Auto-cycle Valves

[Chuck Diesel]

What happened to the auto-cycle valves that you could purchase for northern tool, dalton, or surplus center. Did they take them offf the market? Safety reasons?
I have not tried ebay or amazon yet.
Thanks Guys
Chuck D.

 

[ponyexpress976]

Some dingbat probably lost a finger because he wasn't paying attention to what was going on. But we all know it was the manufacturer's fault for him being an idiot. Bye Bye goes yet another useful device in the never ending quest of our nation's lawyers to protect the stupid from themselves and get rich in the process.

 

[Dogsout]

Some dingbat probably lost a finger because he wasn't paying attention to what was going on. But we all know it was the manufacturer's fault for him being an idiot. Bye Bye goes yet another useful device in the never ending quest of our nation's lawyers to protect the stupid from themselves and get rich in the process.

I would like to add a hearty AMEN to the above post!

 

[owbguy]

I know that one splitter builder told me that there are genuine concerns for reliability and proper functioning over time. Timberwolf also stopped building splitters with them.

Liability due to operator error is always an issue. Liability due to the valve malfunctioning is entirely different, and this is apparently the reason for discontinuing use.

 

[George G]

Surplus Center - 1 SPOOL PRINCE AUTO CYCLE LOG SPLITTER VALVE

Heres one

 

[Chuck Diesel]

Well put ponyexpess 976. To many sue happy people out there.
Thank You George G.

Chuck D.

 

[ponyexpress976]

They are finicky animals. Now that I have a machine with one, I wonder how I ever got by without it! I think the problem is that most people won't/don't/can't take the time to keep one adjusted properly. Mine gets a half turn adjustment between full summer and full winter settings to make it pop properly.

 

[Swamp Yankee]

From a guy that has actually put over 100 cord through a splitter with auto-cycle.

Prince still offers them, they are on the website, and as far as I know they are available through Surplus Center. I installed one several months ago on a TW-P1 for a friend and that's where I ordered it.

Having one on my Timberwolf TW2-HD is the best thing ever for increasing production through the splitter.

I think a lot of issues people have with these valves is the do not always function as they're intended until the hydraulic oil is up to temp. So in the first few splits they start screwing with the adjustments and getting the whole system out of balance. The Timberwolf dealer I purchased mine from used to see that all the time and getting it back in tune after the the user had screwed with it was not covered or paid for under warranty. When adjusting the settings on the auto-cycle 1/8 of a turn is usually all that's required.

In terms of safety, all the crap and horse manure about them being dangerous is complete and total BS nonsense spread by idiots and jerks that have never even used a splitter with auto-cycle. Think about it, if you're operating the valve / splitter the way it is intended, you will be no where near the splitter, as you will be staging the next piece during the cycle. My splitter has a 13 to 15 second cycle time and it's usually waiting for me and the next piece. In short if I'm 4 to 20 feet away from the splitter during its up and back strokes, that is a whole lot safer than standing next to it waiting for my hand to get caught or a split to fly.

Take Care

 

[Kevin in Ohio]

P&J has them as well. Call James and he'll fix you right up. Super people to deal with and he knows the parts as he builds splitters commericially himself.

Prince hydraulic control valves

 

[Chuck Diesel]

Bought one just after George G postewd the web site.
With my 22gal. tank I will keep that info in mind with splitting year round Ponyexpress.
Swamp Yankee- I have a 12 sec. cycle time as well. It will be interresting to see how much faster and easier it will become with a 5x30x2 cylinder.
Thank Again Guys.
Chuck D.

 

[turnkey4099]

From a guy that has actually put over 100 cord through a splitter with auto-cycle.

Prince still offers them, they are on the website, and as far as I know they are available through Surplus Center. I installed one several months ago on a TW-P1 for a friend and that's where I ordered it.

Having one on my Timberwolf TW2-HD is the best thing ever for increasing production through the splitter.

I think a lot of issues people have with these valves is the do not always function as they're intended until the hydraulic oil is up to temp. So in the first few splits they start screwing with the adjustments and getting the whole system out of balance. The Timberwolf dealer I purchased mine from used to see that all the time and getting it back in tune after the the user had screwed with it was not covered or paid for under warranty. When adjusting the settings on the auto-cycle 1/8 of a turn is usually all that's required.

In terms of safety, all the crap and horse manure about them being dangerous is complete and total BS nonsense spread by idiots and jerks that have never even used a splitter with auto-cycle. Think about it, if you're operating the valve / splitter the way it is intended, you will be no where near the splitter, as you will be staging the next piece during the cycle. My splitter has a 13 to 15 second cycle time and it's usually waiting for me and the next piece. In short if I'm 4 to 20 feet away from the splitter during its up and back strokes, that is a whole lot safer than standing next to it waiting for my hand to get caught or a split to fly.

Take Care

I had a valve on my old home-built that would stay in whatever position you put it. Nice as you could stage the next chunk while it did the split and usually be back before it was time to retract the cylinder. I wouldn't allow anyone else to operate it due to the danger of getting something caught and being unable to operate the valve. I did have a close call once myself but got it stopped before any damage.

Harry K

 

[Whitespider]

From a guy that has actually put over 100 cord through a splitter with auto-cycle.
In terms of safety, all the crap and horse manure about them being dangerous is complete and total BS nonsense spread by idiots and jerks that have never even used a splitter with auto-cycle.

I’ve never had anything but full auto-cycle, I’ve put probably 500 cord through mine… and there is some danger not readily apparent. My valve isn’t like any you can buy and install; a single spool with a single robust lever you could sit on and never damage, has no “adjustment” screws, is welded to the splitter and the steel hydraulic lines are welded to it. The valve also controls the engine throttle… I toss a round on the beam and slap the lever, engine speeds up, ram extends, retracts, lever returns to neutral and the engine idles down.

Now here’s where the danger is… I’ve had it happen three times over the years. After slapping the lever I usually turn to grab another round, so my eyes are off the splitter, and my feet. The wedge is on the end of the beam so most splits slide off the end out of my way. Occasionally a round will “pop” almost as soon as the wedge touches it and send the split to the side. Well, I’ve turned with the next round and tripped over this split (or something else), falling and landing with some part of my body on the beam (hand, arm, shoulder, whatever) between the wedge and still extending ram. I’ve always been “aware” enough to get off the beam fast, even if it meant taking more of a “hit” from the fall. But…

Now I suppose someone could say that having a second person operating the valve would eliminate this danger… but that would defeat the whole purpose of a fully auto-cycle valve don’t you think? When I have a helper they’re standing off the end of the beam, behind the wedge catching the splits as they come off… at the opposite end from the lever.

 

[blades]

I must be dense, I do not see where an auto cycle valve is any more of a problem than the standard valve. first off the splitting stroke operates the same way off one spool, then the retraction stroke takes over on the second spool. Where is the problem? more likely it is a slow moving item as they are pricey, so in a retail situation that is inventory dollars that could be put in to a higher turn over item = more profit, pretty damn simple from the bean counters view point. In the corporate world bean counters rule.

 

[imagineero]

A buddy who runs a small time tree business does a bit of firewood on the side. Cuts down on his chipping costs and makes him a few extra $. He had a couple guys working for him splitting last year. His splitter is the modern kind with all the inbuilt safety features, needs 2 hands to operate the ram.

Showed the guys how to use the machine, gave plenty of instruction and warnings, watched them work for a while and was happy. The guys decided to take some shortcuts. One was loading and the other operating the lever. Since the ram is so slow the loader kept his hand on the round during splitting to catch it and stack it. Ended up putting his fingers in the wrong place and lost the tips off a couple digits.

Shaun

 

[triptester]

While I don't know the actual reason they stopped using the Auto-cycle valve, two possible ones could be related to cost or reliability.

Across the pond in Europe all splitters are required to have a safety feature where both hands must be on the controls while the cylinder is in motion. The manufacturers here may be trying to keep from giving the safety police a reason to require those type of controls here, which add to their cost.

Also consider that the operation of these valves is based on pressure. With a regular control valve my splitter with a 5"bore cylinder only requires on average 500-700 psi for extend and retract for most splitting, occasionally going to 2500 psi if some real ugly wood is encountered. With an Auto-cycle valve the extend stroke requires max pressure, 2500+ psi, to be reached each time it is operated. This maximun pressure requirement for each stroke leads to unnecessary wear and stress.

 

[Chuck Diesel]

Triptester
Just like in a regular control valve you can adjust the pressure to a higher or lower psi? Factory is what 2250psi?
So my question is that couldn't you do the same with a autocycle valve? Say 1500 or 1750psi?
I have a 5" bore also. I get your point with running to max psi with every cycle.
Chuck D.

 

[blades]

You all can do like i did and read up on Prince's auto valve by going to their web site, rather than me trying to write down here. Based on their statements of operation, for the particular one I looked at, it doesn't make a good fit for splitter operation due to the trip pressure being close to 1500 psi. something we seldom see with our 2 stage pumps. Another point is that Prince does make a low pressure unit , but then we lose the capability of the high pressure for the nasties. If your system is running say a constant single stage at 3k psi then it would work out.