DHT 28 ton wood splitter problems ?

[duckman]

got a 28 ton dht wood splitter, runs good plenty of power and speed but the cylinder runs hot, 220 degrees on about a 60 degree day. even after running aw48 oil like dht says. has anyone had similar problems or is this normal behavior?

 

[brenndatomu]

I think it is pretty normal of most of the non-heavy-duty-commercial type splitters. I don't have a DHT but I ran my neighbors new 27 ton, it runs pretty warm just like my Champion 23 ton does. 90* fittings and a smallish hyd oil tank make it so...

 

[blades]

too many flow restrictions, and non hi-flow fitting cause this on most commercial units.

 

[Mike from Maine]

How many gallons of fluid does it have?

 

[duckman]

5.5 gallons of fluid

 

[Mike from Maine]

Is is too late to return it?

 

[NSMaple1]

220°? That's pretty hot. Should be able to notice laboring or something from a restriction to cause that - and I don't think that temp is 'normal'. My splitter gets warm, but nowhere near that hot.

Are you sure on the temp?

 

[groundup]

Yeah the temperature was checked with a temp gun on the tank.
Where would be the best place to look for a restriction? could the fittings be replaced?

 

[farmer steve]

have you been in contact with DHT? i know some other members with problems and DHT seemed to get right on it.

 

[nathon918]

the entire hydraulic system on those are restrictive...they use small hoses, and hard lines, hard 90's, tiny hydraulic tank, with a rather high GPM pump... most big box store splitters are set up similar but with a smaller pump, so heat isn't as much of an issue. DHT basically copied a speeco splitter and threw a bigger engine/pump on it, without upgrading everything else...

my splitter with a 28 gpm pump and 30 gallon tank will only get to around 160-170 deg. on a 90 deg. day...

 

[groundup]

Would increasing the capacity of the hydraulic tank fix the issue?

 

[Hinerman]

Would increasing the capacity of the hydraulic tank fix the issue?

Increasing the tank size could help but not sure. 220° is about 50° too hot IMO. Acceptable hydraulic temps have been discussed on here before. It is nowhere near 220°. Call DHT and get their opinion, then report back; or, start a conversation with their rep on AS. He is more than happy to address any questions or issues.

http://www.arboristsite.com/community/members/dht.112908/

 

[rd35]

Is this a new unit? If not, the pump may be worn enough to be leaking internally back across the internal side plates and gear teeth which can create lots of heat in the oil. Oh, and yes, 220°F is way WAY too hot!

 

[ttyR2]

Temp gun on cylinder of my 28t maxes at 190deg, still too hot to leave your hand on it for more than a second. Runs better after I switched to AW46 from AW32.

 

[duckman]

its a new unit. only has about 20 hours on it. im going to try to change the filter this weekend. the control valve is the part that gets the hottest. the control valve gets about 220 degrees. all the other parts are about 15 degrees cooler. (cylinder, filter, hoses ect...)

 

[duckman]

im also running aw 68, not 48 as previously stated. sorry about the typo.

 

[brenndatomu]

Yeah the temperature was checked with a temp gun on the tank.

That is a gloss black tank, no? Temp gun on glossy surface not accurate. Put black electrical tape where you want to check temp. Flat black surface makes for an accurate reading

 

[NSMaple1]

I spray a spot of flat black bbq paint on any metal surface I use my gun on. Still not all that confident in the readings of it though - I think I got a slightly wonky one. Readings seem to vary.

Did you try measuring the side of a pot of boiling water & see what it says there? Other different things with known temps & different surfaces? A flat black stove pipe would be a decent test - right beside a magnetic temp guage.

I don't think my splitter (Surge Master/ Wallenstein 22T) ever gets too hot to touch or even hold my hand on the cylinder - although guess I've never tried, come to think of it. 220 would almost make a blister on contact.

 

[duckman]

yeh the temp is accurate and it will blister you on contact

 

[WoodTick007]

yeh the temp is accurate and it will blister you on contact

Why don't you just invest in a larger oil tank along with a fan cooled external oil cooler?
Also, have you given any thought to not touching hot parts without some sort of leather insulated gloves?