A Miracle for Christmas

[JimT]

Been working on our log splitter.

Last year I was splitting some green Texas Live Oak logs .. very hard and tough. On one log the skid on the bottom of the wedge caught the edge of the log, lifted it and put everything into a bind and suddenly POW! The welds holding the wedge broke. We were done for the season so I pulled the splitter behind the shop and parked it.

This week I towed it over to a welding shop and had the wedge re-welded properly. Getting it back home I fired it up and running the splitter, the hydraulic cylinder was very jerky and hard to move. Extending the splitter completely I could see that the piston rod of the hydraulic cylinder was bent! The hydraulic cylinder is around 2 1/2 feet long and the piston rod is at almost that long. In the middle it was bent to the point that the end that holds the wedge was about 3/4" too high, putting everything in a bind.

We decided we would try to straighten the piston rod. Looking at YouTube we found a video of a guy straightening a similar one to ours. His was on a backhoe. So we went to to work. My son-in-law cut a block of aluminum to go under the piston rod at the bend. I disconnected the wedge from the pistol rod and wrapped a log chain around the end of the rod. We used a hydraulic jack under the I-beam that wedge runs on and carefully jacked the piston rod until it was bent slightly down. Releasing the pressure it went back, but slightly lower from where it had been. We did this 3 more times, going slow and bending a bit further than the previous time. The whole time we were asking the Lord for help. The last time we bent it, at one point we stopped and wondered, should we go further? I said, "Release the pressure and see where we are." and Lane did so. The rod came up and stopped with the pin hole perfectly aligned with the hole in the wedge! Lane put a straight-edge on the piston rod and it was perfect! I was able to shove the pin into the hole without any problem. It could not have gotten any closer.

I do not believe in luck. I believe in Divine help!

The splitter is now back in service and working great.

PS ... this splitter is a home-made rig on a trailer. The hydraulic cylinder is off a front-end loader. We bought it from an old guy who built it and used it until he couldn't get around anymore. The welds are crappy but mostly hold. After we bought it we discovered the lug nuts are spot-welded to the rims. On the splitter it says "KORN LIKKER PRODUCTS" which pretty much explains how it is built. It is tough and it does work.

[3leggedturtle]

So the Lord gave you the patience to think it over and do it the right way with others help and knowledge! Its snowing here, would love have a good wood fire going. When its -20 or so green wood splits real easy.... Todd/3leg

[JimT]

So the Lord gave you the patience to think it over and do it the right way with others help and knowledge! Its snowing here, would love have a good wood fire going. When its -20 or so green wood splits real easy.... Todd/3leg

You don't know how big a miracle that patience was!

[GunnyMack]

Good yarn Jim! Reminds me of a couple myself.
I have a 2nd hand RWS air rifle, bought it off the neighbor as it didn't shoot to poa. Seems his young son tried to cock it and let go of the barrel. That bent it when it flung itself closed. Took it to class one day and we straightened it. I took the barrel off and handed it to my instructor who promptly commenced to wracking it on a Babbitt bar. Its now within about .002" of dead straight! Shoots great again.
The other thing was I'm mowing the silage pit with my hunnerd dollar push mower and I hit a length of chain. Not 3/8 chain but a chain used for BIG loads on railroads. Had to be 5/8" link that were 4 inches long- BIG STUFF. Well I borrowed a lead hammer and gave it a whack here & there on the crank shaft. Got it straight enough that it ran again!

[Ray]

Deleted.

[1894c]

we follow a GOD who answers prayers...and enjoys a good fire at night too... blessings... :)