Well,fellas, I have decided to respond to all of you in one reply. Here it is:
rx7145
I have always heard one gallon per GPM of the pump. Which would be 11 gallons.
(tanks are used for cooling and letting the air out of the oil)
RoGrrr Responds:
Gallon, gallon and half, not much difference, overall.
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triptester
When building a splitter the first thing to do is research commercially built machines to see how they design them and how they work.
RoGrrr Responds:
I’ve spent loads of time looking, reading, redesigning.
So I sit down and draw another draft beer.
Splitters that use a combination reservoir/ axle,4" wide x 8" tall x 36" long
RoGrrr Responds:
ONLY 36 inches ? If I go this route, I’ll go 48 inches.
will use 1/2 to 3/4 gallons for each gallon of pump capacity. This shape of tank allows the supply and return ports to be placed far apart giving the oil time to cool.
RoGrrr Responds:
I hadn’t thought about the shape of the tank.
Reservoirs should always be taller than they are wide.
RoGrrr Responds:
Good idea. I’ll keep this in mind.
The muffler on small engines are designed for proper engine performance . Changing or rerouting mufflers can shorten engine life.
RoGrrr Responds:
A muffler is an echo chamber that need not change anything about the original system. Adding a “post-muffler” to it to not only reroute but allow the sharp notes to be dulled by large chamber echoing will help the ears. Yes, all noise makers do but divorce is an option for some....
A 6" beam is usually adequate when using a 4" bore cylinder.
RoGrrr Responds:
I ran across a stash of 8x40 W-Flanges
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blackdoggy
A log splitter is one of the absolutely most simple hydraulic powered devices that man could ever make. All you need for your recipe is
1. One 25 Lb per ft I beam
RoGrrr Responds:
agreed but I tend to overbuild
3. One Barnes two stage 11 GPM pump
RoGrrr Responds:
I’ve heard bad things about Barnes, tho Split-EZ uses them. I have a Halditosis,,,, uhh, oops, haldex
5. A good welder
RoGrrr Responds:
Why pay a good welder when I can weld some myself and then I won’t have to give up any of that good, cold beer.
After I get it done, I can call my friends over and WE can drink that good cold beer.
6. One steel tank can be a propane tank or a well pump bladder tank it could also be made of box steel.
RoGrrr Responds:
Split-EZ uses a 40 gallon tank that looks to be made from 3/8 inch steel plate. Talk about indestructible....
7. 1/2 inch plate steel (around six square feet)
RoGrrr Responds:
I go to the scrap yard and come home with much more than that piddling amount.
8. Around 50 Lbs 7018 welding rods
RoGrrr Responds:
How about only ten pounds of rod and then I can spend more time gluggin’ down that cold beer
Then have 40 pounds to burn on something else
MMMmmmmm, bee-e-e-e-e-r
12. One hydraulic breather
RoGrrr Responds:
I f’got about that. Thanks for the tip.
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cabinman, who will become famous soon enough
sometimes, not, posting is the biggest challange,...
RoGrrr Responds:
Uhhhh,
Guess I’m not old enough on this board to understand that significance of that one
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turnkey4099
My tank is a section about 16" long of 4"x6" sq tubing. A bit small per calculation but my oil only gets warm.
RoGrrr Responds:
I saw something on a tractor board where a fella added a temp gauge. So I think I’ll have a dedicated pressure gauge and a thermometer. Thanks
It is also good practice to place the tank so the tank outlet will be above the pump
RoGrrr Responds:
I had seen that somewhere else and with a vert shaft motor, the pump should be low enough to to do that easily.
It only takes a few revs to ruin a dry pump.
RoGrrr Responds:
Yup
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mga
search here in this forum. basic hydraulic theory.
RoGrrr Responds:
I have a good grip on that but what Ineed is some of the practical stuff that would might ruin what I spent lots of time (and $$$$) building
Quote:
heater core from an ol junk car....
not sure if anyone has incorporated that yet onto their splitters.
RoGrrr Responds:
I guess I could have an auxiliary pump circulating thru the core. Necessary ? Not really. Nice to have ? Prolly.
my question is which gets over heated first: the splitter of the person using one?
RoGrrr Responds:
MmMMmmmmm, Beeee--e-e-e-errrrr
Quote:
On another note:
let his splitter warm up using 20W50
again, we have a thread here that talks about splitter oil. expert claims any oil
RoGrrr Responds:
I guess I’ll have to do some research on oil and see if, maybe WILDROOT CREAM OIL might be what turns on the ladi,,,,, oops, splitters
Quote:
exhaust was aimed wrong.
RoGrrr Responds:
and I deleted my EX-wife's crabbing
I really get tired of that cr&p
and, yes, there is nothing worse than having engine exhaust blowing on you while standing there splitting wood for several hours.
all engines make noise.
So I’ll make a diverter and echo chamber to reduce the noise and direct my ol’ lady’s bad breath away from me....
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triptester
A log splitter can be a fun project to build, but even the most basic splitter will cost more to build than to buy
RoGrrr Responds:
DOH !
unless you can get most of the major components at low cost if not free.
RoGrrr Responds:
Cheap is the name of the game....
All 6" beams are not equal, the thickness of the web and flanges will differ with the weight of the beam.
RoGrrr Responds:
Bigger is better (?)
Hydraulic fittings 1/4" orifice
RoGrrr Responds:
Most people don’t think about little (?) things like this.
Thanks
A thin wedge requires less tonnage but greater travel to split, while a wedge with wings requires more tonnage but less travel.
RoGrrr Responds:
Good point. I hadn’t thought of it that way.
Hydraulic oil should be of the proper viscosity for the climate it is used, too thin can damage seals, too thick can damage pumps.
RoGrrr Responds:
Please explain this to me - thin damaging seals....
It seems that one simple question in amongst a bunch of educated, knowledgeable experts usually generates a whole bunch-ful of other questions. Thanks for all your thoughts and ideas.
RoGrrr