Homemade Splitter Troubleshooting

[pn8hall]

So I recently acquired what seems to be a homemade splitter. It had all the parts except the gas engine. It has a 16gpm Barnes pump model 4F664A, prince LS3000 valve, not sure of cylinder brand but its a 3 1/2" cylinder with a 1 3/4" rod. Seems to have about a 24" stroke. I am trying to determine if all the parts are functional before i sink a few dollars into it. It needs hoses for sure in addition to a motor. I hooked up a cordless drill to the pump and the cylinder cycles in and out with the valve so I figure I am headed in the right direction. I have a 6.5HP briggs off a powerwasher that I have been trying to "rig" up to really check things out before I spend the cash. The problem is that it is a vertical shaft and only has a 1 3/8" shaft. I bought a pump mount and Lovejoy connectors from Northern but couldnt get them to meet up since the shaft is so short. My brilliant idea was to get a sleeve bushing that matched the shaft size, cut a key slot in it and bolt it to the crankshaft of my motor. I know its not perfect but should work for my testing purposes right? I got all that set up and figured I was set for my big test. The problem I have is that the pull rope is so hard to pull. I can not get the engine to start. The valve is in neutral for sure. I pulled the filter and it seems good. Breather cap on reservoir seems good. Pump shaft spins easily by hand and I have it set up to spin clockwise as viewed from shaft end. If I disconnect everything the engine starts 1st pull and pulls easy. I pulled the hose from the out side of the pump and tried but still is a bear to pull the rope. That should mean the valve is good right? The pump spins so easily by hand I have a hard time thinking its bad. Is my test engine just not fit for this test perhaps? Not enough ass to get things running? Not sure what my next step is. I did notice that when I cycled the pump with my cordless drill it seemed to bog down at times during each stroke especially the return when it got close to the end. Might be normal but not sure. Thanks for any help you guys can offer.

 

[triptester]

If your cordless drill can turn the pump the problem must be with the shaft alignment between the engine and pump.

 

[pn8hall]

I considered that but figured it couldn't be off that bad. I guess maybe I was wrong. I will have to try and play with the alignment some more. Any recommendations of size of engine I should get? I was thinking 8hp. Do you think it makes a big difference if its vertical or horizontal shaft? Thanks.

 

[muddstopper]

You say you can turn the pump with a drill and the engine cranks on first pull when not connected to the pump. Hook everything together and you cant pull the starter rope. Seems simple to me. You dont have the pump/engine shafts lined up properly or something else is binding up. I thought pressure washer engines had a tapered shaft???? I guess thats not the case with all pressure washers. Getting the lovejoy coupling close is not really good enough, improper alignment will result in excess wear on the rubber insert and wear out the coupling in just a few hours of use. They do make lovejoy couplings to fit taper shafts in case someone encounters a tapered shaft engine and wants to use it on a wood splitter. You just dont normally find taper shaft coupling on the store shelfs.

You should be able to pull the pump with a 1hp engine as long as there isnt any pressure build up, so its not that the engine doesnt have the power to pull the pump, altho once pressure starts to build you might find otherwise. If the pump is a 16gpm stage, 8hp is recommended to get the max out of that pump. You have already bought the pump mount and the coupling, I would just go with a horizonal shaft, 8hp engine. If your handy with a welder, you can fabricate a mount to use on a vertical shaft used mower engine. Mower engines are available in all shapes and sizes and can usually be found pretty cheap off old rider mowers. Advantage to old mower engines are usually more hp than actually needed, abundant in supply, cheap to buy, and usually electric start. Disadvantages are that most mower engines will not except a standard pump mount and they usually have long vertical shafts, and the extra hp takes more fuel. You can hacksaw the shaft it its to long.

 

[rancher2]

Time to watch harbor freight for a engine sale. I have had good luck with their engines. Sure sounds like motor is not line up to the pump.