log splitter et. al.
ok guys.. I just finished my splitter but yet to start it or add oil... My worry is when I was looking at splitters to copy to make I have seen that seen most had the return going into the top of the tank. Well I made mine in the top of the tank. Little did I know that I was suposed to run a tube down into the tank to get in the oil so there wouldnt be air and bubbles in there.... Is this going to cause a huge problem? I would hate to take the grinder to the tank and weld in a new fitting..... I just finished painting it...
Paint is cheap; hydraulic problems are not!!!!
Does the tank have an oil baffle plate in it? if not you will have a lot of problems. The oil baffle is there to slow down and hold the returning hot oil so as to not immediately return oil that may have air bubbles in it to the pump inlet and cause problems.
Please post a picture if possible, as has been mentioned previously the cavitation will destroy your pump prematurely and cause additional corrosion to the internal parts-valves, cylinder, etc.
Is the splitter pump below the oil level of the tank itself ?, "flooded suction" is best for any pump; the pumps "inlet" or "suction side must have larger piping/suction hose size to maintain a fully flooded oil circuit eliminating oil starvation and cavitiation and the damage from same.
Returning the hot oil below the natural "full" oil level in the tank is the best way to do this as it virtually eliminates any chance of cavitation and the resulting damage from pressure bubbles and the additional heat generated by the pumps being starved of good fluid flowing into the inlet portion of the pump.
Ninety nine percent of the problem and its solution relates to the flow of hydraulic fluid an a system- I will further explain this to you; many splitter builders will purposely buy/build smaller oil tank reservoirs simply as a cost reducing measure.
A two stage pump could have a rated flow of sixteen gallons per minute under a "no load low oil pressure" condition and a 4 gallon per minute high pressure volume when the second stage kicks in to provide more power to the cylinder when its flow is reduced from "work" which is the resisitance to the cylinder when splitting firewood.
The low pressure high-volume flows are prevalent in any splitter hydraulic system at work when they are not under load-meaning actual log splitting time andresistance.
So the tanks are under sized due to the smaller heavier work cycle-which is something I do not like to see in any hydraulic system simply due to heat load and heat loss especially during cold weather operation- I always heat my "Timberwolf" up with my salamander simply out of piece of mind and the resulting easier start up and reduced waiting time " and for the oil to come up to working temperature.
What I am referring to is the fact that the oil in the cylinder on the pressure and return side of the valve stays in place during the work cycle and simply gains heat and more heat and eventually comes up to working temperature and the resulting maximum efficiency above 160 degrees fahrenheit.
In some installations of outside garbage compacters for example which use stationary hydraulic power packs they install a racetrack plumbing set up where the hydraulic oil is constantly diverted in and out of the cylinders used to compact the garbage and allow it to heat up to working temperature quickly reducing system slowdowns due to cold temperatures.
I hope I have not bored anyone with my posting.
opcorn:
