looking for a strong & simple hydrolic log splitter to build

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Hey all you fab guys, do you have picks or diagrams of log splitters you want to share?I'm thinking of building one that mounts on the load bucket of my backhoe and runs off the 4 in 1 hydrolics. If anyone in northern Ca. can recommend suppliers of parts, that would be a help too.Thanks!
Reply:Cadplans has exactly what your looking for.  I've really been please with the plans for a backhoe and small tractor I bought from them.Bob from Idaho
Reply:Surplus Center will have all the parts you need other than the steel.  I get a lot of power transmission stuff, and, hydraulic stuff from them.  Here's their link.http://http://www.surpluscenter.com/To give you an example of their pricing.  I bought an old Cordwood Saw early this year.  It had a burned up B&S engine on it.  I wanted to convert it to 3 pt hitch and PTO set up.  I located a 2 to 1 gear box, fabbed up the mounts and brackets for box, beefed up the frame, fabbed up a safety shield around the blade, and a bunch of other stuff.  I needed pulleys.  I checked my Grainger  and MSC catalogs.  Then, I checked Surplus Center.  With shipping charges, Surplus Center was a good 25% cheaper than the others, and, shipped to my door.  I had to wait a few days, no big deal.Hope your splitter works out.
Reply:her's the splitter i'm going to build for my backhoe. should cost about $300 and yeild a 20+ splitter. Attached Images
Reply:As an operator, that both intrigues me and concerns me a bit. I can see a good operator moving all over a log pile, and even moving logs around, to make splitting MUCH less work, but the lack of ability to see the wedge while using it could be trouble. The extra time to be sure that you aren't splitting your helpers fingers might slow it down. Unless of course you are a one man show and just walk over to the stick to run it from outside the cab. Still, very interesting.
Reply:Is there some way to have the control (joystick or throttle or whatever its called) to the location of the person holding the round? I split a lot of wood, but wouldn't want to be at either end of a 2 man operation working blind like it apears in the picture.But I really like the idea of a splitter on the end of the backhoe that can be moved around the wood pile- I tend to get surrounded by split wood quickly unless someone is restacking it out of the way.
Reply:here's a crude idea to control the lever that controls the bucket cylinder. this guy mounted a small pulley on each stabilizer, then ran cables to a T mounted to the business end of the boom. a lever on the T is used to push-retract, pull-extend the cylinder. Attached Images
Reply:I am thinking (that is sometimes dangerous for me) that it is possible to connect an electrically operated solenoid directional valve in parallel with the stick cylinder control.  This would allow you to use something like a winch remote control switch.  The solenoid valve will not interfere with normal operation of the manual controls unless of course it is electrically activated.   I figure the valve and extra plumbing to be under $500 bucks.