Excavator mounted wood splitter

[komatsuvarna]

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]

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

 

[Circle B MN]

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

 

[AIM]

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]

 

[komatsuvarna]

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]

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.

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

 

[komatsuvarna]

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]

 

[HARRY BARKER]

 

[komatsuvarna]

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]

 

[Walt41]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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

 

[HARRY BARKER]

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]

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]

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....