Real easy to tip the round against the splitter bed as well. Which is what all the wiggling was about after I got the round in position. Still easier to roll, "round", rounds.
I like that you can keep a big round even with the beam when the wedge comes down. Beats holding it even with your knees or 1 hand.
Great video and proper use of PPE Still think you should stop that ram on the way back Takes a second and saves 4 sec
That wedge will cover half the beam in under 4 seconds. I usually only allow it to return to the top in-between rounds. As soon as my arse hits that milk crate, it's all business. I agree that if I was retracting the wedge fully every time that I would be losing lots of time. I forgot to mention that I'm not running the splitter at full speed either. In either of the videos you guys have seen, I have the engine purring right along at 3000 rpm. It saves a ton of fuel as opposed to running it at max rpm (3400).
I've never looked closely at a hydraulic splitter, let alone used one, but I'm guessing there's a switch of some kind at the top of the stroke that shuts the pump off. How easy would it be to make a movable switch so you could customize where the ram stops on the return stroke?
Thats how I move all my bigger rounds, I don't even bring the splitter (Electric) out of the shed anymore just wheel the rounds to the splitter and split and fill wheelbarrow and take to stacking area.
Backwoods Savage will be proud of you knowing its all business when your arse hits the milk crate....LOL
No switch, it's a detent in the valve that gets overridden when the system pressure spikes at the end of the return stroke. Lots of people have "short stroke" mods to try and accomplish what you're thinking but it's usually a good way to break things that otherwise would not break. Best solution is operator training or a machine with a fast enough cycle time that the loss is minimal. Get both and you can chew a lot of wood in a hurry!
On my machine, all the force required to trip the detent would be on a single 1/2" pin. Many others are not designed to withstand more than minimal resistance in reverse. Should the detent stick or be set a little on the hard side, I could see the pin shearing. Not the end of the world but.... The piston hitting the rear bulkhead of the cylinder is a much more positive stop.
MM, I too rarely run the engine at top speed. It sounds like y0u are running about the same rpms as we do. As you stated, it does save gas and it also is still fast enough for me. Now perhaps I need to send you a cushion for that milk crate!
Dennis, One benefit the plastic crates have over the wire crates is that over a short time, they conform to the shape of your posterior. So yes, you might get a case of waffle azz, but it's a custom fit waffle azz.
