Need some help with a log splitter.....

[Wife'nHubby]

Here is the first hyd. connection I made. Also shows the u-bold which goes thru pre-drilled holes in the i-beam.

 

[leon]

log splitter

I haven't made this connection yet because I have a question here: Should I add hyd. fluid into the cylinder before completing this connection?

Yes add the hydraulic oil first before you install the fittings and steel lines. if you have liquid thread sealer put a little on the first thread-very little-do not use teflon tape-it can break the fittings if too much is used.

leon

 

[leon]

Here's my first hyd. connection. I have it tight enough now that now shiny threads are showing - again, I will have someone give this another crank or two before firing.

The fluid tank has an air hole, will this air hole be enough to release air in the hydraulic lines when I add fluid or should I remove the cap when running it during the initial fluid fill?

Since your tank is so small I would simply allow the engine to run at idle for a half hour with the tank 1/2 full providing you fill the cylinder first!!!! before you cycle the valve spool and the cylinder back and forth

leonopcorn:

 

[Dan_IN_MN]

Make sure to hold fitting when tightening

Make sure to hold fitting when tightening with another wrench to keep the fitting from breaking off!

Disregard the green Xs

Blue arrow is the fitting that needs to be held when tightening the fitting on the hose which is the yellow arrow. The green arrow is where the fitting "could" break off if not supported with another wrench.

Don't forget, I will have some male I can corner to crank down all the connections I made before I fire it up.

Shari

Make sure that all of your efforts don't go down the drain because something gets over tightened and broken!

 

[Wife'nHubby]

Okay, Leon & Dan, got your instructions - will follow through tomorrow and post results. Thanks everyone for all the encouragement!

Shari

 

[Rookie1]

I dont think yoll have a problem at all Shari. Not with the progress youve made already.I dont think there would be a problem for you to tighten down fittings yourself. Whats the worst that will happen. They will leak a little and can be tightened more if needed. I think trickiest part will be getting fluid level correct. Thats a pretty small tank with little room for error.

 

[Wife'nHubby]

Hey, guys, I don't believe this one question has been answered: Once I fill the cylinder with as much fluid as I can get in the two connections I will also 90% fill the tank. When I fire it up I am expecting some movement (per Leon) and someone else said the excess air will bleed into the tank. Now, the tank has an air vent - questions:

1. will that vent in the tank be enough to vent the excess air out(?), or
2. should I remove the cap on the tank when running the first strokes so the air can exit(?)
3. should I just loosen the cap to vent the excess air(?)

(Guys, I don't want the tank to blow up on me........ )

Shari

 

[Rookie1]

I dont think you could blow it up from what your doing. I would leave the cap off so you can watch the oil level. If you fill cylinder and fill tank 3/4 full I would say there will be little drama. The hyd. lines will fill up will oil and your level may go down some but I dont think there will be any big gushes of air out of tank.

 

[Wife'nHubby]

Thanks, Rookie1.

Picture this: When I fire this up tomorrow I will be wearing safety glasses, chaps and hubby's hardhat for PP! My Dad, if he were still living, would laugh at my PP but would probably be proud that I at least tried this on my own. (I was Dad's "tool gal" when he worked on his machinery.) Wish me luck! I will report back.

Shari

 

[Rookie1]

I think all will be fine. You are worrying too much. Saftey glasses are a good idea. But when its all over I think not much will happen. Careful is good though. Good Luck. Ill be looking for results tomorrow.

 

[boostnut]

Hey, thats on old Didier splitter, mine looked just like it when I bought it. You're on the right track, doing fine. Fill the cylinder, finish the connections, fill the tank about 3/4 of the way and fire it up. I'd leave the cap off of the tank to monitor the oil level. Actually, I'd take this opportunity to junk that little tank and replace it with one that will hold more than a quart. I've seen people use propane tanks on their Didiers in place of the originals. Just a suggestion. Good luck!

 

[Zodiac45]

Hey, thats on old Didier splitter, mine looked just like it when I bought it. You're on the right track, doing fine. Fill the cylinder, finish the connections, fill the tank about 3/4 of the way and fire it up. I'd leave the cap off of the tank to monitor the oil level. Actually, I'd take this opportunity to junk that little tank and replace it with one that will hold more than a quart. I've seen people use propane tanks on their Didiers in place of the originals. Just a suggestion. Good luck!

I agree that tank's way too small and will cause premature wear on the cylinder seals due too excess heat. The more fluid you have the cooler it's going too run.

 

[rdbrumfield]

One thing to remember Shari. When topping off the tank to 90 percent. be sure the ram is in all the way. If you fill it in the extended position, when you return the ram the shaft on the ram displaces a lot of oil. That is, there is more oil in the cyl when extended than there is when retracted. With that small a tank, if you fill when extended and put the cap on before you use it, it might blow the cap off.

 

[triptester]

The suction hose for the pump appears to be kinked or collapsed it may need to be replaced. I am in Oak Creek if all else fails I may be close enough to look at it.

Jerry

 

[Wife'nHubby]

I haven't filled her up yet guys - have a school thing with the grand-daughter this afternoon. I will get to it later today.

So... it sounds like I should replace the fluid tank. Suggestions on what to use/where to get it? Maybe heat build up could have screwed the seals in this cylinder which caused the rebuild we did last fall.

Jerry - If you want to stop by and take a look at the hose, send me a pm. You are probably about 10 miles or so from me.

Shari

 

[boostnut]

If you knew someone who could do some modifications and weld work one of these would be a cheap option.

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=41712

Wouldn't be too bad of a job to drill a couple of holes in one and weld pipe fittings on. Measure the space you have available between the tire and hyd. pump to make sure it'll fit. If not, elevating it above the pump won't hurt, its acutally a good idea.

What you already have will work (as you know) but more volume = less heat = longer cylinder life. Something to consider.

 

[Bl8tant]

SO glad you posted those pictures.

Looks like you are on the right track. The folks here are quite helpful.

I'm really glad you posted those pics. I've been searching everywhere for a picture of an unmodified Didier splitter (even though that's not the original motor). My dad has the exact same splitter. It has split hundreds and hundreds of cords of wood. All original until last year when I modified it to raise the working height and replaced the worn-out Briggs motor.

I wouldn't worry about the tank if it were me. My dad is not real big on maintenance and his is still going strong. When I did the mods, it got it's first hydraulic oil change.....no kidding. The hydraulic oil was the original oil from 20+ years ago (there were minimal amounts of make-up oil added over the years but never changed).:jawdrop:

 

[Wife'nHubby]

Thanks for those who identified this as a Didier! We had no idea, thought it was a homemade splitter. I was doing some research on line for Didier and came across an original advertisement for it. I also found some pictures of a guy who did some hose replacements on his - which had brought up a couple of questions on ours. I will post pictures... and, yes, we have split some logs the same size as in the ad.

Here is the original ad, from Popular Mechanics September 1978.

Shari

 

[Austin1]

If you knew someone who could do some modifications and weld work one of these would be a cheap option.

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=41712

Wouldn't be too bad of a job to drill a couple of holes in one and weld pipe fittings on. Measure the space you have available between the tire and hyd. pump to make sure it'll fit. If not, elevating it above the pump won't hurt, its acutally a good idea.

What you already have will work (as you know) but more volume = less heat = longer cylinder life. Something to consider.

That's a good idea the OP could also try a expired 20lb propane tank.

 

[Wife'nHubby]

With the help of list members who id'd our splitter, I found some photos of another Didier - which has brought up some questions on ours.

I am attaching a rear photo of ours and a rear photo of another Didier. I have a question on one of our hoses. If you look at our photo, I swear it is just a radiator hose held in place with clamps on either end. The area marked with an x in the circle is slightly collapsed. The other persons hose in this same location looks like a high pressure hyd. hose.

Question #1: Our splitter was working with the hose that's there. If I am going to change it out, I think now is the time. Should I change it out? If yes, replace with high pressure hyd. hose? (I know where to get a hyd. hose - they make them for your specific need.)

Question #2: The rubber fitting between engine and splitter (called a 'frog'?) is showing wear. I know how to remove the engine, replacing this part is easy. Problem: Where do I find this part? (Northern Tools has various sizes, but we tried there and they are not the right size.) Anyone have a parts manual? Would Grainger carry this part?

Observation: Two of our hoses are routed under the drive shaft - not interfering with any moving parts - but they are not in the same location as shown in the other persons photo. Hmmm....

Shari


our splitter:

someone else's