Needed a wood splitter lift

[Hilltop366]

I wanted a way to lift the heaver blocks on the splitter with out using the tractor bucket to keep the tractor bucket free for the split wood.

I wanted the lift to be self contained and not welded on and with as little modifications to the splitter as possible, it had to be safe to use and have no pinch point, fold over easily for transportation and made from materials I had on hand.

So for schedule 20 pipe I had some pool fencing, flag pole and a closet rod, square tubing was a old DIY jeep rear bumper, sheet metal was a decommissioned 200 gal heating oil tank, spring from a washing machine, a pull chord from a junked lawnmower and I bought a 4 bolts and a pin.

Its hand lift and I can lift a 20" round 20" long with the handle I have on it, I may convert it to use the splitter cylinder to lift it via a cable and pulleys at some time. It has a drop down leg so it can be used as a work table and with a helper it can be loaded up without worrying about flipping the splitter over. The pull chord (not on for picture) is used to pull the leg up to lower lift, the spring assists the leg to flip out as you lift up the lifter (pull down the handle).

Pretty happy with how it turned out my back certainly thanked me, the splitter is made by Hall's Maritime Welding in Nova Scotia and has trays on both sides that travel back and forth with the pusher to return the block for re-split or stacking etc. which made the design layout a bit more complicated.

[doc henderson]

well-engineered and a back saver.  It is great to make our own designs that work, and we can be very proud of.  nicely done!

[JD Guy]

Well done! Nice fab work 

[B.C.C. Lapp]

Nice work, that looks professional.   I'd like to see a video of it working.

[DHansen]

Very talented.  Nicely done and looks professionally built.  

[hedgerow]

Hilltop366  Nice set up. To me a log lift is as handy as a pocket on a shirt. If I am not raising heavy rounds with my lift its up and used for storage for feeding the splitter. I wouldn't ever have a splitter without a lift. 

[rusticretreater]

Manufacturers figured out it was easier to make the whole thing hinged so you can stand it up to split heavy stuff.  You still have to bend over though to process the wood.

Do you move the handle once the lift is up?  It seems it would be in the way otherwise.  It also looks like the handle is removed in the third picture. Is that so?

[Hilltop366]

To me this is way better than working bent over, I have a tractor mount splitter that I can lower to the ground for large rounds but working bent over is one of the things that bothers my lower back. I use to split the large rounds in 2 with the tractor splitter on the ground then raise the splitter and re-split them which is better than lifting but increases the handling.

My goal is to not pick up larger rounds and not re-handle wood and leave the tractor free to move wood around in the bucket or on pallets. I now lift then split and re-split at a good level and take the blocks off the splitter and put them on a pallet or in the bucket, I have reduced my handling to 2 times from log to boiler.

The lift handle stays on the lift all the time except when folded for storage (photo 3), it is just behind the pusher and not in the way, the odd looking hump in the handle is to clear the hyd. valve handle.

Thanks for the likes and comments.

[Hilltop366]

B.C.C. I'll try to get a video when I get back at the firewood once the yard dries out a bit.