Nother home built splitter.

[mga]

Its a Speeco 25 ton with a 8 hp Tecumseh it says made in Golden CO. he said he bought it at Farm and Fleet about 7 years ago, he has never had a problem with it, and I just used it to split up a 10 cord logger truck load of wood with it. I'm not a engineer I'm just telling you what I'm looking at. I was going to use his as a template for one that I am building. If the flow is good why not filter on the suction side? His seems to work just fine, splits very fast.

i looked at them at their web site and you're right....they are on the suction line.

i gave my opinion as to why i felt they should only be on the return line. i'm going to question speedco as to why they felt the suction line would be a better option.

 

[Coldfront]

1. all filters have a by-pass valve that is supposed to open if/when the filter gets clogged. this is so that your filter will not explode under pressure. by placing it on the suction side, your pump is going to create enough suction to open the by-pass valve, thereby rendering the filter useless. and, even IF it did work, once it got clogged and IF the by-pass failed, you'd collapse your filter. i don't care how big the suction line is or how big the filter is.

2. we've had numerous discussions here about that already. there are only special circumstances where a filter is on the suction line and on a splitter is NOT one of them. usually it would be on high tech equipment for various reasons.

3. a properly designed tank would always have the suction port off the bottom of the tank for that reason: so as to not suck any particles that might be in there. some even put in-line screens on the suction line, but most tanks don't offer access to change them if you ever had to, not to mention if they got clogged, it would ruin your pump from lack of oil flow.

4. bottom line is to take care never to allow anything to get inside your tank.

Sounds like a lot of IF'S?
What if you replaced your filter every year. And what if the filter and base was designed to handle the amount of pump flow? Why would it be worse than taking the chance of sucking crap into your pump?
PS. I posted this before I read your last post, I'm not trying to say which way is right or wrong just open debate.

 

[mga]

Sounds like a lot of IF'S?
What if you replaced your filter every year. And what if the filter and base was designed to handle the amount of pump flow? Why would it be worse than taking the chance of sucking crap into your pump?
PS. I posted this before I read your last post, I'm not trying to say which way is right or wrong just open debate.

not a problem.

i just posted what i have read and believe in and why i do.

 

[RAYINTOMBALL]

Wow! 90* after 2 hours......mine hits 180* in 40 minutes!!!

I'm with you cityevader. Here in Texas the air temps hotter than 90 degrees. If my splitter has been sitting in the sun the cyl. and tank is 110 to 115 degrees before I ever start. I think mine gets to around 150 to 160 degrees which I understand is no problem. Hey by the way mx racer428 nice build. I'm sure you will get many years of use out of it. There's something about building your own that just makes you fell good IMO.

 

[mga]

Its a Speeco 25 ton with a 8 hp Tecumseh it says made in Golden CO. he said he bought it at Farm and Fleet about 7 years ago, he has never had a problem with it, and I just used it to split up a 10 cord logger truck load of wood with it. I'm not a engineer I'm just telling you what I'm looking at. I was going to use his as a template for one that I am building. If the flow is good why not filter on the suction side? His seems to work just fine, splits very fast.

well...i had to ask speedco why, which i did, and this was the reply i got:

Thank you for your inquiry.
The filter that we use is rated for use both in the suction line and in the return line. At the time the old series of tanks were designed it was believed the suction line was the best place for the filter (as evidenced by the competition's splitters at the time). This was due to the desire to catch anything in the tank before it got to the pump. The new series of splitters (new release horizontal engines) have moved the filter to the return line where the filter manufacturer has determined they are now more effective.

 

[Coldfront]

Thanks for the reply, like I said I am not an engineer but just common sense tells me it would seem like it would be best to filter it before it goes into the pump, control valve, and ram cylinder than to have nice clean filtered oil go back into the tank. Because to me it is the tank that is most likely where the crap that needs to be filtered is coming from. If the crap is going thru the return line then that means it already went thru the pump, cylinder, and control valve. I'm sure they have there reasons. Maybe too many people never change the filter and when it gets plugged the pump gets more damage from cavitation than its worth to have it on the suction side?

 

[A.E. Metal Werx]

so....where do we get a temperature gauge like that?

i got the gauge from work. if you would like one i think i miiiight be able to get one... not a prob.

 

[A.E. Metal Werx]

i guess i should filll you all in on the specs of the splitter.
the engine is a brigs. 6.5, pump is a 13.6 two stage, 4" ram 24" stroke. really isnt much to say? if theres anything you would like to know. oh, and i welded everything with my trusty hobard handler 180.. took a lot of time but got the job done.. beveld every joint and tripple passed it. if theres anythign else let me know.

 

[larman]

where you at in iowa mx i live in nw washington country?
larry

 

[mga]

i guess i should filll you all in on the specs of the splitter.
the engine is a brigs. 6.5, pump is a 13.6 two stage, 4" ram 24" stroke. really isnt much to say? if theres anything you would like to know. oh, and i welded everything with my trusty hobard handler 180.. took a lot of time but got the job done.. beveld every joint and tripple passed it. if theres anythign else let me know.

you did an excellent job on it. what i like most about it is that it looks as if it came right out of a factory.

 

[biggenius29]

You can get a filter for the suction side. They are expensive, and big. There are really 2 kinds, one with a 3 PSI bypass, the other with a 5 PSI bypass. So that if the filter gets plugged you will still be feeding your pump oil. So it is very important to have a guage in line in order to tell when it is time to change the filter. Also the filter and housing are quite large so it can take enough oil so you are not starving the pump for oil.

The reason I know is because I am building a splitter now and for my oil tank was using a air tank off of a semi and it was a dirty on the inside, so I talked to the local hydraulic shop about filtering the oil before the pump. Needless to say it was easyer and cheaper to go to a salvage yard that deals with farm equiptment and get a tank from a old combine.

 

[A.E. Metal Werx]

where you at in iowa mx i live in nw washington country?
larry

well heres the scoop. i live in Cedar rapids. but i get most my wood from NE iowa "clermont" sence i am having a hard time finding people to let me go in there timber and get wood.

 

[larman]

thats crazy i work in cr helping with the adm plantdrive 104 miles a day round trip btw that is a real niece splitter you made
larry

 

[cabinman]

i looked at them at their web site and you're right....they are on the suction line.

i gave my opinion as to why i felt they should only be on the return line. i'm going to question speedco as to why they felt the suction line would be a better option.

If you dont filter the oil before it goes threw the pump....... u #### up the pump,...There are MANY gages out there that tell u when the filter is pluging.. Eric

 

[cabinman]

well...i had to ask speedco why, which i did, and this was the reply i got:

So please explain how,.... MORE EFFECTIVE,.. has (ANY THING) to do with saving the pump,.... Eric

 

[cabinman]

Mga

So please explain how,.... MORE EFFECTIVE,.. has (ANY THING) to do with saving the pump,.... Eric

This is NOT,.. a personal issue, But a target for me,...If you dont filter it cumming in why filter it going out??? It wood be like filtering the exaust on a truck engine and not the air going threw the intake, Eric

 

[KsWoodsMan]

This is NOT,.. a personal issue, But a target for me,...If you dont filter it cumming in why filter it going out??? It wood be like filtering the exaust on a truck engine and not the air going threw the intake, Eric

If the oil starts out clean, and you are using all new, clean pieces, filtering anything that turns loose never lets it get to the tank to get sucked in. Keeping it out of the tank keeps it out of the pump.

It has to get in the tank before it can get through the system. "3-5 PSI of vacuum" ( 6-10 inches of mercury) is enough to draw in extra air from a marginal fitting. 1/10th of a PSI ( 1/5 inch of mercury) would draw in less moisture laiden air to cause cavitation or future problems.

200 PSI is easier on the pump to push oil through the filter than cavitating it when the suction line gets blocked.

They must have had some reason to move the filter. They put it on the suction line initially because the competitiors were doing it this way, They have since decided filtering the output is better for their products. They didn't say why it was better, just that it was better.

 

[Suz]

ahh the tow plate. its 1 1/4" cold rolled steel and its bent.... i have a guy geting me a 2" plate soon. and thanks i spent many of many hours working on it. and i work just happend to have a gauge for the filter.. green-yellow-red.. that kinda thing.

Maybe you might want to give some thought to making a toe plate like we did for our splitter after breaking /bending it twice.
This time I took a bunch of 3/8 x 2" flat bar steel and laminated them all together on the end of the H beam with some 7018 welding rods.
If I bend this toe plate I'm going to tone down our splitter pressure a little.
Jim

 

[dsm382]

Looks Good.......like has been said, 'looks store bought'........

now about this filter thing.....
hummmmmm
guess i better take a look at mine today...
mabye get a size/part # and replace it this week..

have not changed fuild or filter for some time......hummmm guess i better start thinking of that......

 

[cityevader]

This is NOT,.. a personal issue, But a target for me,...If you dont filter it cumming in why filter it going out??? It wood be like filtering the exaust on a truck engine and not the air going threw the intake, Eric

uummmm...NO

Just what is the byproduct or contaminant that is being produced by squeezing oil?

There is none unless operator error occurred, like leaving your funnel under your metal lathe and not cleaning it, then using it to fill your hydraulic tank. Or maybe applying pipe thread sealant over-liberally on female and male threads. Or leaving a fill or vent cap off while running the splitter because your too lazy to remember where you left it last time you checked the fluid level. Or maybe you drilled and threaded the tank for a temp/fluid level gauge and didn't properly clean it.

Get the idea? Squeezing oil through some hoses and such doesn't inherently add contamination. The only thing that would go through the pump came from the pump itself. Ultra-miniscule particles of metal that flake off over years and decades, that eventually make a pump less efficient, well, guess what? They "went through the pump". The only other moving part that could cause "contamination" is the o-rings as they slide across the ram's shaft. Those would be filtered before going through the pump.

As KsWoodsMan says, "If it starts clean, it stays clean", unless you don't have the wherewithall to keep it clean. Such as running a truck without an air filter. Nothing can save people from themselves. Just as you can't save their equipment from them.