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.