New to me splitter project. ( finished Pics)

[Jamess67]

Finally got the splitter assembled and was able to wear some paint off of it. Worked great even with some very stringy smooth bark yellowish white colored wood, (Elm I believe?) Anyway the 8hp motor was barley over idle speed and I could get the wedge to stop splitting but the engine wouldnt bog down, not even a little. Could this mean that my pump pressures are set too low????
Those in the know please clue me in.... Yes that means you Jags.
Thanks guys

 

['bert]

While I was trying to set up my splitter I found the best way to tell what was happening was with a gauge. Then you will know exactly what pressure the cylinder is at. In my case, I did bump the bypass pressure on the the valve, but I think most of my problem was in the splitting head design, or lack thereof.

The gauge only costs about $ 10.00 and a few $$ for a T - I thought is was worth it.

 

[Jamess67]

where would one buy said gauge(quality)? Would the gauge go on the pressure side of the pump? If so how do you adjust the bypass, input, etc?

 

[Gooserider]

You can probably find a guage online (check that Hydraulic Surplus place, I forget the link) - look for one that has a 0-3,000 PSI range minimum, preferably 0-4,000 or 0-5,000 PSI. A Liquid-Filled case is desirable as that will give you a guage that reads with less vibration and will last longer. However it may not be all that cheap, mine was closer to $40 than to $10 IIRC...

You will want to put it on the pressure side of the pump, in a place where it won't get whacked - I think the best location on most machines (and where I put mine) was on the output of the pump - remove the HP hose, and put in a Tee fitting - on most Barnes-Haldex pumps it will be a pipe thread, but use hydraulic pressure rated fittings, then stick the hose in the straight through leg of the Tee, and the pump in the side leg.

Your bypass should kick in between 2,500 and 3,000 PSI; not higher....

Gooserider

 

['bert]

I put mine at the input to the cylinder, out of the way, won't get hit by falling splits. Here is a picture. I used a glycerine filled gauge that reads 0 - 3500 psi from a local hydraulic store for $ 13.99 cdn. I did not use a tee rated for hydraulic use, just a plain old steel plumbing tee - my bad. You should get the proper fittings (me too).

Adjusting the bypass will depend on the valve you have. Mine was adjusted by removing a cover bolt and adding about a 1/4 turn to a small screw inside. Mine is an Energy kick off valve.

 

[Jamess67]

I have an Energy valve also that has a bolt looking cover. I will look today for a gauge locally. All my fittings are pipe fittings. I couldnt find any hydraulic fitting in my small town and if I could I bet they would cost a mint.
That s a nice looking splitter there North. Simple yet elegant.. for a log splitter.

 

[Jags]

Those in the know please clue me in.... Yes that means you Jags.

The guys that responded above did a fine job indeed. I will second the gauge placement at the input of the cylinder. It seems to work well and be very visible there.

It does sound like your bypass is kicking out a bit early, but only the gauge can tell. I would not recommend going higher than 2500 PSI unless you have CONFIRMED that all components are rated for that pressure. Many hoses and cylinders are not.

Not being familiar with your control valve, all I can say is "its there somewhere". Usually under a cover of some nature. Adjust in small increments and use a good block of wood sideways to stall the cylinder. Try not to stall it out when the cylinder is at full stroke, it is possible to put goofy side pressures on the seals.

And as always, when dealing with high pressure, wear your safety goggles and use caution.

 

[Gooserider]

I have an Energy valve also that has a bolt looking cover. I will look today for a gauge locally. All my fittings are pipe fittings. I couldnt find any hydraulic fitting in my small town and if I could I bet they would cost a mint.
That s a nice looking splitter there North. Simple yet elegant.. for a log splitter.

Hydraulic fittings can be hard to find sometimes, though they can always be had online... They are also pricey, figure at least 2-3 times as much as a standard pipe fitting for the same part, often more... :bug: However I should also point out that it is DANGEROUS to use standard "schedule 40" pipe fittings on a hydraulic system - Sched 40 fittings are usually made from cast iron, and are only rated to a few hundred pounds of pressure, MUCH less than what you will find on the high pressure side of a hydraulic system. Schedule 40 pipe is steel, but with a welded seam, and again low pressure ratings.

Hydraulic fittings are usually machined or forged steel, using a much tougher alloy, and are designed to handle hydraulic level pressures. IMHO using schedule 40 pipe fittings on the pressure side of a hydraulic system is asking for trouble, potentially in the form of a catastrophic failure of the explosive variety...

(Note that there is no problem using sched 40 stuff on the low pressure side - the return and suction lines don't see any pressure to speak of, so no problem on that side.

Gooserider

 

[Jamess67]

Do you have a reasonable source for fittings online?

 

['bert]

Goose, do these fittings (sced 40) typically fail after some time? Or if they fail will it happen on start up? I only have a few, but they are on the pressure side, so I am just wondering if I am in for a surprise one day :snake:

Darn, I thought that project was done.. Guess not, oh well I wanted to add a log catcher anyway.

 

[Jamess67]

In my early research a 1/2 m-f 90 degree elbow runs about $9 w/o shipping. WOW That is pricey (McMaster Carr)
I found one that was just over $4 but then they wanted $13 shipping for $10 worth of fittings... Sorry not happening. (discounthydraulics.com)
Please tell me there are better prices...
BTW standard black pipe fittings are rated for 150 psi...guess Ill be finding some fittings somewhere

 

[Gooserider]

Do you have a reasonable source for fittings online?

I have to admit I didn't get my last batch of parts online - I went to the hydraulic shop a couple miles from my house - paid more, but had "free" advice, and exactly what I needed on very short notice... (actually made 4-5 different trips as I ran into various issues.)

That said, I've seen a few places that look like they'd be pretty good...

Hydraulic Supermarket doesn't seem to sell much, but is a good technical reference source...

Discount Hydraulic Hose looks like they've got a good selection of fittings and so forth.

Surplus Center is another place that has some good stuff, and also some useful technical references.

Gooserider

 

[Gooserider]

Goose, do these fittings (sced 40) typically fail after some time? Or if they fail will it happen on start up? I only have a few, but they are on the pressure side, so I am just wondering if I am in for a surprise one day :snake:

Darn, I thought that project was done.. Guess not, oh well I wanted to add a log catcher anyway.

I'm not really sure, I'd expect a failure on startup, but presumably it could happen at any time... Remember that most of the time, the high pressure side isn't really operating under that much pressure, especially if you have a large diameter cylinder... Essentially the pressure goes up as a function of the resistance to moving the piston - so just going back and forth might only need a hundred pounds or so, and even tough logs split fairly low... What will get you is the really gnarly stuff that kicks the pump into low volume / high pressure mode, and then into bypass...

Another poster said black iron is rated to 150 PSI. Typical test pressures are around 5/3 rated, so call the test pressure around 250 or so, after that who knows, but I would say the higher you push it the more likely it is to pop... Fortunately hydraulic doesn't do the explosive bomb number that compressed air does, but I still wouldn't want to be near it...

Gooserider

 

['bert]

Well now it's on the interweb, so I guess it's a fact. No more black pipe on homemade splitters.

I think I will suck it up and get mine changed out before next use. There is a good source of hydraulic parts in Canada at Princess Auto. I just checked they do not do international orders. They have stores all across Canada so may be of use if you do any cross border shopping. The exchange rate is back in favorable territory for the USA.

For the record " I don't have any affiliation with the store - other then as a customer"



http://www.princessauto.com/

 

[Jamess67]

Just ordered my fittings from Burden Surplus center (linked above, Thanks) Pretty good prices and reasonable shipping.

 

[boostnut]

Surplus center is generally the cheapest, they ship quick too. James, where are you from in illinois? BTW, thats a nice looking "makeover". You do good work.

 

[Jamess67]

Thanks for the compliment. Im a short drive north of Bloomington. Where are you?

 

[boostnut]

Not too far away. I live in Washington and work in Morton.

 

[Jamess67]

do you work at a place that starts with a C and ends with a T? Nevermind saw your earlier posts. Nice JD splitter.

 

[Jamess67]

Well Murphy paid me a visit while splitting some wood today. My 8hp B&S;locked up. :ahhh:
Anyone have a spare motor they want to donate? lol Its a sad sad day

 

[Gooserider]

Well Murphy paid me a visit while splitting some wood today. My 8hp B&S;locked up. :ahhh:
Anyone have a spare motor they want to donate? lol Its a sad sad day

Bummer ! Sorry to hear about the motor prob. Any idea as to cause / failure mode?

If it seems like something repairable, you might be able to get some advice on fixing it from the folks over on The Best Snowblower & Lawnmower Forum - they also seem to have a pretty good handle on where to get replacement engines for short bucks...

Gooserider

 

[savageactor7]

Sorry to hear that James...

 

[boostnut]

I've got a 5 horse briggs horizontal shaft that I took off mine in favor of a honda. Its got a few hours on it but still starts and runs pretty well. Let me know if you're interested.

 

[ccwhite]

James, Nice job on the splitter. Sorry about the motor. I have a 6.5hp horizontal shaft briggs I paid $35 lemme know if you'd want it. I was gonna tell you about surplus center but you got it already. That hydraulic tank is plenty of capacity. I know a guy who built his splitter with a small ( maybe 1/2 gallon ) windshield washer tank for a reservoir. I thought that was a bit small but he hasn't had any trouble. I used an old propane tank worked perfectly and holds 5 gal. https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/2855/ Anyway good job and good luck on the motor.

 

[Jamess67]

Hey guy thanks for the motor offers. Could you let me know more about them such as age, amount of use, basically what I need to know to make a good decision on which to get. Again thanks alot for the offers. Ill let you know what I decide.