Splitter Valve With LogLift valve

[montyv]

I am building a logsplitter with a loglift, the splitting cylinder has a 4 1/2" ID. bore with 3/4 uno Ports,
I will be using a 16gpm pump not purchased yet. What I am thinking of using is (2 separate valves) Prince valves from Northern Tools, One with 3/4 or 1 inch in/out Ports & 3/4 work Ports, around 20 to 25gpm. that operates the main cylinder, & the other with 3/4'' in/out Ports with 1/2'' work Ports for the LogLift. I don't know what the second spool for the loglift needs to be.
I am not sure on what type of valve I need, but my intention is to stay with a good flow rate to minimise heat build-up .
I was thinking perhaps Prince Valves LS-3000-2 for the splitting cylinder, then connect it to the Prince Valves LS 3000-1 for the loglift. I am not sure if these valves are ideal to use or if maybe I could use the 2 spool directional Prince valve RD522CCEA5A4B1.
Only thing is the latter has 3/4'' in/out Ports with 1/2'' work Ports.
Would the 1/2'' work Ports give me a bit more heat build-up than 3/4'' work Ports, the tank will hold roughly 9 1/2 gallons.
If any one could shed some light on this subject I would much appreciate it.
I have attached a pic of what stage I am upto with the splitter.

 

[wndwlkr]

1/2 " will be fine on your lift. make sure & get a valve with load checks. this works for me.

 

[montyv]

1/2 " will be fine on your lift. make sure & get a valve with load checks. this works for me.View attachment 320177

wndwlkr: not sure what you mean by load check

 

[Preston]

The mounting bracket for the cylinder looks lazer cut. If that's done with a torch, you are one smooth dude. Pretty.

 

[montyv]

The mounting bracket for the cylinder looks lazer cut. If that's done with a torch, you are one smooth dude. Pretty.

Hi preston the brace is 32mm thick ,cut with 9'' angle grinder then milled for the clevis to fit.

 

[blades]

You will be putting a restrictor in the lift circuit, other wise you will be launching splits to the moon. Or use 1/8"-1/4" lines there. Valve type would be a power beyond model for the lift circuit coupled to a standard or auto splitter valve from Prince behind that. The reduced size of the lines for the lift will not cause a heat issue. Use high flow fittings for the splitter connections. these reduce the amount restriction and cause much less heat build up.you can use 3/4" lines but will have to use reducers at the cylinder as most are 1/2" ports. or 1/2" lines either way one end is going to stepped up or down with 3/4" work ports on the splitter valve. ( mine has 3/4" work ports its not an issue heat wise and I am using 1/2" line ( got the lines pre-made from Northern tool, decent price when I did mine a couple years back)

 

[montyv]

You will be putting a restrictor in the lift circuit, other wise you will be launching splits to the moon. Or use 1/8"-1/4" lines there. Valve type would be a power beyond model for the lift circuit coupled to a standard or auto splitter valve from Prince behind that. The reduced size of the lines for the lift will not cause a heat issue. Use high flow fittings for the splitter connections. these reduce the amount restriction and cause much less heat build up.you can use 3/4" lines but will have to use reducers at the cylinder as most are 1/2" ports. or 1/2" lines either way one end is going to stepped up or down with 3/4" work ports on the splitter valve. ( mine has 3/4" work ports its not an issue heat wise and I am using 1/2" line ( got the lines pre-made from Northern tool, decent price when I did mine a couple years back)

Thanks Blade s for the info , having 3/4 ports on the splitting cylinder I feel I am on the right track if I get the splitter valve that I mentioned previously with the 3/4 work ports & 3/4 in/out ports. As for the lifter valve now that youve mentioned power beyond valve sounds like Ive got a bit of research to do about this type of valve as i dont know much about plumbing a valve with power beyond.
Restrictor to the lifter circuit I was thinking on the lines of welding shut 1 of the line & drill a small hole ( restrict the flow ) something I read somewhere in one of the posts

 

[montyv]

I just had a look at UTUBE at the video ( Power beyond option for RD5000 series valves) 48 seconds in the video shows schematics of power beyond, am I correct in understanding that I only need 1 power beyond valve single spool for splitting & 1 normal valve single spool for the loglift .

 

[Kevin in Ohio]

Yes, That is correct. You still would want to run a return line on BOTH valves though. I'm running a auto cycle Prince valve into a 2 spool. Extra lines are for a bypass on the return to save the extra wear and tear on it.

 

[blades]

Yes.

 

[Jim Timber]

Kevin, that's just dual operator stations right?

 

[montyv]

Yes, That is correct. You still would want to run a return line on BOTH valves though. I'm running a auto cycle Prince valve into a 2 spool. Extra lines are for a bypass on the return to save the extra wear and tear on it.

Yes, That is correct. You still would want to run a return line on BOTH valves though. I'm running a auto cycle Prince valve into a 2 spool. Extra lines are for a bypass on the return to save the extra wear and tear on it.

Ok thanks KEVIN, now Iam starting to get a better picture of the plumbing of the hydraulics, now to start the hunt for the hydraulic valves.
I noticed KEVIN you put a lot of thought in flow restriction ( no sharp bends ) an excellent looking unit too.
Again thankyou for the advise guys, will be posting some more pics soon as I progress.

 

[Kevin in Ohio]

Kevin, that's just dual operator stations right?

Valve on the left is a full auto cycle valve, one on the left is a 2 spool for the stabilizer arms.

I'm running a cordless remote winch with a 360 pivot for lifting/dragging the big stuff to the splitter. the manual cylinder on the pivot is not used. It's just a fine adjustment if you will. The winch does all the work.

Been enjoying your build pics, nice work!

 

[Kevin in Ohio]

Ok thanks KEVIN, now Iam starting to get a better picture of the plumbing of the hydraulics, now to start the hunt for the hydraulic valves.
I noticed KEVIN you put a lot of thought in flow restriction ( no sharp bends ) an excellent looking unit too.
Again thankyou for the advise guys, will be posting some more pics soon as I progress.

Heat and restriction from sharp bend are your enemy. I had to use a few T's with the bypass but that was basically unavoidable. Notice the power side of the stroke is a straight run as the returns use the 90 degree bends.

When I built this splitter the hose runs were the only thing I drew out as I wanted it to be as short and as correct as possible. Takes some time but it will be worth it in the end. There are a lot of pics on the build link below and it may help you. James at Splitez helped me a lot and has all the knowledge and parts. He builds them for a living.

 

[montyv]

KEVIN what sort of oil & grade are you using in your splitter & over time have you used different types to see any change in the hydraulics, smoother running, low noise etc.
& how many hours use would you say your splitter has done

 

[Kevin in Ohio]

I used Case/IH HYTran Ultra In the splitter. It's pricey but I plan on keeping this one forever. It meets CNH MAT 3505 standards which is -22 degrees F - 122 degrees F. I just use the cheap TSC/Rural Kng oils in old equipment that has a mix mash of stuff but I've had nothing but good luck with Hy- Tran over the years.

I haven't run the splitter as much as I normally would have. I store all my wood inside and we lost one barn to fire, one to wind damage and my homeplace was just hit with more wind damage so I have to move that wood out to fix it up. About 130 cord of storage total. I've run about 45 cord through it and no problems... and there shouldn't be in that little of use. I can do over a cord an hour when it is stationary splitting. If moving down the length of the tree(which is normally what I do) it's a little longer but cuts out a handling. I have a 33 gallon tank so it keeps the heat down. I have not run it in extremely cold conditions yet. Things always move slower and wine a little until it gets up to temp.

For general use, the farm store stuff is decent at a good price.

 

[Jim Timber]

Sorry, I forgot you had the wicked splitter.

Do you like the crane better than the leg lift type?

 

[Oliver1655]

Quick note, if you are using more than one valve, the splitting valve should be the last valve in line. I had mine before the log lift valve & when the pump would have to drop in to high pressure mode, the log lift would start raising on it's own. Spoke with Energy valves support & was informed to place the log splitter valve last & it would eliminate this problem. Yep it did.
For the log lift, you will want spring return in both directions. (No detentes)

 

[Kevin in Ohio]

Sorry, I forgot you had the wicked splitter.

Do you like the crane better than the leg lift type?

For me, YES, I MUCH prefer a crane over the normal lift and I'll explain why. Most generally we split in the woods where the tree falls. We back the splitter down the length of the trunk, splitting as we go. We throw the wood off to the sides and when we are ready for a haul day, we back the trucks down the same path. This allows us to load from both sides of the truck and saves steps. Basically no steps most of the time. I never cared for dragging logs around and again, it all depends on how your system of gathering is.

With the 360 degree crane, I don't have to EVER roll a large round anywhere. I can lift it up, swing it around and split a 1/3. Swing the table away with the 1/3 and it's out of the way. Split another 1/3 off and swing the crane AND the remaining center section away. Split up the last third split off, then the other table and finally work up the hanger. It never hits the ground again till it's to size. This is why I have the wedge on the ram as well. That way the round doesn't have the swing problem as you would have with a push plate. We were constantly pulling the big stuff back to resplit which wore me out. If I were splitting to a conveyor, different story but it was always putting the wood in the wrong place for our way of doing it. We did use a 3 point on the ground and it was getting to be too much to roll 4 fters around, especially if knot balls and such were on them. Our other splitter was a push plate style too.

When we split, that is all we do as we do all the hauling another day if we have a lot. Nice to have your own property and it's a luxury most do not have.

The electric winch is NOT lightning fast but I have learned to like it. Reason being is when 2 people are splitting One can be hooking another round while the other is finishing up the smaller pieces. I also like not having the lift in the way all the time. I have run them and just annoyed me. I mounted my levers so I can reach them from either side easily. Even if I am by myself, I now can work up the big stuff. Basically, VERY hard to do before.

 

[flashhole]

Kevin in Ohio - you don't happen to live in Medina do you?