Wedge toward the front or rear?

[Otahyoni]

I tried searching but couldn't find anything (Maybe wasn't using the right terms).

When building a log splitter, how do you decide which end is the 'working end'? Should the splits go toward the truck (if it was hooked up), or away from the hitch end?

Edit: I'm using a wedge on beam design. My question is, which end of the beam should I put the wedge on? The front (hitch end) or the back?

 

[Marshy]

Wedge on beam. Lots of discussion about this already, try searching "wedge on beam". Lots of trade offs with both designs. I personally like wedge on beam.

 

[cus_deluxe]

mostly personal preference. you can build the splitter to go vertical as well if you have the wedge on the cylinder, but if it will be stationary you can do it whichever way you want

 

[Marshy]

Coolest splitter I've seen had the beam over parallel to the axle but could pivot 90* so it was perpendicular to the axle. He also had some a nice lift and some attachments to bend pipe. I think it was an AS members and was yellow...

 

[Otahyoni]

Wedge on beam. Lots of discussion about this already, try searching "wedge on beam". Lots of trade offs with both designs. I personally like wedge on beam.

I should have mentioned it will be a wedge on beam design. My question is more of, which end?

mostly personal preference. you can build the splitter to go vertical as well if you have the wedge on the cylinder, but if it will be stationary you can do it whichever way you want

It will be a dedicated horizontal, wedge on beam design. I like that with the wedge on the truck side I could split right into the truck, but with the wedge toward the back I wouldn't have to the throw the splits as far so they're not in the way if its not hooked up.

Coolest splitter I've seen had the beam over parallel to the axle but could pivot 90* so it was perpendicular to the axle. He also had some a nice lift and some attachments to bend pipe. I think it was an AS members and was yellow...

That sounds really slick. I'm not going to go too crazy with this one since it will be my first log splitter. (I've also got 75 logs over 10' I need to get split...)

 

[Cheesecutter]

If you toss the splits into your truck I would put it in front. If you back up to your pile, in back, and if you are going to tow it tongue weight might determine your set up. I don't really think it matters as I have both but prefer the one to the rear.

 

[Marshy]

Cheesecutter makes a good point about if the wood is going into the back of a pickup or into a pile. Do you plan on useing an elevator in the future? If you dont need to move the wood with your truck and it will be going onto the ground then it would be best to have the wedge away from the hitch end. If your going to leave it hooked up to your truck or a tractor and let the wood pile then a drawbar and pin work well. That way the pile will push back and up and the splitter stays in one spot.

 

[Oliver1655]

Wedge towards the tongue Pros:
- Makes splitting into the towing vehicle easy
- Allows you to pull another trailer behind it if you have the axles close to the back like in my avatar.
- You can back it into places like along a fence line to set it up as a static splitter

Wedge towards the rear Pros:
- You can leave it hooked up while splitting into a pile or trailer

Mine has the wedge towards the tongue. I pull a log bucking trailer behind it to charity cuts or can pull a 12' trailer which holds a cord of wood when on my own. At home it is backed under a shade tree with the log bucking trailer along side the log lift. The split wood is placed in palletized bins so I can move them around with the tractor.

Hedgerow's has the wedge to the rear. Because he can leave his splitter hooked up, he can move from pile to pile faster than I can. Yes I can leave mine hooked up & split but it is handier to move my vehicle out of the way. (Mine has a hydraulic jack so hooking it up is fairly simple.

When we both setup around the bucking trailer at charity cuts, there is no advantage to either. However if we are having to move the splitters around much, Hedge's is handier. (At charity cuts we try to load as much of the split wood on trailers to minimize handling as possible.)

So it all depends on what your needs are.

 

[Otahyoni]

Thank you for all of the input so far.

At this time I don't need to have the splitter hooked up while splitting. I have a large pile of wood laying in my wood area. If I just bring logs home I would have the wedge to the rear so the hitch doesn't get buried.

However, once I get through these logs it would be nice to split into the truck to save handling.

Enter my dilemma...

I think I'll make the hitch and axle bolt onto the beam so if I don't like the setup I can flip the beam around. Or I could try Marshy's sideways idea.

 

[Whitespider]

I don't remember ever seeing the wedge mounted to the cylinder rod of a portable splitter before someone came up with the marketing gimmick of a convertible horizontal/vertical unit; which just increased size, weight, bulk, hose lengths, and number of parts... meaning, they ain't what I'd call portable. If one man can't load it into a pickup bed... it ain't portable. If one man can't easily position it by hand... it ain't portable.

Personally (I said personally) I can't see any reason I'd ever want the wedge on the cylinder rod. I want the work being pushed away from where I'm standing so nothing falls on my feet, flies into my body, and I'm not trippin' over stuff. If a round gets stuck on the wedge I don't want it being pulled back... I just wanna' slap the next one on it and let it push the previous on through (and I don't want the extra weight, bulk and whatnot of log strippers). With the wedge mounted to end of the beam the slide and push plate can be much smaller, lighter and simpler. I want a "portable" splitter to be as small, light and simple as possible. I split everything at the cuttin' site before loading; "portable" needs to be exactly that... I need to be able to roll it around and position it on all sorts of ground by hand... preferably one hand.
*

 

[Marshy]

Put a hitch receiver at far end of the wedge but maybe fab a removable receiver at the wedge end. Best of both worlds then. The sky is the limit when your operating the torch.

The commercial splitter I use to run had a short tong at the wedge end for a draw bar and could be moved with a skid steer or backhoe bucket by dropping a pin into it. It had a hitch at the two end.

 

[Marshy]

I don't remember ever seeing the wedge mounted to the cylinder rod of a portable splitter before someone came up with the marketing gimmick of a convertible horizontal/vertical unit; which just increased size, weight, bulk, hose lengths, and number of parts... meaning, they ain't what I'd call portable. If one man can't load it into a pickup bed... it ain't portable. If one man can't easily position it by hand... it ain't portable.

Personally (I said personally) I can't see any reason I'd ever want the wedge on the cylinder rod. I want the work being pushed away from where I'm standing so nothing falls on my feet, flies into my body, and I'm not trippin' over stuff. If a round gets stuck on the wedge I don't want it being pulled back... I just wanna' slap the next one on it and let it push the previous on through (and I don't want the extra weight, bulk and whatnot of log strippers). With the wedge mounted to end of the beam the slide and push plate can be much smaller, lighter and simpler. I want a "portable" splitter to be as small, light and simple as possible. I split everything at the cuttin' site before loading; "portable" needs to be exactly that... I need to be able to roll it around and position it on all sorts of ground by hand... preferably one hand.
*

Might want to read a little more. He said wedge will be on beam just trying to figure out which en to put it relative to the hitch.