log splitter ram size?

[mikecotterill]

looking at building a log splitter, what sort of stroke ram are people using, im thinking of one about 13.5" but wondering if it'd be a bit small? what do people think? cheers mike

[Justme]

You need enough to split the size of logs you sell plus a little bit. Even though on most logs you dont need the full travel you will on some & it then becomes a pain to work the splitting head through the log by adding planks under the log if the ram cant do it. I think mine does about 18".

[Chris Gagen]

would be better for you to build with a longer stroke, my splitter has a 24" stroke, but most of the the time it's set at about 11" to do 9" logs. it's foot pedal operated (owner operator all you HSE bods) and i've set up a linkage to allow for indefinite adjustment.

[mikecotterill]

ok cheers think ill find a bigger one. i dont sell them its just for my own use, i burn a lot of wood. a quick measure of my unsplit logs show there around 12" and the fire will only take that but think i wold be better off with a bigger one, can gurantee at some point ill wish i had if i dont!!

[armchairarborist]

nearly 3ft baby yeah:thumbup: even though we mostly only use the bottom 1ft:blushing: had a go at splitting longer stuff because it stacks better:001_smile:

[AngusMF250]

60cm (2ft), there are a lot of stoves that take 50-55cm logs, you may get a request for that?!?

[C.J]

13.5" stroke should be perfectly adequate as long as the bore is greater than 3":thumbup1:

[mikecotterill]

I missed out on that ram anyway. When you say a bore of 3" do you mean the piston diameter or the overall diameter? I was looking at ones with a50mm piston and overall 100mm?

[antipesto]

I am currently (well have been very slowly for the last 6 months:blushing:) building a new log splitter. I am using a ram off a silage shear grab which has approx 14" of travel and a good size piston which is about 70mm diameter. My old splitter, which was rescued from a farm scrap pile, has about two foot of ram travel but as I only split my own logs I have never needed to use the full ammount. Here is a pic of the old splitter part way through restoration, it needed a new valve a bit of hydraulic hose fixing and a coat of bright yellow paint

Since this picture I have made the block that pushes the logs taller and wider to split awkward shaped logs a little easier.

[antipesto]

Sorry, meant to say 50mm diameter piston not 70mm. I have measured my old yellow splitter ram also and this is only a 38mm piston but there hasn't been much that it wouldn't split. Anyway here are few pictures of work so far. Just needs a valve and hydraulic hoses and I may add a bolt on log table and some bolt on legs so it will stand about waist height