Big Tree Trunk Splitter

[Billhook]

A problem has been building up for some time in the yard.  Namely a whole lot of tree trunks that are far too big for the Palax processor which really only has a capacity of 10 inch diameter logs.   I hate the work involved with chainsawing into lumps then hiring a big hydraulic splitter and picking up the resulting pieces either to be re split or thrown into a box.

Being old and lazy I felt that there has to be an easier way

I had some wear plates removed from the dozer blade when I fitted some new ones, so I welded two together and welded them vertically onto a length of H section girder.

I dug a large hole with the excavator and put the girder and blade inside, then mixed well over a ton of concrete to leave just the blade sticking out about two feet.

Sharpened the blade with a grinder and tried to push a two foot diameter log, with many large branch knots through it with the Matbro telehandler.  The Matbro weighs about six tons and has a 100 hp four litre engine with a powerful ram on the boom.  Very disappointing result even when I charged at the log, it would not look at it.

So out comes Daisy Etta, about twenty tons of Caterpillar D7 with a 14 litre engine at 128hp not much more than the Matbro but a huge long stroke means a shed load of torque at low revs.

I think maximum revs is around 750 rpm but a lot of torque at even 500rpm and of course the steel tracks to put the power onto the ground

Well the old girl hardly even growled so next job is to fit a horizontal blade to split the trunks into four.

This I think will work well for occasional use.  I can then pick up the four lengths with the Matbro and take them to the log table to go onto the Palax.

 

The main advantage is that there is no length limit to the log and I could have the Matbro standing with the grab on the far side of the  blade and just cut with the chainsaw when there is a long enough length

 

Oh yes, I have three old car tyres to go over the blade when not in use.  We do not want any reversing accidents do we!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited November 27, 2019 by Billhook
spelling

[Billhook]

Better photo of the blade

[Dan Maynard]

Brilliant.

You have to remember to stop before the log is through, otherwise you will be finding out what happens when the un-stoppable meets the un-movable!

[SbTVF]

That's the way to do it! Brilliant idea!
Need me a d7.

[woody paul]

Great idea but not very transportable. 

Lovely bit of wood you have split. 

[Billhook]

4 hours ago, woody paul said:

Great idea but not very transportable. 

Lovely bit of wood you have split. 

Yes I feel a bit bad about that,  I could still slab it or plank it but I just needed a really difficult piece with a few big knots to test out the system

 

Now building the removable horizontal blade to quarter logs which has the advantage of raising or lowering using the bolt holes to suit the log

I will weld four side plates, one on each side of the horizontal blade and there will be a countersunk bolt on one side going through to a thread tapped in the other side so there are no restrictions 

finally I will put a gusset on either side for belt and braces

 

Ideally also it needs a pair of rails parallel to the knife firstly for the log to sit in and secondly for the dozer blade to run on

Obviously there needs also to be a block to stop the track and prevent contact with the blade as I cannot see much from the driver’s seat.

Does not need to be transported as all logs are brought back to the yard and it needs to be next to the Palax

[woody paul]

This is is the 4 way knife on my Riko 25T splitter just drops over knife. 

Also you could mount a mirror to see how things are going like the ones used on blind entrance. 

[Billhook]

37 minutes ago, woody paul said:

This is is the 4 way knife on my Riko 25T splitter just drops over knife. 

Also you could mount a mirror to see how things are going like the ones used on blind entrance. 

Now those are both good ideas but can you adjust the height of the yellow blade and does the rather wide V take more effort to split?

Don't think I will need a mirror once I have some rails and a stop block

[Baldbloke]

I remember dropping a large oak that got some shakes in the main trunk. A bit of black powder and a fuse and bingo. Absolutely effortless [emoji3]

[Billhook]

1 minute ago, Baldbloke said:

I remember dropping a large oak that got some shakes in the main trunk. A bit of black powder and a fuse and bingo. Absolutely effortless

I think that you might be arrested nowadays!