"Back-Saving" Lift Arm Log Splitter

"Back-Saving" Lift Arm Log Splitter WOODLOT EQUIPMENT Wood Splitters 25-5-13 "No matter how you do it, cutting wood is a lot of work. My home-built wood splitter just makes the job easier," says Dale Halsey, Ligonier, Indiana. The two-wheeled machine is equipped with a self-loading lift arm on one side that lowers all the way to the ground and lifts the wood up onto the splitting table. Halsey rolls large chunks of wood onto the arm, then operates a valve to raise the lift arm level with the table. The 12-in. high splitting wedge is powered by a 5-in. dia., 24-in. long hydraulic cylinder that runs off a 2-stage hydraulic pump. The pump is powered by a 10 hp Kohler electric start gas engine salvaged from an old lawn mower. A smaller 3-in. dia., 8-in. long cylinder is used to raise or lower the lift arm. The cylinders are operated by separate valves. "The lift arm has really saved my back. I've never found a chunk of wood that it couldn't lift," says Halsey. "I run the engine at half throttle when splitting. It'll split a cord of wood on only 1 1/2 to 2 quarts of fuel, which is a lot less than commercial tractor-powered log splitters use. The splitting wedge produces about 35 tons of force so it can split almost any size chunk of wood. "I used rectangular steel tubing and steel pipe to make the rig's axle. The main beam that the 12-in. splitting wedge sits on is 6 in. square, which is stronger than a steel I-beam. The metal racks are built from 2-in. sq. tubing and are built large enough to keep the split pieces of wood from falling onto the ground.I also made a four-way wedge that slips over the single wedge." Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Dale R. Halsey, 9137 N. 275W, Ligonier, Ind. 46767 (ph 219 761-2803).

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