays warm! Sometimes a log will split and fly off the side but that's like 1 in a few hundred. It has split hundreds of tons of wood that splitter!

[Muz]

OK .. heres my 4 way splitter head in action

Pretty cool

[Muz]

And a quick show of it.... its reversible, so it allows for different heights of split although on this clip.. for the first time ever .. the log jumps up .. but still gets the business anyway

[Muz]

Its a far cry from my first attempt P6100513.jpg P6100511.jpg made from the boom and dozer of an old KX41 digger

[Muz]

Well Its split all this .. biggest were about 20" diameter sycamore and beech .. they split clean but exploded off the splitter when they give, which suggests a high pressure build up quickly on the splitter
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Now I need to pull the head of the splitter apart and inspect for wear and damage to see where I need to strengthen it

This is the main pushing head inverted

head.jpg You can see where its worn sliding over the H beam .. I wish I'd put some wear strips in here to take this up on the sides .. not bothered about the flat bit, but it will chaff the bolts, which go through the angle sections below the H beam to hold the head in place.

There are six wee bits of re-bar you can see there put in place to act as a spacer for the upper part of the beam section, so the pusher slides with a 1/4 inch gap either side to ride over the beam

[Muz]

Another angle of it

Img_2918.jpg

Its also taken some stress damage in other planes which I will post once ive got my graphics done

[Muz]

The back side of the head has bent slightly where indicated stress.jpgspread.jpg no biggie can be straightened and gusseted where neccessary

[Muz]

OK so Ive straightened all the bits and beefed up the side panels and splitter head

IMG_2920[1].jpg IMG_2921[1].jpg

Ive also put a notch in the 4 way knife to reduce the initial presentation area as I felt it was causing to much drag

IMG_2919[1].jpg

Hopefully this will increase its efficiency a little

[Stock]

Muz if the angle on the axe head is too steep it causes the block to separate violently, this is why I opted for the bucket teeth to make my axe from.

[Muz]

I agree on that .. I think I can make the height of the walls a lot lower ... getting it thinner is just a buffing job .. or I could maybe just rake it back from the horizontal edge ? .. it would certainly reduce drag hugely .. its a bit like tuning a formula one car this .. only redneck style

The cross section cutting edge wasnt equal in cutting area, so ive fixed that too because there was more of a steep bevel on one side than the other

[Stock]

This is the issue that I have. My axe moves so one side is welded to the slide making attaching a cross axe some what of a challenge, got some thing in the head though.

Junior Stock wants the crane fitted first......................