Log splitter problems

[tommyo]

Hello all,
I have a 30 year old "no name" log splitter, 6.5HP, 4 inch ram, Splits wood very well. The problem I'm having is after splitting for 2 hours the hyd. oil gets pretty hot. Then the hyd. filter either blows apart or the rubber o-ring on top of the hyd. filter blows out and hyd. fluid comes out in a :censored: hurry.

Has anybody had this happen with their log splitter? What did you do to repair splitter? Thank you tommyo

 

[RAMROD48]

Hello all,
I have a 30 year old "no name" log splitter, 6.5HP, 4 inch ram, Splits wood very well. The problem I'm having is after splitting for 2 hours the hyd. oil gets pretty hot. Then the hyd. filter either blows apart or the rubber o-ring on top of the hyd. filter blows out and hyd. fluid comes out in a :censored: hurry.

Has anybody had this happen with their log splitter? What did you do to repair splitter? Thank you tommyo

stop after an hour and half.....:hmm3grin2orange:

Sounds like a tank vent....

 

[tommyo]

The hyd. tank vent is clean and venting corectly. Thanx

 

[triptester]

It sounds like blockage in the return line between the filter housing and tank.

The filter housing should have a built-in by-pass that should open before the filter would burst. Filter housing could be piped backwards.

 

[blades]

I will second the filter assemble backwards or that the bypass/relief valve has gone south. I had that happen on a brand new unit, Filter assembly installed backwards, acted just like your description. Additional note on mine, The filter was only a 1/2" intake being fed by 3/4" lines added a lot of stress to system. I replaced it with a 3/4" unit, good to go since.

 

[boostnut]

Hold on, wait a minute. When somebody mentions having a 30 year old splitter the Didiers come to mind (probably because I had one). They have very, very small oil reservoirs which let the oil temps skyrocket in a short period of time. I think we need a little more info on your setup. How big is your tank and how full is it?

 

[ray benson]

30 year old splitter. Filter assembly could be bad or blockage in return line. Are you using the proper filter?

 

[tommyo]

The filter housing was replaced about a year ago, the threads for the filter had ripped out.I will check to see if plumbed correctly?The hyd. tank is about 3 gals and about 1/2 full. Thank you'll for the help! tommyo

 

[boostnut]

Somethings not right with the filter arrangement but a 3 gallon tank that is half full is another problem that should be addressed. I'd suggest you have a minimum of 5 gallons of oil in your system, especially if you're splitting in the hot summer months.

 

[AKKAMAAN]

Somethings not right with the filter arrangement but a 3 gallon tank that is half full is another problem that should be addressed. I'd suggest you have a minimum of 5 gallons of oil in your system, especially if you're splitting in the hot summer months.

Basically reservoir can be almost top filled, if\when all cylinders are retracted. Expansion space only needed for volume increase due to raised temperature. 5% air good enough

 

[mga]

first, did you change the filter head when you installed a new filter? they're directional and the oil should flow one way.

second, what type of filter and where did you buy it? any filter i bought from northern tool did the same thing...it began leaking profusely after using the splitter for a while. i bought a filter from a hydraulics store and never had a problem since.

i have no idea why their filters leaked, but after buying a quality filter the problem stopped.

thirdly, oil will get hot after using it for a while. depending on the weather, mine gets up to the 120 range and i have an 18 gallon tank.

lastly, your return line is practically under no pressure, or, at least should not be. if there was an obstruction, your filter mount should have a spring loaded by pass inside of it...to prevent the filter from exploding if there was any excessive pressure.

 

[blades]

open center system return line has what ever pressure is out put by pump on it.
If that line is blocked prior to the tank bad things are going to happen, That is there is no relief so pressure will build until something gives. When it happened to me I figured that i failed to tighten the filter enough. It blew the filter cartridge off, no damage. I re-installed the cartridge making sure I hand tightened it enough, 15 minutes later the fliter/by-pass valve assembly self-destructed. Rather impressively I might add. In my case I am positive that the assembly was installed backwards, during the manufacturing process, as that part was already installed on the tank, my only input was to screw on the filter ( hard to mess that up).

 

[tommyo]

Well-----I beleive my problem with my splitter is the hyd.tank will only hold 3 gals full.So I took the hyd.filter assembly out of the loop.Has anybody hooked up a hyd.fluid cooler in line? Thanks all for the help! Back too splitting wood.

 

[kevin j]

what do you mean by 'pretty hot' ? 120-140 is normal hydraulics operating range for mobile equipment.

measure the actual oil temp if you can.

I would definitely not remove the filter. sure, many machines run for years without them, but not good long term plan

 

[JAM]

1) How long have you had this splitter?
2) Did this problem start suddenly or long term?
3) Pump = volume
Restriction = pressure
There should be little or no pressure on the return side where the filter should be installed so the suggestions about the filter housing are the most likely. Restrictions in the lines are also a possibility.
4) clearances on Hyd. controls new are in the 10 micron range as they wear, more fluid leaks by creating heat, wear and eventually failure. Not recommended to run without a filter and then nothing larger than a 10 micron filter (Most hyd. filters are 10 micron, car oil filters are usally 20 micron)
5) The most efficient cooler in the system is a properly designed tank, I.E.
volume, baffles, input and output locations it sounds like your tank might be a little small to dissapate the heat created by the system An oil cooler might create more problems than it would solve.

 

[Tendencies]

What are you running for fluid? Some are too heavy for the summer months, may want to change out to a quality ATF. How are the hoses? Possible your return hose is disintegrating and causing restriction?? Don't think a cooler would do much good without some air flow ie: fan/wind.....

 

[Thickskin]

first, did you change the filter head when you installed a new filter? they're directional and the oil should flow one way.

second, what type of filter and where did you buy it? any filter i bought from northern tool did the same thing...it began leaking profusely after using the splitter for a while. i bought a filter from a hydraulics store and never had a problem since.

i have no idea why their filters leaked, but after buying a quality filter the problem stopped.

thirdly, oil will get hot after using it for a while. depending on the weather, mine gets up to the 120 range and i have an 18 gallon tank.

lastly, your return line is practically under no pressure, or, at least should not be. if there was an obstruction, your filter mount should have a spring loaded by pass inside of it...to prevent the filter from exploding if there was any excessive pressure.

The excessive pressure is probably being caused by the filter itself. The filter base that was installed probably did not have a proper bypass valve or was installed backwards so the bypass valve gets slammed shut. You either need a large 22 gpm or more filter (about the size of a folgers can) or a proper bypass valve. Most commercial splitters, 80% of the fluid goes right by the filter anyways on any given pass

 

[Thickskin]

Well-----I beleive my problem with my splitter is the hyd.tank will only hold 3 gals full.So I took the hyd.filter assembly out of the loop.Has anybody hooked up a hyd.fluid cooler in line? Thanks all for the help! Back too splitting wood.

The only way that that size of the reservoir woud cause a massive back pressure/heat like your experiencing is if the reservoir was completely full, or had no way to breath as the fluid expanded (heat) the reservoir needs at least about three inches at the top to breath. If that is not the case, the problem was your filter/filter base/bypass combo was not allowing for the high flow rate (gallons per minute)

 

[Oliver1655]

Oil Cooler

Tommyo,
I started off with an 3.5 gallon reservoir when I added an independent hydraulic system to my previously tractor hydraulics powered splitter. While I did not have a problem with the filter failing, I did feel the oil was getting too hot. Akkamaan mentioned you can fill the reservoir almost to the top. Maybe if it is in a mainly stationary position. If you try to pull it across uneven ground/rough roads, you will have all kinds of oil coming out of the breather. I am using a 16 gpm Haldex 2 stage pump with an 11 hp engine I run a little above an idle. I increased to an 8 gallon reservoir that has an additional 3 gallon air space with an air/oil separator. (From a scrapped rotatory air compressor) I also got the oil cooler, 21 x 21 x 2", with 3/4" inlet/outlets from the compressor and installed it in the return line. A 20 x 20" box fan has been mounted in front of the oil cooler and can be run off the 200 watt power inverter attached to the battery or an extension cord. I have a non-contact laser thermometer I used to monitor the hydraulic system temperature. In the upper 90's, I can run the splitter continuously at a temperature range of 113 to 121 degrees. The oil cooler definitely helped!