Zero Turn Ride-Along Splitter

Zero Turn Ride-Along Splitter WOODLOT EQUIPMENT Miscellaneous 33-5-33 Splitting wood is almost fun with Shawn Smith's zero-turn splitter. He drives to wherever the wood is, lowers the splitter and goes to work. If needed for big chunks, the splitter pivots up to a vertical position. Equipped with chains, Smith says the three-wheel machine goes about anywhere, chewing through snow or mud without a problem. The splitter was built around an old Toro greens mower Smith saw at an auction a few years back. "Looking at the three heavy reel mowers on it, I knew it had the hydraulic power needed for a splitter," says Smith. "It had two hydraulic pumps on it, and the 14-hp Kohler motor was in good shape." When he and a buddy, Chuck Hazelbaker, were temporarily laid off, they had extra time and decided to tackle the job. "I wanted to be able to split bigger chunks that I couldn't lift onto the table," says Smith. "So we hinged the splitting table to make it easy to switch to a vertical splitting position." Smith bought the Toro for $100. Other parts, including the cylinder, hoses and valve, cost him another $400. The rest of the splitter came out of his scrap steel bin. The splitter itself consists of a 5-ft. long, 7-in. high I-beam that rests on adjustable legs. The upper legs are 2-in. square steel tubing that slide over and are secured by pins to 1 3/4-in. square tubing with 4 by 4 steel base plates. Mounts for the mower are 1 1/2-in. by 2-in. steel tubing that extend perpendicular from the upper legs. The mounts are sized for sliding over the lift arms on the old mower and pin in place. "To extend or collapse the legs, we just raise the arms, pull the pins on the lower legs and adjust them," says Smith. "We can pull the pins and drive away, or lift the splitter up and add a foot to the length of the legs. It's handy for when I have wood to split in different spots around the yard and shop." The splitter face is a 7-in. wide, 14-in. long C-channel that's welded to the full face of the I-beam. A 36-in. long cylinder with a 4-in. bore drives the splitter wedge. "I tied the cylinder into the pump on the hydrostatic drive," says Smith. "It's not real fast, but it has plenty of power, and I can ride it over to whatever wood needs splitting." Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Shawn Smith, 9706 Water St., Salem, Ohio 44460 (ph 330 332-5036; jeep321@zoominternet.net)

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