Woodsplitter

[Isaac Carlson]

Those aren't 1/2" fittings. 1/2" fittings will be almost 7/8" across the threads. You have 3/8" fittings. These are my 1/2" fittings. The camera makes it look weird, but they are close to 7/8" across the thread. Those small fittings (and possibly undersized hoses) are making the heat and also will kick your splitter into low speed mode much sooner even in easier wood.

 

[Isaac Carlson]

Upsizing to 1/2" will drop your pressure from 200 psi to about 50 psi.

You can have the cylinder modified at a hydraulic shop. It shouldn't cost too much. Did you have the hoses custom made? I see 12.7 MM on one line, are they all the same?

I have been looking at the pictures you posted, and it looks like the fittings and cylinder ports are your problem. It looks like most/all the fittings are too small. The line from the pump reduces down to the hose, then back up to the valve. That's not ok.

 

[ericm979]

The output hose from the pump looks like a 1/2" hose. It's got an 08 marking which is 1/2" and I think I can make out 1/2 on it in smaller text.

But the fitting on the end of the hose looks smaller than the usual 1/2" NPT fitting. It necks down from the crimp section to the threaded section. An NPT fitting of the same nominal size is closer to the OD of the crimp section. And there's a reducer screwed into the pump output port which the hose fitting connects to. So I think the hose end fitting is smaller than 1/2". When you spec hoses from say SurplusCenter (or your local hydraulic shop) there are usually at least two sizes of fittings for a given size of hose. I think you got the smaller one for that hose.

 

[Secondaryburns]

Upsizing to 1/2" will drop your pressure from 200 psi to about 50 psi.

You can have the cylinder modified at a hydraulic shop. It shouldn't cost too much. Did you have the hoses custom made? Are you calling them 1/2" because of how you measured the fittings?

Yup the hoses are all custom made at tractor dealer near me.The hoses are all labelled 1/2"
But the measurement of the internal 1/2" fitting is only 3/8"

 

[Isaac Carlson]

they used undersized fittings. You need full 1/2" fittings and bigger cylinder ports to match (along with bigger holes in the cylinder).

 

[Isaac Carlson]

What you see in the picture I just posted ^ is what you need.

 

[Isaac Carlson]

Don't be afraid to use 1/2" 45's or 90's if you need to, to tidy things up. You don't want hoses sticking out all over because they WILL get snagged/yanked. I have worked with hydraulics for a long time and the loose hoses always get ripped off somehow.

 

[Isaac Carlson]

I was just reading through the posts again and found where you said the pump is almost 16 gpm. 1/2" hose is the absolute minimum for 16 gpm. 3/4" would be ideal. You could run 3/4" from the pump to the valve and 1" reinforced hose as your return. 1/2" would work on the cylinder hoses, but if the working ports on the valve are bigger, use whatever size they are and put matching ports on the cylinder.

 

[tebenhoh]

You could try posting your video to YouTube and put a link here.

 

[tebenhoh]

An effective way to measure for the hoses; take an air hose line from a compressor, etc., (or garden hose) and mark it every 6”, hold the air hose where you need the hydraulic line to fit, and round up to the nearest mark. Worked perfect when I rebuilt my splitter.

 

[Secondaryburns]

I was just reading through the posts again and found where you said the pump is almost 16 gpm. 1/2" hose is the absolute minimum for 16 gpm. 3/4" would be ideal. You could run 3/4" from the pump to the valve and 1" reinforced hose as your return. 1/2" would work on the cylinder hoses, but if the working ports on the valve are bigger, use whatever size they are and put matching ports on the cylinder.

Thank you sir for all the help.I can change some of these things as you suggest.However the ports on the cylinder are only 1/2"(3/8 actual opening size)Could i not drill out all the 3/8 hose fittings to 1/2" and try that first?Hydraulics hoses and fittings are expensive here.Not sure if i want to into drilling the cylinder that means it has to come apart.

 

[ericm979]

Thank you sir for all the help.I can change some of these things as you suggest.However the ports on the cylinder are only 1/2"(3/8 actual opening size)Could i not drill out all the 3/8 hose fittings to 1/2" and try that first?Hydraulics hoses and fittings are expensive here.Not sure if i want to into drilling the cylinder that means it has to come apart.

1/2" fittings should be 1/2" ID or there about.

See https://www.discounthydraulichose.com/mm5/thread_guide.pdf

DO NOT drill out the fittings or the ports on the cylinder. They will be weakened and can burst under the high pressure your system can generate. Since you're standing right there next to them you will be in the firing line. Injuries from high pressure hydraulic parts failing can be really ugly and difficult to heal. High pressure fluid gets injected under your skin and into the flesh. Don't mess about with this stuff.

At the minimum you need a new hose from the pump to the valve that has a true 1/2" fitting on the pump end. You can then remove 3/8 adapter. I'd check the other end of that hose to see if they put too small a fitting on there too, and the other hoses too. I'm sorry you got screwed by the people who made your hoses, but unless you can get them to do it right which I doubt (you needed to tell them what size ends to use), you're just going to have to bite the bullet and put it up to a learning experience.

The good thing is that you can start with the hose from the pump to the valve and see how well it performs with just that change. Then if you need larger cylinder ports, take it to a hydraulic shop and have them do it.


BTW DiscountHydraluicHose and SurplusCenter have good prices on hoses and fittings. I don't know if that is still true in Canada but it's worth checking.

 

[Isaac Carlson]

The pump-to-valve hose and the return line are in use 100% of the time, so those should be your first items to fix. The cylinder should really have 1/2" ports installed so you can fix those hoses also.

A good hydraulic shop should be able to take care of your needs. It may be best to take the entire splitter in so they can see what you need.

 

[ericm979]

If the pump to valve hose is long enough you might be able to get the shop that made it to cut off the small end and put on a real 1/2" one (or whatever the pump port size is- check it). I don't know if hydraulic shops will work on used hoses, I've never asked them to do so. But if you're really short on cash that might be an option.

If I read the pump spec pic right at 3600 rpm its putting out 11.8gpm for the high flow stage. 1/2" should be ok for that. But if the pump port is larger than 1/2" (nominal, its more like 3/4" real as in the chart I linked above) then I'd take that as an instruction from the manufacturer to use that size hose and fittings.

I suspect that going to 1/2" from whatever its reduced to now (3/8"?) at the pump outlet will give a noticeable improvement in temperature and maybe even performance. At noted by others, fixing the pump to valve to tank hoses and fittings will have the greatest effect since those are always in use in an open center system.

 

[Secondaryburns]

If the pump to valve hose is long enough you might be able to get the shop that made it to cut off the small end and put on a real 1/2" one (or whatever the pump port size is- check it). I don't know if hydraulic shops will work on used hoses, I've never asked them to do so. But if you're really short on cash that might be an option.

If I read the pump spec pic right at 3600 rpm its putting out 11.8gpm for the high flow stage. 1/2" should be ok for that. But if the pump port is larger than 1/2" (nominal, its more like 3/4" real as in the chart I linked above) then I'd take that as an instruction from the manufacturer to use that size hose and fittings.

I suspect that going to 1/2" from whatever its reduced to now (3/8"?) at the pump outlet will give a noticeable improvement in temperature and maybe even performance. At noted by others, fixing the pump to valve to tank hoses and fittings will have the greatest effect since those are always in use in an open center system.

 

[Isaac Carlson]

15.2 gpm is what the pump is. It's no wonder your oil is near boiling. It should run around 120-140 once you get it fixed.

 

[Secondaryburns]

The pump is 15.2/3.3 gpm.The pump outlet is 1/2" npt and i have a 1/2" hydraulic hose connected to it.However as Isaac mentioned the internal diameter of the hydraulic hose fitting itself is only 3/8" Can i get a larger1/2" hydraulic hose fitting that threads into 1/2" npt?
I was to the understanding that these 1/2" fittings(on 1/2" hydraulic hose)i have from the pump to valve,the biggest internal diameter of the fitting is 3/8"?
Electrician trying to learn hydraulics🤣

 

[Isaac Carlson]

You appear to have a mix of 3/8" and 1/2" fittings on your hoses, it's hard to tell what is what in the pictures. 1/2" pipe has an outside diameter of .840", as the picture of my fitting shows.

You have a reducer fitting coming out of the pump because the fittings on the lines are not 1/2". Everything is put together around those undersized fittings. Take a good look at the picture I posted above. That is what you need. The fitting on the hose is a 1/2" npt/jic fitting. It has pipe thread on the outside and a jic taper on the inside so it can be threaded into a pipe thread hole directly or used with a jic fitting, which is what the 90° fitting in my picture is.

Get the same ends I have and it will be super easy to put it together. You could thread the hose right into the pump or use a black iron pipe elbow or a jic fitting. It's up to you. Some people shy away from iron pipe/fittings, but they work fine and flow very well. Jic fittings are nice because you can tighten the hose in any position without twisting it. You can thread one end of the hose directly in and then use a jic fitting on the other end, or jic fittings on both ends.

 

[Secondaryburns]

Thank you guys for helping me out with this,very much appreciated.Im taking all the info given here to the tractor shop monday morning with my hoses.Will update the results.Cheers

 

[ericm979]

The pump is 15.2/3.3 gpm.

At what rpm? At 3600 rpm which is typical for industrial engines that displacement translates to 12 gpm. But it doesn't matter, a 3/8 fitting is too small either way.

The pump outlet is 1/2" npt and i have a 1/2" hydraulic hose connected to it.However as Isaac mentioned the internal diameter of the hydraulic hose fitting itself is only 3/8" Can i get a larger1/2" hydraulic hose fitting that threads into 1/2" npt?

It looks like while you have 1/2" hose, the threads on the fitting on the end are 3/8. You can see on the outside where it necks down to the threads. You needed to put a reducer in the pump's 1/2" port to get it to connect. That's shows it's wrong. You need a 1/2" hose with a 1/2" NPT male thread on it. Thread it directly into the pump. The other end needs a 1/2" male swivel fitting so it can thread into the valve body.

You can do it with other fittings or like I prefer, JIC female on the hoses and JIC male to NPT adapters in the pump and valve. At long at the fittings are 1/2" size their ID will be 1/2" and they will flow enough for a 12 gpm pump.

I was to the understanding that these 1/2" fittings(on 1/2" hydraulic hose)i have from the pump to valve,the biggest internal diameter of the fitting is 3/8"?

If the ID is 3/8 it's a 3/8 fitting. Hydraulic fittings are sized on the ID.

 

[Secondaryburns]

At what rpm? At 3600 rpm which is typical for industrial engines that displacement translates to 12 gpm. But it doesn't matter, a 3/8 fitting is too small either way.



It looks like while you have 1/2" hose, the threads on the fitting on the end are 3/8. You can see on the outside where it necks down to the threads. You needed to put a reducer in the pump's 1/2" port to get it to connect. That's shows it's wrong. You need a 1/2" hose with a 1/2" NPT male thread on it. Thread it directly into the pump. The other end needs a 1/2" male swivel fitting so it can thread into the valve body.

You can do it with other fittings or like I prefer, JIC female on the hoses and JIC male to NPT adapters in the pump and valve. At long at the fittings are 1/2" size their ID will be 1/2" and they will flow enough for a 12 gpm pump.





If the ID is 3/8 it's a 3/8 fitting. Hydraulic fittings are sized on the ID.

Yes,motor is rated at 3600rpm."1/2" hose with 1/2"npt male thread"Gottcha,going to see what i can find thank you for the help

 

[Secondaryburns]

Ok folks.

Those aren't 1/2" fittings. 1/2" fittings will be almost 7/8" across the threads. You have 3/8" fittings. These are my 1/2" fittings. The camera makes it look weird, but they are close to 7/8" across the thread. Those small fittings (and possibly undersized hoses) are making the heat and also will kick your splitter into low speed mode much sooner even in easier wood.

View attachment 304374

Ok folks....So i went to princess auto today to get larger 1/2" hydraulic fittings.The internal diameter of 1/2" hose is 1/2"
The largest JIC fitting for 1/2" hydraulic hose measures 3/8" ID.....or smaller.Anyone have any pics of their 1/2" hydraulic hose(fittings)internal diameter?I dont see how they can be any larger than the hose itself??factoring in the wall thickness of the 1/2" hose compression fittings.
Which is roughly 1/16" x 2 equals 1/8" minus from 1/2" equals 3/8"
Anyone have any pics of their 1/2" hydraulic hose fittings internal diameter?

 

[ericm979]

Ok folks.

Ok folks....So i went to princess auto today to get larger 1/2" hydraulic fittings.The internal diameter of 1/2" hose is 1/2"
The largest JIC fitting for 1/2" hydraulic hose measures 3/8" ID.....or smaller.Anyone have any pics of their 1/2" hydraulic hose(fittings)internal diameter?I dont see how they can be any larger than the hose itself??factoring in the wall thickness of the 1/2" hose compression fittings.
Which is roughly 1/16" x 2 equals 1/8" minus from 1/2" equals 3/8"
Anyone have any pics of their 1/2" hydraulic hose fittings internal diameter?

I thought the equivalent size JIC and NPT were roughly the same ID and I was wrong. It looks like the JIC standard says a male -08 fitting is .391" ID. A male NPT fitting is .531. You'd need to go JIC-10 to get to roughly 1/2". While JIC-10 is a common end for 1/2" hoses, it's probably better to skip JIC and stay NPT. My apologies for adding confusion by bringing up JIC.

 

[Secondaryburns]

I thought the equivalent size JIC and NPT were roughly the same ID and I was wrong. It looks like the JIC standard says a male -08 fitting is .391" ID. A male NPT fitting is .531. You'd need to go JIC-10 to get to roughly 1/2". While JIC-10 is a common end for 1/2" hoses, it's probably better to skip JIC and stay NPT. My apologies for adding confusion by bringing up JIC.

Thanks again for helping me with this.What are your thoughts on using 3/4" from pump to valve and valve to tank?Would that affect the power of the pump at all?

 

[Isaac Carlson]

3/4" would be great and would remove a lot of load from the pump.