Splitter burnt down

[ChoppyChoppy]

Have a small splitter that I bought when I first started doing wood. Swisher 28? ton with a 11.5hp Briggs. I used it full time for about 6 months before my processor arrived.

The last few years, have just used it a few hrs a year to chunk up wood that is too big for the processor.

Anyhow, had it near the back of the shop, the hired hand had used it last week to split up some big stuff into manageable pieces for the shop stove.

Well had a fire last night. It burned down a stack of a dozen pallets near the splitter, burned about 1/2 a cord of the firewood that had been split, ruined a people door and a truck door on the shop (melted the insulation out of them) and charred the wall too.

The tires burned off as well as part of the engine. The rest of the machine seems ok. Nothing else got hot enough to melt stickers or paint. Even the tires burning somehow didn't melt the paint or valve stems

I can get 11.5hp engine for ~$600 or so.
New splitter... $2000 area.

Or could not bother with it and spend the $$ on an upside down splitter for the skid steer. Do have an older Iron and Oak splitter that just needs the beam plate bent back in place and welded.

Thoughts?


I'll put pics in a bit, they are on my phone and it's charging right now.

 

[turnkey4099]

Have a small splitter that I bought when I first started doing wood. Swisher 28? ton with a 11.5hp Briggs. I used it full time for about 6 months before my processor arrived.

The last few years, have just used it a few hrs a year to chunk up wood that is too big for the processor.

Anyhow, had it near the back of the shop, the hired hand had used it last week to split up some big stuff into manageable pieces for the shop stove.

Well had a fire last night. It burned down a stack of a dozen pallets near the splitter, burned about 1/2 a cord of the firewood that had been split, ruined a people door and a truck door on the shop (melted the insulation out of them) and charred the wall too.

The tires burned off as well as part of the engine. The rest of the machine seems ok. Nothing else got hot enough to melt stickers or paint. Even the tires burning somehow didn't melt the paint or valve stems

I can get 11.5hp engine for ~$600 or so.
New splitter... $2000 area.

Or could not bother with it and spend the $$ on an upside down splitter for the skid steer. Do have an older Iron and Oak splitter that just needs the beam plate bent back in place and welded.

Thoughts?


I'll put pics in a bit, they are on my phone and it's charging right now.

Sorry to hear that. Stuff happens that shouldn't.

 

[Saiso]

You seem OK with it all. Definitely sound more calm than what I would sound like.

 

[Erik B]

That is not the kind of story I like to read on a Friday morning. Glad no one was hurt.

 

[JoshNY]

I would retrofit a harbor freight predator engine on it. You can get a 13hp for about $350, and they are a copy of the famous honda gx engines, hold up very well.

Sent from my SM-S727VL using Tapatalk

 

[ChoppyChoppy]

 

[rancher2]

Splitter could fixed with a new engine and maybe pump if it got too hot. I vote for the upside down splitter for the skid loader for breaking the big blocks up if you get a lot of large logs. If not fix the old swisher and split on. Glad you didn't lose your whole shop.

 

[cantoo]

I would just use that and make my own upside down splitter. Buy or build a skid steer plate ( I buy old junk with plates on them and just cut them off, likely a dozen sitting on my fence line now) weld a couple of braces on it, some hose and quick couplers and get at it.

 

[ChoppyChoppy]

Splitter could fixed with a new engine and maybe pump if it got too hot. I vote for the upside down splitter for the skid loader for breaking the big blocks up if you get a lot of large logs. If not fix the old swisher and split on. Glad you didn't lose your whole shop.

I'm pretty sure the pump is fine. It's belt driven and on the other side of the machine (can see it in the one pic) It didn't get hot enough to melt any of the hydraulic lines or the belt. Even the side of the engine that was not near the pallets is all there still. Didn't even melt that part of the garbage can that was over it.

It is a thought on making it into a splitter for the skid steer, though with the wedge being on the cylinder end, it wouldn't work all that well.
I suppose I could change it around, but honestly at that point I think i'd just start from scratch and use a larger beam and a larger cylinder.

I prices out a new engine and a set of tires and will be in the $600-700 area, so not too horrible I guess. A new splitter with about the same cycle time is $1600.

 

[ChoppyChoppy]

Splitter could fixed with a new engine and maybe pump if it got too hot. I vote for the upside down splitter for the skid loader for breaking the big blocks up if you get a lot of large logs. If not fix the old swisher and split on. Glad you didn't lose your whole shop.

There's an apartment over the top of the the parts side of the shop.

They happened to be up and heard what they thought was pouring rain, which was odd as it was really windy. Looked out and saw the fire and called 911 as well as went to wake up my buddy (shop, his house, his Dad's house and a rental house all on the same ~5 acres)

 

[knockbill]

That sux... glad no one was hurt... I also heard those HF Honda clones were good engines,,, never used one... yet