Hand Powered Log Splitter

Hand Powered Log Splitter WOODLOT EQUIPMENT Wood Splitters 10-2-10 "My mother is 65 years old and she can split wood with it," says Ed Schroeder, Chapin, Ill., who's designed a unique hand-powered log splitter that uses a ratchet-handled, cam design to multiply the force applied to the handle. A high-tensile chain bolted to the handle runs over a cam and under the table of the splitter where it attaches to the splitting wedge. Each stroke on the handle pulls the wedge into the wood. A spring pulls the wedge back to starting position when the handle is raised all the way back to the top of the stroke. A ratchet built into the handle lets the operator use short, cam-intensified strokes to split even the toughest wood since if the handle is not brought all the way back up, the wedge doesn't pull back to starting position. According to Schroeder, the splitter works on a 60 to 1 ratio so 200 lbs. of pressure applied to the handle results in 12,000 lbs. splitting force. The cam is designed so it exerts the most force in the first few inches so that short strokes have the most power. The splitter adjusts to cut wood up to 24 in. long. The bottom rail is made from two pieces of 2¢-in. wide, ¢-in. thick steel. "Most chunks of wood take 3 to 4 pumps on the handle. Because of the ratchet, you just work the wedge down through the wood. You don't have to raise the handle all the way up. Once it's split, you raise the handle and the wedge springs back to starting position," explains Schroeder, noting that he can cut as fast as most hydraulic splitters using his hand model. He's looking for a manufacturer. For more information, contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Ed Schroeder, Rt. 1, Box 158, Chapin, Ill. 62628 (ph 217 457-2589).

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