Splittin' tough, stringy, knotty elm.

[AIM]

Can't lie spidey I'm dyin to get my work done this week and get a vid of my system. Gonna show you a REAL SPLITTER workin REAL wood! haha
Gotta be in PA tomorrow then FL till next tuesday. After that let the splitter wars begin!!!!
So don't start no **** without me..

 

[svk]

Split some wood with that little thing then talk it up... Not kindlin.

I thought that little splitter was doing good. That's elm he's dealing with....

 

[Ironworker]

I love your Kid's hustle, that boy knows how to work. When that boy turns 18 and is unsure about his future, give me a buzz, there is a shortage of guys like that in this country, I will hook him right up.

 

[Whitespider]

I noticed your "help" was removing half of the splits whether or not they were the size you seemed to be targeting. ... My guess is that you were not all that concerned about the final split size...

Yup... pretty much. I end up with a mix of sizes that way; variety is the spice of life... ya' know??
Just wanted the stuff split; split wood lights-up faster making heat faster... perfect for this time of year.
For mid-winter use a lot of that stuff wouldn't get split at all... just toss the rounds in on the coal bed.

Gonna show you a REAL SPLITTER workin REAL wood!

Real??
Some people would say a real splitter has a hickory handle attached to it. I just saw my daughter's video as an opportunity to show y'all the auto cycle/auto throttle (shrug)... nothin' more.
I don't have any desire to enter a "splitter war", I really don't see the point... but if'n ya' wanna' post a video of yours in this thread I'll watch it. B'sides, what's the rules of this "war"?? How does a fella' win?? Let's make it on the basis of "power-to-weight-ratio" shall we?? The cool thing about video is ya' can make something look as good, or as bad as ya' want just by how you "set it up". I didn't "set it up"... the daughter just saw us working and wanted to get a video of her little brother bustin' his hump. It was never intended to be about the splitter... I just borrowed it from her. Heck, if'n I wanted to, I could'a made that thing look super-duper awesome by "setting it up" with big rounds of straight-grained Red Oak (I sure-in-hell wouldn't have chosen that particularly tough elm). I wasn't tryin' to "talk up" anything; you're the guy that said it was too low for your tastes, I only responded... like I said... different strokes...
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[lefturnfreek]

Is there a prize for ugly and rusted....

 

[svk]

How does a fella' win??
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How about a category for cost per ton of splitting force?

 

[lefturnfreek]

How about a category for cost per ton of splitting force?

In repairs, initial cost or leaked oil....?

 

[svk]

In repairs, initial cost or leaked oil....?

Initial cost I'd say...

 

[lefturnfreek]

Ha ha ha...Well I'm in for a Canuk Benjamin....

 

[haveawoody]

Whitespider,

Probably a good idea to noodle the big rounds if the small was that tough.
Had a similar brute American elm last fall and the splitter suffered through it, even splitting on the round it was nasty.
As you know American elm is all about when to split but some trees have no good time. LOL

 

[dancan]

Pretty sure ....Load, poke in a tuft of dryer lint, squirt, flick the Bic, slam the door... walk away... coffee time.
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Real nice video !!!
Great to see the kids all playin a hand in the production , good lessons there for both of them and a sense of accomplishment
Sure wish I was at that same burning stage , I'm still on my first small box of matches that I started the season out with , if you want the rest of them I'll send them to you so you can save the butane for the BBQ LOL

 

[stihly dan]

Video splitting with your young son, videoed by your older sister is priceless. **** whatever anyone else thinks, that's awesome.

 

[tla100]

Spidey, You got some more info on that throttle control/valve ???

 

[Whitespider]

Spidey, You got some more info on that throttle control/valve ???

The guys that build the splitter also build (fabricate) the valve.
It's a simple lookin' affair... a single spool, with a single o-ring on it that's easily user replaceable (takes about 10 minutes). There ain't any detents, springs, locks, or whatnot. The operating lever isn't mounted to the valve... it's connected to it by linkage that positively moves the spool either direction (or the spool moves the lever when it auto reverses).
The throttle control is a cable connected to to the lever control... again, by a simple open/close linkage affair.
When the cylinder rod reaches maximum extension something in the way they create the valve (and plumb it) causes the spool to auto-reverse (which also moves the operating lever). I've had the spool out to replace the o-ring a couple times; I can't figure-out how the auto-reverse works to save my soul... neither can anyone else I know.
Maybe you noticed me adjusting a thumb screw in the video... that's what adjusts how far the cylinder returns. It simply bumps into another simple linkage, that bumps the lever into "neutral"... which idles the engine. The return stroke is infinitely adjustable... from the full 25 inches to as little as 1 inch if'n ya' want.

The valve housing, plumbing, and mounting ears for the lever and linkage are all welded to the cylinder (those guys fabricate the cylinder also). There's a single (tiny and short) flexible pressure hose running from the pump to a connection welded on the cylinder. The front of the cylinder is mounted to a boss on the rear of the beam (two longitudinal bolts)... the rear of the cylinder hangs out in mid-air unsupported.

Here's some pics with the cover over the valve and linkage... and then two pics with the cover removed.

 

[Whitespider]

According to the web site the system operates at 8000 PSI, incorporates a (proprietary?) "oil-to-oil piston type" hydraulic booster, and the cylinder uses "special aluminum alloy all metal ram seals".
There ain't a pressure bypass either... it will just continue to build pressure until it stops the engine cold if ya' can find a chunk of wood that tough... which is possible, I've done it a couple times.
You'll also notice there ain't an oil reservoir mounted on it... the beam is the reservoir, and there ain't a vent either. The oil level is checked and filled (I've never needed to add in over 30 years, and the oil is still crystal clear) by removing the large bolt above the handle at the wedge end of the beam.

There's a story (or rumor if ya' rather) that at one time they would sell the pump/cylinder/valve/booster setup separately if'n a fella' wanted to build his own splitter. Supposedly, as I've been told, they stopped doing that because it would bend or twist I-beams and W-beams, causing the slide to track out'a line thereby ruining the metal ram seals (shrug)
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[olyman]

According to the web site the system operates at 8000 PSI, incorporates a (proprietary?) "oil-to-oil piston type" hydraulic booster, and the cylinder uses "special aluminum alloy all metal ram seals".
There ain't a pressure bypass either... it will just continue to build pressure until it stops the engine cold if ya' can find a chunk of wood that tough... which is possible, I've done it a couple times.
You'll also notice there ain't an oil reservoir mounted on it... the beam is the reservoir, and there ain't a vent either. The oil level is checked and filled (I've never needed to add in over 30 years, and the oil is still crystal clear) by removing the large bolt above the handle at the wedge end of the beam.

There's a story (or rumor if ya' rather) that at one time they would sell the pump/cylinder/valve/booster setup separately if'n a fella' wanted to build his own splitter. Supposedly, as I've been told, they stopped doing that because it would bend or twist I-beams and W-beams, causing the slide to track out'a line thereby ruining the metal ram seals (shrug)
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the que is,,,whatever happened to them??? get bought out..or quit...

 

[Whitespider]

the que is,,,whatever happened to them??? get bought out..or quit...

What gives you the idea they ain't makin' 'em anymore??

Scavenger Backwater Motors/Log Boss Manufacturing is still doin' what they've done for generations... inventing, developing and marketing unique, built-from-scratch, one-of-a-kind products. Most everything is built on an order basis... ain't no retail showroom. The old man has pretty much retired and turned the operation over to the boy... which ain't detrimental in any way, both of them are plain good ol' boys. I believe their Backwater Outboard Motor line is taking center stage now... the internet has made the sales of those global. You've likely seen those motors on television many times (if you watch TV, hunting and fishing shows), but didn't know they were built just over the hill from me here in Iowa. Heck, I watched "Swamp People" once and one of those guys was running a Scavenger Backwater Motor.

Log Boss splitters are quite common 'round here, some older than mine... but they ain't as easy to ship as the Backwater Motor. There's even one sitting up at our company warehouse that belonged to my brothers FIL. The FIL died about a year ago... but just before that he'd taken it over to Marble Rock for "look-over" and "tune-up" I guess. I believe it was just last summer dad stopped in and kicked some dirt clods around with 'em... picked up a new spare push pad for the splitter 'cause the one on it is gittin' a bit worn. The old man was still there workin' in the shop... he just ain't runnin' the operation anymore.

Log Boss is alive 'n' well... if'n ya' want one ya' need only pick up the phone... they'll custom build it for ya'.
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[Whitespider]

I just remembered that mn woodcutter found one of these splitters used last fall... and got a heck of a buy on it.
He hasn't mentioned it much since then, but at the time he was pretty impressed with the amount of power in such a small package.
Likely he ain't used it a lot over the winter... (shrug)

He called Log Boss Manufacturing and talked to the old man about it...
Here's a quote...

I talked to guy that built these splitters and he is a wealth of knowledge when it comes to anything mechanical and hydraulics. He's in his seventies and he said he just built his first prototype "levitation machine" that actually works. Very interesting guy!

I don't doubt the "levitation machine" one bit‼ It's friggin' amazing what those guys have come up with‼

Here's a link to mn woodcutter's tread from last fall...
http://www.arboristsite.com/community/threads/my-200-splitter.265443/#post-5007834

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[mn woodcutter]

I just remembered that mn woodcutter found one of these splitters used last fall... and got a heck of a buy on it.
He hasn't mentioned it much since then, but at the time he was pretty impressed with the amount of power in such a small package.
Likely he ain't used it a lot over the winter... (shrug)

He called Log Boss Manufacturing and talked to the old man about it...
Here's a quote...

I don't doubt the "levitation machine" one bit‼ It's friggin' amazing what those guys have come up with‼

Here's a link to mn woodcutter's tread from last fall...
http://www.arboristsite.com/community/threads/my-200-splitter.265443/#post-5007834

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I've used it some this winter. Mostly for on a pile of knotted up rounds that were real ugly and it split (sheared) every last one. My brother was amazed as some of the rounds were thrown aside from last year when he couldn't split them with his home built skid loader attached splitter. The only thing I don't like is bending over all the time. I'm going to build a platform that mounts to my receiver hitch so I can split right into the back of the truck.