Homemade splitter motor

[crappiemiser]

I called a guy about a homemade log splitter on craigslist. He bought the splitter from a fellow and it had a 6 hp motor on it that was shot. He replaced the motor with a 12 hp engine and said it really works well. I have never had a hydro splitter before so I have a question about motor sizing. Does a bigger motor really do anything for a splitter speed, power? Also, anything to look at when purchasing a used splitter other than does it leak?

 

[farmer steve]

welcome to AS @crappiemiser .someone will be along shortly with more info than you ever wanted to know about a splitter. lots of knowledgeable people here.

 

[Stihlbillie]

Consider this, horsepower and rpms are not the same thing. That being said the faster you turn the pump (RPMS) the faster the hydraulic fluid will flow. However horsepower is more about torque. So a 6hp vs a 12hp will crank out the same rpms but have more overcoming umph for dealing with knots in the logs.

 

[Frogfarmer]

If the 6 did the job then the 12 is burning more fuel but at a lighter duty cycle. If it's what I had I would use it. If the 12 goes bad look for a 6. The 12 won't do any more work than the 6.

 

[crappiemiser]

Thanks for the replys. I guess now I am weighing buying used verses new and not being able to split vertically.

 

[farmer steve]

Thanks for the replys. I guess now I am weighing buying used verses new and not being able to split vertically.

do a search for the Dirty hand tools splitter on this forum. a lot of guys have bought them and like them. DHT is the sponser of the firewood forum. they seem to be pretty good with customer service. iv'e used my buddies 22 ton and it works great. just a little fast for this old fart.

 

[alleyyooper]

Not a thing wrong with buying used. Check out all the welds and make sure none are cracked. Check to make sure the frame(beam) is not twisted. Of course check for leaks, I am sure there will be some but can they be fixed simply or not.
I have a home built horizontal splitter. a friend has a fancy painted vertical splitter. I much rather roll rounds on to my splitting platform than trying to wrestle them under his wedge on the rams rod.

Engines are not all that big of a deal. You can buy a replacement from Harbor Freight very reasonable.

Al

 

[VW Splitter]

Horizontal is the way to go. much more comfortable working position. However.... it's gotta have a log lift if you are gonna split any big rounds.

 

[blades]

Well some way to lift big stuff anyway to save your back. I use a cinch strap off the bucket on my tractor - which means I do not have to carry them or transport by rolling ect to a fixed lift. For awhile I used a cherry picker( engine hoist) simply because I have one. Course you can always noodle down to human size and sometimes that is better anyway particularly with stringy types like Elm. Big rounds with knots is a good way to over stress a splitter.

 

[husqvarna257]

Well some way to lift big stuff anyway to save your back. I use a cinch strap off the bucket on my tractor - which means I do not have to carry them or transport by rolling ect to a fixed lift. For awhile I used a cherry picker( engine hoist) simply because I have one. Course you can always noodle down to human size and sometimes that is better anyway particularly with stringy types like Elm. Big rounds with knots is a good way to over stress a splitter.

Glad to know I am not alone in using the tractor for big rounds. But more often I just try to roll them up.

 

[ChoppyChoppy]

Bigger engine means it can run a larger pump.

 

[blades]

At the expense of more fuel used of course. there is also a point of diminishing returns. resonable increase in pump output can speed up cycle times but can also cause heat generation problems due to increased flow through marginal sized lines. now you need to increase port , line, and valve sizes to correctly handle the increased flow to negate the heat created by the friction of the fluid in the smaller lines. " Oh , what a tangled web we weave"

 

[Sawyer Rob]

Big rounds with knots is a good way to over stress a splitter.

I'm sure glad I bought a splitter built heavy enough, that it can take big knotty rounds on a daily basis then, as big knotty rounds are about all I split!

Anything that isn't "knotty", and is pretty decent, goes straight to my BSM...

SR

 

[Highbeam]

Horsepower is directly related to RPM. It's part of the formula. If both engines are the same RPM then the 12 HP simply has more torque available. That's good but it won't make your cycle speed change.

When the big engine will become noticeable is when you are working hard to split stuff. When the splitter reaches its limit one of two things will happen, the pressure relief valve will open and the ram will stop or the engine will stall and the ram will stop. Your larger engine will minimize or eliminate the engine stalling but the PRV will still open to prevent damage to the splitter.

On my Huskee splitter the engine stalls when something is particularly nasty so I would benefit from a larger engine. Not worth an upgrade to me though as it almost never happens and I split some huge, knotty, stuff.

Used splitters. I would be very leery. In most markets you can buy a new splitter for almost the same price as a used one. They don't lose value very fast at all. New splitters are new, not leaky, warranty, not homemade, and you can make sure it is treated right from day one. It would have to be a super good deal to make it worth the risk of buying a used splitter.

 

[GrizzlyAdams86]

The splitter I have used to have a '60-70s 8 hp Briggs on it, now has a '90s 5 hp after the 8 hp died one winter and we needed an engine in a hurry. The splitter only has a single-stage pump, so it's noticeable when splitting bigger wood but otherwise works fine and I can get a decent amount of run time from a tank of fuel. A 2-stage pump and a control valve with a detent would be nice. It's an old hand-me-down but decently built homebrewed unit (my family knows the people who built it and got it from), and I've had to have somethings re-welded on it (I will admit I am not a good welder, rather have a better welder work on it), I believe it was built in the mid-70's so it's seen a fair amount of use before I got ahold of it.