# Excavator mounted wood splitter



## komatsuvarna (May 12, 2010)

Any body have one? Some of you know that ive been planning a wood splitter build for a while. First it was going to be on my tractor, and i scratched that idea and thought about the skid steer. I was pretty sold on the skid steer splitter,until i got to thinking about building one for the excavator. It has more flow and pressure. I could run it from in the cab with heat/air/radio. I wouldnt have to worry about rolling logs around by hand. It would also be my cheepest way out. What do you all think?


----------



## ms310 (May 12, 2010)

The cost for fuel, and the hours on the machine typically will take a big bite out of profit if you are running with any kind of equipment, since going to a self contained splitter in our operation overhead has dropped substantially. If you figure the cost per hour for a typical newer tractor or excavator at the very least 50 an hour depreciation, and using at the minimum 2 gallons per hour, which is typically quite low your over head jumps big time. Using a self contained splitter, we go through no more than 4 gallons of gas a day, and the depreciation on the splitter is close to nil


----------



## MNGuns (May 12, 2010)

hours on the machine would be my first concern, followed by fuel.


----------



## AIM (May 13, 2010)

Is your hoe a mini? I was going to build a splitter for my HR14 but it met an early demise. I think it would be the cats meow to have one. Just leave the wood laying flat and split away.
I don't know about your komatsu but my schaeff just sipped fuel. I could run the thing about all day and only use about 6-7 gallons.
I was also gonna fab up a splitter end for my hammer for the monster rounds but didn't get that done in time either.

(my hoe caught on fire and burned to a crisp)(fire guy thinks a short in the electrical system)


----------



## HARRY BARKER (May 13, 2010)




----------



## komatsuvarna (May 13, 2010)

Im not concerned about the fuel. I can dig hard for 2 8 hour days and use 1 tank, about 18 gallon. Its not going to use much splitting wood. Its just for my personal use and im not planning on making any money with it. Im not concerned about the hours either. I have 4 hoes that run ever day and i bought them to use. I avarage 1800 to 2000 hours a year on my equipment, so i dont care about 10 more hours a weekend. When there wore out, ill send them on there way and get some more. 

The only problem that i see is its going to suck hauling a 18,000 lbs machine around to split wood. My hoes usually stay on the job and hardly ever come home, so that is going to be a increased price.

Sorry to hear about your machine AIM. Ive not had one to burn on me, but ive had a new 590 case backhoe stole once. Luckly they found it about 5 months later, i couldnt believe it.

Nice pic harry.


----------



## HARRY BARKER (May 13, 2010)

komatsuvarna said:


> Im not concerned about the fuel. I can dig hard for 2 8 hour days and use 1 tank, about 18 gallon. Its not going to use much splitting wood. Its just for my personal use and im not planning on making any money with it. Im not concerned about the hours either. I have 4 hoes that run ever day and i bought them to use. I avarage 1800 to 2000 hours a year on my equipment, so i dont care about 10 more hours a weekend. When there wore out, ill send them on there way and get some more.
> 
> The only problem that i see is its going to suck hauling a 18,000 lbs machine around to split wood. My hoes usually stay on the job and hardly ever come home, so that is going to be a increased price.
> 
> ...



you want any more info or pics just holler at me.


----------



## komatsuvarna (May 13, 2010)

If my caulcations are right, A 4 inch cylinder would have 22 tons of force and a 4.2 second cycle time. A 5 inch cylinder would have 34 tons and a 7 second cycle time.

Harry, if its not to much trouble id like to see some more pictures. What machine you have it on?


----------



## HARRY BARKER (May 13, 2010)




----------



## HARRY BARKER (May 13, 2010)




----------



## komatsuvarna (May 13, 2010)

HARRY BARKER said:


>



That bud light sure helps the build go easier.lol I drink the same beer, have the same welding hood, had the same tape measure, but i kinda nicked it with the chain saw. Nice machine too. Aint even scratched the tail up yet. The coupler is a must, Makes ever thing go much better. 

I like your design, if you ever built another one, would you change anything about it?


----------



## HARRY BARKER (May 13, 2010)




----------



## Walt41 (May 13, 2010)

We use just the regular bucket on our 160 to chunk up the ugly stuff, with a skilled operator an a firm surface you can split faster than a splitter.


----------



## HARRY BARKER (May 13, 2010)

komatsuvarna said:


> That bud light sure helps the build go easier.lol I drink the same beer, have the same welding hood, had the same tape measure, but i kinda nicked it with the chain saw. Nice machine too. Aint even scratched the tail up yet. The coupler is a must, Makes ever thing go much better.
> 
> I like your design, if you ever built another one, would you change anything about it?


yeah, im making more of them,and the foot plate is gonna be a couple inches taller.....this thing works great...alot of the wood i do is up to and beyond 60".
its a 4.5" cyl x 24".... machine has almost 17 gpm on aux,so its fairly fast.
it has bolt on 4-way too for peckerwood,but mostly i only use it on large rounds.


----------



## komatsuvarna (May 13, 2010)

Walt41 said:


> We use just the regular bucket on our 160 to chunk up the ugly stuff, with a skilled operator an a firm surface you can split faster than a splitter.



Ive done it, but i didnt like it. Spills my beer.lol No actually, i need to split kinda small. And you said it right, firm surface. I drove mine in the mud. I also have a atlas copco hammer that i thought about, but i dont think itd work to good either, maybe to bust a chunk in half.


----------



## komatsuvarna (May 13, 2010)

HARRY BARKER said:


> yeah, im making more of them,and the foot plate is gonna be a couple inches taller.....this thing works great...alot of the wood i do is up to and beyond 60".
> its a 4.5" cyl x 24".... machine has almost 17 gpm on aux,so its fairly fast.
> it has bolt on 4-way too for peckerwood,but mostly i only use it on large rounds.



Before i had the excavator brain fart, i was going to build a regular splitter with an assortment of adjustable wedges,4,6,and 8 ways. Now im thinkin that a single wedge on an excavator will be about as fast. You wont be losing any time going and rolling a nother round to the splitter. You can set in one spot and bust away, all by a thumb switch. Am i thinkin right?


----------



## HARRY BARKER (May 13, 2010)

if your splitting LARGE wood,build one of these and you'll never look back.


----------



## HARRY BARKER (May 13, 2010)

komatsuvarna said:


> Before i had the excavator brain fart, i was going to build a regular splitter with an assortment of adjustable wedges,4,6,and 8 ways. Now im thinkin that a single wedge on an excavator will be about as fast. You wont be losing any time going and rolling a nother round to the splitter. You can set in one spot and bust away, all by a thumb switch. Am i thinkin right?


yes thumb switch which has infinte control,plus still have the 280 degree of rotation or curl as the bucket would.......so on a big round i will start at the bottom and keep progessivly popping it every 6" or so as i work my way up over the round to the backside of it,by then its folded open like a deck of cards,couple larger peices left in the middle to make short work of.

the 4-way is nice for 12-14" rounds cause you can pick one up and swing it over a truck,hit the button and 4 peice's fall in.


----------



## komatsuvarna (May 13, 2010)

HARRY BARKER said:


> yes thumb switch which has infinte control,plus still have the 280 degree of rotation or curl as the bucket would.......so on a big round i will start at the bottom and keep progessivly popping it every 6" or so as i work my way up over the round to the backside of it,by then its folded open like a deck of cards,couple larger peices left in the middle to make short work of.
> 
> the 4-way is nice for 12-14" rounds cause you can pick one up and swing it over a truck,hit the button and 4 peice's fall in.



Thanks for the input harry!


----------



## Slick (May 14, 2010)

Not exactly an excavator mounted splitter.....more like a super mini ex splitter  I made one to go on my Bobcat MT mini walk behind loader....I like it because I can use it as an "normal" splitter most of the time, has a valve up front or I can control it from the back while operating the Bobcat controls.... but if I get something big or heavy I can leave it on the ground and just drive up to it. I had some heavy walnut on the trailer a couple weeks ago, just rolled it to the edge of the trailer and drove the bobcat right up to it, would have killed myself with it and a traditional splitter. At some point I may make a small "traditional" splitter setup with motor and pump etc to hook this things quick disconnects to to keep the hours off my bobcat but for now I love this thing....


----------



## HARRY BARKER (May 14, 2010)

Sweet!!


----------



## zipper1081 (May 14, 2010)

check out this video.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=me1qtqBuUU0&playnext_from=TL&videos=IV_xchGRYUk


----------



## komatsuvarna (May 23, 2010)

*Early stages of build*

Well, I gathered up some junk yesterday morning, and here is were I am today. I still have a long way to go, but i got started anyway. Im open to ideas and comments, except on the welding job.

View attachment 138189


View attachment 138190


----------



## HARRY BARKER (May 23, 2010)

youre gonna have to fab up a guard for the ports.


----------



## komatsuvarna (May 23, 2010)

HARRY BARKER said:


> youre gonna have to fab up a guard for the ports.



Yeah, I was hoping i could find one with the side ports. I got 14 dollars in this one and its good, so ill make some guards up after i get everthing in its right spot.


----------



## RAMROD48 (May 23, 2010)

Who needs a excavator? when you can split your wood with this?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hwsq6Su7kak&NR=1&feature=fvwp

:jawdrop::jawdrop::jawdrop:

Holy Slow....


----------



## komatsuvarna (May 23, 2010)

RAMROD48 said:


> Who needs a excavator? when you can split your wood with this?
> 
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hwsq6Su7kak&NR=1&feature=fvwp
> 
> ...



LMFAO!!!!! Thats what I call '' job security''.


----------



## komatsuvarna (May 23, 2010)

I boxed in the beam were the cylinder mount is like Timberwolf does theres. I couldnt resist those TW colors either.

View attachment 138245


View attachment 138246


----------



## HARRY BARKER (May 24, 2010)

komatsuvarna said:


> I boxed in the beam were the cylinder mount is like Timberwolf does theres. I couldnt resist those TW colors either.
> 
> View attachment 138245
> 
> ...



lookin good!


----------



## komatsuvarna (May 24, 2010)

HARRY BARKER said:


> lookin good!



Thanks, Not to bad for a hillbilly workin in a dirt floor barn.LOL Im hoping to have it mostly finished by this weekend depending on work.


----------



## komatsuvarna (May 31, 2010)

*Almost done*

I gotta build the 6 or 8 way wedge. I found a junk coupler at my komatsu dealer that im going to cut up to fit the top. A few other odds and ends and ill be splitting. I goofed up on the wedge end when i boxed the sides in. After i got it all welded up i figured out that the pusher would like about 10 inches before it got to the wedge. So instead of cutting it and shorting it, i decided to notch it. Dont really like the look of it, but im running out of patience. Its a little longer than i wanted, but cant do much better with a 30'' cylinder. I guess itll work, itll be 4 inches wider then the blade on the machine.

View attachment 139114


----------



## possumtrapper (Oct 3, 2010)

Hi Komatsuvarna, how is this splitter going? Do you have a pic of it operating and how is the cycle time. Am thinking of building one like yours to go on an old EX60. Thanks for the inspiration!


----------



## Manatarms (Oct 3, 2010)

I've been assembling the pieces to make one too. I've got too many big nasty suckers that I need to quarter before I put them on the splitter. I'm planning on using the hydraulics for my backhoe thumb on the Kubota M59...I should have about 15 GPM flow there. I picked up a 6" x 25lb. I-beam and bought the Northern Tool 4.5" piston. I definately think I will box the ends in like komatsuvarna did. 

-Mark


----------



## komatsuvarna (Oct 4, 2010)

possumtrapper said:


> Hi Komatsuvarna, how is this splitter going? Do you have a pic of it operating and how is the cycle time. Am thinking of building one like yours to go on an old EX60. Thanks for the inspiration!





Manatarms said:


> I've been assembling the pieces to make one too. I've got too many big nasty suckers that I need to quarter before I put them on the splitter. I'm planning on using the hydraulics for my backhoe thumb on the Kubota M59...I should have about 15 GPM flow there. I picked up a 6" x 25lb. I-beam and bought the Northern Tool 4.5" piston. I definately think I will box the ends in like komatsuvarna did.
> 
> -Mark



Yeah I got her going. I busted a couple cords with it and havent used it since. Real busy in the summer time moving dirt and installing water mains and such, but ill be able to use it some more in a few months when things slow down. If you guys do a search for ''37 ton homemade woodsplitter'' youll find the most recent pictures of it in action. Also, when I get the time, Im going to build a half box wedge for it. Its kinda hard to explain, but I think the half box wedge will work better with different sizes of wood more than a 6 or 8 way, because its upside down . If you cant find it on the search or I can be of any help, just let me know. Happy building!


----------



## kubotasplit (Dec 8, 2010)

*excavator mounted splitter*

I built one for my kubota kx 121 machine, it mounts to the quicktach coupler, and runs off the auxillary hydraulic line, mounted a solenoid splitter on the boom, which does not show in the pictures, but it allows me to shift back and forth from the thumb and splitter, would like to add a hydrasaw to the contraption. this is my first post on this website, and i cant figure out how to attach picture, sorry, maybe later


----------



## kubotasplit (Dec 8, 2010)

*excavator mounted splitter*

these are some of the pictures i have of my contraption


----------



## possumtrapper (Dec 9, 2010)

Nice work kubotasplit, do you find that you use the bucket ram to position
the splitter much? I am thinking of using my bucket ram to split and just mounting my splitter direct to the end of the stick. It would probably swing a bit, but to buy a similar ram (900mm stroke) is a couple K here. Thanks for the pix!


----------



## a_lopa (Dec 9, 2010)

Ive got these they go on a 20Ton digger split virtualy anything,fantastic attachment.


----------



## kubotasplit (Dec 9, 2010)

*excavator mounted splitter*

Yes, the bucket curl cylinder is very useful in positioning the splitter onto the block of wood so as to split it where you need to,you can even pick chunks out of a pile . I used a 4 x 24 cylinder on mine, which can be bought here for about 2 hundred. A 5 inch cylinder would have more power, but would weigh more, and require a larger beam, adding further weight, since my machine is small, I was trying to keep the weight down so I could reach out further and pickup large chunks without giving up so much stability. If you need to use the hydraulics to your bucket curl to run your splitter ram, you can add a solenoid splitter, and with a push of a button, your curl valve will control the splitter ram.


----------

