23 replies to this topic

[Reverend Blair]

I've been searching on-line for a video of the cutter/splitter a guy I used to haul wood for designed.  I haven't been able to find it...it cut and split at the same time using hydraulics, no saws...but I've come across a lot of cool equipment. I know how you guys love videos, so I thought I'd post some.

[Reverend Blair]

I've always loved these. I've seen two in person, one at a farm museum that won't run it because it's too dangerous, and one in action at a place my grandfather used to breed cattle.  You just get a heavy steel wheel (mass is important) and weld a splitting maul to it.  

[Reverend Blair]

And if you've got an old square baler kicking around, this looks like a pretty good idea:

[Meangreen]

[quote name='Reverend Blair']And if you've got an old square baler kicking around, this looks like a pretty good idea

WOW! Now that's scary...  :(

[Ryan313]

The guy with the flannel in the 2nd video was not being safe, AT ALL! The first one seems very efficient and I be you could split a few cords in no time. The last one is just crazy!!

[Reverend Blair]

I kind of grew up with this kind of poorly thought out and dangerous stuff.  Some relatives of mine once built a picket-peeler that was really just chains welded to an old combine drum, powered by an old Chevy small block. Most dangerous machine I've ever seen.

You kind of learn to watch your fingers and toes after a while.

[Reverend Blair]

Nice machine, dangerous operator.  

[Ryan313]

I saw a slpitter at a show once, it was hooked up to a hit and miss engine with one of those big cloth belts. (I dont know what they are really made from.) it was a big tall tower like thing about 1-12 feet high and it had a wheel at the top with an arm attached moving the splitter head. The easiest way to explain it is that it worked the same way that a piston works with a crankshaft and connecting rod. The head moved about 6 inches and it went down about once every second. And the guy using it was talking to the people who were watching him... I will look to see if I can find a similar splitter.

[Ryan313]

It was a lot like this one but, this has two splitter heads for two people to work at once.


Here is one being used.


I dont know how to make the video appear in the post, sorry.

[Reverend Blair]

This guy is trying to make a safe wheel of death.  He needs a heavier wheel and less RPM. I also think if he could get the logs in there the other way it would work better.

[Reverend Blair]

Those old belts are made out of canvas, Ryan. They aren't bad on old hit and miss engines, but hook one up to the PTO wheel of an old tractor and run it at higher RPM and they can be pretty dangerous because they tend to come off if not set up just exactly right.

Cool videos. I love that two-headed machine.

[Ryan313]

Reverend Blair said:

safe wheel of death.

how ironic is that? That looks like its smashing the logs more then splitting them.

Reverend, I knew somebody would know what they were. when i was looking for videos just now I saw a belt come off a John Deere. I would post it but, i have no idea how I got to it, somehow I ended up watching guy fell old growth redwood

[Reverend Blair]

Yeah, U Tube is like that.  Not a bad thing though...it's how I discovered the band Nine Pound Hammer. Now I have new music to annoy my wife with.

The reason the wheel of death is smashing more than splitting is because the logs are moving when the maul hits them. If they were standing on end, they'd twist less.

[MH81]

That two headed thing is cool, but it's not as impressive when you realize that's sassafras.  That stuff darn near splits with a pocketknife.

Video is really neat, thanks for posting.

[Reverend Blair]

Sassafras is a tree? I thought it was something Yosemite Sam said.  I'm guessing we don't them around here, or call them something else.  See, now I've learned something. That's why I like coming here.