Wood spliter

oregonfarmer · Feb 25, 2014

I would like to build a spliter and wondering if the hydraulic pump on my MF 150D would have enough pressure? Also, the size of cylinder that would be best.
I am going to use it on green oak.

ericlb · Feb 25, 2014

it should do it, but with a hydraulic pump putting out 4.8 gpm, it will be a little slow on the cycle times , if your not going to do a whole lot of wood you can do it, but if you heat with wood primarily, id either build a self powered splitter with a better pump, or get a pto powered pump that puts out more gpm for the massey

rick1 · Feb 25, 2014

i have a 165 diesel " with a freeman loader that runs off a front pump thats connected to the crankshat its a 18 gpm pump .the splitter runs about the same speed as the 12 hp engine i used to have on it.i tried the hydraulics at the back of the tractor but i didnt like it way to slooooow
almost half the speed as the front pump.you can always try it.if you dont like it you can always put a pto pump on it/front pump or what ever works the best for you.
RICK

PJH · Feb 25, 2014

Size your cylinder to match your pump volume. Using the 4.8 GPM that Eric indicated, if your cylinder had a volume of 4.8 gallons (for easy math), it would take 1 minute for a push stroke. It'll return faster due to the volume displaced by the shaft. Knowing your pump volume and calculating the various cylinder volumes will help you end up with a machine that you'll enjoy using. I use a 4" X 24" cylinder on an old John Deere, but the same splitter on a friend's 8XX Ford is irritatingly slow. We did some calculating, and by reducing the diameter to 3", the splitter that we built for him runs about the same speed as mine does on my Deere.

JF in MI · Feb 25, 2014

I have one I made for the main pump on my Ford 4500. I think the pump flow is in the high 20s IIRC. I used a 4" x 24" stroke piston mounted on a 6" I beam as a frame. Works pretty good and fast enough at about 1000 RPM idle. Split everything I've put through it. Have even cut logs sideways that were too long when I was too lazy to fire up the saw.

Part Time Pete · Feb 25, 2014

Keep in mind that as you reduce the diameter of your cylinder you increase stroke speed, but you also reduce the amount of force you can generate.
I built mine with a 16gpm pump and a 5"x30 " cylinder, with the relief valve set at 2500 psi.
It doesn't set the world on fire, but it does a decent job.
Pete

El Toro · Feb 25, 2014

I built this splitter in 1981. I copied it from a Didier splitter I rented. I bought the two stage pump and control valve from Northern Hydraulics. I used 4-inch I-beam from a metal scrap yard. I had the hydraulic tank made at a local metal shop. The tires and rims came from a local boat yard. The hydraulic cylinder was sold at a government auction. It was the steering cylinder off the 8 ton Goer used by the Army. For splitting knots you need a two stage pump. The engine was a 10hp Tecumseh off a Sears garden tractor. Never had to run the engine over 1/2 throttle. Hal
PS: That's a Mercury Bobcat in the picture with the V6 engine. My wife complained about it squealing the tires. I told her not to give it so much throttle. Hal

DoubleR · Feb 25, 2014

I run one off a 231 Massey. I would think yours would have at least, if not more of a pump on it. Its not overly fast and I do run into things now and again that it won't split. But it works fine for me. Its one less motor I have to deal with is the way I looked at it.

dpendzic · Feb 25, 2014

find out your gpm and pressure from the pump. Then size your cylinder to get at least 20 tons of force.
From there you can determine the cycle time and if it meets or exceeds your patience factor go for it!!!

VicS · Feb 25, 2014

Probably need a 4X24 cylinder. Even then on a 1500 psi hyd system will be kinda weak. Better on a 2200 psi. Good on a new 3000 psi system.

JBDyer · Feb 25, 2014

I run a 3" x 24" cylinder off my aux. hydraulics from my 180 Massey, I run at a fast idle. It is a little slow, but sure beats a maul. I split 3 cord this season, all 16" Red Oak. I got maybe $300 dollars in the splitter, Has never got stuck or failed to split the Oak. I did have a chunk of Pecan once that it would not split, am real pleased with it and it works at about the pace I go anyway. JB

Wood spliter

oregonfarmer

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ericlb

Well-known Member

rick1

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PJH

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JF in MI

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Part Time Pete

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El Toro

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DoubleR

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dpendzic

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VicS

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JBDyer

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