I get some big WO, RO and Poplar logs from the tree guys sometimes. Logs 4-5 ft. dia. x 5 ft. long.
If I got my welding guy to make me some kind of splitting spear, would my D4 Dozer push that spear into that 5 foot White Oak log and split it?
Of course I would have to have the log against a tree to keep it from sliding. :)
Quote from: POSTONLT40HD on December 10, 2014, 07:15:57 PM
If I got my welding guy to make me some kind of splitting spear, would my D4 Dozer push that spear into that 5 foot White Oak log and split it?
Have you been spending too much time watching 'Hillbilly Blood'? ???
It could be done, but if it was me, just spend the money and get a D8. ;D
Use the goat horn...
"I think you're going to need a bigger boat, er GOAT".
I don't think it's going to happen. Even a D-8 would have trouble doing that.
Drill a hole down the middle put in some tanarite stand way way way back and shoot it
Everbody know pie R round. ;D
I think the splitting wage would have to be a long one or wide so the wood would go by the dozer blade. You would have to push the wage more than ½ way I think.
I don't think that your basal area is big enough to do that.
Quote from: Peter Drouin on December 10, 2014, 07:37:49 PM
I think the splitting wage would have to be a long one or wide so the wood would go by the dozer blade. You would have to push the wage more than ½ way I think.
You may be right. Just trying to come up with an idea using the equipment I have.
Maybe a tall stump 4' with a steel wage on it and you can push the log to it. I'm been thinking of something like that and use my 690 JD. But I think the JD will pull the stump out.
Cut it as deep as you can with the chainsaw that you have and then use the teeth on your back-hoe and split it with that. ;) It helps to put a couple of wedges in the saw groove so you can see where the teeth need to go.
When my Grandfather was logging he had a D8 and a D4 with a wedge welded on the blade. He could split 8 foot wide fir and cedar logs no problem. I imagine they're a lot easier to split than oak though. It's worth a try, probably need to get a good run at it :D
Drill a hole in the side of it,put in about a half cup of black powder pack it with the sawdust ,shavings with a fuse and blow it in half,easiest,quickest ,and cheapest. And its fun also !!!! ;D
The D4 has between 10 and 15 tons of pushing force. Considering that a log splitter from the local big box store developes about twice the splitting force, the D4 may not be the best choice unless the wood is really straight grained,
OR
you get one heck of a running start. ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D
replace the backhoe bucket with a giant splitting maul and get a good swing.
Quote from: ozarkgem on December 10, 2014, 08:37:12 PM
replace the backhoe bucket with a giant splitting maul and get a good swing.
Might be a little ruff on the boom! ;D
So far "get a running start" is the most popular idea. :D
Y'all are killing me......probably literally. :D
loggah......I know you're gonna want pictures. smiley_paparazzi They'll be Goat parts everywhere! :D :D :D
boscojmb.....good info, I didn't know what the pushing power was.
Peter....it might work. say_what
Bro. Been....Goat horn? :D :D :D Good 1.
Jake....probably the less dangerous and something I can do tomorrow.
Do you have a 6 way blade on the D-4?
Starting with a chainsaw cut, or deep crack and a well designed wedge should do the trick.
D-4 is a little light but once you get the wedge started in you should be able to work it till it pops open.
Could alway mount a jack hammer to assist in splitting.
Not so sure I would put head down and get a run at it though ;D
Quote from: backwoods sawyer on December 10, 2014, 08:50:47 PM
Do you have a 6 way blade on the D-4?
Starting with a chainsaw cut, or deep crack and a well designed wedge should do the trick.
D-4 is a little light but once you get the wedge started in you should be able to work it till it pops open.
Could alway mount a jack hammer to assist in splitting.
Not so sure I would put head down and get a run at it though ;D
6 way...8 way if ya count up and down. I may come up with a tall wedge.
Quote from: WDH on December 10, 2014, 07:48:37 PM
I don't think that your basal area is big enough to do that.
I have you know there are 98 acres around my sawmill. ;D
I think Loggah has the best idea.Around here black powder splitting is pretty popular.
Excellent thread. I have a client that wishes to have his 4ft+ diameter hard maple log quarter sawn. I suggested that his best bet would be to find someone who has a swingmill. You have given me an idea to build a giant wood-splitter though. :D A 4" diameter cylinder at 3000 psi would give you about 38,000 pounds of force. A 6" diameter cylinder at 3000 psi would give you about 85,000 pounds of force. Up the psi to 3600 and you can multiply by 1.2. I don't know how much force is needed to split a maple or oak log though. :-\
I third that about loggahs idea. I was going to try it once but did not. They have a couple of videos on you tube of some guys doing it. It would at least be fun to try.
Quote from: WoodenHead on December 10, 2014, 10:24:34 PM
Excellent thread. I have a client that wishes to have his 4ft+ diameter hard maple log quarter sawn. I suggested that his best bet would be to find someone who has a swingmill. You have given me an idea to build a giant wood-splitter though. :D A 4" diameter cylinder at 3000 psi would give you about 38,000 pounds of force. A 6" diameter cylinder at 3000 psi would give you about 85,000 pounds of force. Up the psi to 3600 and you can multiply by 1.2. I don't know how much force is needed to split a maple or oak log though. :-\
From what these guys say on here who work for NASA.....get a running start! :D
Oak usually splits pretty nice. I'd give it a shot. I would find the biggest stump around to push it against. If you have a full tree, and you get the top to leaning, you might push it over. Have you cornsidered using one of them drill things on a pickup truck wheel? I'll try and find a video. Can you post a youtube URL on a thread here? Believe I've tried before but couldn't get it to go
I saw one of the cone shaped drills that goes on a post digging auger that hooks to a tractor 3 point hitch.
It looked interesting.
You know you could also just go out and get a Timberwolf TW-10RC. Supposedly they'll split a 10 foot long log up to 60" in diameter without asking permission.
You oughta be able to come up with something with all that southern ingenuity us Yankees are always hearin about! ;D
Quote from: 4x4American on December 10, 2014, 10:53:02 PM
You know you could also just go out and get a Timberwolf TW-10RC. Supposedly they'll split a 10 foot long log up to 60" in diameter without asking permission.
I'll look at them...probably $$$$$.
Just looked at them......did not list a price, and I think I know why. THEY'RE HUGE! :D
Quote from: 4x4American on December 10, 2014, 10:54:12 PM
You oughta be able to come up with something with all that southern ingenuity us Yankees are always hearin about! ;D
Like these boys? :D
http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=5Th-Xc-3pdk
Haha yea I have a pricelist here from Timberwolf for all of their products. That splitter costs $53k
Quote from: 4x4American on December 10, 2014, 11:09:39 PM
Haha yea I have a pricelist here from Timberwolf for all of their products. That splitter costs $53k
:o :o :o :o :o :o :o :o :o :o :o :o :o :o :o :o :o :o :o :o :o :o :o :o :o :o :o :o :o :o :o :o :o :o :o :o :o :o :o :o :o :o
Bill....that was awful! :D
Yea they are spendy. You'd really have to have one heck of a use for it.
My dad used to split large trunks for fire wood , they were to big to cut with the chain saw (Homelite that took a thousand pulls to start). Sledge hammer and steel and wood wedges. He would work his way across the length of the log with wedges then go down the ends. He would replace the steel wedges with wood ones that were bigger when the wedges loosened up. That was back in the 50's
Quotewood ones that were bigger
The big wood wedges were called a "glut".
Had a project splitting 10' white oak logs for a split rail fence using this technique.
Would have to use an axe to cut across the stray splits in order to keep the split centered and straight through the log. Would get 4 rails from a 6-8" small end diam log, 6 from an 8-11", and 8 from a 12" log.
IIRC
Poston, Pie R round, Cornbread R square! smiley_mad_crazy All good southern boys know that! ;D
I think you would have to get that dozer a run for it. say if you can get it up about 55mph and hit the log.
EZ
Ive just been thinking about a similar thing using the grapple on skidder.
Ive watched loaders gripping and breaking logs in half for firewood processing before.
Perhaps a quick chainsaw along the guts to then "pinch out" ?
Cheers
Justin
Quote from: EZ on December 11, 2014, 05:13:44 AM
I think you would have to get that dozer a run for it. say if you can get it up about 55mph and hit the log.
EZ
How do ya hit it EZ at 55? ::)
If you can get a dozer up to 55 mph, you need to be doing something besides splitting logs.
Just kidding. Boy you guys are tuff.
Me too ;D.
If you can't get that D4 up to 55mph I'm pretty sure there's something wrong with it :)
I'm still stuck on how you get 8 ways out of a dozer blade?!
Find a backhoe attachment that looks like this. These are designed to do what you need. A used one with a wedge on it should make short easy work of those big fat logs. I say used because I am sure the new ones are pricey.
Sean P.
http://www.hydraulicbreakerservices.com/?gclid=CjwKEAiAnqWkBRCGm5uyu5r13jsSJACBZ4Wyr3MZC1DZuS62q_iUGIlsL62UD2VqBbGd_w-8V9GAIxoCLBTw_wcB
Here is a video link to one in use
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LQahYK4eVNg
Quote from: 4x4American on December 11, 2014, 08:30:45 AM
If you can't get that D4 up to 55mph I'm pretty sure there's something wrong with it :)
I'm still stuck on how you get 8 ways out of a dozer blade?!
1. up and down
2. turns left and right
3. tilts left and right
4. rolls forward and backwards
A D-4 with a KG blade will split a large stump if you have the time to peck around it. The problem you have with a log is the backstop. Any obstruction you use to push against is apt to move sooner or later. The oldtimers here in the Carolinas used a powder wedge. The wedge was charged with black powder, driven into the end of the log, and ignited with a fuse. My Grandfather said that it was easy to overcharge the wedge, with spectacular results. Regards, Clark
One of my dad's friends from years ago cleared land on the west coast with D8's and had a large spear on the back end that he would lower with the winch and then just back into stumps and split them. As I recall from them telling of it that spear/wedge would have been about 8ft long and about 2ft thick at its base. They used it for many years.
And then I'll turn it back over to the NASA people. :D
DonK and I did this....
http://youtu.be/OIDLVhGN4eY
Poston, are you by any chance a member of the volunteer fire department? Or know someone who is? Most fire departments have extracting equipment to remove people/bodies from car crashes. The Jaws-of-Life and other hydraulic wedges can pry off a car roof, door, or other metal in no time. I would ask the local FD to come by and "practice" their skills on one of those logs.
Another NASA route would be to cut a hole in the log with a chainsaw and fill the hole with water. Spray a CO2 fire extinguisher on the water and watch the water turn to ice and split the log. It worked on MacGyver so its completely plausible ;)
We use a cone type splitter that works great. The key is, whether with a gadget or just a ram from a dozer, I would think, is that you exert the force into the side of the log, not the end. Also, start your split at the very end of the log so as to exert all the force in one direction down the log. You may need to relocate your wedge several times as you move down the log, following the newly created crack.
This would also allow you to secure the back of the log against two or more trees lengthwise.
If you don't have a fire extinguisher handy, you could drill your holes, fill 'em with water and send them on up to Marcel's for a day or two. :snowman:
Just got home....all kinds of interesting replies. :)
fishpharmer, I have to admit, I've never seen this but it will work if I'd get my log set up right.
I see the log has been sawed.
Is a skip tooth chain and a ripping chain two different chains or one in the same?
Quote from: 4x4American on December 11, 2014, 08:30:45 AM
If you can't get that D4 up to 55mph I'm pretty sure there's something wrong with it :)
Have you never seen the videos of the military dropping big dozers out the back of a cargo plane in flight? Not to hard to get them up to 55 mph or even faster, it is getting them slowed down for the touch down where things can go wrong.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/22539/IMG_20140718_152657_381.jpg) David this one is a big gerry Oak 330 year old. If I get the job I will quarter it up with the big bar Stihl using skip tooth chain works good.
DanG Redbeard, even when you get it quartered, you'll still have a lot of meat left on the bone. :D
If ya get the job...takes pics of the quartering. Thanks Buddy!
Skip tooth refers to the number of cutters on the chain. A "full comp" chain has a cutter on every other link. A "full skip" has a cutter on every third link. There is also a semi or half skip, which I have never run into myself. Full skip is good for longer bars.
Ripping or milling chain is basically just the way the tooth is ground. It has very little angle to it, usually about 10°, whereas a regular chain would have a 25° to 30° angle. I've done a lot of ripping with square ground chisel chain, which has a low angle, and it works quite well, but you have to be into filing square chian.
Quote from: pine on December 11, 2014, 04:53:12 PM
Quote from: 4x4American on December 11, 2014, 08:30:45 AM
If you can't get that D4 up to 55mph I'm pretty sure there's something wrong with it :)
Have you never seen the videos of the military dropping big dozers out the back of a cargo plane in flight? Not to hard to get them up to 55 mph or even faster, it is getting them slowed down for the touch down where things can go wrong.
Maybe we're looking at this from the wrong end. Perhaps we should drop the log from the plane. :D
No. We should toss the log with a trebuchet, and have it land on the wedge. :D
Drop both the log and a dozer from a plane and hope that they get together.
Hire 2 workers from a local tree service.They will have them broken and stacked in a few hours. :laugh:
Then pay them off with a couple $300 benches ;)
Jim
Oh, and make them a big pot of Goat head soup,for lunch :-*
Good 1 James! :D
My mill will handle a 42 inch log but every so often I get something bigger. Then it's chain saw and sledge hammer time. I often wondered how a big air gun would handle the big ones. But then again by the time you would buy all the stuff for it you would probably have to$30 k in it. EZ
I was thinking maybe one of those pile drivers they use for I-beams.. might be tuff to stand one of those logs on end though.
If you have acsses to a boneyard and can find a pair of large cylinders that have enough travel along with a hydraulic pump with enough volume. Weld up a frame and push a blade through the log. Need a solid stop at the other end of the frame to push against.
I think the D-4 with the 8 way blade is up to the task with a splitting wedge, but using a tree for a back stop is the week link and would be hard on the tree.
3.1415926535, truncated, not rounded. Yes, I have that memorized....... I have NO IDEA WHY......
I am a 3.1416 guy .
i use a tape measure. pie is for eating
If you eat too much pie, you won't be able to see your tape measure.
Quote from: WDH on December 14, 2014, 07:13:29 AM
I am a 3.1416 guy .
If you figure the waste though....it comes to 3.00
Quote from: WDH on December 14, 2014, 07:13:29 AM
I am a 3.1416 guy .
One of my blacksmith friends is a retired GE engineer that worked on one of the Bradley armored vehicles. He is in his mid 90's, and knows pi to the 40th place. He said that was all they needed for most calculations. :D
Get a big jack hammer drive the wedges in if that don't work its time for a chilled adult beverage :D
Good evening folks, new to the forum. I'm the guy in Slider Al's pics helping him with the Pet Pete Project.
Was just working on a small 7/8 yard dump truck this week. Why wouldn't a telescoping cylinder with wedge be a good option? JMO
You would need an awful big spring to retract the cylinder. :D Welcome to the Forum!
I can't remember my social insurance number but I know pi as far a 3.14159.
I can even squeeze out an extra digit using this formula: pi = 113\355 ;D.
Hello jmiller and Welcome to the Forestry Forum. 8)