Huskee 22 ton with a split in the tank

[Bushmans]

I have a 22 ton Huskee log splitter. Was delivered to the house last fall and has not left the premises. I split probably 10 cord of wood with it this winter. It developed a leak in the hydraulic oil tank sometime late winter. It looks to be cracked down in the lower part of the tank by where the wheel would attach. It is only 2 seasons old and before I had it it may have had a cord of wood run through it.
It is a fine line crack but what bothers me is I never had it on the road. I could see if I was dragging up and down the bumpy roads all winter but I pushed it in and out of the garage by hand and only a few times hooked it to the back of the truck and drove it around the house to the back yard. A distance of maybe 300 feet. Anyone had a similar problem and if so how did you fix it?
I was hoping to JB weld it but don't know if it will work. The thought of tearing it completely down and taking it to work to have it ground out and re-welded flat out pisses me off. The worst thing is it's not even mine. It is a friends. I'm sure I'll have to tear it down because that is the correct thing to do but I'm fishing here so bear with me.
I know the little Huskee won't be on my list of splitters to buy!
:msp_mad:

 

[blades]

Due to the oil JB won't hold, so yep tear down, wash tank out with something to remove oil, grind out reweld. I would fill it after welding with water and let sit a bit to check for any other leaks. if possible you could run a little air pressure in it to speed up the process. Leaks can be a bugger to fix. Sometimes it is easier to braze up the leaks than weld. the tank is not pressurized so brazing works well. Vibration can cause your problem if the original weld lacked penetration.

 

[Rockland Farm]

I will agree that welding is the best way to repair it . However I have a JB weld repair on my tank that is 2 or 3 years old and holding up just fine. I just cleaned the heck out of the crack with a couple cans of brake cleaner and tilted the the splitter so the oil in the tank was away from the crack . Then put the JB weld on . Good to go so far .

 

[redheadwoodshed]

I would drill a hole in both ends of the crack prior to welding.Just a small one maybe 1/8".Is the crack in a seam?

 

[Whitespider]

I cracked the trans-axle on my little wood hauler garden tractor a few years ago, right on the bottom where the oil sits... a chunk of steel hooked one of the tire chains and slapped the case. I tipped the tractor so the oil was away from the crack, roughed up the case with 80-grit sandpaper and cleaned it real good with brake-clean (alcohol), applied JB Weld (the good stuff, not the quick-set) and let it cure for two days... it ain't leaked yet.

addendum; Just me thinking, but if vibration caused the crack, JB probably won't do the job... it'll just crack right where the steel did.

 

[avalancher]

I have a 22 ton Huskee log splitter. Was delivered to the house last fall and has not left the premises. I split probably 10 cord of wood with it this winter. It developed a leak in the hydraulic oil tank sometime late winter. It looks to be cracked down in the lower part of the tank by where the wheel would attach. It is only 2 seasons old and before I had it it may have had a cord of wood run through it.
It is a fine line crack but what bothers me is I never had it on the road. I could see if I was dragging up and down the bumpy roads all winter but I pushed it in and out of the garage by hand and only a few times hooked it to the back of the truck and drove it around the house to the back yard. A distance of maybe 300 feet. Anyone had a similar problem and if so how did you fix it?
I was hoping to JB weld it but don't know if it will work. The thought of tearing it completely down and taking it to work to have it ground out and re-welded flat out pisses me off. The worst thing is it's not even mine. It is a friends. I'm sure I'll have to tear it down because that is the correct thing to do but I'm fishing here so bear with me.
I know the little Huskee won't be on my list of splitters to buy!
:msp_mad:

It it was me, I would drain the fuel and oil out of the engine, hydro oil out of the tank, and tip it on its side and weld it up. I certainly would not discount the Huskee splitters just because of an isolated incident like this, for the most part they are a very well built machine for the money, and most members here that own them consider them a well built tool. I know I like my 35 ton model, and have no complaints. Any machine can have a problem, and if you are looking for a splitter that will never break down, never suffer any defects during manufacturer, and never need any repairs, you are probably going to have to search for quite a while. And when you find such a machine, do two things.
1.Consider the salesman that tells you such a thing one of the biggest liars you have met.
2.Let me know where to get such a machine if it turns out its true. I would love a splitter that never needs a repair.

 

[Bushmans]

Thanks for the advice folks!
I will just drain the tank and grind out the crack, haul it into work and our welder will fix it for me on lunch for a $20 bottle of flavored vodka! He gets a lot of booze that way and is a damn fine welder to boot.
Also the crack is not on a seam.

 

[wapacz]

They make epoxy putties to fix fuel/diesel tanks. Which i would think should work on an oil tank.

 

[John R]

Huskee warrants the frame and beam for 5 years, give them a call.