Splitter Build

[breymeyerfam]

If you plan on using a splitter for more than a dozen cords of wood then the top plate on top of your cradle needs to be at least a inch thick to reduce wear. Are you planning for suspension or are your roads flat? Thanks

This beam has .5 thick flange. Should be fine for a while. My current splitter is only .25 wall tube. It has 90-100 cord through it and is not wore down much. As for suspension, I'm looking for a torsion axle, but haven't had much luck finding one used. If I can't find one it's not that big of deal going solid, as 99% of my splitting occurs within a mile from home.

 

[Ted Jenkins]

If your new beam has a 1/2'' that is 100% more wear surface than 1/4''. They can be rebuilt and faced some what time consuming, but doable. I envy anybody that can process wood within a mile of their home. It takes me most of a day to get to my wood cutting project and setup. On one splitter I took square tubing and welding axle spindles on the ends with pivot joints on the other ends. This made some what of a twin I beam suspension, If you only have to haul five miles or less you are good to go. Thanks

 

[motolife313]

Thanks! After building the boiler last year, I had to start another fab project, I was getting bored! Lol
View attachment 615967

Just wondering how this fire place works?

 

[ChoppyChoppy]

I would not expect a 1/2" thick plate that the pusher is riding on to wear in thousands of hours.

The older processor we run has almost 9000 hours and the beam is not worn much. The push plate itself has enough wear that it's a bit sloppy, but it still works just fine. It's had thousands of cords of wood run through it. I'd bet it sees more wood in a year than most people will process in a lifetime.

 

[breymeyerfam]

Just wondering how this fire place works?

Are you asking how an outdoor woodboiler works? Or how mine works compared to others?

 

[motolife313]

How a broiler works?I've tried to find them on a thread and can't

 

[breymeyerfam]

How a broiler works?I've tried to find them on a thread and can't

Fire heats water jacket surrounding it. Fire is controlled by an aquastat. My aquastat is set to maintain temp between 165 and 175°. Pumps constantly circulate the hot water through insulated under ground pipes to the building being heated and back. The hot water is plumbed into your furnace with a heat exchanger and your furnace cycles the fan only to heat as needed. This is the basic most common setup. I also heat my domestic hot water, my concrete floor in my basement, and my 34x48 work shop.

 

[Ted Jenkins]

I have done a little bit of hot water heating fabrication so I do understand most of what is going on. So does one put wood into your furnace every two hours or so? How efficient is your system or how warm does the housing get. Is the area surrounding the fire a series of water tanks or does it use tubing. Do you use distilled water with antifreeze. Do you have to treat for mineral buildup. Thanks

 

[motolife313]

Got it thanks. So pretty much like the heater in your car. I thought of that before. It's a good idea.

 

[breymeyerfam]

My boiler build is fully documented here: https://www.arboristsite.com/commun...r-owb-build-thread-tank-in-tank-style.298953/

 

[Jakers]

My boiler build is fully documented here: https://www.arboristsite.com/commun...r-owb-build-thread-tank-in-tank-style.298953/

Except your pictures don't show up on photobucket anymore....

 

[breymeyerfam]

Except your pictures don't show up on photobucket anymore....

Yeah, photobucket pretty much single handedly destroyed everything I've ever posted. I've decided I'm not going back and fixing all the old chainsaw porting, pipe building, and gtgs that I documented, but I am going to go back and fix the boiler build pics. It may take me a week or so, but I have all the pics still.

 

[breymeyerfam]

Im looking for a source for a 5x24 cylinder with a 3.5" rod. I have found a 30" stroke one, but cant seem to find a 24" one. I can always mechanically restrict the 30" stroke if needed...

https://www.ruggedmade.com/parts/sp...-stroke-5-bore-3-5-rod-3-4-work-ports-98.html

 

[cantoo]

Ted, lots of different setups out there. Mine is pretty simple. Stainless steel tank in a tank design. There are tubes inside the fire chamber that allow water to circulate as it heats. Mine holds approx. 500 gallons of soft water so I have a lot of heat storage. During the summer I only heat my domestic ( shower, tap water) water so I only put scraps in it every couple or 3 days. Only put enough in it to keep a few coals in there, doesn't take much to heat it. During the winter we put 4 -8 pieces of 6'X 32" long ash in it, maybe twice per day. We heat 2 houses, 2 domestic hot water and supplement heat a 25x 60 shop. I burn poplar and other crap during shoulder seasons.
The boiler has it's own aquastat and all it does is maintain what ever temperature I set it to. Insulated water lines run to the house and back to the boiler. My circulation pump is in the basement and runs 24/7. In the house there is a thermosat that is connected to my furnace and when it calls for heat it turns the fan on in the furnace exchanger.

 

[ChoppyChoppy]

Im looking for a source for a 5x24 cylinder with a 3.5" rod. I have found a 30" stroke one, but cant seem to find a 24" one. I can always mechanically restrict the 30" stroke if needed...
View attachment 616619
https://www.ruggedmade.com/parts/sp...-stroke-5-bore-3-5-rod-3-4-work-ports-98.html

***Not designed for use with “universal” or "tractor" hydraulic fluid***
Wonder why? I can't think of anything in a cylinder that 303 or UTF would not be ok, but AW32 would be.

Could try calling Blockbuster (firewood processor guys, not the movie rental place haha). The only on my processor is a 4.5" with a 3" rod. I think the bigger machines have a larger cylinder.
Worth a try anyhow. Just need to ask for Tony can tell him Nate from Alaska with the 15-20 sent you.

 

[ChoppyChoppy]

Ted, lots of different setups out there. Mine is pretty simple. Stainless steel tank in a tank design. There are tubes inside the fire chamber that allow water to circulate as it heats. Mine holds approx. 500 gallons of soft water so I have a lot of heat storage. During the summer I only heat my domestic ( shower, tap water) water so I only put scraps in it every couple or 3 days. Only put enough in it to keep a few coals in there, doesn't take much to heat it. During the winter we put 4 -8 pieces of 6'X 32" long ash in it, maybe twice per day. We heat 2 houses, 2 domestic hot water and supplement heat a 25x 60 shop. I burn poplar and other crap during shoulder seasons.
The boiler has it's own aquastat and all it does is maintain what ever temperature I set it to. Insulated water lines run to the house and back to the boiler. My circulation pump is in the basement and runs 24/7. In the house there is a thermosat that is connected to my furnace and when it calls for heat it turns the fan on in the furnace exchanger.

How do you load a 6ft long 32" chunk of wood into the boiler? Some type of hydraulic loader? We use 2ft long stuff in the shop stove, usually split it but keep it fairly large. (not a boiler, but it's a big ass stove)
Sometimes those are a bit of a SOB to get into the stove.
I smashed my thumb last year, slammed it into the door edge while trying to go full retard with a bit old chuck of wood. I about passed out and threw up all while my brain was still trying to process what just happened. That thumb bothered me for MONTHS after that!

 

[Jakers]

***Not designed for use with “universal” or "tractor" hydraulic fluid***
Wonder why? I can't think of anything in a cylinder that 303 or UTF would not be ok, but AW32 would be.

Could try calling Blockbuster (firewood processor guys, not the movie rental place haha). The only on my processor is a 4.5" with a 3" rod. I think the bigger machines have a larger cylinder.
Worth a try anyhow. Just need to ask for Tony can tell him Nate from Alaska with the 15-20 sent you.

i believe they are trying to limit the weight or viscosity of the oil being used. while some universals may be 15-20, others come in at more like 25W-30W oil and i think that would be a bit thick for the flow rate the cylinder will produce on the retract stroke. im guessing they are saying that to prevent damage due to either hot oil or attempting to "over flow" the coupled parts to the cylinder. Just my .02 cents

 

[Jakers]

Im looking for a source for a 5x24 cylinder with a 3.5" rod. I have found a 30" stroke one, but cant seem to find a 24" one. I can always mechanically restrict the 30" stroke if needed...
View attachment 616619
https://www.ruggedmade.com/parts/sp...-stroke-5-bore-3-5-rod-3-4-work-ports-98.html

another option would be to have a hydraulic shop shorten this one or just build you a new one from scratch. that is definitely a special size rod for that cylinder and may not be cheap to build. wood splitter is about the only practical application for that bore/rod configuration as it wouldn't have much power on the return stroke at all. it should also be noted that the flow requires all parts to be matched so you can utilize the benefits and don't damage things

 

[Ted Jenkins]

A 24'' ram is just plain too short. I have a 30'' and 32'' which is just right If you are not planning on selling any wood then any size will work. Typically I cut 18'' wood, but on occasion I need special sizes or you have really long wood to process. You can set up your auto detent to stop at what ever size you desire so you never have a wasted stroke or wasted time. Thanks

 

[grizz55chev]

How do you load a 6ft long 32" chunk of wood into the boiler? Some type of hydraulic loader? We use 2ft long stuff in the shop stove, usually split it but keep it fairly large. (not a boiler, but it's a big ass stove)
Sometimes those are a bit of a SOB to get into the stove.
I smashed my thumb last year, slammed it into the door edge while trying to go full retard with a bit old chuck of wood. I about passed out and threw up all while my brain was still trying to process what just happened. That thumb bothered me for MONTHS after that!

Reread, he said 6”by 32” long.