Spliter With "Window" Mounts On Skid Steer
Matt Trelstad likes to see what he's doing, so when he built a log splitter for his skid steer, he built it with a "window". The design not only lets him see what he's doing, it is stronger and more rugged than an I-beam. The design worked so well that he began making and selling them.
"I heat my house with wood and used a stationary splitter for years. But after two hernias, I knew there had to be a better way," he recalls. "I had a skid steer, so I built a splitter using two pieces of channel iron mounted back to back with an 8-in. by 24-in. window in between."
The reinforced channel iron also allows wear pad guides in the middle to support the push plate. In addition, it eliminates the twist and flex common to I-beams.
Trelstad says the design lets him split wood faster than other designs. Mounted on the front of his skid steer, the splitter serves double duty. With fingertip control, he can grab a log or branch and carry it to a pile and drop it. He can even use it to hold the log off the ground while cutting to avoid an accidental dip in the dirt with the chainsaw.
Trelstad makes three large splitters with windows, his Pro Series. He also makes a fourth and smaller splitter with a more traditional I-beam design. The large ones have main beams that range from 80 in. to 9 1/2 ft. in length. The three models have 24, 30 and 36-in. strokes. The 24-in. stroke has a 4-in. cylinder and weight 800 lbs. It sells for $2,695. The 30-in. stroke has a 5-in. cylinder and weight 900 lbs. It sells for $3,195. The 36-in. stroke also has a 5-in. cylinder, but weighs 1,000 lbs. and sells for $3,795.
"All three are extremely heavy duty, even to the extra gussets with 3/8-in. steel plate ahead of the quick attach plate," says Trelstad. "They need to be strong there as that's where all the leverage is."
The working end is a two-stage design with a 12-in. splitter face. The narrower first stage sinks 6 in. into the wood before the wings hit. They spread the log a full 8 in.
"The 12-in. face makes the wedge more aggressive to begin with," says Trelstad. "Pushing the log onto the wedge makes the splitting action even faster."
While the Pro Series is designed for heavy use and fast splitting, Trelstad also offers a smaller and less aggressive splitter. The Warrior follows the more traditional I-beam design. The 80-in. long splitter has a 24-in. stroke with a 4 1/2-in. cylinder. It's priced at $1,695.
"The Warrior can handle large pieces, but it was designed to be really fast at making smaller pieces," says Trelstad. "You have the option of using four-way splitting wings with small logs. If you take the wings off, you can use it on large pieces as well. It just isn't as aggressive as our Pro Series."
Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, T.M. Manufacturing, 1087 County Road 4 SW, Cokato, Minn. 55321 (ph 320 286-3077; matttrelstad@yahoo.com; www.skidsplitter.com).
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Spliter With "Window" Mounts On Skid Steer TRACTORS Skid Steer Loaders 34-1-25 Matt Trelstad likes to see what he's doing, so when he built a log splitter for his skid steer, he built it with a "window". The design not only lets him see what he's doing, it is stronger and more rugged than an I-beam. The design worked so well that he began making and selling them.
"I heat my house with wood and used a stationary splitter for years. But after two hernias, I knew there had to be a better way," he recalls. "I had a skid steer, so I built a splitter using two pieces of channel iron mounted back to back with an 8-in. by 24-in. window in between."
The reinforced channel iron also allows wear pad guides in the middle to support the push plate. In addition, it eliminates the twist and flex common to I-beams.
Trelstad says the design lets him split wood faster than other designs. Mounted on the front of his skid steer, the splitter serves double duty. With fingertip control, he can grab a log or branch and carry it to a pile and drop it. He can even use it to hold the log off the ground while cutting to avoid an accidental dip in the dirt with the chainsaw.
Trelstad makes three large splitters with windows, his Pro Series. He also makes a fourth and smaller splitter with a more traditional I-beam design. The large ones have main beams that range from 80 in. to 9 1/2 ft. in length. The three models have 24, 30 and 36-in. strokes. The 24-in. stroke has a 4-in. cylinder and weight 800 lbs. It sells for $2,695. The 30-in. stroke has a 5-in. cylinder and weight 900 lbs. It sells for $3,195. The 36-in. stroke also has a 5-in. cylinder, but weighs 1,000 lbs. and sells for $3,795.
"All three are extremely heavy duty, even to the extra gussets with 3/8-in. steel plate ahead of the quick attach plate," says Trelstad. "They need to be strong there as that's where all the leverage is."
The working end is a two-stage design with a 12-in. splitter face. The narrower first stage sinks 6 in. into the wood before the wings hit. They spread the log a full 8 in.
"The 12-in. face makes the wedge more aggressive to begin with," says Trelstad. "Pushing the log onto the wedge makes the splitting action even faster."
While the Pro Series is designed for heavy use and fast splitting, Trelstad also offers a smaller and less aggressive splitter. The Warrior follows the more traditional I-beam design. The 80-in. long splitter has a 24-in. stroke with a 4 1/2-in. cylinder. It's priced at $1,695.
"The Warrior can handle large pieces, but it was designed to be really fast at making smaller pieces," says Trelstad. "You have the option of using four-way splitting wings with small logs. If you take the wings off, you can use it on large pieces as well. It just isn't as aggressive as our Pro Series."
Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, T.M. Manufacturing, 1087 County Road 4 SW, Cokato, Minn. 55321 (ph 320 286-3077; matttrelstad@yahoo.com; www.skidsplitter.com).
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