# My new wood splitter: Wolfe Ridge Mfg.



## Ryan'smilling (May 16, 2017)

Well, I've been splitting wood by hand for a long time. I thought I wouldn't ever want a hydraulic splitter because i always thought they were noisy, slow, and expensive. I got to try a Gransfors Bruks splitting maul about 6 years ago and promptly purchased one of my own. It's an excellent tool, and I enjoyed every minute of using it. I had a very efficient way of splitting wood, too; normally I'd just leave the rounds on the ground after bucking and swing the maul like a golf club. No lifting required until everything was split. 

This spring however, I upped my maple syrup game. Starting this year I will burn between 15-25 cords of wood annually, and that just seemed a little daunting to do by hand. Another consideration is that it would be more efficient if I could cut my syrup wood longer than I can split by hand. 32" would be great because I'd be able to spend less time bucking and stacking, and I'd be able to load the firebox more quickly, which makes the cooker run faster. 

So... After lots of pondering I settled on a three point splitter powered by a PTO hydraulic pump. I want to thank @Sawyer Rob for his great pictures Ave descriptions here and on TBN of his TW3-HD. Like I said, I always thought of hydraulic splitters as being really noisy because the operator has to stand right next to an air cooled gas motor. I loved the idea of being 10' from the motor instead of 1' from it. 

So, I called Timberwolf and got a quote for a 36" tw3-hd with a sorting table. And then I got discouraged. Timberwolf wanted about $5500-6000 after adding the options I wanted and delivery. Then I remembered seeing an ad on Craigslist for a local guy who builds similar splitters. I called him up and he agreed to build me a three point version, which he hadn't done before. Obviously, I saved the freight cost, and the price of the unit was considerably less as well. Plus, I got to pick my colors .

So, here's some pictures:






It's got a 5"x36" cylinder, an auto cycling valve. 4 way wedge, sorting table, 20 gallon tank, and yes, it's powder coated purple . 

I was a little worried about my smaller tractor being able to lift it, since it's 10' long and weighs in the neighborhood of 900#, but the NH can do it. I'll definitely want to rest it on a block while it's in use, and find a couple more weights for the front, but it'll work, which is great because it frees up my loader tractor to bring wood or pallets over to the splitter or do other jobs. 

I've only had it since Saturday, and only used it for maybe an hour, but so far so good. I had a friend over for the maiden voyage, and it was great being able to have a conversation at regular volume without ear protection while splitting wood. I love that after you set a block on the beam and knock the levers into detent, that's all you have to do. The splitter just pushes splits off the table into a pile. Just have to pull forward a little when the pile gets too big. I also like being able to adjust the height of the splitter with the three point hitch. It sure splits in a hurry too; a full cycle takes 22 seconds at a little over half throttle. At 540 PTO RPM it should be about 14 or 15. I'm gonna make a block to shorten the stroke for splitting stove length wood, so that should be in the 10-13 second range depending on throttle setting. I don't think a cord an hour will be difficult with this unit. 

I'll update this thread when I get a chance to put a few more hours on it. 

Thanks again to Sawyer Rob for the inspiration, and to Chris at Wolfe Ridge for the excellent workmanship, and for cranking this thing out quickly! Here's the Wolfe Ridge website, by the way:
http://wolferidgemfg.com/wolfe-ridge-mfg-professional-grade-firewood-splitters/


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## Sawyer Rob (May 16, 2017)

Looks like a GREAT splitter!






Looking forward to a full report WITH picts.! lol

I just want to mention, the best price for a Timber Wolf splitter, will come from one of their dealers, not from TW itself.

SR


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## svk (May 16, 2017)

Awesome! I think you need to arrange a GTG soon!


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## CaseyForrest (May 16, 2017)

Looks good....


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## Sandhill Crane (May 16, 2017)

Splitting longer wood looks like a nice option, for splitting and stacking.


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## Ryan'smilling (May 16, 2017)

Sandhill Crane said:


> Splitting longer wood looks like a nice option, for splitting and stacking.



I hope it works out that way. I think the sweet spot for wood that long will be stuff that can go through the 4-way once and make 4 medium splits. I'm thinking that stuff much bigger than that will become too heavy to handle at that length, and resplitting stuff that long seems a little awkward. I am gonna try the 32" length for a while and see how it works. I like the idea that I can make two 16" pieces of stove wood out of each one.


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## Sandhill Crane (May 16, 2017)

For re-splitting larger 32" logs you may find a log lift and wooden bench to extend the outfeed table useful if you like working mid-thigh level, but not necessary. A pulp hook would be extremely helpful if you don't use one already.


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## dave_dj1 (May 17, 2017)

That's a nice looking splitter. Is the 4 way adjustable? We had a local fella (passed away last year) that painted everything he owned purple, snowplows and all. We called him the purple plow. 
I have never understood using a $20,000 machine to do the work of a couple hundred dollar motor but that's just me.


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## Ryan'smilling (May 17, 2017)

Sandhill Crane said:


> For re-splitting larger 32" logs you may find a log lift and wooden bench to extend the outfeed table useful if you like working mid-thigh level, but not necessary. A pulp hook would be extremely helpful if you don't use one already.



I don't have a pulp hook yet, just a couple of pickaroons, but I'll have to pick one up. I've been meaning to add one to the arsenal. Do you mean an extension that makes the table longer, like behind the wedge? 

I had Chris weld on the brackets for a log lift, so it's a $600 bolt on part now. I'm pretty sure that includes the steel, paint, valve, and cylinder. It was a stretch for me to buy a splitter like this in the first place, so i left it off for now, but maybe down the road. I can definitely see where it'd be handy.


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## Marshy (May 17, 2017)

Do you mind sharing what the splitter cost you?

For the price of used splitters I have been considering a 3pt hitch splitter as well. They still command $500 used or more but it seems better than the $800-1200 people want for the little mini splitters that are 2' off the ground and have a one way. I imagine you probably paid north of a grand and a half for that splitter new but man, it's way better built than any 3pt splitter that I've seen.


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## Ryan'smilling (May 17, 2017)

dave_dj1 said:


> That's a nice looking splitter. Is the 4 way adjustable? We had a local fella (passed away last year) that painted everything he owned purple, snowplows and all. We called him the purple plow.
> I have never understood using a $20,000 machine to do the work of a couple hundred dollar motor but that's just me.



Yes sir, it's adjustable, but not hydraulically. It could be made to be moved with a cylinder, but for now I'm gonna try just leaving it pretty low and see how that goes. My thought is that it'll peel off a couple of finished splits no matter the size of round. So if you've got a bigger piece you'll get 2 finished pieces and 2 that need resplitting rather than 4 pieces that need resplitting. I'm very much still learning, though. 

About the tractor as the power unit, I see your point. There's definitely pros and cons either way. My little New Holland, though only cost me $5500. To add an axle, Honda motor, and frame for the splitter would have added about $2000-2500 (squarely out of my budget), i would guess, based on Chris's prices on his 24" models, and that motor would only be good for one thing, whereas my tractor does all sorts of things. I like being able to hop on the tractor and pull forward or adjust the height of the beam, and more than anything, i love being away from the noise. That 3 cylinder diesel in the NH is quiet.


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## Ryan'smilling (May 17, 2017)

Marshy said:


> Do you mind sharing what the splitter cost you?
> 
> For the price of used splitters I have been considering a 3pt hitch splitter as well. They still command $500 used or more but it seems better than the $800-1200 people want for the little mini splitters that are 2' off the ground and have a one way. I imagine you probably paid north of a grand and a half for that splitter new but man, it's way better built than any 3pt splitter that I've seen.



It was a little north of $3k, but I think a regular length model would be a decent amount cheaper. Also, the auto cycling valve added some cost over a standard valve. 

I think the main distinction between this splitter or the timberwolf models versus a regular three point splitter is that these are powered with a PTO pump rather than the tractor's pump. Obviously that adds the cost of the pump, but it also adds the cost of a hydraulic tank and mounts for it, and 20 gallons of fluid. And it means that the splitter requires hoses and fittings to allow 20 GPM of flow. A splitter that plugs into the tractor hydraulics doesn't require any of that, and usually they use smaller hoses and fittings because most compact tractors only have 8-12 GPM of flow. 

You can find three point splitters very reasonably even new, but like you say, they aren't like this. I'm gonna be splitting wood for decades to come, God-willing, and I figured that spending a little more up front would mean a more productive unit which will leave me more time for other projects.


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## Sandhill Crane (May 17, 2017)

If you have two tractors, that's a nice set-up. We all work differently, have different priorities, etc. The build looks very nice, and it sounds like the money you paid for it never left your community. It's all good. 

The biggest and best isn't always the ticket, and things do change. My TW-6 is still for sale. The SuperSplit has done twenty cord this past month, the TW has done one, maybe a little more.

Yes, I was referring to the table behind the wedge. You could temporarily build a staging table (instead of a log lift) to place along side your splitter to set the tip of your forks on with several larger logs, and then roll them in place to split. If you did, make it at least 6' long, with the middle at the wedge. It would give you room to work the re-splits as well. Then a short extension (wood table) behind the wedge because your splits are 32". That only works if you have a more stationary place to split, as near the stacking, but it is easily moved and set up if you have forks. 

You just need to use it a bit. By the time you rub some paint off the wedge, you will figure out what works. 

Whenever I see a box store tip up splitter, I always think, "Where do people stand when they use these in the horizontal position?" 

You have a good looking splitter, and who doesn't love maple syrup...


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## Marshy (May 17, 2017)

Ryan'smilling said:


> It was a little north of $3k, but I think a regular length model would be a decent amount cheaper. Also, the auto cycling valve added some cost over a standard valve.
> 
> I think the main distinction between this splitter or the timberwolf models versus a regular three point splitter is that these are powered with a PTO pump rather than the tractor's pump. Obviously that adds the cost of the pump, but it also adds the cost of a hydraulic tank and mounts for it, and 20 gallons of fluid. And it means that the splitter requires hoses and fittings to allow 20 GPM of flow. A splitter that plugs into the tractor hydraulics doesn't require any of that, and usually they use smaller hoses and fittings because most compact tractors only have 8-12 GPM of flow.
> 
> You can find three point splitters very reasonably even new, but like you say, they aren't like this. I'm gonna be splitting wood for decades to come, God-willing, and I figured that spending a little more up front would mean a more productive unit which will leave me more time for other projects.


The price seems reasonable for what you got. The added benefit of the PTO driven pump is huge. Most 3pt splitters I see are operated with the tractors hydraulics, don't have the auto cycle valve and don't have a 4 way. Nice acquisition sir. Now I'm thinking I should buy a 3pt and add my own tank and pto pump and auto valve.


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## Sawyer Rob (May 17, 2017)

Another thing I like about my 3 point splitter, it leaves the remotes on my tractor available to run a conveyer or anything else I want to run with them...without taking away from the splitters speed.

SR


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## Ryan'smilling (May 17, 2017)

Marshy said:


> The price seems reasonable for what you got. The added benefit of the PTO driven pump is huge. Most 3pt splitters I see are operated with the tractors hydraulics, don't have the auto cycle valve and don't have a 4 way. Nice acquisition sir. Now I'm thinking I should buy a 3pt and add my own tank and pto pump and auto valve.



That would definitely be an easy way to do it. There are a couple of options for 20 GPM pumps, you can get a Prince (USA) from eBay for about $460 shipped or a Dynamic (imported) for about $300 from Surplus Center. The auto valve is another couple hundred if I recall correctly. I see used three point splitters on Craigslist relatively often. Some are pretty chinsy, but some look pretty solid. 

If I wanted to make 24" splits or less, I probably would have done something like what you're talking about. I did briefly considered building one instead of buying this one, but it would have been ugly, would have taken a long time, and I just don't have the time to take on something like this. 

If you do build one, put up a thread. It'll be cool to see what you come up with.


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## svk (May 17, 2017)

You could pay for that real quick if you processed larger logs into manageable splits for OWB users too.


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## NSMaple1 (May 17, 2017)

*It sure splits in a hurry too; a full cycle takes 22 seconds at a little over half throttle. At 540 PTO RPM it should be about 14 or 15. *

I think I would want to take advantage of the big tractor engine torque, and speed the pump up with a gearbox, maybe. So the tractor is only idling. Having it run at half to full throttle with what is not really much load would give me the fingers on chalkboard feelings.


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## Ryan'smilling (May 17, 2017)

NSMaple1 said:


> *It sure splits in a hurry too; a full cycle takes 22 seconds at a little over half throttle. At 540 PTO RPM it should be about 14 or 15. *
> 
> I think I would want to take advantage of the big tractor engine torque, and speed the pump up with a gearbox, maybe. So the tractor is only idling. Having it run at half to full throttle with what is not really much load would give me the fingers on chalkboard feelings.



Agreed. Lots of tractors have a setting that allows you to achieve 540 PTO RPM at a lower engine speed. I think Deere calls it ePTO. Unfortunately, neither of mine have that feature. Another cool way up do it would be if you had a tractor with a 1000 RPM PTO, which most larger tractors do. There's pumps in the 40 GPM range that use that PTO shaft and are rated for that speed. Again, I'm out of luck there. For now anyway. 

I'll have to spend more time with it, but with the auto cycle I'm not too worried about cycle time, since I don't have to sit there holding a lever. My NH achieves 540 at lower throttle, so I'm thinking that setting that tractor at about 2000 engine RPM will make for a nice cycle time, a comfortable engine load to speed ratio, and most importantly, a pleasant experience for the operator.


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## NSMaple1 (May 17, 2017)

We've got some gear here with gearboxes on PTO mounted pumps - pretty simple setup, but I don't know what the gearboxes cost. Or maybe yours already has one? A gas engine shaft would likely turn up a lot faster RPM, than a PTO shaft would to start with.

How many trees do you tap? Have an RO?


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## Ryan'smilling (May 17, 2017)

NSMaple1 said:


> We've got some gear here with gearboxes on PTO mounted pumps - pretty simple setup, but I don't know what the gearboxes cost. Or maybe yours already has one? A gas engine shaft would likely turn up a lot faster RPM, than a PTO shaft would to start with.
> 
> How many trees do you tap? Have an RO?



Actually, now that you mention it, I do have a 2:1 right angle gear box laying around. Might be onto something... We'll see how much time I've got this winter and how caught up I am with everything else. 

I switched from buckets to vacuum this year. Put out about 400 taps this year on a 3/16 hybrid system with a Shurflo diaphragm pump. Had our best year ever and made 180 gallons. No RO for me, not in the foreseeable future, anyway. I bought a used 4x14 Algier evaporator after the '16 season, so I have a ways to go before I'm maxed out. It was great being able to make 30 gallons of syrup in 6 hours and be done in time for dinner .

How about you?


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## NSMaple1 (May 17, 2017)

We're too big for it to be fun anymore - lol.

I'm not talking production because were almost on 2 different planets there. We can only dream about getting as much here from the same number of trees as you do down there. Different environments etc. etc. But yes, 3 - 8" membranes. A 3 year old 5x16 Lapierre piggy back. Slowly replacing 5/16 with 3/16. One Busch vac, maybe 2 for next year. 34,000 taps on 2 properties. Around 20 cords/year.


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## Ryan'smilling (May 17, 2017)

NSMaple1 said:


> We're too big for it to be fun anymore - lol.
> 
> I'm not talking production because were almost on 2 different planets there. We can only dream about getting as much here from the same number of trees as you do down there. Different environments etc. etc. But yes, 3 - 8" membranes. A 3 year old 5x16 Lapierre piggy back. Slowly replacing 5/16 with 3/16. One Busch vac, maybe 2 for next year. 34,000 taps on 2 properties. Around 20 cords/year.



Well, we burn a similar amount of firewood... 

I've visited several operations that size, and it's definitely a whole different ball game. I want to keep expanding (shouldn't be a surprise), but I'll never be that big. I plan on pursuing another 1000 taps and seeing how far I can take my retail sales, but after that it'd be a huge step to go to there next level. I don't even have power in my sugar shack, so going beyond that many taps would really take some gumption. I sure enjoy it, though. It's by far my favorite time of year. I'd love to see some pics of your operation sometime!


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## Sawyer Rob (May 17, 2017)

It takes close to 30hp to get full power out of those pto pumps, I think gearing one up is a BIG waste of time, unless you are running it on a quite big tractor, and most don't.

SR


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## Hddnis (May 18, 2017)

That is a much nicer splitter than the Timberwolf.


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## Marshy (May 19, 2017)

Doesn't look like I'll be building my own any time soon, I found this for sale locally. They are asking $400 and are even negotiable she said! 

It has a PTO driven pump and reservoir. It also has a 23" stroke. I'm headed to buy Monday!!! If I could get there sooner I would but they leave for camp at 3 today and will be gone all weekend. I will go Monday at noon.


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## muddstopper (May 21, 2017)

I bought a Bushhog brand 3pt splitter the other day for $250. Made one phone call and sold it for $300 before I even got it home. It didnt have its own pump and tank, but the buyer was glad to get it.


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## c5rulz (May 21, 2017)

dave_dj1 said:


> I have never understood using a $20,000 machine to do the work of a couple hundred dollar motor but that's just me.



Can't agree more on that one.


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## Sawyer Rob (May 21, 2017)

> dave_dj1 said: ↑
> “I have never understood using a $20,000 machine to do the work of a couple hundred dollar motor but that's just me.
> 
> Can't agree more on that one.


 Well, that's why I use a tractor I paid $3,500.00 for, that came to me with a thousand dollar Howard rotavator on the back... THAT I put 500 hours on it doing custom rotavating, of which AT LEAST 400 of those hours I got paid $40.00 per hour... SO, how much do I now have into that tractor?? Go ahead and do the math!!

Let's see YOUR splitter motor make YOU money like that!! lol

Right now THAT tractor is worth about $4,500.00 and the rotavator AT LEAST $800.00...

These days, when it's not making me money "off" the splitter, it's making me money splitting wood, purring along on cheap tax free red diesel...







NOW, how many of those little screaming POS's do you think I would have worn out by now?? OR will wear out before my diesel is worn out??

BTW, so far, repairs on that tractor have been one $5 or 6 buck fitting (I forget exactly) and a $10.00 fuel line.......everything else is original...

SR


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## Ryan'smilling (May 21, 2017)

Sawyer Rob said:


> Well, that's why I use a tractor I paid $3,500.00 for, that came to me with a thousand dollar Howard rotavator on the back... THAT I put 500 hours on it doing custom rotavating, of which AT LEAST 400 of those hours I got paid $40.00 per hour... SO, how much do I now have into that tractor?? Go ahead and do the math!!
> 
> Let's see YOUR splitter motor make YOU money like that!! lol
> 
> ...




My numbers aren't quite as good as Rob's, not yet anyway, but same idea. I paid $5500 for that New Holland. It's a sweet little hydrostatic tractor that does all sorts of chores around the farm. I use to do 90% of my snow removal and the vast majority of my bush hogging, including about $300 of paid mowing to date. It also runs my tiller, does a great job with a 6' flail mower, runs my bale chopper, and moves trailers and wagons around. 

That said, I probably wouldn't have opted for a three point splitter if I only had one tractor. Actually if I only had one tractor I'd be constant changing implements and I'd never get anything done. Having two saves me a lot of time. Even though I feel like I use the snot out of both of them, in reality they each only get about 100 hours/year on the clock. I don't think I'd ever split enough wood to worry about running up the hours on my tractors. 

And really, the main reasons I went with a three point are the volume at the operator's station, and the price. Adding an axle and a Honda motor would have put this splitter over $5k. Still a great price, but in my case, the difference between something I could afford and something I couldn't. So, to recap, I get a fast, quiet splitter that's easy to move around and adjust the working height for less money, and it takes advantage of a piece of equipment I already own. And I never need to change the motor oil on my splitter.


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## Marshy (May 22, 2017)

Brought home my new splitter today. Ended up taking a little risk as I asked the guy to hook it up and run the ram but it didn't have enough oil in the reservoir to run the ram. We settled on $300. Figured if I had to rebuild the pump at $300 its still a good deal. I'll drain the rest of the oil from the system, refill it and see how it does.

Any idea who the pump manufacture might be?


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## farmer steve (May 24, 2017)

Marshy said:


> Brought home my new splitter today. Ended up taking a little risk as I asked the guy to hook it up and run the ram but it didn't have enough oil in the reservoir to run the ram. We settled on $300. Figured if I had to rebuild the pump at $300 its still a good deal. I'll drain the rest of the oil from the system, refill it and see how it does.
> 
> Any idea who the pump manufacture might be?
> 
> ...


possibly an Eaton pump Marshy from the 73418 #. nice score on the splitter.


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## MontanaResident (May 25, 2017)

Looks great. I'm surprised it did not come with wheels.


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## Marshy (May 25, 2017)

MontanaResident said:


> Looks great. I'm surprised it did not come with wheels.


Thanks man. I put 10 gal of oil in it and everything works as expected. The pump could probably use a new seal at is drips out the face where the PTO goes into the pump but it's not terrible. The valve doesn't have a detent for auto return but that's ok. The cycle time seems to be respectful. Then I turned the tractor rpm up for the PTO to reach 500 rpm and could hear cavitation across the filter. I might of imploded the filter so I'll check it later. I might have ruined the filter lol. No reason to run it that fast other than to see how fast it would move, 1000-1500 rpm is plenty. Hope I didnt ruin the filter, I knew the one that I took off was imploded because it can't handle that amount of flow but I forgot about that in the moment.
It might be too late but, sorry for hyjacking the OP's thread.

The cool think about this splitter is the pump has an extra 8' of hose so you can disconnect the 3 pt hitch and park the tractor ~8' from the spkitter. The down side is now the splitter will get pushed around if you are just splitting and leaving it in a big pile. The up side is I can leave the brush hog on the tractor and get close enough to run splitter so I don't have to connect/disconnect the mower every time I want to split.


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## NSMaple1 (May 25, 2017)

Isn't the filter on the return line? 

If so (I think it should be) I don't think it could implode or cause cavitation - there might be another restriction at play somewhere that would cause it.


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## Ryan'smilling (May 25, 2017)

No worries about the hijack, Marshy! Glad you got your splitter running! Since you saved a bundle on it, maybe there's enough left in the splitter budget for an auto cycle valve. I just put another hour on my unit and i love that auto cycle!!




Here's what I got done this morning. Sure had a nice time. Not sure how much is there, but the tractor wasn't wound out, I was working alone, and certainly not rushing. Best part of all though: see that stroller in the background? Yep, my daughter was asleep in there during the whole time I was splitting. Just listening the purr of a 3 cylinder shibaura diesel. No way I'd have her anywhere near that close with an air cooled motor. I couldn't be happier!


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## dave_dj1 (May 25, 2017)

They both look like great splitters. I almost wish I had more wood to split before fall....lol


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## Marshy (May 26, 2017)

NSMaple1 said:


> Isn't the filter on the return line?
> 
> If so (I think it should be) I don't think it could implode or cause cavitation - there might be another restriction at play somewhere that would cause it.


It is in the return line but all filters have a flow limit before they self destruct internally and collapse the element (that's what I mean by imploding). It was making some good noise that resembled cavitation. I hear the same noise occurring in large industrial valves that have a high dp across the valve seats under high flow.


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## NSMaple1 (May 26, 2017)

Would there be a screen on the suction line? At the tank? Could be dirty?

(Random thought...)


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## GM_Grimmy (May 26, 2017)

Marshy said:


> It is in the return line but all filters have a flow limit before they self destruct internally and collapse the element (that's what I mean by imploding). It was making some good noise that resembled cavitation. I hear the same noise occurring in large industrial valves that have a high dp across the valve seats under high flow.


Get one with a bypass. You shouldn't have that much pressure on the return line anyways. If you do, there's something wrong then.


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## Marshy (May 29, 2017)

GM_Grimmy said:


> Get one with a bypass. You shouldn't have that much pressure on the return line anyways. If you do, there's something wrong then.


Yes, I was thinking about a bypass with a relief valve and have it set low (5-10 psi?). I'll probably just keep the throttle down and never have to worry about it again though. That's the easiest solution.

The pressure is coming from the high flow rate of the oil through the filter. The filter is a restriction (like back pressure from a muffler). The more flow you try to pass through a restriction the higher the inlet pressure is.

The filter might only be built for 10-15 GPM (no way to determine that as it was a random oil filter from Napa that fit). Try passing 20 GPM oil through a filter that's only rated for 10-15 GPM and it will get ruined.
No worries, the splitter is plenty fast around 300 PTO RPM.


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## GM_Grimmy (May 29, 2017)

Mine I think bypasses at 25psi and there's no adjusting to it. Got it from surplus center. Does a lot of bypassing when I first fire it up and get some heat into the oil.

Sent from my SM-G935V using Tapatalk


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## Ryan'smilling (May 30, 2017)

I'm sitting in my woods right now while my little girl takes a nap in the stroller. I would be splitting wood, but my buddy is coming over this afternoon and I don't want to split it all before he shows up. Anyway, my neighbor is running her hydraulic splitter maybe two tenths of a mile from here. Could be a little less. Man am I happy mine's tractor powered!! That damned thing is over there screaming it's guts out and whining away at the same time. 

I suppose it'd be more tolerable if you were standing next to a splitter that was actually productive, but in her case it's a regular wedge-on-ram dinky little thing.


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## NSMaple1 (May 30, 2017)

My wedge is on the ram too, I think I like it that way. Stuff that needs re-splitting stays close.


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## Ryan'smilling (May 30, 2017)

NSMaple1 said:


> My wedge is on the ram too, I think I like it that way. Stuff that needs re-splitting stays close.



I hear you for sure. On the other hand I really like that my splitter pushes the splits off the table and into a nice pile. 

Exhibit A:
Very little of this wood was touched by my hands. I lifted it onto the splitter with a pickaroon and hit the lever. Of course very little of it needed resplitting.


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## Ryan'smilling (May 31, 2017)

I got a little more wood split during nap time today. This is some nice white oak that I'm planning on selling or burning during winter 2018-2019. 




This area was a huge round pile of splits that I burned this spring making syrup. I figured it was about 10 cords. Got a long way to go before it's full again. I'm planning on bringing rounds over to the pile and once I stack most of the perimeter, I'll just fill in the rest by pushing it off the splitter. I'll have to toss some up in the middle to get it high enough that a tarp will shed water.


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## svk (May 31, 2017)

You are definitely getting your moneys worth out of that splitter already! If Julian ever gets tired of cutting rounds let me know and I will come out and help you.


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## Ryan'smilling (Jun 1, 2017)

svk said:


> You are definitely getting your moneys worth out of that splitter already! If Julian ever gets tired of cutting rounds let me know and I will come out and help you.



I'm working on it, that's for sure! It'd be great to meet up again, Steve and get to run some saws this time. That MillerMod 550 is something I'd love to try out. I've never run much for classic saws either, like those homelites or Macs you've got.


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## Marshy (Jun 1, 2017)

GM_Grimmy said:


> Mine I think bypasses at 25psi and there's no adjusting to it. Got it from surplus center. Does a lot of bypassing when I first fire it up and get some heat into the oil.
> 
> Sent from my SM-G935V using Tapatalk


Thanks, will look into one in the future.


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## GM_Grimmy (Jun 1, 2017)

Marshy said:


> Thanks, will look into one in the future.


http://www.surpluscenter.com/Hydrau...1-4-NPT-70-GPM-ZINGA-RETURN-FILTER-9-4543.axd

That's what I'm running. I need the high gpm as I have a 3.75" rod in a 5" cylinder and hit about 65 gpm on the return stroke. It does have a gauge on it that tells me the psi.......I think it came with it, but I can't say for sure. I just ordered it and gave it to my builder that built my splitter. Good stuff to know though.


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## svk (Jun 1, 2017)

Ryan'smilling said:


> I'm working on it, that's for sure! It'd be great to meet up again, Steve and get to run some saws this time. That MillerMod 550 is something I'd love to try out. I've never run much for classic saws either, like those homelites or Macs you've got.


I'm hoping to have my XL-103 up and running in the next couple of weeks and my 6-10 just needs fine tuning after a new carb kit. I'd be happy to bring a few of them out sometime.


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## Marshy (Jun 1, 2017)

GM_Grimmy said:


> http://www.surpluscenter.com/Hydrau...1-4-NPT-70-GPM-ZINGA-RETURN-FILTER-9-4543.axd
> 
> That's what I'm running. I need the high gpm as I have a 3.75" rod in a 5" cylinder and hit about 65 gpm on the return stroke. It does have a gauge on it that tells me the psi.......I think it came with it, but I can't say for sure. I just ordered it and gave it to my builder that built my splitter. Good stuff to know though.


Excellent, thank you for the link. I will check the existing filter adapter NPT size. Maybe the adapter is sized properly but had the wrong filter. Maybe I can put that filter on my adapter and all will be well.


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## sam-tip (Jun 1, 2017)

I agree the auto cycle valve is wonderful. Splitting at half throttle is also wonderful. Splitter looks great!

Sent from my SM-N910R4 using Tapatalk


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## tobster (Dec 19, 2017)

Nice think about 3pt. set up is you can have it on the ground and roll rounds onto it or raise it to waist height or what-ever?


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## Ryan'smilling (Dec 20, 2017)

tobster said:


> Nice think about 3pt. set up is you can have it on the ground and roll rounds onto it or raise it to waist height or what-ever?



Totally. This one has brackets for a log lift. At the time of purchase it would have run an extra $600, which I thought was very reasonable. I wanted to try without it, since I was already stretching my budget. I find I don't lower it to roll big rounds onto it (definitely could though). Instead I generally pick up any real big ones with my loader tractor and bring them over. I'm in the lucky position of owning two tractors though.


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