Catastrophic Log Splitter Damage

[vonb]

I think I just threw up a little. I was using an older Roper brand log splitter this weekend that I had recently come into posession of. I had just replaced the engine with a Harbor Freight Predator 6.5HP engine as well as replaced the tires with brand new tires. I had what I thought was a serviceable tool to heat my home.

It was then this weekend when I heard a loud metallic pop while splitting red oak. I looked down and noticed oil was leaking from the hydraulic ram. Can this be salvageable? What are my options here? I don't want to put too much money into it as I'm already in $200. Pics are in the next post. Oil leaked out the back of the cylinder. I have no idea what model Roper this is other than to say it is old.

 

[vonb]

Below are pics of support bars that snapped from ram.

 

[Woodchuck71]

Has that been brazed before?
Or is it just gunk build up?
There are 2 "caps"front and back that hold the cylinder together,with one ring seals in the plunger.
In other words it's not a welded cylinder.
You could try to braze it,but in my opinion not worth it,and MAY not hold
Looks like just a run of the mill tie rod cylinder that should be available at your local tractor /farm stores.Should be around 100$or less to replace.
Measure diameter and stroke (overall lenght),make sure it'll have the same size clevis,drive pins out ,change fittings,back in business.
Not really that expensive,sorry,guess that relative term

 

[Antarctica]

The pics are blocked while I'm at work, but I'm presuming from what you wrote that he hydraulic cylinder failed (most likely catastrophically if there was a 'metallic pop'). Again, not seeing pics, I'd take it apart to see what happened and if its rebuildable (i.e., o-rings).

If not, you can pick up some pretty cost effective hydraulic components from surpluscenter.com

After putting a new motor on it, you might as well fix it. Good luck

 

[triptester]

That cylinder is a tie-rod style cylinder and the end plate broke. The cylinder will need to be replaced as it will not be cost effective to repair.
Once you have the dimensions of the bore, stroke, rod diameter, and rear mount pin size you should be able to find a new cylinder at a reasonable price.
The end of the rod may have to be modified to fit your push plate.

 

[homemade]

Time for a new cylinder. No point in repairing.

 

[Wood Hound]

New cylinder and you may as well replace the control valve too..
Also check your hoses,no point in getting hurt..

 

[rancher2]

Check surplus center Lincoln Ne looks like they have a welded cylinder that looks like it would be a bolt on for your application only bad thing is it is a 300 dollar cylinder. 9-8867 is the stock number. If you are handy with a welder you could make some other cylinders work for less money. I would replace the control valve also with a detent return and replace all the hoses then you will have a good splitter for years to come. That cylinder looks like it been seeping for a while.

 

[Antarctica]

Man -

Taking a look at the pics, its a tough call. Not on what to replace - as others have said, no use throwing $$ at that cylinder, just get a new one- but on whether or not to actually do it. You're already at the margin of cost effectiveness after putting an engine on it and tires. Add a new cylinder and a valve, and you're almost up to the cost of a big box 27 ton when they are on sale (I paid just over $1k 10 years ago with a honda motor). One factor for me would be the beam size. Looking at that, it almost looks like a 4 inch beam, in which case, I might reconsider. A new one would probably have a 6 inch beam.

Also be wary of the welds on the foot, given the corrosion (almost looks galvanic) to the cylinder end. The foot can hold a lot of potential energy under load and I consciously move away from he business end of mine sometimes.

 

[Marshy]

That pipe looks brazed onto the cylinder and threads directly into the valve body. The heat could have weakened the end cap on the cylinder causing it to fail. You will need a replacement cylinder and the proper hydraulic connections/hose to the valve. The valve connected directly to the cylinder is not a good design. Looks like some modification is needed to make it right. If you just bought it and haven't ran it an hour and it failed I'd be knocking on the door of the seller to have a "discussion" on why he is a POS.

 

[Marshy]

If I was a betting man, I would bet you have no relief valve and the cylinder cap broke because it was allowed to over extend. The piston tried to push the end of the cylinder off.

 

[cantoo]

Marshy, Speeco is mounted directly to the cylinder and I would think most box store splitters are too. I think he got the splitter for free and the $200 was the engine and tires. I've never been a fan of tie rod cylinders as when they go it's usually a pretty close call to the knuts.

 

[4seasons]

As others have said, that cylinder is trash. Also the valve piped directly to the cylinder is a bad idea. As Antarctica said, that beam looks weak as well. With fixing those 3 things with new parts you may be looking at $800 + the $200 you already spent would get you into a basic big box mart splitter. Unless you can weld, have access to free or dirt cheap parts, and are just not happy with the standard log splitter design, it really doesn't pay to build your own splitter. If we are wrong about the beam and you only need a cylinder and replumb the valve then it is worth fixing, but my guess is you should pull the good parts and look for a used splitter that needs a pump, tires and engine.

 

[vonb]

I’m at the point that I think I’m going to buy a new one. If I can sell it, I’ll use the funds towards a new one and some piece of mind that nothing will fail immediately hopefully.

 

[Jed1124]

If all you have into it is two bills why not get a new cylinder and run it. A new splitter is going to cost 1k at the minimum.

 

[Marshy]

Admittedly I didnt read all the posts but, I dont see anything the matter with the beam... replace the cylinder and get back to splitting. Some people like to make it more complicated than it is...

 

[Streblerm]

Yeah it looks like it’s time for a new cylinder. The caps look like they are cast so welding is probably not going to work. Repairs at a hydraulic shop would likely be 4x the replacement cost.

As far as the control mounting, As cantoo pointed out there are hundreds of thousands of splitters running with that exact same setup. I agree if I were designing it i would do it differently. It seems like a weak link but it has been working fine on this splitter for how many years? It outlasted the cylinder. I wouldnt make it a priority to change the control layout.

 

[4seasons]

If we are wrong about the beam being a weak point, all you really need is a new/used cylinder. From the picture I am guessing you have a 3 1/2 in cylinder. That calculates to a 14 ton splitter. If it is a 3 in cylinder you only have 10.5 tons so a small beam would be enough. With a 4 in cylinder you can get 18.5 tons making a 4 inch beam questionable.
If we are wrong and that beam is stronger than it looks you might be able to go with a 4 in cylinder but I would still make a mount for the valve. It could be bolted together angle iron (no welding required) and add a short hose in the place of that pipe for just a few dollars. But if you scavenged a 5 inch cylinder from a backhoe then you will notice the speed will go down and the 23 tons of force can turn a weak beam into a pretzel.

 

[Streblerm]

I would replace the cylinder with one as close to the original as you can. It has been working fine for many years but making changes only invites more changes and more $$. Changing the cylinder means raising cycle time and putting more stress on the beam which leads to a new beam or reinforcement and a new pump and on and on... unless you want to do a complete rebuild in which case spend on!

Unfortunately you have uncovered one of the truths of life. That is you always have to pay. You can pay up front by buying something new. You can make payments on something new and pay both the seller and the bank. Or you can buy something old and make the payments in repairs as you go. There’s no free lunch.

Even with a new cylinder you should still be in it for under $500 which doesn’t buy much splitter in my neck of the woods.