Log Splitter 2 Stage Gear Pump - no high gear!

[sundance]

Sundance, this rough strainer (150 micron) from wire mesh has a lot of surface and will be okay, not a big chance to clog.
Anyhow if the rubber hoses are in good working order (not falling apart internally) and you don't drop anything in the oil during refill there is not much big stuff that could get in there.
I am talking about a much finer filter and that one should definitely live on the pressure /return side.

weringhausen, I've got a return filter on the machine as well.
Since i fabricated the tank and the rest of the machine I felt it was worth putting a strainer on the suction. Obviously based on the size of the strainer there isn't anything like this on your suction.
Good luck with your issue.

 

[muddstopper]

A lot of folks think a suction filter is un-necessary. New tanks, new oil what can get in the tank to be sucked into the pump. My experience has been that sooner or later stuff gets into the tank. I bought a new Chinese cyl. I wanted bigger ports so I took the cyl apart to bore out the current ports. Inside that brand new cylinder was large pieces of metal. Looked like the original ports had been bored after the cyl was assembled. Now I know the metal inside that cyl would mostly be caught by the return filter, after destroying my control valve, but return filter housings have a bypass that lets oil bypass the filter if the filter clogs. That means all that junk and metal would have made it into my tank sooner or later. And that is why I use a suction filter. It wont stop the little stuff, but it will sure catch the big junk. Little specks of metal just wears everything out for a semi slow death, big pieces mean jammed and breaking gears in the pump and instant breakdowns. If you ever remove and clean your suction filter, you might be surprised at the amount of junk the filter has caught.

 

[werminghausen]

Hey mudstopper,
yes, very true indeed. Low quality in basic things (like cleaning out a bore after machining) is my experience with Chinese parts as well. Expect the worst outcome... see what happened with my new splitter. I might add one of these strainers when I will have to break down my splitter in future.
Any idea how to fabricate a 2" NPT port down on my reservoir to plumb the stainer? Welding a spud in there probably. I like the long strainer that sticks up very high and thus it will not clog the inlet.
Martin

 

[sundance]

weringhausen, from the little I can see of the tank construction on your splitter it appears it would be difficult to add a strainer. Doesn't look very deep.
A weld in fitting like you show (or in my case I welded a coupling into my tank) would seem the best answer if you have a way to get a strainer in.

 

[werminghausen]

The suction port would need to move to the bottom and the old one would be abandoned. Not sure if this creates other difficulties, like no more sump to collect dirt.
Martin

 

[sundance]

I'm not very familiar with horizontal/vertical splitters. Could you move the suction and maintain ground clearance? Keep it under fluid in both positions?

 

[muddstopper]

Hey mudstopper,
yes, very true indeed. Low quality in basic things (like cleaning out a bore after machining) is my experience with Chinese parts as well. Expect the worst outcome... see what happened with my new splitter. I might add one of these strainers when I will have to break down my splitter in future.
Any idea how to fabricate a 2" NPT port down on my reservoir to plumb the stainer? Welding a spud in there probably. I like the long strainer that sticks up very high and thus it will not clog the inlet.
Martin
View attachment 843432

If I chose to put a suction strainer on your machine, I think I would just look for a filter housing suitable for a suction filter and just install inline. Clearance issues might be a problem as the the filter housing would hang pretty low. Putting a strainer inside your small square tank might prove challenging simply because of the limit that might be imposed by the small size of the sq. tube. The other option might be to just plug off the current suction port and use a hole saw to install a bung like in the picture you already posted. I would also consider the fact that a lot of them machines have been around and worked for a long time without issues. With that said, I think a suction filter is a good ideal, but if something works, why fix it.

 

[muddstopper]

These inline filter can use 10, 25 micron for return filtration, or 149 micron stainless mesh filters for suction.
https://www.ryco.com.au/resources/2019-accessories-filters-manual-hydraulics/index.html#p=113

 

[werminghausen]

Thanks, yes this is probably a simple way to go. Keep the old 1" side barb and add the filter housing with 150 micron filter.

Martin

 

[sundance]

These inline filter can use 10, 25 micron for return filtration, or 149 micron stainless mesh filters for suction.
https://www.ryco.com.au/resources/2019-accessories-filters-manual-hydraulics/index.html#p=113

Looks like this one only has 3/8" ports with BSPP threads. Not sure this one will work.

 

[werminghausen]

Looks like this one only has 3/8" ports with BSPP threads. Not sure this one will work.

Agreed, too small. Suction hose has a 1" ID

 

[sundance]

Agreed, too small. Suction hose has a 1" ID

Should be others out there with a more appropriate size.

 

[muddstopper]

Looks like this one only has 3/8" ports with BSPP threads. Not sure this one will work.

Turn the page, it comes with other sizes, up to 1 1/2 inch

 

[werminghausen]

Thanks for stopping the mud!
Does the 1" BSPP port thread correspond with my 1" hose (barb) size? And what does the flow rate of 15 liter per min tell? The pump has a flow rate of 16 gallon per minute. It is probably wise to go up in size to 1/1/4" or even 1 1/2" port thread?
Martin

 

[muddstopper]

You tank has a hose barb, this means you are either going to have to use a hose barb on the suction filter end, or fab up a bulkhead fitting to go in your tank. Now using another hose bar might no be a bad thing as it allows you to move the filter to a better location if needed. Also, dont let the bssp thread worry you. I just posted up the first link I found, which just happens to show bssp threads. There are plenty of filter housing that use NSP threads available.

 

[werminghausen]

Thanks Muddstopper,
I will get one of these suction strainers installed once the problem with the splitter are sorted out.
After a first test it seems that indeed there is not enough oil flow- bummer! So Post #2 war right on probably. I am baffled why the flow is restricted.
I need to drain all oil and then see what is going on. It seems that the barbed tube is continuing on the inside to some place but hard to see anything through the little filler on top.
I see it will be a major cutting and welding job to get this sorted out. I'll call Yardmax and ask them for help and support.
If I need to cut into the steel tank I also can abandon the old outlet and build a new one for the new strainer.

The external inline filter housing will probably be in the way as well (restricting ground clearance for driving) if it can be installed bottle down only (the way it is advertised)
Or can the strainer be installed upside down as well (bottle up)?

Best, Martin

 

[sundance]

@werminghausen : Please report back when you figure this all out. far too many of these end up with no idea what the final resolution was to help others in the future.
Thanks,
sundance

 

[werminghausen]

It seems clear to me that repairing this clogged suction side is a lot of work. I don't think there is an easy solution. There is simply no access to the interiors and repairs would require cutting out the old suction parts and welding a new suction side. I started a claim with Yardmax about his issue and right now I am battling with them to get a new machine replacing the old one.