Transforming a Junk Log Splitter into an Excavator Powerhouse.
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- Опубликовано: 2 ноя 2023
- My old Harbor Freight splitter was never very good, but now it has a blown cylinder, a bent beam, and the engine doesn't run right. Should I scrap it? Instead I modify it to work on my excavator, and the results are MUCH BETTER than I could have hoped for.
This is not a new idea. There are many companies that sell log splitters for excavators, and many of them have features that are nicer than mine. Some split both directions, they are more compact sideways, better protection for the cylinder and hoses, etc. I wish I could claim the idea and patent it, but I'm waaay too late for that!
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#logsplitter #firewood #excavator #farmlife #farmcraft101 #farming #farmer 
Хобби
So this old splitter turned out much better than I was even hoping, I must say. It's stronger, faster, and 100% easy to split wood now. And no fooling around with an old gas engine or carburetor. Don't forget to hit that like button, and have an awesome weekend everybody!
Great job with the welding.
One recommendation, when you're welding around a corner, make sure you always carry the weld in one pass as you wrap it around the corner. If you're going to run out of rod when you get to the corner it's better to stop an inch or two early so you can make one continuous weld around the corner. This will help prevent cracks forming in the corners down the line. Cracks LOVE corners.
Also, pick up some 6010 but I don't think your Vevor stick welder can't sustain high enough voltage for the 6010 so I would get some 6013 to do your root passes. Do 2 root passes with 6010/6013 then cap it with 7018.
P.S. I play all your videos at 2x playback speed! 🤣
I feel like if you put bigger hoses on that piston you could split even faster
1:09:48 This has to be one of your best post thus far. ******** 8 stars.
Your best build with the least amount of whoopsies yet. Makes me want to get and learn stick welding.
i am not a welder. something that i just recently started doing is cleaning the tip of the rod off by banging it on the concrete before i strike an arc, and it seems to have worked.
I never thought I would need an excavator to split my fire wood. Man you nailed this one.
Next is a excavator wielding a chainsaw to buck the logs down
they have those already, this though, havent seen this version yet although some skid steer people have something similar to this but its quirky and weird, this is simple and straight forward@@AtaQuitMalik
@@brucehurlburt7740those processor attachments are sweet but cost a fortune! I’ve had discussions w my excavator buddy about a simpler solution like this for his smaller machine, it’s great to see this
@@AtaQuitMalik Halverson makes machine like that. watch?v=1B_uVDsEwM0
I’m 67 yr old retired welder/fabricator. We used 7018 on just about every project In pressurized vessels. We took our rods out of a hot box. Sometimes we would stick the rod on purpose and count to 5 to warm the rod. We also had a small piece of metal we would tap the rod on it to break off the flux coating on the tip of the rod. Then stick it on the weld area as if it were a match stick. Great projects you have !
Love the channel John! When using a hole saw in the mill, don't use the pilot drill. The mill is rigid enough to not need it. Then you end up with a nice round blank to use elsewhere on another unforeseen projects later. I have box fulls of these of various sizes and they always come in handy.
👌
Out of all the log splitting channels I've watched, this is the most ingenious thing I've ever seen
Really?
How many tractor mounted log splitters have you seen?
I know there are many videos of identical splitters on RUclips.
Look up a cone splitter for excavator they are the tool to have
Tip for striking an arc: strike it like you would a long match, you don't have to start where you want your weld to start. Strike it so you produce some friction and carefully drag the arc to where you need it.
Log splitter looks great. You need a cage around the cylinder etc as you are using the tool to manipulate the log stack. I would also strengthen the attachment point as you are swinging the thing around. Otherwise what a great tool. If I had an excavator I would want one !!
@@nigeltisdalei think you mistakenly posted this as a reply?
I would add that many welding machines have hot start function, when initial current is like 20% higher for like 0.5s (time and percentage may or may not be tunable) which helps with igniting the arc a lot.
Yes, and when you're reigniting, swing the rod like the head of a hammer just hard enoug so that the tip bounces of the workpiece enough to not stick, and not so hard that you chip off a large section of the flux. This obviously takes some practice.
Hi, 7018 rods form a glass like cap over the end of the rod if you stop. Scratching this off of the rod (on the concrete floor) really helps when restarting an arc.
Two thoughts. One, weld the cutoff splitting wedge to the end of the other in a tee shape. Maybe it would split two ways then or maybe the logs wouldn’t divide in half as well. Not sure if this would be better or not.
Second idea. If you build protection around the hydraulic cylinder, incorporate a stand into the design so when you disconnect, it remains in a position that is easy to store and reconnect to the excavator. Nice little project that I’m sure you followers will enjoy. Let’s get together sometime soon. I would love to bounce some ideas off you. 😊
Good Ideas - Both
I too was concerned about protecting that Cylinder.
I was thinking a storage stand would be a good idea, too.
Drag your stick to start😠😠😠🫤🫤
@@Wyomingchippewa Ready ! Bring it over.
4 or 6 way splitter
Genius idea!!! 💡 😎 Now you can split the big logs and drink coffee at the same time. You should patent it .
To help with starting the arc: strike it against the material like a match, then pull away and settle into where you want the weld to start. It takes practice but you'll never go back once you figure out how to do it. You can pull back a surprising distance while you reposition without losing the arc. Also, when using a new rod it helps to use one hand holding directly onto the rod (😂) near the weld to stabilize it. (I tried to get that without my mind going into the gutter and I failed miserably)
Yea I was going to tell him the same thing that the way I do it
Can you turn the welder up a little. Take sum old scrap metal and practice starting with different settings on ur welder
Exactly what I was going to say!
i gave up trying to stick weld, i wish i could do it though
And he’s gotta turn them amps up. That’s some thick stuff I’d have it set to 150 at least if not 180 to make sure it’s melted in there, make starting easier, and make the whole thing faster. Although 180’s probably too high I generally don’t stick stuff that thick and it’s been a long time
I love how safe this logsplitter is. RUclips has a history of intentionally deadly logsplitters. Excellent video!
That brings to mind the old saying, "Work smarter, not harder!" Well done, Jon. Love this channel,
Great project Jon. I think you just boosted sales of mini excavators around the planet. 😊
With the power that seems to have you could probably bolt a 4way splitter onto it and save even more time. I always liked when the wedge was part that moved and the flat stop was stationary so the log didn't move around as much (like you were saying with the way the logs fell off the old splitter). Great job as always!
I don’t know which I like more, the fixing things series, or the random one craft videos. Great work.
Great video! I think your next step might be to weld a hitch receiver to your excavator blade then build a small dump trailer to haul the wood in. The engine, pump, wheels and maybe even axle and cylinder from the old splitter might even be reused to build the dump trailer.
Cotton top did a very good video on installing a hitch receiver.
That is actually a badass splitter ,,, never mind the savings on the spine,,, love it well done
You can use the carcass of the old splitter to build yourself a conveyor (or hopper) system to load wood into the furnace. You made the splitting easy, now make the burning easy.
was thinking the same thing Less work on the back and faster
Something similar to what
Donn DIY made
He can use yanmar to do that, but why split it in 1st place then :D
@@tomaskovacik its better to split it if it's that size of trees
Can you create a tire changer out of the carcass?
Rotate the Beam 45 Degrees so when you are welding, you can weld in the flat position instead of the horizontal position.always try to move the piece you are welding to the easiest welding position if all possible. I run 1/8" 7018 rods at 90 to 120 amps, normally about 110 amps. pulling the rod makes the puddle bigger, but can splatter more, pushing the rod makes the weld bead smaller, but lays down smoother.
More amps also means easier to start/maintain the arc.
Also if you’re sticking the rod real bad check your ground.
Edit: I really struggle with 7018 making a glass bead on the end on restarts I’ll generally beat it against something that is not grounded to knock that glass head off. Generally I’m running 6010/12/13 for work like this.
Good move on the New Grinder. Starting with a fresh rod is the earliest way to start a Weld bead.
need to get it picked up for the last split, then split and drop into a trailer! cool implement!
Works excellent!! One thing you might want to add on in the future is a guard that slides with the bed plate on the end of the cylinder that covers the rod. When the cylinder is fully retracted the guard would not really do much and it would just slide across the body of the cylinder, but when the cylinder was at full extension it would protect the chrome on the rod from accidentally being banged down on a log or a rock.
Once again, excellent video!
Also, to save from having to handle the wood twice maybe you could grab it with the excavator and split it right into a dump trailer!
Jon;
We've been watching your RUclips channel, off and on, for about a year. Your innovative way of fixing or building what you need, and how you explain it, is very interesting to watch, even for me, who knows next to nothing about machinery. It's fun to learn new stuff, whether you'll ever do it yourself or not.
Today, we watched how you created a new log splitter that you can use with your excavator. We were amazed! I missed the first part where you may have explained what you were going to do, so it was a great surprise to see that you designed it to split UPSIDE DOWN, so you grab and split the log w/o having to PICK it up!!
We always have a LOT of logs to split since we have a lot of oak wilt. Your innovation would make our 2.5-3.5ft wide logs a snap.
Holly
Minnesota
That splitter split logs like it's nobody's business! And it also looks plain fun!
Admittedly it's not the first time I've seen this type of excavator attachment, but I really like how you were able to repurpose an existing log splitter. This is still a really smart idea- You can split the logs and also use the splitter as a sort of claw to pick them up. If you had a trailer hitch on your excavator, you could also bring a trailer along with you to the split site, and then load up the split wood.
Since you are splitting such huge diameters, I would re-attach the blade extension. Also add some “flaring wings” on the back of the splitting wedge. It will help pry apart the stringy woods. Great idea and realization of a dream. Way to go. 👍👍
Tip: when stick welding you want to strike your arc like you’re striking a match on a match box only you want to barely touch the metal. The trick is to keep the rod moving at and at the same distance as the rod dissipates. Strike fast but with a very light touch.
He’s 1000% correct. If you look at your video you’re jabbing that rod into the weld zone, so when it fires up, it’s bearing self and sticking. Don’t be afraid to bend that rod in your holder to get a comfortable angle
Also when striking the arc on the edge you can place the stick over the edge and pull up/back against the edge so it strikes nicely every time.
The refurbished wood splitter was a great idea, love what you did to adapt it to the mini ex. Makes splitting wood a lot less stress on the back . Probably one of the best ideas I've seen in awhile.
He was following a current mass-produced product available through many dealerships.
An idea for the old splitter system is a trash compactor. Maybe a remote lift or press that can be left outside
This is my all-time fav project that you've done so far! I love to watch wood being split. Somehow, it is very satisfying to me. Also, I love metal working. I love it when metal it melted, cut, drilled, welded, etc. This was an excellent project idea! Great job!
Jon, That has got to be one of your most ingenious builds! Not only did you reuse almost all of the materials, but you made it work soooo much better! Please Thank The Cameralady for us. She always takes good video. did you let her do some splitting? I know I would have aksed to. BTW, obviously you can use it to stack the wood also, so the next upgrade should be to attach a chainsaw to it! Thanks!
They do make hydraulic powered chainsaws...
Hydraulic chainsaws are very expensive
What a great idea. I am actually going to try that myself. I cut and sell wood here in Australia. Would make my life so much easier
Another great project.
Whenever I get too obsessed with perfection in my work I remind myself that perfect is the enemy of good.
Great project. loved the creativity, reuse, and your usual clear explanations of the process.
Just wanted to say for anyone new to stick welding a 7024 welding rod is probably the easiest rod to learn on, you literally can rest it on the material and let it burn. Try it you will be amazed
The flat side time-lapse was entertaining, with the pile going down mysteriously!!!
There's probably ample power to add wings to the blade to open the logs up quicker. Nice work.
Perfect way to round out me week. A humorous and useful vlog from Farmcraft. Thank you John.
Awesome video, as always😎👍 I have never seen a splitter like that before... You did a great job!
I don't know if you did or not, but since E7018 is a low-hydrogen electrode it needs to be "baked" before use to dry it.
For this application I would have done a root with E6010, then a few passes of E7018, then an E6013 cap (explained below)
Since this isn't a very demanding application, you can "butter" with E6013 to add extra reinforcement without wasting your E7018... Never do this with structural work (unless WPS specifies for some reason)
Try adopting a match striking technique to start your arc... rapid tapping tends to stick more since you aren't really inducing an arc. Try scraping the flux back before a restart, since the rod tends to burn back past the flux.
If your machine has a peak amp feature, give it 10-20% to help with starting.
(EDIT)
Forgot to mention:
- Keep your rod at 45 degrees to the joint to get good penetration... you started pitching up as you burned through the rod.
They say the older you get, the bigger your toys get. That is one impressive toy.
Well done.
You have always amazed me with the versatility of your skills and innovative solutions to a wide range of problems, but the log splitter transformation project has taken things to a higher level. I find myself at a loss for words that adequately expresses how impressive this project is. Let me just say, you da man bro!!
Awesome build! Kurtis would be proud of that lathe work! 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻
I think he is fixated with his jig borer!! . But great lathe work!
You’re a content machine! This channel has come a long way since the casting videos
But man, that canon series... good stuff! That was when I found the channel, when all the fabrication channels were doing the Civil War Canon Challenge. John entered and taught me more in those 5-6 videos than most other channels could do in a year. So practical, but still so personable. I really feel like I'm hanging with the farmers and tradespeople I grew up around.
I still think he could have sleeved the canon and fired a ping-pong-ball out of it or something... I am just like... DUDE, come on! I bet we could get him to revisit it if we all went to Patreon and asked him to! 😁
@@ArmchairDeity He definitely did not fire that cannon. wink wink
@@ArmchairDeity there is another channel offsite for that
@@krz8888888 wait.. another channel? FarmCraft202? 😂 Now I gotta hit Patreon to see what I might have missed! 😳
@@K.P.Alexander INDEED!! 🫣💥🫨🤕😵😂
You need to patent that what a back saver we'll done!🤙
Now you can relax, drink coffee, listening to the radio while splitting wood
Best log splitter upgrade I've seen yet!! Great content.
Wow that implement is extremely satisfying to watch. One of those tools that makes a task so much easier that at the end of it you almost wish you had more to do but only for a second. Nice work John!!
Great idea, money well spent, I'm sure your back will be thanking you for years to come. Well executed!
What a great project! I’m turning 70 and have been thinking about how I could make splitting wood easier. I have the old splitter and a 3.5 T mini. 😂. Love the quality of your videos! Good storytelling, sound and editing.
For the type of split wood youre after I think this was a great repurposing of the log splitter. Turned out great And I think the best part about this is no more back breaking work.
What a great idea! After watching the functionality of this attachment, I thought it might be handy to use the old parts of the log splitter to make a mobile conveyer to load the dump truck or trailer with processed wood. Could make your last splits over top of the conveyer and save a step in moving the wood later.
Make all splits over the trailer!!! I'm sure Jon has already done it!
Yeah, a loader belt to the truck to haul back to the boiler. Good idea.
Excellent
Excellent!!
@@grahamcifuentes4451 It would be difficult to grab a chunk of wood that needed to be split again if it were already in the the truck/trailer.
One of the few channels that I look forward to watching every week
A couple-hundred dollar DIY "Field Modification" that's gonna save you time and effort. Very nice. 👍
this build feels like it should have a patent
It probably does and he might end up getting sued! Lol
@@sams7655 I think you can only get sued if you try to sell it?
I was thinking the same thing. Get on it John before someone else does!
@@veudeu Doesn't matter if anyone else would try to patent it, because their application would be invalid. This video would constitute "prior art".
“A grinder and paint makes me the welder I ain’t.”
Great job, and great idea!
You asked what could you possibly do with the old parts. Make a conveyor powered with hydraulic motor. The other lever to adjust the height of the conveyor cylinders.
Congratulations with the new splitter.
Very impressive .
With that improved log splitter, you should feel more like George Jetson.
Like they used tell us apprentices “a grinder and paint make you the welder you ain’t”😂
I think a set of legs on the piston end so you can put it on the ground easier would be a nice addition. Just slightly higher/lower than the piston slider.
And a t on the wedge side to help it balance and split 3 ways
Great job! Didn't know anything from Harbor Freight could be refurbished. I personally nominate you for the coveted "Golden Mullet" award!👱♀
after splitting and stacking wood for my parents for several years i can appreciate your desire to make an attachment out of one. i love it! wish my dad would have had that!!!
Several types of tractor mounted log splitters are available through dealerships.
Surely there must be a company copying and manufacturing this design. Great video as always.
Outdoors with the Morgan’s demonstrated a very similar device manufactured by Spit Fire that sells for about $2600.00. Mike’s comments were exactly the same of how it took the work out of splitting wood. He mainly breaks down big rounds to save his back but you could use it totally as a log splitter. He also mentioned some tricks that he discovered about how to position the rounds before splitting and not split them totally until you get the wood located where you want it to fall. You could even split wood into a trailer and never have to pick anything up. Now you’re only limitation for size is the length of your chain saw bar. This is definitely a game changer! Great job as always!!
Only thing I would probably change would be a cage for the cylinders hoses and making the wedge wider. But it looks and work great.
Now that goes through the logs like the proverbial hot knife... Congratulations for the epic win idea and execution. I am truly impressed. Definitely money well spent
Anyone else think he needs that spike back on the end? I'd want that spike wedge back on the end.
Edit, okay, I think this earns the "old man work smarter not harder" seal of approval. Only tip maybe? Think about getting the thumb involved? I'd see you being able to pickup the rounds, put them OVER a dump trailer and then split so you have less pieces to pick up. Maybe add some pins on the wedge side to hold the wood? Not sure if the piston should be used for picking up the pieces due to side-loading, but you can figure something out.
It turned out absolutely fantastic and you can't beat the price!
A 3/16 7014 rod would have been perfect for this. You can strike the arc easily and just lay it in the gap and let it do all the work. They are often used for structural steel welding.
I much prefer 7014 rods.
I like using 3/16 rod, i think it starts easier (doesnt stick as easily)
I think the most important thing for me is to assume a comfortable welding position. That sounds simple but if your fighting to reach the weld or to smoothly move your arm you are a step behind performing a good weld. Steve😊
Beauty of the system also is that you can pick those logs up and put them right in the trailer with your splitter before you split them or after or while you’re splitting. What a great system. Super job. Thanks for sharing.
Haven't read all the comments so maybe someone else mentioned this. Only advice I have (Was a pipe welder until a back injury made me change professions), When welding with 7018, better to push the rod than pull it. Keeps your slag from getting into the weld. Otherwise great job and this is right up my alley for a fun project. Appreciate you sharing it with us.
Oh yeah! Amazing work! The splitter works so fast. Perhaps worth it to make a sleeve that does 4-way splits? Andrew Camarata made one for his splitter a while back, and it should be no trouble for you to just strap it on top of the current splitting end. Bravo!
Great content as always. Definitely appreciate your sense of humour.. Advantage of using the excavator is that you can make your final cut over a trailer/dump truck and not have to manually load anything. Working and clearing the job site in one go, what could be more efficient. You do need to build a holding frame for it now, so that you can store it off the ground and orient it to easily connect it to the excavator when needed. Conveyor belt idea sounds good, especially when put at the bottom of a hopper filled with logs, and the controls connected to a remote control, feed the logs automatically when needed....the possibilities for further automation here are intriguing, have the boiler feed itself.........
Cylinder needs some serious protection. Other than that, perfect .
In regards to what you can do with the old splitter. The only thing that came to my mind is you got a bed to sit on the frame and used hydraulic arms to lift the bed. You would then have a small lift trailer. It could be useful for moving your newly split firewood and then dumping at it's final destination.
Love it! My only comment is since you are picking up the logs to split them, why not just split them into a trailer so you don't have to come back a second time?
maby for the vid, for us to see better.
Awesome job John - this new tool will save a small fortune in time and money. Both practical and creative at the same time, you must be proud 👍
Gotta say, loving the CC in this one. Grinder winds down [Applause], smashes bracket with hammer [Music], attacks bracket with crowbar [grinder]. 😂😂😂
You should patent that thing. It is a monster and I'm glad that it will give you some extra time with the family.
Very interesting to watch - as always.
Im not a professional welder, but my intuition on structural design tells that the stud assembly of the splitter bar would be less prone to cracks developing over time had you sharpened the splitter part more before welding. Basically a big part of the tension in the weld is away from the splitter bar center meaning that it is subject to both tension and torque. The torque makes it twist and gives surface tension on the inside of the weld. So a crack will start from inside and move out. That said it may take a long enough time to become a problem.
I have the log splitter attachment from Quick Attach for my CTL and its great, but I think yours is a better attachment, you can angle the cut, better vision, awesome job 👍🏻
This is my absolute favorite kind of project. Where you cut an order of magnitude off of future work. Log splitting becomes an: "Oh yeah, gotta do that while I'm out feeding the chickens this morning" kind of job instead of a "oh yeah, I need to dedicate this weekend to that" kind of job.
The Bumblebee of log spliting... nice transformer!
As soon as I realized what you were doing, I knew this was going to be awesome! That had me smiling for ya! I know how hard of work splitting is, it's fun for some reason but tiring. Picking up the logs or moving them to be split again is the worst part. Man that was so cool! I foresee a bunch of copycats coming! Surprised I hadn't seen this yet. Good Job John! Thanks for another video! I look forward to them
I've seen you do some mighty impressive projects, but this is top notch! Congrats!
I’m blown away how good this turned out that is probably the best log splitter Iv ever seen work
Brilliant idea on your part. And even better execution. Those logs looked like butter. It took about 10-15 seconds per split when including line up time. Only about 5 seconds to cut through. Unbelievable.
That is hella cool - I wonder if you could use that for demolition of something?? It might also be useful to add a "finger" or long flange coming perpendicular off the "top" of the splitting wedge, towards the excavator? Then you could use it to more easily roll logs around, like using the thumb. Or what if the splitting wedge had a "+" shape, you could split into 4 pieces at once?
The thing I love about your channel is you explain everything you do as you are doing it and you seem to know about lots of different things.
this is really cool, could use a pivot/swivel connector to help with moving the log splitter into position, but with enough experience you probably wouldn't need one
You could lift the log over to your trailerbed and then split the log. No lifting after splitting!!
That is a very marketable product. I really enjoy your videos!
One of the best Channels on RUclips. You earn a lot more Subscribers. The Video, Cut and the explains are on a really high level. Thank you for entertaining us! 👍
When you stop welding, halfway through, with a 70xx rod, a silica bb pools and cools on the end of the electrode. It is dielectric and can make restarts very difficult. You can use a file to clean off the bb. I usually just aggressively poke the end of the rod into the work piece to get it off. I then restrike the ark. Hope this helps 👍
I do the same, or tap the tip of the rod with the flat side of a chipping hammer, most times it breaks off the same way slag breaks of the weld. Be carfull tho cause some times, you'll knock off some of the flux and ruin the rod or make it harder to restart. Pratice and time is key to burning rods. Cleaner weldments goes a long way with 70xx too. Great job, great build.
That was cool. Weld a guard /stand around that cylinder. Also a cross wing so you get 4 splits per throw.
Nice work and great logo stencil. Now add a cover to the ram, incorporating legs for storage and add a cross cut blade.
I think you need a 1/4" shield attached to the pushing part of the splitter to protect the ram !
Yup this will eventually get damaged without a shield. Even a fabric cover would help.
Great design and fab, should make splitting wood soooo much easier for you Jon. Great work and video!!!
If that's the view in your backyard I am very very envious 😢😢. It is absolutely gorgeous
Very cool. I like that you can pick up your rounds up if you don’t pinch too hard. Swing around and split onto the pile.
Incredible outcomes! Your creative ideas have earned an outstanding Grade A++. Truly awe-inspiring!
Depending on your rod (60xx vs 70xx for example) if you have troubles doing a restart, keep a sanding disc of like 36 grit right by you. Scratch the tip on it. It'll get flux build up so thick it won't arc start.
I like keeping a flat file handy for that. Typically what I use to get slag off as well
@@braggf150 - if you get weld splatter on your sanding disc, you don't feel as guilty throwing it out! Ha ha! :D
You're right about the cylinder hitting logs while you're splitting. I saw it happen on the last log you split. Now it's patent time.
I think you should use the "gripper capability" more, like gripping a log and splitting it on top of a trailer. Also in retrospect I'd be thinking about doing the mount asymmetrically so that the gripped log is centered to the stick. Probably not much of a difference but it might feel more naturally. And you could incorporate the thump to grip stuff in two dimensions (given enough circuits on the hydros)