Repair of 12.5 Ton Log Splitter

[Don52]

The slider bracket that attaches to the ram on my friend’s 12.5 ton log splitter failed.
-Picture 1 & 2 show log splitter with the bent slider bracket with cracked welds.
-Picture 3 show the initial weld crack which is rusty as well as the final weld crack which is clean.
-Picture 4 shows a crack in the bend which initiated at the notch from the clamp on the brake used to bend the plate. The direction of the crack made it difficult to grind out the crack so I cut the entire corner off of the bracket and re-welded it.
-Picture 5 shows the bracket prepared and ready for tack welding. I added a rib extension because I felt that the original rib was too short. This and the poor penetration of the welds are the root cause of the problem.
-Picture 6 & 7 show a close ups of the welds.
-Picture 8 shows the penetration on the back side of the outside corner weld.
-Picture 9 shows the bracket all done.
It will be painted and re-installed tomorrow.

[Don52]

Here are the rest of the pictures:

[Don52]

In my opinion a log splitter should be designed to stall the hydraulic ram before it bends the slider bracket, even if the log is not cut square and makes contact with the bottom of the slider bracket. The 100% penetration groove weld with the fillet weld on top and the extended rib that I added will improve the strength of the rib connection to the base plate. If you look at attached pictures 10 and 11 you can see the various plates of the slider bracket are all bent. My friend wanted to know what could be done to beef up the bracket so it wouldn’t bend any more. It seems like it might be easier to re-make the entire thing out of thicker metal. What do you think?

[Pass-N-Gas]

In my opinion a log splitter should be designed to stall the hydraulic ram before it bends the slider bracket, even if the log is not cut square and makes contact with the bottom of the slider bracket. The 100% penetration groove weld with the fillet weld on top and the extended rib that I added will improve the strength of the rib connection to the base plate. If you look at attached pictures 10 and 11 you can see the various plates of the slider bracket are all bent. My friend wanted to know what could be done to beef up the bracket so it wouldn’t bend any more. It seems like it might be easier to re-make the entire thing out of thicker metal. What do you think?

I agree the base plate needs to be thicker..Pull the cover on the control valve to adjust the dump valve if you want it to stall sooner..

[Don52]

Thanks for the comments.

The truth is that the splitter will most likely keep working with bent base and top plates, so we may never have to rebuild the bracket. The show stopper was when the welds on the ribs failed and the bracket bent over. If the bracket ever fails again I would be inclined to redesign and re-make it with properly sized plates, as you suggested.

One observation that someone else made was that the right side of both of the rib welds were cold lap. Do you agree?

[aametalmaster]

One observation that someone else made was that the right side of both of the rib welds were cold lap. Do you agree?

Lots of bad welds come out of factories where 7 dollar an hour welders are the norm or they are machine welded and no one ever looks at the parts. I just had a Genuine HD trans part come in my shop to be bored out and it had the ugliest machine weld on it i have seen in a while. The bead even skipped a few spots and didn't burn in to what they were welding...Bob

[Johnny]

For your splitter I'd make a new slider / traveller and have it on-hand n case the repairs cannot overcome the too light materials used.

I made this splitter and it's a beast. The 3/4" slider plate has bowed slightly after about 6 or 7 cords of Birch, Pine, and other. It travels fine, no problem. At the max 28gpm it has a 4-second cycle but I run the 20hp Honda at just above idle for an output of 11gpm and it's plenty fast for one guy.

[Don52]

For your splitter I'd make a new slider / traveller and have it on-hand n case the repairs cannot overcome the too light materials used.

Good idea.

I made this splitter and it's a beast. The 3/4" slider plate has bowed slightly after about 6 or 7 cords of Birch, Pine, and other. It travels fine, no problem. At the max 28gpm it has a 4-second cycle but I run the 20hp Honda at just above idle for an output of 11gpm and it's plenty fast for one guy.

You made a nice looking log splitter.

[Johnny]

Thank You.

I haven't been here since the post- vacationing in Crater Lake.

[Goodhand]

One observation that someone else made was that the right side of both of the rib welds were cold lap. Do you agree?

Perhaps some fault can be attached to weld quality, but even a sound weld can be expected to fail in a flawed design.