Light lift crane / splitter work deck (pics)

The ground finally dried up & was hard enough this afternoon to roll on it with the tractor and the big trailer. I had already added a 10' extension to an inexpensive truck lift boom, and installed it in the front right corner of the 5'x12' trailer. I also had rigged the boom with a 3 to 1 block and tackle lift line that triples the speed of the lift line vs. the winch speed. Today was just getting set-up and ready to try everything tomorrow. (Weather looks perfect)

Bolted the deck down. Lifted the boom off the base and drove the grease at the main post. She rotates nice.



This old pulley set-up was handy to slowly lift the boom off the base… found when we cleaned out the farm.



Trailer's leveled. Ready to roll the splitter up and on tomorrow and get going on the 2015-2016 stack.



My batteries are charging tonight that will run the boom winch. They're mounted in the trunk of the ATV. Gotta make the 12v power cable and hook it up to the winch's remote in the morning. Been a while since I started planning this riggin' and I'm pretty fired up to see how it all works…

 

Cool set-up be nice to see some action pics. We got rain for the rest of the week pretty much.

 

Is that twist permanent in your 3 sheave block or am I just looking at it to hard?

 

Looking good! More pics please. Where did all your bucked rounds go? I thought there were more?

I assume the splits go in the trailer, and then get moved to the shed?

Be carefully getting the splitter up there, or that video tomorrow may be just the evidence your life insurance company was looking for to decline the claim.

 

The twist in the rope lets the lines wrap a bit when they're loose but under load they work it out. The cable adds a little twist too. I wondered about that when I first ran it last fall, but it didn't seem to be a prob. I noticed I can easily see it while it's moving too so I'll keep an eye on it. I'll know more tomorrow when I see if I can destroy the whole rig…

 

As I get started I'm just gonna toss the splits into the shed to open up a tractor lane. Then I'll toss into the tractor bucket and carry. The rounds are there behind the trailer, can't see em too well. Tomorrow's gonna be fun.

 

Looking good.
You're taking firewooding to a new level

What size axle on the trailer.
Looks like a 3500 # max total weight.
What does the splitter weigh?
You have a pretty good load already,
may need to add an axle if you plan on carrying much green wood

action & a loaded pics

 

Very nice! A well thought out, detailed operation. I'd be curious to see pics of this whole thing in motion.

 

What is the purpose of putting the splitter up on the trailer?

 

Looking good man and we will all be waiting for the rest of the story

 

Gotcha. I might have been looking more at the twist than the whole set-up. Only a two sheave block. I was basing my question off the jacks we use for pulling wire. PITA if they twist.

 

The splitter is going up on the work deck in the vertical position so all splitting is done at waist height (no bending & lifting). The crane is used to lift rounds (100 lb max) up and on the splitter. The pics from today should tell the story better than I can, and I want those pics cause I really want this to "happen"…

I'm downin' coffee while I get ready to get out there. Feel like a kid at Christmas…

 

Gotta good eye Dave. Yup, it's a 3500 lb axle. Splitter weighs around 450 lbs. The deck it'll sit on has 4- 4x4s supporting 3/4" plywood. Pretty rugged. It weighs about 150 lbs. I'm using the trailer only as a moveable splitting op and not for loads of wood, so cap is no prob. I have wished many times however, that I'd gotten a tandem set-up… every time I haul the tractor. It weighs around 2000 lbs and it's all I want for weight. It has elec brakes so that helps, but… tandem would sure help sway issues a lot.

 

Get going, you've already wasted an hour of sunlight

 

He's too busy yacking on the board

 

Had a really fun day. Everything worked fine. I'm very happy with all of the gear… and, I didn't break anything… … OK…










I'm pooped. Got a lot done. Splitting at waist height is awesome. My back likes it…
(Those scrap pieces of plywood bolted on the side tray guards were to protect the engine in horiz mode at my son's last fall. Might make them bigger to block engine noise a little in vert mode.)