I think 6ways are over rated most of the time. This coming from someone that added a 6way to current machine and is building a 12way for the next machine. My current splitter only has the one blade so its not like I can just swap out the 6way wedge for something else. Not to mention that 24intall wedge, which is really about 30in long total, is darn right heavy. For the right size wood, you cant beat a multiple split wedge, but not every round is the same size. I endup with a pile of pieces and splinters. I have considered reconfigureing the 6way and have even considered just cutting it off and going back to just a 4way. I split enough big wood that I hate to lose the 6way so I just leave it as is. I probably should just make another 4way wedge so I can swap them out, but I dont sell firewood and the machine gets the job done, but if I run across the right piece of metal, you never know. I do have plans to modify the current splitter once the processor is completed.
My current splitter is a combination of junk yard parts, with a few changes made over the years. I started with a 4in cyl and a 14gpm vane pump with a used, but almost new 25hp holer engine. I had a regular wood splitter valve sitting on the shelf I had bought probably 20 years ago and had never used. To make the wedge adjustable I needed another valve, I salvaged a husco multi spool valve off a old ditchwith. This valve had PB so I could plumb to that valve first for the wedge and then on to the splitter valve. With the extra spools I decided i wanted a knuckle boom to handle the large round, so I salvaged the cyl's off a old McCormick long arm mower. I mounted the knuckle boom on the tongue end of the splitter. I used a 4x4 front hub to mount the boom with. It worked pretty good for handleing firewood rounds, but of coures I got greedy and was trying to handle full size logs. Broke knuckle boom off at the hub and said to heck with it. I then had a buddy give me an old mechanic crane. It was a small one, but it had a electric winch on it so I mounted it on the machine. I had to remake part of it, but it has been working pretty good every since, and it sure beats the heck out of hand lifting some of the big stuff. I ran across a deal on a new 5in cyl so swapped it in place of the 4in one. Major slow down in cycle times. To increase speed, I splurged on a new 28gpm 2stage pump. With the added power of the 5in cyl, I decided I wanted the 6way wedge. While my splitter is plenty fast and strong enough, it is a mixture of hodgepodge parts with no real thought into the actual design.Just a bunch of addons.along the way. My hyd tank is way to small for the pump, but okay because I get to take breaks to let the oil, as well as myself, cool down. My splitter needs a complete redesign and rebuild. Nothing really bad wrong with what I have, but it needs some fine tuning to improve its life span.
My current splitter is a combination of junk yard parts, with a few changes made over the years. I started with a 4in cyl and a 14gpm vane pump with a used, but almost new 25hp holer engine. I had a regular wood splitter valve sitting on the shelf I had bought probably 20 years ago and had never used. To make the wedge adjustable I needed another valve, I salvaged a husco multi spool valve off a old ditchwith. This valve had PB so I could plumb to that valve first for the wedge and then on to the splitter valve. With the extra spools I decided i wanted a knuckle boom to handle the large round, so I salvaged the cyl's off a old McCormick long arm mower. I mounted the knuckle boom on the tongue end of the splitter. I used a 4x4 front hub to mount the boom with. It worked pretty good for handleing firewood rounds, but of coures I got greedy and was trying to handle full size logs. Broke knuckle boom off at the hub and said to heck with it. I then had a buddy give me an old mechanic crane. It was a small one, but it had a electric winch on it so I mounted it on the machine. I had to remake part of it, but it has been working pretty good every since, and it sure beats the heck out of hand lifting some of the big stuff. I ran across a deal on a new 5in cyl so swapped it in place of the 4in one. Major slow down in cycle times. To increase speed, I splurged on a new 28gpm 2stage pump. With the added power of the 5in cyl, I decided I wanted the 6way wedge. While my splitter is plenty fast and strong enough, it is a mixture of hodgepodge parts with no real thought into the actual design.Just a bunch of addons.along the way. My hyd tank is way to small for the pump, but okay because I get to take breaks to let the oil, as well as myself, cool down. My splitter needs a complete redesign and rebuild. Nothing really bad wrong with what I have, but it needs some fine tuning to improve its life span.
