Need Ideas

[mijdirtyjeep]

I and a bunch of my trucker friends,,have another name for dot trash............

I hear ha on that.

For my main job right now "crash investigator" he is a really nice guy. Heck he will actually throw the strobes on and block a lane on the highway for me, without me even asking. As long as I'm in my work vehicle, he will not even get me for speeding a little "10mph over"!

 

[mijdirtyjeep]

That is a nice collection of parts you got there. Love how you bought some cheap and sold some higher to help pay for more.

Keep up the good work wish I was closer, as I would love to put the welding helmet on and give you a hand!!

 

[cantoo]

It easier to put a price on something if your buying everything new. Of course if I had the money to buy all new parts, I could probably buy one cheaper than I can build it. I had this ideal a few years back to just upgrade my splitter to one of those with a winch to pull up the logs and a chainsaw to buck with. Should of stayed with that ideal and it would of been built already. I started finding some cheap parts that made building a more productive processor seem within reach so my ideals changed. Money spend right now has been for some of the expensive parts but bought at a bargain. The cylinders in the pics I actually gained $300 for taking them off a fellows hand. Not that simple, I bought 8 and sold 6 and cleared $300 and got to keep 2 cylinders. The conveyors, one 14ft and one 18ft, I paid $100 each for. The hydraulic chainsaw, I found a hyd motor (free) that would work so I paid a couple hundred for the bar, chain and sprocket and made the mount. I got a 10 spool control valve for the knuckle boom loader for free by digging it out of a scrap bin. Brand new obsolete valve. I got a 70gpm control valve for the splitter out of the same scrap bin, again new valve. Metal for building the 12way blade is used plow blades I cut out with my homemade track torch, all I got in it is gas and time. I bought a a620 backhoe attachment for $300 thinking I would convert it to a knuckle boom, sold it for $800. I have about $700 in parts and machine work building the knuckle boom and almost have enought steel to put it together. still have to buy a rotator and build a grapple. Its hard to put a pricetag on what parts I have left to buy, but At least $3 grand more will put me close to a finished machine. I have probably spent close to $2000 already so I'll be close to $5000+/- when its done. Show me a 50ton processor with its own knuckle boom loader anywhere for that kind of money. My big challege right now is I will have to buy a new 3 section hydraulic pump and I have to find a engine (190hp)to pull everything with. If I dont get it done this year, I'll work on it again next year. Like Johnny Cash said, One piece at a time and it didnt cost me a dime, but you will know its me when I fire that baby up.

Just saw this and wish I had earlier to ghelp avoid the lost time. I too did the same thing early on and had to learn the hard way. I redid dad's splitter and used a plowshare which I thought was a great idea so it wouldn't wear. WRONG. I preheated at the bottom for welding though. Ours broke midway up and just snapped from a twisty. Lesson learned and rebuilt using non hardened. No issues since.

The line of thinking about needing something hard to hold an edge is a mistake from my experience. I've dealt with 3 of our own splitters and they all have mild steel wedges on them, including the Catersplitter. Edges are all still fine and the only issue I had with the Catersplitter was when I encounters a 3/4" steel screw in gate hinge which it promptl sheared in 2. Messed up the edge there but rewelded, ground down and can't tell it now.

Your wedge is plenty high and hope it holds for you. James at splitez told me the max height for my beam size was 10 inches so be aware of twistys if you get them. The higher it is the more you compound the force exerted below.

I'm no expert but I have had to live and learn by mistakes too so it happens to everyone. Forums like these just help folks from falling into the same issues and having wasted efforts. That is a great resource to be able to tap into.

 

[cantoo]

Well, that really didn't work as well as I thought. Mudd, Kevin might be able to save you some time on your splitter wedge idea.

 

[muddstopper]

Well, that really didn't work as well as I thought. Mudd, Kevin might be able to save you some time on your splitter wedge idea.

I read Kevins post and I think he is referring to a different type of plow blade than I am. The blades in the above pics are 3/4in thick and I have used them on several projects, including my 24in tall 6way wedge of my current splitter. Havent worn one out or broke one yet. My 24in tall splitter wedge is actually 2 of those blades welded together to get the 30in lenght needed to make the wedge height adjustable. I did put a gap in the edge while trying to crush a steel tire rim, but other than that, they stay sharp and havent broke.

 

[cantoo]

Mudd, that's good then. The one I used was made for a Volvo motor grader so I assume it was a pretty stout one designed for that use. I think the little bit of welding I did on mine was what cause the problem.
Was just thinking that normal steel is fine for the big commercial splitters so no need for anything hardened. Some of them do have harder types of steel though, T types?

 

[muddstopper]

I agree about using the mild steel. Harder stuff might stay sharp longer, but I have only had to sharpen mine the one time before I welded them on and they will still cut you if you bump them with your elbow

 

[mijdirtyjeep]

I used the about the same type on my personal splitter trying to make a 4way. We can just go down to the Road Comission and get the old blades off the snow plow trucks for free usually "might cost a box of donuts sometimes". The Road Commision changes out those belly scraper blades quite often. The problem with the blades is that they are super hardened from the heating and cooling cycles they go through while dragging across the concrete highway. The edge was tought as nails, but one twisting force on them "knotted piece of wood" and they would want to snap. Heck I had one standing up in the corner of my garage. It fell over and shattered into about 10pieces. Did not really care though as it was free and I had 5 or 6 more standing next to it.

 

[muddstopper]

This is what my plow metal came off of. If you look you can see the wear metal bolted to the bottom of the plow. Plates are about 9 inches wide, 3/4 thick and about 22in long flat plate. I was told it is T1 steel, its hard, but I dont think its T1

 

[nathon918]

This is what my plow metal came off of. If you look you can see the wear metal bolted to the bottom of the plow. Plates are about 9 inches wide, 3/4 thick and about 22in long flat plate. I was told it is T1 steel, its hard, but I dont think its T1

they are super hardened from the heating and cooling cycles they go through while dragging across the concrete highway

cutting edges don't become hard from use...they're usually some grade of AR plate (400-600) which is intended for use in abrasive conditions, AR is also a very common steel used in armor, and steel shooting targets (usually AR 400) as its not near as brittle as a higher grade...
AR plate is a horrible material for structural use, which is why its usually bolted to some sort of low carbon steel backing structure (plow frame/moldboard)
if you want the strength of a structural steel without the wear for something like a splitter wedge, make the wedge out of A-36 or similar, then just hardface the "taper" and point of the edge, then grind it sharp,you shouldn't ever need to sharpen it again...
A-36 isn't anywhere near the price of AR plate, and harface rod is cheap and puts the hardness only where its needed
I usually use Lincoln wearshield 60 hardface rod on things like this, its also what I used on my old single splitter wedge, and its what im doing to my new bolt on box and single wedges im making for it

 

[SevenleeFIBC]

is it like this, FIBC bag with vents at sides, for firewood, I think we can slove your problem