Splitter has no power in wood

[272super]

I've a got home made splitter I bought from a farmer several years ago. It's got a 16 gpm pump and 7h Briggs engine. I have not used it much the last few years. Anyway,I started it today. It runs fine and the piston moves back and forth but there is not enough hydraulic power to split any size wood. The engine does not slow down when the ram contacts the wood like it normally would when under load. Also, normally with piston fully retracted, if I hold the lever down, the engine would bog ,but there is no change in rpm now. Piston problem?

It worked the last time I used it several months ago, so it must be a lack of use problem. Something stuck or a seal worn out? The lines coming off the pump are shaking from fluid moving through them,so the pump is working in some capacity. I've never had a problem with it before,so don't know much about how they work. I've done some searches to get some idea on where to start. Thanks for the help.

 

[Deereman76]

It could be Pump, valve, Cylinder......sometimes it is tough to tell. As a start, I would toss a piece of wood on there, push the ram into it, and let is sit and try for maybe 45 seconds to a Min. Shut off the engine, and start feeling for warm spots. A Blown Piston seal will get hot somewhere along the cylinder, wherever the piston sits. Bad Valve will get hot at the valve, and a Bad pump may or may not get warm at all, depending on how it failed. Good Luck!

 

[MikeInEburg]

You could also spend $25 on a pressure gauge and plumb it in between pump and cylinder. It would help to narrow down the culprit.
Mike

 

[JRepairsK70e]

have you tried to adjust the pressure settings on the control valve ,maybe the relief valve is stuck/bypassing not allowing enuf hyd pressure . stupid question is the resevoir full ??old equipment do tend to leak abit

 

[blades]

I'd vote that you have a problem with the bypass in the control valve. You should be able to find a basic diagram of the internal parts , not hard to take a part and repair.

 

[HD2010]

Check hydraulic oil level and make sure there is no water in tank.

 

[avalancher]

You could also spend $25 on a pressure gauge and plumb it in between pump and cylinder. It would help to narrow down the culprit.
Mike

This is the best advise so far. Repairing anything is best left to those that carefully diagnose a problem and dial in on the most likely suspect, and a pressure gauge will tell you exactly what component has failed. What ever you do, dont run the ram forward and keep it there in the vain hopes of diagnosing a failed cylinder seal. A hydralic system like a log splitter runs at almost 3000 psi, and if a seal has failed you can groove the narrow piston by continously running high pressure fluid across it. At that point you might as well junk the cylinder.

Start with the fluid. Is the tank full, and how does the fluid look?It should be bright, almost clear, and free from debris. Put some on a white piece of paper and look at the color. Next drop some on a dark piece of paper and with a bright light look for any metal fragments.If you have a filter inline, there shouldn't be any metal fragments at all.If its been awhile between filter changes, change it out. They are cheap to buy and you will need one anyway.

If you are unsure about the type of fitting and gauge you need, take the hose off between the pump and the valve, and also the hose between the valve and the cylinder. Take both with you and stop at a local hydraulic repair shop. There they will either have or will make up for you a fitting to allow the gauge to be placed between the fittings.

Start by placing the gauge between the pump and the valve, and see what the pump is putting out. You should have anywhere between 2500 and 3000 psi, depending on what the valve is set at. If you have less than 2300, you have either a problem with the pump or an obstruction in the line. If the engine is not bogging, it is very unlikely you have an obstruction in the line.

If the pressure is good between the pump and the valve, move the gauge between the valve and the cylinder.Again, with the engine running at peak rpm, the valve forward, and against a chunk of wood for a brief period of time, you should be at the same pressure that you had between the valve and the pump.If it is less, you have a problem with the valve. If its adjustable, adjust the nut to see if you can get any more pressure out of the valve.If its not, a good bath in solvent may fix your problem,or it may need to be either serviced with a kit or replaced.

If the pressure is good at all points, then all that is really left is the cylinder. Pull the piston out and examine the seals. Any sign of fluid passing by?Another test for a leaking cylinder seal is to place a chunk of wood on the splitter, run the ram foward until it hits, then stop the engine. Remove the return line from the cylinder back to the tank, and get a helper to hold a bucket in front of the open port.Start the engine and push the valve forward.Once the ram stops against the wood, you should have very little fluid trickle out.If you have a continous flow of fluid, you have fluid leaking past the seal and around the piston. You know at this point what to do.

Perform these tests and get back to us. We can help you from there.

 

[Deereman76]

I hate to disagree, but A Pressure gauge will not give you that clear of a Decision. If the gauge between the Pump and Valve reads, say, 1100 psi, it really could still be the pump, valve, or Cylinder. to be complete, if it does pop up to 2500 psi or so, you Know the pump is working. But, if it falls well short, you cannot say for sure the pump is bad. to do that you need a flow meter, or someother way of figuring out the problem....

 

[avalancher]

I hate to disagree, but A Pressure gauge will not give you that clear of a Decision. If the gauge between the Pump and Valve reads, say, 1100 psi, it really could still be the pump, valve, or Cylinder. to be complete, if it does pop up to 2500 psi or so, you Know the pump is working. But, if it falls well short, you cannot say for sure the pump is bad. to do that you need a flow meter, or someother way of figuring out the problem....

Never meant to give the solution as an absolute, but you have to start somewhere and its best to start simple and work your way up to more complicated procedures. If the pressure on either side of the valve are good and in the desired pressure range, then you can safely assume the pump is doing its job. A Flow meter is useless in this scenario because there is a lack of pressure. The OP was not complaining of a very slow ram, but a lack of pressure. If there is an obstruction in the valve minimizing the flow to the ram, you are still going to receive the needed pressure to the valve.

If a valve is determined to be faulty, or in your preffered language of "most likely to be the problem" its easy to tell if the valve is faulting by simply bypassing. As the ram is applied to a load, simply pull the return line to the tank. If fluid is flowing while the needed pressure is being built (which is measured by installing the pressure gauge on the discharge side of the valve leading to the ram)simply note where the valve bypasses.

If its clear decision that you want, then a simple flow chart starting at the simple stuff needs to be addressed, and after getting some pressure readings back from the OP we can dial in to something more specific. After all, in a log splitter type hydraulic system, you only have three major players in the game. And the cylinder, directional valve, and the pump all have their classic signs of being the culprit. But in this case, the OP has not given us nearly enough information to be specific in a diagnosis.