Splitter/Stacker Runs On Tractor Hydraulics
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Marvin Torwalt says that when he started a wood business 20 years ago with an axe and a wedge, he soon realized there had to be a better way. “Didn’t have any trouble staying warm or staying in shape, but it sure was tough on the body after a while,” he says. He looked at commercial splitters, which didn’t do exactly what he wanted, so he built his own splitter/stacker. It’s been a workhorse ever since.
Torwalt says he wanted a splitter that would handle large chunks without having to turn the block two or three times. A business he’d worked for used a converted hydraulic press, which had a few shortcomings with the hydraulics, so he improved on that design for his own rig. Torwalt built an 8-ft. vertical frame out of 4-in. heavy wall tubing. About 30 in. up from the base, he welded a channel iron cross brace to mount a stationary cutting platform. He mounted the base of the hydraulic cylinder to the top of the frame and used a horizontal support brace 24 in. down to hold it securely in place. The ram has a head with wedges to split a block into several pieces when the cylinder is extended.
“I wanted to run my splitter with my tractor loader, so I geared the onboard hydraulic pump so the tractor could run at a fast idle,” Torwalt says. “That gave me the hydraulic pressure I needed. I could split a full cord of wood using about 5 gal. of fuel.”
Torwalt says the splitter worked great the first time he ran it, but the split pieces piled up quickly, and he had to move them away and start again. “Does that sound familiar?” he asks. “I knew there had to be a better way.” He figured that out using various parts picked from his scrap metal pile. He assembled those into a conveyor that he mounted on a two-wheeled chassis made from a harrow drawbar. The base of the conveyor sits under the splitter, and the top discharges wood into his box truck or on a large pile. Split wood moves up the conveyor on a slatted feederhouse chain from an old White/Cockshutt combine. The chain is driven by a variable-speed motor powered by his tractor hydraulics.
Torwalt says his homemade splitter/conveyor system has served him well for several years, with just a few enhancements to make it more efficient. “It sure beats an axe and a single wedge,” he says.
Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Marvin Torwalt, White Fox, Sask., Canada.
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Splitter/Stacker Runs On Tractor Hydraulics TRACTORS Hydraulics Marvin Torwalt says that when he started a wood business 20 years ago with an axe and a wedge he soon realized there had to be a better way “Didn’t have any trouble staying warm or staying in shape but it sure was tough on the body after a while ” he says He looked at commercial splitters which didn’t do exactly what he wanted so he built his own splitter/stacker It’s been a workhorse ever since Torwalt says he wanted a splitter that would handle large chunks without having to turn the block two or three times A business he’d worked for used a converted hydraulic press which had a few shortcomings with the hydraulics so he improved on that design for his own rig Torwalt built an 8-ft vertical frame out of 4-in heavy wall tubing About 30 in up from the base he welded a channel iron cross brace to mount a stationary cutting platform He mounted the base of the hydraulic cylinder to the top of the frame and used a horizontal support brace 24 in down to hold it securely in place The ram has a head with wedges to split a block into several pieces when the cylinder is extended “I wanted to run my splitter with my tractor loader so I geared the onboard hydraulic pump so the tractor could run at a fast idle ” Torwalt says “That gave me the hydraulic pressure I needed I could split a full cord of wood using about 5 gal of fuel ” Torwalt says the splitter worked great the first time he ran it but the split pieces piled up quickly and he had to move them away and start again “Does that sound familiar?” he asks “I knew there had to be a better way ” He figured that out using various parts picked from his scrap metal pile He assembled those into a conveyor that he mounted on a two-wheeled chassis made from a harrow drawbar The base of the conveyor sits under the splitter and the top discharges wood into his box truck or on a large pile Split wood moves up the conveyor on a slatted feederhouse chain from an old White/Cockshutt combine The chain is driven by a variable-speed motor powered by his tractor hydraulics Torwalt says his homemade splitter/conveyor system has served him well for several years with just a few enhancements to make it more efficient “It sure beats an axe and a single wedge ” he says Contact: FARM SHOW Followup Marvin Torwalt White Fox Sask Canada
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