Splitter decisions. Modify, upgrade or buy a better one

[husky455rancher]

Hey guys I got an old Ram splitter I bought 15 years ago or so. It was definitely a budget buy I was way poor at the time and this fit the situation. I’ve modded it a fair amount over the years so it’s much more pleasant to use. I’m not up on my hydraulics but I’d like to learn. I don’t know how a cylinder is measured so I took some pics. I was considering building a log lift for it but it’s a small splitter so that might be a bad idea. From what I remember it was a 16 ton. It had a low grade 5hp Honda on it so that would tell me it’s an 11 gpm pump. I’ve added capacity to the hydraulic fluid tank and added heat sinks to it. It had a 6.5hp harbor freight motor on it now too.

I think I’m gonna change out some or all of the 90degree fittings to 45s or straights it possible which might require some longer hoses. Wild it be worth it to go to a 13gpm pump? I think it’s a direct swap: I was also thinking about an auto cycle valve as I just split by myself all the time. I have an auto return on it now.

I realize I can only make it more powerful if I change the cylinder but would doing this stuff make a good difference in cycle time? A 4 way would be sweet but I don’t think she has the power to make it worth while. I split a lot of oak,ash, maple. I do come across elm time to time which is very aggravating:

The other two options are do nothing or buy a better splitter haha. I was looking at the rugged built ones. They have a nice log lift. The 37 ton looks like a beast but it’s like 3600 bucks. They have a 22 ton for like 1900 if I remember right. Would a 22 ton do a 4 way efficiently? Now I’m rambling. Here’s a couple pics. I should have moved it to take better pics

 

[dave_dj1]

For average use swapping out the 90's won't be noticeable, save your money and put it towards a better/faster splitter, you can probably sell that one for close to what you have in it.
As far as a 4 way, it's like any tool, you have to respect it for what it is. My splitter only puts out about 11 honest tons of force (4" cylinder with 1800 or less psi) I run a 4 way but I am selective on when the 4 way is on, all of my wood is 24" long too. I have a 6 way but that requires special wood. I also have a log lift and end up with some very large rounds.

 

[husky455rancher]

Stupid question but when you time cycle time do you do it with the low pressure only for the whole cycle and not use the high speed fast part?

 

[Nodak Andy]

Couple questions: What pressure does your pump kick to high pressure/low flow mode? Is the pressure setpoint for the kickdown adjustable on your pump? I would have that puppy set as high as possible with the 11gpm pump and that 6.5hp engine. 13 gpm is gonna be right up at the top of that engines capabilities. Any idea what the max pressure is for your pump and components?

If you don't have anyone else running the splitter I personally wouldn't hesitate to put an auto cycle valve on it. Your cycle times right now may not be the fastest, but an autocycle would negate slow cycle times by giving you the ability to grab another log or do something else while the ram is cycling.

If you do decide to go to a 13gpm pump, shoot me a pm. I've got a brand new one that I bought for my build that I'd give ya a deal on. I decided to up my motor size and pump size for my build, so this 13gpm is just gonna sit around... Its still in the box.

 

[Sandhill Crane]

I split a lot of oak,ash, maple. I do come across elm time to time which is very aggravating:

The wedge design is going to make a huge difference in tough wood. The wedge shown is on an old SpeeCo, and is long and narrow cutting knots easily. The flair spreads the wood, or as with oak, pops it apart with 1/3 stroke. The table extending well beyond the wedge catches the off side split, keeping it within reach, and giving room to deal with the near side re-splitting first. Several rounds could be staged on the table if desired.
Improvements in moving wood to or away from the splitter can really optimize an older splitters limitations.

If you want to improve the splitter itself, start by checking out your local Marketplace on Facebook, or Craigslist, to see what might be available in the used market. You would be surprised what may be there, as peoples situations change, people move due to jobs, or downsize to condominiums, and unfortunately people die. The improvements on an existing splitter are kind of spot improvements that may not be fully realized without changing multiple components, and that can get expensive, and still give a mediocre plus.

I sold my TW-6 after two and a half years, and the guy got a pretty good deal on a low hour, garage kept, 20 hp, waxed splitter. Certainly paying way less than original retail, and no sales tax.

 

[husky455rancher]

Couple questions: What pressure does your pump kick to high pressure/low flow mode? Is the pressure setpoint for the kickdown adjustable on your pump? I would have that puppy set as high as possible with the 11gpm pump and that 6.5hp engine. 13 gpm is gonna be right up at the top of that engines capabilities. Any idea what the max pressure is for your pump and components?

If you don't have anyone else running the splitter I personally wouldn't hesitate to put an auto cycle valve on it. Your cycle times right now may not be the fastest, but an autocycle would negate slow cycle times by giving you the ability to grab another log or do something else while the ram is cycling.

If you do decide to go to a 13gpm pump, shoot me a pm. I've got a brand new one that I bought for my build that I'd give ya a deal on. I decided to up my motor size and pump size for my build, so this 13gpm is just gonna sit around... Its still in the box.

Honestly I have no idea. There’s no gauge on it and I have no idea if it’s adjustable or not. I really don’t know much about this stuff but I would like to learn. I’m just not sure what I’m looking for.

 

[husky455rancher]

View attachment 865491
The wedge design is going to make a huge difference in tough wood. The wedge shown is on an old SpeeCo, and is long and narrow cutting knots easily. The flair spreads the wood, or as with oak, pops it apart with 1/3 stroke. The table extending well beyond the wedge catches the off side split, keeping it within reach, and giving room to deal with the near side re-splitting first. Several rounds could be staged on the table if desired.
Improvements in moving wood to or away from the splitter can really optimize an older splitters limitations.

If you want to improve the splitter itself, start by checking out your local Marketplace on Facebook, or Craigslist, to see what might be available in the used market. You would be surprised what may be there, as peoples situations change, people move due to jobs, or downsize to condominiums, and unfortunately people die. The improvements on an existing splitter are kind of spot improvements that may not be fully realized without changing multiple components, and that can get expensive, and still give a mediocre plus.

I sold my TW-6 after two and a half years, and the guy got a pretty good deal on a low hour, garage kept, 20 hp, waxed splitter. Certainly paying way less than original retail, and no sales tax.

Good point about used. I’ll have to keep my eye out. Here’s a couple more crappy pics of my wedge. I welded on the pieces years ago to help seperTe the wood. I also have a table I put after the wedge. I welded a piece of angle at the end and I bolt a table I made onto it when I split. It works pretty well. The table I welded to the side of it made a big difference too.

 

[Nodak Andy]

Comparing the picture of your pump to the pumps listed on surplus center, I only see 1 that has the same port configuration. It's an MTE branded pump and is 7gpm. Not saying yours is 7gpm, but I'd maybe consider contacting MTE with those numbers stamped in the end to see if they actually are the manufacturer and can give you some info on your pump.

 

[husky455rancher]

Comparing the picture of your pump to the pumps listed on surplus center, I only see 1 that has the same port configuration. It's an MTE branded pump and is 7gpm. Not saying yours is 7gpm, but I'd maybe consider contacting MTE with those numbers stamped in the end to see if they actually are the manufacturer and can give you some info on your pump.

Good idea, honestly if it was small like that I would get a fairly inexpensive upgrade so I kinda hope it is.

 

[husky455rancher]

Ok so I talked to mte n11 means date of manufacture November 2006
500psi unload pressure
7gpm in low
3gpm I’m high@ 3450 rpm

 

[Nodak Andy]

well at least you know the specs of your pump! Did the say if the unload pressure was adjustable? if you can adjust that up to 900 psi your motor would probable handle it just fine. What is the stroke, bore and rod size of your cylinder? With that info we can calculate actual cycle time and compare it to what it would be with a 13gpm pump. I would personally throw in a TEE coming off the pump so you can install a pressure gauge to see what pressures your running at.

 

[husky455rancher]

I don’t know if its adjustable I didn’t think to ask that. How would I adjust it anyway? How do you measure diameter of the cylinder? One of my pics shows a tape measure across it. Sorry for all the questions but I gotta learn somehow.

 

[Nodak Andy]

just saw that pic. looks like a 3.5" cylinder with a roughly 1.5" rod to me. I'm not sure on that pump how you would chang the unloading pressure. I'd say look for a removable plug with a set screw under it. You'll need a pressure gauge on the discharge of the pump though in order to know what your set at.

Just running rough guesstimate numbers, with a 3.5" bore, 1.5" rod, 24" stroke, and 7gpm flow, you should be seeing about a 16 second cycle time. does that seem acurate? If your pressure is set for 3000# and you have a 3.5" cylinder, you'd be looking at about 14 ton of actual splitting force.

If my guesstimates on cylinder specs are correct, going to a 13 gpm pump would take your cycle times from 16 seconds to about 8.5 seconds. This would be a bit slower while splitting though with that smaller cylinder because you'll be kicking into the higher pressure mode more often depending on what type of wood your splitting.

 

[husky455rancher]

The low pressure is 7 on mine and 13 on the 13 gpm one. I would assume that would make a big difference?

 

[Nodak Andy]

oh yea, it should make a HUGE difference in your cycle time.

 

[husky455rancher]

Stupid question but is cycle time only measures while on low speed fully extended to fully retracted

 

[Nodak Andy]

cycle time is measured from the time you start to extend the ram to the point when it is fully retracted. No log/load on the system, High flow/low pressure mode.

 

[husky455rancher]

If I upgrade the pump do I need a valve that has bigger lines? Mines only 1/2npt

 

[husky455rancher]

In high speed it goes pretty fast but I’ve never timed it. I’d be surprised if it was 16 seconds. I think it’s faster than that. Maybe tomorrow after work I’ll see what it is.

 

[husky455rancher]

I was reading old posts on here and multiple people said a 6.5hp would run a 16gpm totally fine.