Can I build a log splitter on the frame of a pickup truck?

[Faithful One]

I got a little Ford Ranger Pickup truck with no bed and was wondering would the frame hold up to a home made hand operated hydrualic jack splitter?

I want to mount it on one frame rail on the passengers side(no gas tank in the way)

[oldcj5guy]

If I remember right, the ranger is only a c channel frame back there. It would possibly hold up, but I think you would be better off getting a solid piece of steel to hook the whole thing to. It would also give you the option in the future to move it to another rig.

My understanding in this is that you would be mounting the wedge and the ram directly to the frame, and not mounting a self contained setup to the frame.

[HermitJohn]

If I understand correctly and you are wanting to use the frame rail as the beam to run the ram and wedges on directly without any other i-beam, etc involved, you might get by IF you boxed in the frame rail by welding in some metal to close the open side of the frame rail. Still marginal. You would probably have to weld in some seriously heavy metal to make it equivalent in strength to the i-beam used in factory made wood splitter. You can make a bridge out of toothpicks if you have the skill to engineer it enough (and enough toothpicks). So if you have really good mechanical engineering sense and a feel for the stresses involved, go for it.

But sometime you are at a place that sells wood splitters, look at the thickness of the i-beam they use for ram and wedge to slide on. Now look at the thickness of the c-channel of the Ranger frame. Notice any difference? Believe me if the companies making wood splitters could get by using much thinner and cheaper metal, they would.

Now on other hand if I have misunderstood you and you just want to mount a factory or homemade wood splitter that is now able to function independent to the frame of a pickup, thats doable and relatively easy, though awkward to use unless it tilts up vertical when in use.

[PyroDon]

Hmmm if this ranger is running why not utilize a power steering pump to run a real hydraulic cylinder.
yes you will need Ts in the lines and a valve but a PS pump while slow will produce the needed presure and be faster than a hand pumping jack.
as for the c frame I doubt it is solid enough . You would have more strength from a pair of 4" channel iron beams or a single good I or box beam.