Portable wood splitter

A pair of upstanding vertically elongated components are provided and each component includes upper and lower ends. The upper ends of the components are pivotally connected for relative swinging movement of the lower ends thereof toward and away from each other. The lower end of one of the components includes abutment surfaces facing toward the lower end of the other component and the lower end of the other component includes a wedge facing toward the abutment surfaces. An extendable hydraulic motor is operatively connected between the components for forcibly angularly displacing the components relative to each other to swing the lower ends thereof toward each other. The wedge-equipped component includes lower end foot structure for stationary support from a horizontal support surface and the abutment surface-equipped component includes lower end opposite side ground-engaging support wheels. Further, opposite side portions of the upper end of a first of said components includes horizontally outwardly projecting handgrip structure and the handgrip structure may be used to move the components about upon a horizontal support surface with which the support wheels are engaged in the same manner in which a hand truck may be wheeled and maneuvered over a horizontal support surface.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
Various forms of wood splitting devices heretofore have been provided. One 
of the primary types of wood splitting devices includes spaced apart 
abutment and wedge blade structures movable toward and away from each 
other for splitting a length of wood disposed therebetween. Some abutment 
and wedge blade structure equipped wood splitters include motor powered 
hydraulic circuitry and double-acting hydraulic cylinders for moving the 
abutment and wedge blade structures toward and away from each other. While 
these forms of wood splitters are considered desirable, the cost thereof 
is sometimes prohibitively high inasmuch as they not only require a 
double-acting hydraulic cylinder but also a hydraulic pump, a hydraulic 
reservoir and a motor for driving the hydraulic pump. In addition, some 
abutment and wedge blade structure equipped wood splitters utilize an 
electric motor driven screw jack for forcibly shifting the abutment and 
wedge blade structures toward and away from each other, but these 
electrically powered wood splitters require a source of electrical 
potential and also incorporate structure including the electric motor and 
the screw jack structure which are subject to maintenance problems. 
Accordingly, a need exists for an improved form of wood splitter 
incorporating a conventional hydraulic bottle jack as the force developing 
structure by which the relatively movable abutment and wedge blade 
structures may be moved toward each other for the purpose of splitting a 
log section therebetween. 
Examples of various different forms of wood splitting devices including 
some of the general structural and operational features of the instant 
invention are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,966,180, 3,779,295, 4,112,985 
and 4,258,765. 
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
The wood splitter of the instant invention includes a pair of upstanding 
vertically elongated components having upper and lower ends. The upper 
ends of the components are pivotally connected together for relative 
swinging movement of the lower ends thereof toward and away from each 
other. The lower end of one of the components includes abutment surface 
structure facing toward the lower end of the other component as well as 
ground-engaging support wheels. The lower end of the other component 
includes wedge structure facing toward the abutment surface structure and 
also is equipped with depending support foot portions. A hydraulic bottle 
jack is operatively connected between the upstanding components for 
forcibly swinging the lower ends of the components toward each other and 
as the lower ends of the components swing toward each other the foot 
portion equipped component is maintained stationary while the 
ground-engaging support wheel equipped component moves over the associated 
support surface toward the lower end of the foot portion equipped 
component. 
The main object of this invention is to provide a wood splitter which may 
incorporate a relatively inexpensive hydraulic bottle jack as the motive 
force for developing sufficient thrust forces between an abutment and a 
wedge edge to split a length of wood disposed between the abutment and 
wedge edge. 
Another object of this invention is to provide a wood splitting apparatus 
of the manually operable type and which may be readily manually 
transported from one location to another in a manner similar to the manner 
in which a wheeled hand truck may be wheeled from one location to another. 
Yet another important object of this invention is to provide a wood 
splitting apparatus including component parts thereof which may be readily 
disassembled for storage and/or shipment in a compact state. 
Another very important object of this invention is to provide a wood 
splitter that may be economically mass produced. 
Another object of this invention is to provide a wood splitter which may be 
readily manufactured in different sizes and ratings of wood splitting 
force. 
A final object of this invention to be specifically enumerated herein is to 
provide a wood splitter in accordance with the preceding objects and which 
will conform to conventional forms of manufacture, be of simple 
construction and easy to use so as to provide a device that will be 
economically feasible, long lasting and relatively trouble free in 
operation. 
These together with other objects and advantages which will become 
subsequently apparent reside in the details of construction and operation 
as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to 
the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, wherein like numerals 
refer to like parts throughout.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
Referring now more specifically to the drawings the numeral 10 generally 
designates the wood splitter of the instant invention. The wood splitter 
10 includes first and second upstanding components 12 and 14 pivotally 
interconnected at their upper end portions by a pivot fastener 16. 
Accordingly, the lower ends of the components 12 and 14 are swingable 
toward and away from each other. 
The first component 12 includes a pair of laterally spaced side plates 18 
and 20 and a journal sleeve 22 extends and is secured therebetween with 
opposite ends of the sleeve 22 anchored within transverse bores 24 formed 
in the side plates 18 and 20. The lower extremities 26 and 28 of the 
plates 18 and 20 are laterally offset toward each other and clampingly 
engage the upper end of a depending combined wedge and blade structure 30. 
Suitable fasteners 32 are secured through the lower extremities 26 and 28 
as well as the upper end of the blade structure 30 and two of the 
fasteners 32 are also utilized to mount a pair of downwardly divergent 
opposite side legs 34 and 36 from the extensions 26 and 28, the lower ends 
of the legs 34 including horizontal foot portions 38 for engaging an 
upwardly facing support surface 40. 
The side plates 18 and 20 are also interconnected by a reinforcing tube 42 
extending and secured therebetween as well as a bracing sleeve 44 
extending and secured between the upper rear portions of the side plates 
18 and 20. Further, the journal sleeve is braced by divergent reinforcing 
plates 46 and 48 secured to and extending outwardly from peripherally 
spaced portions of the sleeve 22 and extending longitudinally of the first 
component 12. The plates 46 and 48 are secured along the inner surfaces of 
the plates 18 and 20 by welding and the opposite ends of a small diameter 
tube 50 are secured in and open through openings 51 provided therefor in 
the side plates 18 and 20. A solid transverse handle shaft 52 is provided 
and includes a first handgrip 54 on one end and a second handgrip 56 on 
the other end. At least one of the handgrips 54 and 56 is removable and 
the handle shaft 52 may be telescoped into the small diameter tube 50 from 
one end thereof until the shaft 52 is substantially centered relative to 
the tube 50, after which a cotter pin 58 may be passed through suitable 
registered bores formed in the central portion of the small diameter tube 
50 and the center portion of the handle shaft 52. In this manner, the 
handle shaft 52 is removable but is readily securable in adjusted position 
relative to the small diameter tube 50. 
The second component 14 includes a pair of opposite side plates 60 and 62 
interconnected at their upper ends by a tubular shaft portion 64 extending 
and secured therebetween. The shaft portion 64 is rotatably received in 
the journal sleeve 22 and a mounting sleeve 66 is also secured between the 
side plates 60 and 62 centrally intermediate the upper and lower ends 
thereof for a purpose to be hereinafter more fully set forth. The lower 
ends of the plates 60 and 62 have a transverse heavy gauge abutment plate 
68 secured therebetween and a transverse axle assembly referred to in 
general by the reference numeral 70 has its mid-portion mounted from the 
outer sides of the lower portions of the plates 60 and 62 by mounting 
flange portions 72 secured to the outer sides of the plates 60 and 62 by 
fasteners 74. The opposite ends of the axle assembly 70 rotatably journal 
opposite side ground-engaging support wheels 76 therefrom rollingly 
engaged with the surface 40. 
A pair of anchor pins 80 and 82 are secured between the plates 18 and 20 
and the plates 60 and 62, respectively, and the opposite ends of a high 
tension expansion spring 84 are engaged with the anchor pins 80 and 82 and 
the spring 84 thus serves to yieldingly bias the components 12 and 14 to 
relatively angulated positions thereof with the abutment plate 68 spaced 
from the blade structure 30. 
The bracing sleeve 44 rotatably receives a mount sleeve 88 thereon which 
supports a downwardly opening cup 90 and the downwardly opening cup 90 
snugly seatingly receives the upper head end 92 of the extendable piston 
portion of a bottle jack referred to in general by the reference numeral 
94 and removably supportingly engaged from a mounting plate 96 mounted on 
the sleeve 66 for angular displacement relative thereto. The cup 90 
includes a setscrew 98 for releasably locking the head 92 within the cup 
90 and the bottle jack 94 includes the conventional removable oscillatable 
handle 100 whereby the piston portion of the bottle jack 94 may be 
extended. 
As may be best seen from FIG. 4 of the drawings a handle receiving sleeve 
104 is also connected between the upper ends of the side plates 18 and 20. 
The sleeve 104 has opposite side portions thereof secured by welding to 
the inner side surfaces of the plates 18 and 20 and the lower end of the 
sleeve 104 is closed by a bottom wall 106. The handle 100 as well as other 
tools may be stored within the sleeve 104. 
In operation, the relief valve (not shown) on the bottle jack 94 is opened 
and the spring 84 acts to swing the lower ends of the first and second 
components 12 and 14 away from each other as well as to retract the 
extendable piston of the bottle jack 94. Thereafter, a log to be split may 
be positioned on the surface 40 between the abutment plate 68 and the 
blade structure 30 and the relief valve of the bottle jack 94 may be 
closed. Thereafter, the handle 100 may be oscillated in order to cause the 
bottle jack 94 to extend the piston shaft thereof whereupon the lower ends 
of the components 12 and 14 will be swung toward each other in order to 
split the log. Utilization of a 20 ton jack results in approximately 10 
tons of force being appliable to the blade structure 30 for advancing the 
latter through the log to be split. 
As the included angle between the components 12 and 14 is reduced, the 
wheels 76 roll toward the legs 34 and 36 and the feet 38. In addition, 
when the bottle jack 94 is subsequently retracted under the biasing action 
of the expansion spring 94, the lower end of the component 14 moves away 
from the legs 34 and 36 and the feet 38. 
The handgrips 54 and 56 enable the wood splitter 10 to be wheeled from one 
location to another in substantially the same manner in which a 
wheel-equipped hand truck may be maneuvered from one location to another. 
The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the 
invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily 
occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the 
invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and 
accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted 
to, falling within the scope of the invention.