Wood splitting advice - DIY solution?

[stole]

Hi.

Looking for advice on a wood splitter or other solutions to increase efficiency without breaking the bank.

Short intro, we have underfloor heating by wood stove. Honestly not a 100% sure how much wood we use in a year, but somewhere between 2-3 cords I'm guessing.
Firewood access : At a family members place we just took down a 42m (137 foot) hemlock. The diameter at base is about 130cm (51 inches), and 10 meters up it was still around 90 cm (35 inches). Further up splits into 3 sections.
Work method: I've been using 37cc 14" chainsaw cutting sections that I'm able to load onto a trailer, then bringing it home to split with a splitting axe. There is a small chance that we will move in some years (hopefully not), so I don't want to invest a fortune into equipment. That said, although I love physical work I definitely need to reduce the work load in the long haul.
Steps to increase efficiency : I have a 62cc 20" chainsaw coming my way for a good price. I need an efficient wood splitter. I'm not a mechanic, but fairly handy and have been working as a commercial diver for 15+ years. At work I have access to welding/machining equipment. We have a hydraulic power pack that is sporadically used , that I could probably borrow on the regular, so I'm considering doing a DIY standing wood splitter along the lines of this splitter. The power pack is rated 38lpm (10 gpm) at 140 bar. Does anyone have any comparable practical experience if this would be sufficient? Any tips on hydraulic cylinder? If there is some other solutions I should look into, any tips is valued.

 

[promechanic]

Realistically, you should be able to buy a good used splitter, possibly even a new one for less than you would have into building something functional like you describe. Unless you have most of what you need on hand already, you won't save money building a basic splitter.

 

[Kevin in Ohio]

I have to agree with Promechanic. Buying a premade splitter would normally mean a better resale value if you evr get put of it or upgrade. One thing I would suggest is to run several different types of splitters before commiting to a certain design. I did build my own after running others. You can get experience by offering to help someone when they are having a split day. I learned quickly that uprights weren't for me as the constant leaning over would get to me, Same with 3 points on the ground. No one can tell you what best suits you, so you need to narrow it down before investing time and money. This is even true if you do decide to build.

 

[stole]

Thank you for the answers. You are probably right about the cost. After looking at different splitters I think the main advantage in building would be to get it custom fitted to my needs. I might just rent a couple different ones for a couple of days to see what I like and dislike with each.


As mentioned I might have free access to a HPU : https://www.kw-hydraulik.de/en/dyna...ower-unit-with-petrol-engine-18-hp/hpu18ps-38

It's 18 HP, but 10 gpm at 140 bar from what I can tell. Would this be sufficient for a 3" or 4" ram? If so it could save me the cost off enigne, pump, valve central?

 

[sean donato]

It would work, but it would be slow with a 4 or 5" cylinder. 140 bar is ~2k psi which is a low pressure rating for a splitter or any other modern hydraulic system.
I've built my own splitter, and plan on building another, we'll it will be more of a mini processor when it's done but I digress. Cost wise it's cheaper to buy a pre-made splitter in most cases. I happened to be given a lot of the steel for my first splitter. Basically just bought the cylinder, valves and pump. The lines were "free". I had about $1600.00 into it.
With prices jumping up it will be substantially more in material costs alone.

 

[stole]

Thanks. There's a used MTD LS 550 for sale for $1600, so that might be a better option.

 

[Franny K]

Thank you for the answers. You are probably right about the cost. After looking at different splitters I think the main advantage in building would be to get it custom fitted to my needs. I might just rent a couple different ones for a couple of days to see what I like and dislike with each.


As mentioned I might have free access to a HPU : https://www.kw-hydraulik.de/en/dyna...ower-unit-with-petrol-engine-18-hp/hpu18ps-38

It's 18 HP, but 10 gpm at 140 bar from what I can tell. Would this be sufficient for a 3" or 4" ram? If so it could save me the cost off enigne, pump, valve central?

• Delivery rate: 38 L / min. at 140 bar, 25 L / min. at max. 250 bar

250 bar is about 3500 psi. That would be quite adequate just not two stage that goes fast until more pressure is needed. I have been operation a 4" cylinder off tractor hydraulics for multiple years using less than that. In the scheme of things half the hp and dual stage or whatever it is called that is like downshifting in a standard transmission vehicle was probably as fast.

I kind of like the anvil on the piston/cylinder and the wedge or 4 way or even 6 way on the end.

I am guessing the flat face (p+T) are skid steer sized ones? The flat face stuff I have (and it got converted to ag type) were 2000psi max which I think is kind of standard.

Hemlock splits easy. At least the stuff here in Ct, USA.

 

[buzz sawyer]

Hemlock is an excellent exterior wood - have you considered having it sawn into lumber? Or is it too late?

 

[jblnut]

I helped a brother in law split roughly two cord of red oak with a rented splitter a few weekends ago. It set him back a grand total of $42 plus fuel. If you don’t have a ton to do every year maybe gathering it, bucking and doing it all in a day or two and renting a splitter would be a decent option ? No maintenance, purchase or storage hassle with a rented unit if you have something available close by.