DIY skid steer log splitter attachment (and maybe boom lift)

[Bki26]

Well I've finished up the designing and I'm pretty happy with it! Should be plenty strong enough and uses what materials I already have/in scrap pile though do need to buy a couple bits.

I'll be using this beast, 700mm stroke 45mm rod and ~85-90mm bore (though not completely sure) giving me easily 10t of splitting force.

The assembly is primarily made from a 152x89 i beam and uses 125x65 u channel for the sliding push plate/skid steer attachment interface.


The cylinder is orientated with the retraction feed pipe/hose connection block between the cylinder and beam to protect it from damage and it's also set with 10mm vertical difference between the eyes so it's pushing into the beam slightly rather than parallel which should hopefully help and the rear mount is 65x10 flat bar slotted into the beam for maximum strength with a extra back piece just in case.



I'm rather pleased with the sliding push plate assembly, the i/u beams happen to fit perfectly together in such a way that 50x50x5mm box section drops in with 1mm clearance and 5x m16 bolts secure it thus restraining it from twisting/bending off and quick to build/fix if needed



The splitter blade will be a 15mm thick plate, if I can find a short section of weld on cutting edge used on digger buckets (anyone got some?) then I'll use that otherwise it'll just be mild steel and I'll buy a pack of hardfacing rods being £14 for 1kg of sealey ones.



The best bit is I plan to mount some lengths of angle where the red lines are and drill a hole in the blade for a shackle thus giving me a 2m boom lift making it handy moving things where the forks don't currently reach!

 

[gaz1]

ok i see which way your going

but

 

[Bki26]

ok i see which way your going

but

Lol that would be perfect though the skid steer only has one auxiliary port so I'd need to right up a remote in the cab to a solenoid valve block.

 

[addjunkie]

Lol that would be perfect though the skid steer only has one auxiliary port so I'd need to right up a remote in the cab to a solenoid valve block.

Depending where in bonny scotland you are, I have a 3 point linkage 22 ton log splitter Im going to sell, easily modified to-work off your skid steer. Horizontal or vertical use

 

[gaz1]

whilst the one above uses a slide part you can use chains

note the slide grab of the log

new style with chains

this is a homemade version of one so you can take a look

 

[Bki26]

Depending where in bonny scotland you are, I have a 3 point linkage 22 ton log splitter Im going to sell, easily modified to-work off your skid steer. Horizontal or vertical use

I love that as soon as I buy steel and a ram I start seeing loads pop up for sale cheaper than the steel and ram

I'm Glasgow area, how much were you wanting out of curiosity.

 

[Kram]

I'll buy a pack of hardfacing rods being £14 for 1kg of sealey ones

I got those and found then exceptionally difficult, if not impossible to get a bead, I was trying to use on small item for a hard edge so they may work better on bigger stuff. I ended up using tig to weld with HSS drill bits as filler.

 

[addjunkie]

I love that as soon as I buy steel and a ram I start seeing loads pop up for sale cheaper than the steel and ram

I'm Glasgow area, how much were you wanting out of curiosity.

About 500 Ill get you pictures if you are interested.

 

[Bki26]

About 500 Ill get you pictures if you are interested.

Haha funny enough friend who has the skid steer I'm building this for messaged today talking about getting a small tractor so if I wasn't already half the price into it I'd go for it.

Always wanted to build one anyway so couldn't resist when I saw the beams and ram local.

 

[knighty]

Depending where in bonny scotland you are, I have a 3 point linkage 22 ton log splitter Im going to sell, easily modified to-work off your skid steer. Horizontal or vertical use

if no-one else is I'm interested... no 3 point tractor but jcb 3cx or mini digger if I could make either work....

 

[addjunkie]

I used the old one off a mini digger, with a suitably sized and adapted stick holding the pecker pedal down, it just needs a hydraulic feed and return. You saw it next to the oil tank you collected.

 

[Screwdriver]

I'd worry about those sliding bushes racking and jamming. All it takes is a knotty section to introduce some twist and they might jam solid. Have you considered using some hard plastic or even bronze inserts for the bushings?

 

[Bki26]

I got those and found then exceptionally difficult, if not impossible to get a bead, I was trying to use on small item for a hard edge so they may work better on bigger stuff. I ended up using tig to weld with HSS drill bits as filler.

Being the cheapskate I am I technically only need the very tip of the edged hardened since it's only wood the rest of the plate can be mild steel so being that I've already got the tig welder over (using mma function for most welds) I can try the hss drill filler trick with all the broken bits I have lol

I'd worry about those sliding bushes racking and jamming. All it takes is a knotty section to introduce some twist and they might jam solid. Have you considered using some hard plastic or even bronze inserts for the bushings?

Not sure what you're referring to, there isn't any bushings involved?

 

[Kram]

Tig with HSS does work very well,
After welding, heat to 500c to temper so that its not brittle. I found even cheap rubbish drill bits gave a great and durable edge. Easy to do as welding will harden it - its very difficult to get HSS hot enough to harden by flame without oxy.

Another option is to use 1/8" silver steel lengths as tig filler, but I'm unsure if welding will harden or if it needs subsequent heating and quenching, followed by tempering.

 

[Screwdriver]

Not sure what you're referring to, there isn't any bushings involved?

The sliding push plate as you call it.

 

[Bki26]

Tig with HSS does work very well,
After welding, heat to 500c to temper so that its not brittle. I found even cheap rubbish drill bits gave a great and durable edge. Easy to do as welding will harden it - its very difficult to get HSS hot enough to harden by flame without oxy.

Another option is to use 1/8" silver steel lengths as tig filler, but I'm unsure if welding will harden or if it needs subsequent heating and quenching, followed by tempering.

I wonder if there's a difference between hss and titanium/cobalt coated hss for strength, would be worth experimenting

 

[Bki26]

The sliding push plate as you call it.

I'm doing the same general design as most but instead of two plates sandwiched around the beam like below I'm using the box section, if it deforms and fails Plan B is 50mm angle where the box is with web sections on the inside face reinforcing it.

 

[Screwdriver]

What are those strips under the sliding push plate?

 

[Bki26]

What are those strips under the sliding push plate?

What stripes? Blue is push plate that slides along the beam in red and held in place by the box section in yellow that's attached to the push plate with the black bolts and purple washer to spread the load from the nut.

 

[Shiny Steve]

Don’t underestimate how easy the webs of your beam will bend if you get a moody bit of wood try to twist the pusher plate. I have a mad max esq home made splitter that curled up the 10mm thick rsj quite easily I ended up over plating it and welding in braces on the under side