# Electric Log Splitter won't split



## ronkimes (Nov 6, 2013)

Hey all,

I have a Ryobi electric log splitter (49701) that I've used for about 5 years now. Split probably 6 cords total with no issues. This past weekend I was splitting some wood with a friend and the splitter stopped splitting (after we split about a cord). After attempting to get the splitter to work for the past few days, I went to my friend just to follow up that it still wasn't working. At this time he told me the last piece he split he had to 'jam' it in between the wedge and the ram because it was a little too big (I didn't see him do this). I was not aware of this until last night. I would imagine that if he 'jammed' a log in between the wedge and ram, it would have moved or pushed the ram towards the rear of the splitter, out of its resting position.

Here is what happens: the unit powers on, the ram engages the log and pushes it towards the wedge, once the log touches the wedge it won't split it, and the ram returns to its starting position once I disengage the lever and the power button.

I have it plugged directly in a 20 amp outlet. I've tried splitting a piece of soft maple and it wouldn't split. I checked the oil level and it's good (just changed it last year). Everything sounds and appears to operating normally, it just won't split wood. Motor runs, fans runs, the ram moves freely from its resting position to the wedge. No squealing or sounds that are out of the normal.

Can anyone give me a tip of how to troubleshoot this? I'd love to get her working again.

Here is a ling to a website showing the parts of the log splitter for reference:

http://www.ereplacementparts.com/ryobi-ry49701-electric-log-splitter-parts-c-7931_7937_15706.html

Any advice or help is much appreciated! Thanks!


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## Jags (Nov 6, 2013)

I can't tell by the parts break down, but I am going to assume that this is a two stage hydraulic pump.  It sounds like as soon as the machine requires any kind of pressure, the ram stops?  This could be caused by a faulty second stage of the pump.  You could also be getting bypass in the control valve or even the internal seals on the cylinder.

ETA - do you notice any change in tone of the motor when the ram stops pushing?
Unfortunately these little dudes can be hard to track down issues.  Tough to put a pressure gauge on it.


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## barnuba (Nov 6, 2013)

I have the Harbor Freight electric splitter and had a similar issue.  I found the set screws that hold the ram lever loosened up causing the lever to slip out of adjustment.  I took the lever off, readjusted everything and it has been working great ever since.

Also, you could try bleeding the system.


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## greg13 (Nov 6, 2013)

I would look at the pump/motor coupler first.  It may be stripped allowing the motor to turn the pump until it requires pressure then it slips. I don't know if there is a way to check the pressure or not, but the relief valve could be bad also.

Try googling "Ryobi splitter problems" and see what you find, I would bet you are not the first one to have this problem.


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## MrWhoopee (Nov 6, 2013)

Make sure that the wedge end of the splitter is a little higher than the pump end. If not, the oil does not drain back to the pump properly and the pump may starve. A "jam" will not do any damage unless you continue to apply pressure instead of letting off.


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## ronkimes (Nov 8, 2013)

I appreciate all of your replies! I'll try all of the mentioned troubleshooting options and report back...


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## Sprinter (Nov 8, 2013)

If the last piece was too tough to split and he continued to apply power to it for too long, some seals may have been damaged.

Also, was the wing nut loose before it was used last?


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## DanCorcoran (Nov 10, 2013)

Yes, the instructions say not to apply pressure for more than 5 seconds if the wood doesn't split.  Your friend may not have known this.  Leaking seals can result.


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## RLS (Nov 13, 2013)

The HF 7 ton I just got won't let me hold pressure on if the log doesn't split.  The motor stops and I have to release and restart.  Not sure if this is because I had a 100ft 14 guage cord the first time or if its a design to stop to prevent overload.

If designed that way its a nice feature to keep from breaking it.  It was not a hassle at all.  Only stalled on 3 logs.


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## Jags (Nov 13, 2013)

RLS said:


> The HF 7 ton I just got won't let me hold pressure on if the log doesn't split.  The motor stops and I have to release and restart.


Sounds to me like you are tripping the overload protection for the motor.  Probably not a good practice for long term life.  Try and let up before you get to that point.


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## RLS (Nov 13, 2013)

Yeah it is some kind of overload protection.  It happens right away on the harder/bigger logs.  As soon as the ram hits and the log doesnt pop the overload kicks in.    Hopefully its due to the long 100ft cord of 14g on a 15 amp house circuit.   I have not had a chance to run it on a 20a circuit with 10g cord yet.


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## Sprinter (Nov 13, 2013)

RLS said:


> Yeah it is some kind of overload protection.  It happens right away on the harder/bigger logs.  As soon as the ram hits and the log doesnt pop the overload kicks in.    Hopefully its due to the long 100ft cord of 14g on a 15 amp house circuit.   I have not had a chance to run it on a 20a circuit with 10g cord yet.


That happened to me once.

Do get a better cord.  100 ft is too long for 14 gauge. The starting current and stall current is huge.


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## DanCorcoran (Nov 14, 2013)

I use a 25-foot, 10-gauge cord on a 20 amp circuit, specifically to avoid overheating the motor.  Seemed like a small investment to protect the splitter.  I can use it to recharge my electric shaver, too.


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## chumney (Sep 11, 2014)

ronkimes said:


> Hey all,
> 
> I have a Ryobi electric log splitter (49701) that I've used for about 5 years now. Split probably 6 cords total with no issues. This past weekend I was splitting some wood with a friend and the splitter stopped splitting (after we split about a cord). After attempting to get the splitter to work for the past few days, I went to my friend just to follow up that it still wasn't working. At this time he told me the last piece he split he had to 'jam' it in between the wedge and the ram because it was a little too big (I didn't see him do this). I was not aware of this until last night. I would imagine that if he 'jammed' a log in between the wedge and ram, it would have moved or pushed the ram towards the rear of the splitter, out of its resting position.
> 
> ...


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## chumney (Sep 11, 2014)

Hi All
Brand new to the forum
I have a Ryobi ELS 52 log splitter with a fault and wondered if any one could help. When I lift the lever and push the button, the machine humms and then cuts out, with nothing moving.
Simon


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## Jags (Sep 11, 2014)

With that model, does pushing the button energize the motor or do you have to move the lever AND push the button?


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## chumney (Sep 11, 2014)

Jags said:


> With that model, does pushing the button energize the motor or do you have to move the lever AND push the button?


Hi Jags
Thank you for your reply, You need two hands to operate my one, one pushing the button, and the other on the lever to make the ram move.
Simon


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## Jags (Sep 11, 2014)

chumney said:


> one pushing the button, and the other on the lever to make the ram move.



Right, but will pushing the button alone start the motor?

ETA:  A motor just humming and not spinning has the possibility of a couple of things.  First I would look a the start capacitors.  If you can get to the end of the motor shaft, you can often test this by manually spinning the motor once it starts to hum.  If it picks up and starts to spin, its a pretty good bet. (note: you will need to spin the motor as fast as you can using an action similar to snapping your fingers).  Depending on design and build, there could also be start windings in the motor causing issues.
I know specifically of one of these units that was repaired with a change out of the capacitors. (and they were not very expensive).


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## chumney (Sep 11, 2014)

Yes the  motor humms when I push the start button
Simon


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## Jags (Sep 11, 2014)

chumney said:


> Yes the  motor humms when I push the start button
> Simon


If possible, try my test about spinning the motor when it is humming.  If it takes off, I would probably be looking at start caps.


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## chumney (Sep 11, 2014)

Jags said:


> If possible, try my test about spinning the motor when it is humming.  If it takes off, I would probably be looking at start caps.


That's really helpful Jags thank you very much. I have just got myself a job at the weekend
Thanks for your help.
Simon


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## Jags (Sep 11, 2014)

Keep us informed on how it goes.


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## Sprinter (Sep 11, 2014)

If the motor just hums but does not spin, I had that problem a while back.  Some debris was caught in the fan blades in the front of the motor.  Take off the shroud with three screws and make sure the fan blade turns freely and is clear of debris.


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## Jags (Sep 11, 2014)

Sometimes its the simple things....


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## chumney (Sep 27, 2014)

hi all, well the saga continues I have changed the capacitor on my ELS52 and still have the same problem. Jags! As you suggested I removed the fan housing and tried to spin the fan by hand! It did start to spin. There does seem to be quite a lot of resistance in the motor when I turn the fan ( is that normal)? I did look to see if something was jamming the blades, but nothing there. No such luck eh. Anybody help PLEASE!!
Simon


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## Sprinter (Sep 27, 2014)

How long have you had this splitter?  Is it new or have you been using it all along?

On mine the fan turns quite freely, very little resistance.  If you can do so safely, you might want to manually give the fan a spin while pushing the start button to see if that gives you a hint of the problem.  Be careful of course, it spins fast.


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## chumney (Sep 28, 2014)

chumney said:


> hi all, well the saga continues I have changed the capacitor on my ELS52 and still have the same problem. Jags! As you suggested I removed the fan housing and tried to spin the fan by hand! It did start to spin. There does seem to be quite a lot of resistance in the motor when I turn the fan ( is that normal)? I did look to see if something was jamming the blades, but nothing there. No such luck eh. Anybody help PLEASE!!
> Simon


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## chumney (Sep 28, 2014)

hi all
Been playing around with the splitter again this morning. jags tried your trick again spun the fan by hand and would you believe it is working great now. Had I'd running about 30 or so times and fires up perfectley every time now. I sprayed some wd40 over the shaft. So have not got a clue what was wrong, but I hope the problem is now over. thank you all for your helpful replies, a nice group of people.
Simon


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## dougand3 (Sep 28, 2014)

Maybe the brush-armature contact was gummed up and some WD40 got in there and cleaned. That's a stretch, tho.


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## Hogwildz (Sep 28, 2014)

I have the Ryobi, here are a few things to check:

As mentioned, make sure the motor shroud is not plugged up with debris.
If the motor is overheating, causing the thermal switch to trigger, make sure your using a heavy gauge electrical cord, shorter the better. Minimal 12g.
There is a wing nut on the front of the splitter, make sure it is 1 to 2 turns loosened, to allow air to flow in & out of the tank, this protects the seals and hydraulic system from rupturing per the manual. 
If it is not tightened, the splitter will not build enough pressure to power through the wood.
The cord to the motor is in a crappy spot, and can get broken/worn near where it connects to the splitter motor.


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## wahoowad (Sep 28, 2014)

Hogwildz said:


> This is a pressure relief mechanism, that you are supposed to loosen when splitter is being moved, or not in use.
> If it is not tightened, the splitter will not build enough pressure to power through the wood.



Are you sure you have this right? I have the Ryobi too and do the wingnut exact opposite of you. I loosen the wingnut during splitting operations as I thought it needed to prevent a vacuum from forming. I tighten it when I move it to prevent hydraulic fluid from escaping. It wouldn't surprise me to learn I've been doing it wrong all these years, but mine has been splitting just fine.


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## Hogwildz (Sep 28, 2014)

You may be right. I have not used mine since I bought a hydr, splitter.
Yes, I just read the manual, should be loosened one or two turns.
I will revise my original post.

Good catch Wahoo, I do make mistakes.


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## wahoowad (Sep 28, 2014)

I get a bigboy splitter tomorrow so my Ryobi will get slid into a corner as well.


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## Sprinter (Sep 28, 2014)

I just commented on the wing nut too and had to delete it when I was beat to it...

Glad the OP got it running.  I was going to comment on the use of extension cords as well, Hogz.  These things draw a lot of current and will cut out on startup or heavy load if the circuit isn't sufficient.  It did sound like that could have been the problem.  I do run mine on a 50' 12g ext cord but it's on a dedicated circuit. 

Regarding retiring it to a corner, I put mine up in a corner of the garage for splitting kindling or whatever over the winter.  I like that it takes up so little space.  It's all I need but I think a lot of folks do use both an electric and gas.


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## Jags (Sep 29, 2014)

chumney said:


> There does seem to be quite a lot of resistance in the motor when I turn the fan ( is that normal)?



Not really.  At low speeds/low pressure it shouldn't take much to turn the motor.  There really are only two things in that "circuit" - the motor and the pump.  I guess at this point if it were on MY bench I would separate the motor and pump to figure out where the resistance is.  I don't have any easy suggestions at this point other than make darn sure that the wingnut being referenced above has been turned out a turn or two.  If you have positive pressure in the system it could cause issues.


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