Push plate for log splitter

[1967 Tempest]

So I finally got my old Didier splitter running. But the cylinder I got has a square flange and is a 3" instead of a 4". It splits wood fantastic!! But the detent pressure was too high and on return it sheared the end of the cup for the push plate. Is there a place I can buy one?
I tried making a slider for it and it worked great, but my welder will not penetrate the push plate metal as it is 3/8 thick. So I would buy one if I could find one.

Or can I lower the detent pressure more without sacrificing splitting force?

Thanks in advance

 

[triptester]

Replacement parts generally are not available.Some control valves have an adjustable detent. Adjusting the return detent will not change the extend force.

 

[gulity1]

If your welder wont penetrate the 3/8, here are a couple of things you can try. Try warming it up to about 600 or so about a low red in color not bright cherry just as you see the color start to change that should give you enough heat to get in there and get after it also might consider multi pass's if room allows it, also grind down the edges at a 45 angle to give you more room for weld along with multi passes this will give more penetration. Im not a fancy by the book certified welder just a slow fat hack how manages to get things done. Im sure some one with much more knowledge will be by to explain how to do it properly very soon.

 

[1967 Tempest]

I ended up turning it the correct orientation. Then plasma cut out a loop and welded that to the original cup. This way the cylinder can return to home position with more room and not pull in the push plate. I split a 1/4 cord and it worked flawless as there is no pressure on the push or pull cycle on the welds.

 

[1967 Tempest]

ok, so that worked for a little while then the cylinder failed.

New cylinder that is 4.5" and it splits great but the idiot who owned it before me cut the I-Beam up on the sides.

Needless to say that the splitter is chewing up pushplate sides. Anyone have a write up on how they made theres?

Thanks
Dave

 

[blades]

Can't see problem in picture, are you talking about the outside edge of the beam?

 

[muddstopper]

Really need a few more pic of the slide and how its made. The one pic that you posted seems to suggest that the slide is held on with just three bolts on each side. You have increased your cyl size form 4 inch to 4.5 inch. What I suspect is the pusher slide isnt big enough to take the force being applied and is cocking up at the base. This is probably what is eating up your Hbeam. are your plans to try and fix what you have, or to build something better. I cant see what you have well enough to give any suggestion on how to fix it, so I wont go there. If you want to try and build something better, then you have all kinds of options.

You said your welder wasnt big enough to weld 3/8 plate, is this a wire or stick welder? If wire is it gas or flux core? Is it a ac/dc welder, or AC only? How big is the welder? 3/8 metal isnt completely out of reach for a 140amp mig machine if proper prep is done before you try to weld. I suggest Vee'ing out any joints creating a thin edge that your welder can penetrate all the way to the opposite side. I would then run a bead down the bottom of the vee using a weave side to side to tie the metal together. The goal isnt to fill the vee in one pass, but to insure the root of the weld has full penetration. If you are using a stick or flux core machine, it is very important to make sure all the flux is removed before making the next weld pass or you will end up with contaminated weld that is subject to break, will be porous and look like chit. After the first pass, make a second pass weaving from the center of the first bead to the edge of the metal to tie the first weld to the metal and then running a third bead from center of first bead to opposite edge of metal. This should have the vee'd area full of weld metal with full penetration to the back side. To finish the weld, you would run a forth bead as a cover pass,weavng from the weld metal, across all three former beads, to opposite side of weld metal to tie all the welds together. Preheatng the metal is good advice, preheating helps drive out the hydrogen in the metal which is what causes the metal to become brittle and causes cracks. I use one of those infared temp guns you just point and read the temps. Once you start welding, the weld will keep the metal hot, but if you let the metal cool between passes, preheating again before continuing with the weld is not a bad ideal.

 

[1967 Tempest]

My mig won't go that high. My flux core might do it with a V. I did weld some thicker stuff on this splitter with multiple pass.

The h beam was chewed up before I got it. I'll take some pictures.

I did "try" to fix one side but the force of the cylinder made quick crap out of it. One sec...

 

[1967 Tempest]

Photos

 

[muddstopper]

Looks like you took some thick angle iron and made the slide. The side pieces that clamp under the beam, one side looks thick enough, the other side, no so well. Neither side is long enough to hold up to a knarly split with that 4.5in cylnder. I suggest that if you have any of that thick angle left I would cut another piece that is wider than the hbeam. Wide enough that you can bolt the beam clams thru the angle and under the hbeam instead of bolting to the side of the angle.

To fix the worn spots on the hbeam, I see several options, but not all of them can be accomplished with your small welder, at least not easily. Simplest fix would be to weld up the worn areas and grind back smooth. If you have some carbon blocks or a good piece of copper to use as backer plate, you can clamp the backer material to the underside of the hbeam, just below the worn spots, and start running beads of weld along the worn areas. The weld wont stick to the copper or carbon and the backer plate will supply support to keep the weld from sagging or dripping while you are welding the buildup. How much grinding you have to do will just depend on how smooth your welding is.

Option 2 is to simply plate the top of the hbeam with more metal, since you are needing to build another pusher block, the block can be made to accommodate the thicker top flange after plating. Plating the top of the hbeam will also help with any flexing in the hbeam when your splitting a tuff round.

Option 3, your welder really isnt up to the task, but I'll throw it out there anyways. You can cut everything loose from the top of the beam, wedge, cylinder mounts, etc, and flip the beam over and reweld everything back in place, or simply find another hbeam and weld everything to it. Lots of work and with a small welder, I dont recommend it since your welder isnt really up to the task.

 

[muddstopper]

Pics of the slide on my current splitter, The slide actually stretches the bolts that hold it down.
.and pics of how I am mounting the slide and pusher plate on my processor build which isnt uploading for some reason, and then it uploaded.

 

[1967 Tempest]

Yeah, I like the idea of bolting it through the pusher and I beam. This is the pusher that came with the splitter. I welded the smaller piece on and the first knarly piece bent that.. I will try and get some thicker metal. I have a plasma cutter so cutting the metal is no sweat. The welder is the tough part. Normally, I would not weld anything this thick. I thought about flipping the I beam over too. I might do that. Does anyone know of where I might buy one? Might be cost effective if it is the right price.

Thanks
Dave

 

[muddstopper]

Really I think to save some money and a lot of work, I would just try and find some backer material and use your small mig to build the beam back up. You dont even have to use backer material, it just saves some on the grinding. As a added bonus, you might find the welded area doesnt wear as fast as the original material. If your going to make a new pusher plate, the longer you can make the slide, the better it will ride on the beam. My cylinder is high enough off the beam that the slide can actually go under the cyl. The slide in the pic with the twin cylnders is 16inches long and I would have made it longer if I had of had longer material. I have over $300 in the steel just for the pusher and slide. Its all one inch metal I had to buy new.

 

[cantoo]

This is the push plate for my 36" splitter. 1" thick material, will have 5 Grade 8 bolts on each side. I think it's around 12" long. If I were you I would just use your splitter for parts and built a new one using a new beam and build a good push plate. I bought an old one to test new one and then I will rob some parts that will work on the new one. Dump valve, hoses, filter, outlets, etc. I will then piece it back together and sell it complete or for parts. I buy my steel at a scrap dealer and pay 30 cents a pound. Just keep looking until I find the size I need. These pieces were already cut to size I used.

 

[muddstopper]

Good looking build Cantoo. Do you plan on a multi wedge to go with that tall wedge? Only problem with the OP doing a new build is he's limited to a small mig, which might make some of the heavy welding suspect.

 

[triptester]

The first problem is expecting a beam and slide designed for a 12 ton splitter to withstand the forces of a cylinder with twice the tonnage. The original wedge was designed to slice through wood with a narrow sharp single edge. It is now wider ,more blunt,and a 4-way which puts a great deal more strain on all components.

 

[cantoo]

Muddstopper, I will be making a slip over 4 way for it. It'll also be cut down quite a bit in height, just welded on the length of piece I had.
triptester, that's why I suggested a new beam.

 

[muddstopper]

No way i would cut the wedge shorter. Mine is 24in tall full extend and I have split stuff that I still didnt get a clean split. Not to say a tall wedge also doesnt have disadvantages. big rounds, and a tall wedge do put a lot of stress on the hbeam.

 

[1967 Tempest]

I just got a 225 A AC stick welder that I am going to use. I plan on cutting everything off and flipping the I beam over. Does any one know where I can get those 4.5" u bolts and clamps?

Now that I have a welder that will penetrate the thick stuff, I am going to get a really thick push plate. Plus the beam will not have a lot of stress since it wont be missing some of it. Also going to go for a 12" blade instead of the 7" I have now. Maybe I can use the current blade a a pusher plate front.

 

[cantoo]

1967, I would just make something myself to hold the cylinder. Some flatbar, drill a bunch of holes and some threaded rod is all it takes.
I have already redone my splitter wedge. I'm making it into an adjustable 4 way wedge. Main is 24" high and the wings are 20" wide, should make clean splits out of most of the stuff I handle.