Starting a Cold Splitter

[sundance]

Neighbor wants to continue splitting into cold weather. tried to start his splitter this morning (about 30 degrees). No go. I'm guessing its the cold hydraulic fluid mostly. Not sure what he has in it other than certainly not ATF. I'm thinking a magnetic heater like this on the tank for a couple hours would solve the issue. Thoughts?

 

[Chucksta]

I'd say it was cold ( thick ) fluid if it was really stiff to pull. There's a few solutions to try... ( you didn't really mention if the engine tried to start or not).

1) If it wasn't a lot harder than normal to pull over, yank the air cleaner, and give it a shot of Ether ( quick start ). I've got a newer splitter. It won't start without a squirt when it's cold. It's just the way the newer leaned out Carbs are.

2) I can't see the magnetic heater helping much, if the hydraulic fluid is stiff. The resistance to the pull start, isn't in the tank, it's in the fluid the pump. It'd take a lot of pulls to get the the warm fluid up to the pump.

I've got a friend who splits in the Winter. He tarps the splitter, and leaves an electric heater under the unit. A couple of hours of warm up and it'll spark up at 0 F, no worries. A hair dryer pointed at the pump housing is pretty effective too. Just tarp it well, and secure with duct tape.

 

[rancher2]

Back in the day when we split wood in the winter. I would put the splitter in my heated shop for a half a day. Made life a whole lot easier get the splitter started. A magnetic heater on the hyd oil tank or a torpedo heater with a tarp should do the trick.

 

[sundance]

I'd say it was cold ( thick ) fluid if it was really stiff to pull. There's a few solutions to try... ( you didn't really mention if the engine tried to start or not).

1) If it wasn't a lot harder than normal to pull over, yank the air cleaner, and give it a shot of Ether ( quick start ). I've got a newer splitter. It won't start without a squirt when it's cold. It's just the way the newer leaned out Carbs are.

2) I can't see the magnetic heater helping much, if the hydraulic fluid is stiff. The resistance to the pull start, isn't in the tank, it's in the fluid the pump. It'd take a lot of pulls to get the the warm fluid up to the pump.

I've got a friend who splits in the Winter. He tarps the splitter, and leaves an electric heater under the unit. A couple of hours of warm up and it'll spark up at 0 F, no worries. A hair dryer pointed at the pump housing is pretty effective too. Just tarp it well, and secure with duct tape.

I wasn't there so some guesses. No idea on pull effort. I know he tried starter fluid.
Good point on the cold fluid in the pump.
I'll have to talk to him.

 

[JRM]

I only split in the winter months. 30° isn't cold at all. Should start no issues at that point.

If he will be splitting in truly cold weather he should follow the recommendations in his manual for hydraulic fluid as it relates to ambient Temps. Most will call for either a multi viscosity hydraulic oil or ATF in cold weather.

 

[Bubster]

My last new splitter was an Oregon with a Kohler, would not start less than 35 degrees. I put a tarp over it and ran a piece of flexible exhaust under the tarp hooked up to my trucks tail pipe. About 20 minutes would get it going. My new splitter has a Honda and it has to be below about 20 before it struggles.

 

[Chevboy0167]

Aviation hyd fluid. If you can find it cheap enough!

Maybe source some used gallons from a small airport?

 

[river of smoak]

My splitter has a belt drive pump and a lever that works a tensioner pully , bypasses the pump for starting

 

[Bubster]

I will never know why they don't make them with a pump you can disengage. I had a Zetor tractor that you could put everything in neutral and disengage the hyd pump and it would start when nothing else would. Hi-quality atf like Mercon or Dexron would be safe though.

 

[Bubster]

My splitter has a belt drive pump and a lever that works a tensioner pully , bypasses the pump for starting

Well something about great minds thinking alike I guess.

 

[Brushwacker]

I found that most often in my case it's simpler and more efficient to do most the splitting with a good splitting axe-maul- chainsaw combination. Dragging a splitter back and forth to the woods and everything else that goes along with operating it can be more demanding then simply standing wood up at the original location, hand splitting and then giving it a toss on the pick up or trailer , then drop it off at the precise location you need it.

 

[ihookem]

My Briggs & Stratton powered splitters never started well in the cold. I would just take a steel dust pan of hot colas from the boiler and stick it just under the block. Give it 15 minutes and it will likely start like summer time. Not too hot though. It takes very little coals to heat that block up. A few hand fulls is all . Once in a while I will take my tracker and pull the muffler up the the engine for 10 minutes, that helps too. Funny thing is though it was 30 yesterday and started right up with no help.

 

[JRM]

At 30° it well should start. I have no issues starting mine in single digit Temps. Takes a few extra pulls compared to warmer temps but once it pops on full choke it's only 1-3 pulls from running.

 

[lone wolf]

My last new splitter was an Oregon with a Kohler, would not start less than 35 degrees. I put a tarp over it and ran a piece of flexible exhaust under the tarp hooked up to my trucks tail pipe. About 20 minutes would get it going. My new splitter has a Honda and it has to be below about 20 before it struggles.

Love the Honda's, best I ever ran! Above 30 mine starts 1 pull, below that it may take a couple. GX390

 

[Bubster]

Love the Honda's, best I ever ran! Above 30 mine starts 1 pull, below that it may take a couple. GX390

I have the GX 390 on my Wheatheart post driver. It sits out in the rain, starts on dead gas, and the only thing I have done to it is replace the starter rope a couple times. This is after about 7 years of pretty steady use. My splitter has the cheaper grade GC 190, but it seems pretty bullet proof. If Honda ever builds a fullsize pickup, I am on it.

 

[Chucksta]

Just to clarify what I wrote.. Not all splitter engines are created equal. I've got 15 year (ish) old snowblower that will start on the first or second pull ( it won't start at all if it gets rained on, but that's another story for another day ). That's a Tecumseh Snow king engine. I've got a newer Cub Cadet snowblower.. it'll start on the coldest day, on the first pull, but, even when still warm, it wants some choke to restart. I used to have a Honda powered one, that used the same engine as most other splitters.. It didn't care, set the choke, and one or two yanks, and you were on your way, regardless of outside temperatures.
My current splitter is a Canadian Tire 27 ton, with the "Champion" engine. It'll start in warm weather, with a few pulls.. But, when it's cold? Forget it, it's either Ether, or the hair dryer and a tarp, and then maybe some Ether. . It won't even pop by itself below 30 F . Once running, it's fine... just slowly run the ram with no load to loosen up the fluid.
Maybe the designers of the engine, in their infinite wisdom, didn't think anyone would use one in sub zero temps. It does however, give great fuel economy. The throttle has a "happy zone", where it doesn't shake like a dog crapping out a rusty razor blade, and a tank of fuel lasts for hours.
I could've gotten the same splitter with a Honda engine... for an extra $600.00. Ummm ..Uhh..no, I've got a couple of donor engines that will fit if the Champion engines dies.
But, ( IMHO), I think that manufacturers picked engines that were fuel efficient, and tuned the carb to meet emissions, and never really gave much thought to cold weather starting. Got a newer lawn mower? Notice how they run at a much, much slower R.P.M., than older models. Yup!.. That's to meet emission standards. It doesn't matter if there's not enough blade speed to properly cut the grass, or throw clippings into the bag. The old design motor, with a lowered R.P.M. speed from the governor, got them the emission rating that they needed for sale.
I know that, on my splitter, at 0 F, or 32 F, there's not a significant difference in the pull of the starter rope, compared to 80 F, but, at 0 F, it will not start, at 32 F, it probably won't start without Ether.. So, I'm gonna assume that it's not excess drag on the engine from the hydraulic oil in the pump, but rather piss poor design... Thanks to the C.A.R.B. standards stuffed down our throats.

 

[Vaskotree]

Neighbor wants to continue splitting into cold weather. tried to start his splitter this morning (about 30 degrees). No go. I'm guessing its the cold hydraulic fluid mostly. Not sure what he has in it other than certainly not ATF. I'm thinking a magnetic heater View attachment 1139751like this on the tank for a couple hours would solve the issue. Thoughts?

Hi, The heater would certainly help but one problem with most log splitters is the engine doesn't have a heavy enough fly wheel. The log splitter companies use Lawn mower engines, and they count on the mower blades momentum to help start the engine when pulled. With a log splitter you do not have a mower blade so you have nothing to keep that engine rotating a little more to get it to fire. Certain log splitter companies will use a heavier fly wheel to help solve this problem but splitter companies like troy-Bilt, Etc do not. If you wanted you could swap out to a heavier fly wheel to solve this issue. Also the hydro fluid is cold. For example on commercial walk behinds that are hydro may come with a Hydro release chain that disengages the hydro pumps because in cold weather without electric start its virtually impossible to start unless you release them. this is just for your info. The heater should do the trick but I just wanted to share about the fly whee.

 

[Pjohnson]

Aviation hyd fluid. If you can find it cheap enough!

Maybe source some used gallons from a small airport?

Small aircraft use mil spec 5056 red hyd fluid, looks like transmission fluid. Which may be ok I have no knowledge if its suitable for a log splitter, i think the price will scare most people away from it.

Commercial aircraft use Skydrol hydraulic fluid, YOU DO NOT WANT THIS. It will burn your eyes and skin, remove paint and eat rubber hoses and seals. It's some nasty stuff run if you see it.

 

[Del_]

Not related to starting, mine does fine starting cold. My 18 hp Briggs IC opposed cylinder 28 gpm two speed pump runs a bit cold during the winter. It has a pressurized oiling system and an oil filter. I've cut a couple of those plastic corrugated advertising signs up and made blocking plates that affect air flow going into the flywheel cooling fan. I check the oil filter temperature by hand and if it feels a bit cool I put up a plate with more restriction. When starting in cold weather I block off all air flow for the first few minutes. It's surprising how much better an up to temp air cooled motor runs. I also adjust the high speed jet adjustment for the best run but not very often.

 

[fields_mj]

I start mine with a drill.