Do you recommend a hydraulic fluid filter or strainer on a log splitter?

[JHctRednek]

a strainer, although maybe a some what good idea, would also be a pain in the ass to clean or change. being on the suction side, that means you have to drain all the oil to replace or clean it.

a good filter on your return line is all you need. once the oil cycles a couple of time, there should be no debris in the oil. unless you're dumping dirt and stones into your tank, you don't need a strainer.

been running mine since 2006 and my oil is still perfect and never had an issue.

You do realize that everytime your splitter cycles it sucks air into the tank and then expells that air when the ram returns.

Any operation of a component with a differential volume must take that volume from the tank. So that means that if your working in dusty environments that tank is pulling in dirty dusty air. Look at some of the breathers that are on splitters or other equipment, some are nice coalescing filters and some are holes drilled in a pipe plug. Debri gets into tanks, period, having a dollar piece of 100 mesh over the suction line to save a 200 dollar pump is cheap insurance, heck even if it was a cheapo 100 pump I would still do it.

 

[wndwlkr]

You do realize that everytime your splitter cycles it sucks air into the tank and then expells that air when the ram returns.

my hydraulic system recycles the fluid constantly, no air required, hydraulics are sealed systems. i have a suction screen on the intake side and no filter anywhere else.

 

[JHctRednek]

You do realize that everytime your splitter cycles it sucks air into the tank and then expells that air when the ram returns.

my hydraulic system recycles the fluid constantly, no air required, hydraulics are sealed systems. i have a suction screen on the intake side and no filter anywhere else.

I agree that your splitter may cycle oil constantly, most use an open center control valve which allows the pump to cycle oil thru the valve back to the tank but not to the cylinder.

Unless you have a splitter that had two rods (one coming out of each end cap), (or uses a hydraulic motor, or uses an equal area rack and pinion rotary actuator) the volume between the blind side and the rod side of the cylinder are not the same. The extra volume of oil required to make up the difference comes from the tank. If the tank was not vented everytime the cylinder extended the loss of the extra volume of oil required to fill the cylinder would create a vacuum within the tank (causeing more stress on the pump causing it to cavitate). Unless your splitter has a special filling procedure to check the oil level when the cylinder is extended and then tighten the unvented fill cap. This which would pressurize the tank and wouldn't cause stress on the pump.

Example:
If you take a 5 gallon bucket and fill it all the way to the top and then drop a 4" piece of solid bar stock the length of the bucket in it the bucket will overflow. If you remove the piece of solid bar the bucket level will be lower. Its the same idea. If you have a cylinder with 7" bore 24" stroke and 4" rod, every time you cycle the cylinder from full retraction to full extension you would displace about 1.3 gal of oil. That volume change of oil comes out of the tank and is replaced by air, not pressurized air just atmospheric air. When you cycle the cylinder back to full retraction from full extension you would return to the tank about 1.3 gal of oil. That volume change of oil comes back to the tank and displaces the air.

I apologize Lab-lover for steering your thread off topic.

 

[George G]

Unless you are sucking your oil though a junkyard. I would have to say no to a suction strainer. If you have a strainer with a bypass on it, when the oil cold or when the strainer plugs up. the bypass will open, the oil bypasses the strainer. If you have a strainer without a bypass. When the oil is cold or when the strainer plugs up. You cavitate the pump. Best bet, Your suction line should be a minimum of one inch from the bottom of the tank, the velocity of the oil in the suction line should be kept at a minimum, the bigger "up to a point" the suction line the better. That way, anything that don't float, will settle to the bottom,and not be sucked up. Anything that does float, won't get past the baffle in the tank. Use a return line filter. And a tank filler breather with a screen.

Hydraulic Reservoir Accessories - Filler/Air Breathers by Vescor Corporation

 

[Lab-lover]

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I've uploaded pictures of my splitter to my album and attempted to include them on this post so hopefully they will be visible to everyone. This is a Huss Abe's Baby, 5hp, 11GPM splitter with a 3.5" x 24" cylinder with (I think) about a 22" shaft. I can't extend the shaft right now so I can't be sure of the length or diameter.

The pictures are of the original setup but I am replacing the original pump with an 11GPM Haldex-Barnes 2 stage pump with a 3/4" hose barb inlet so I will have to drill and thread a new 3/4" hole in the reservoir to replace the old 1/2" NPT hole and line.

Can I install the Haldex-Barnes pump so the inlet and outlet are aligned vertically instead of horizontal? If I can position the inlet on the bottom of the pump it will allow me to make one 90 degree bend in the suction line rather than the 180 degree loop necessary to feed the pump from the side.

Also I intend to install a 20GPM filter higher than the reservoir on the return line to keep the fluid clean.

All of your suggestions and recommendations have been very helpful, please keep them coming.

 

[Joe mc]

I have an older 5hp, 11 GPM, 3" x 24" cylinder, hydraulic log splitter which goes by the name of Abe's Baby. A couple of months ago it sucked a chunk of metal from someplace into the pump and damaged the gears. I have ordered a new 11 GPM pump but to avoid a repeat I would like to install a strainer or filter on the suction side of the pump. All of the hoses are currently attached with 1/2 inch threaded fittings.

Does anyone have a recommendation of which would be better, strainer or filter? Also, I assume I can switch to clamped hoses on the suction side if I install a filter or external strainer?

Thanks in advance for any info.

Another thing you can do is get a high powered magnet and drop it in your tank

 

[Joe mc]

I have an older 5hp, 11 GPM, 3" x 24" cylinder, hydraulic log splitter which goes by the name of Abe's Baby. A couple of months ago it sucked a chunk of metal from someplace into the pump and damaged the gears. I have ordered a new 11 GPM pump but to avoid a repeat I would like to install a strainer or filter on the suction side of the pump. All of the hoses are currently attached with 1/2 inch threaded fittings.

Does anyone have a recommendation of which would be better, strainer or filter? Also, I assume I can switch to clamped hoses on the suction side if I install a filter or external strainer?

Thanks in advance for any info.

A cattle stomach magnet works good it small enough to fit in your filler hole

 

[Ted Jenkins]

I have been using filters on the suction side for a while with no problems yet. My rule of thumb have been to over engineer the volume to ensure no problems. ON A 28 CFM I fabricated a manifold with a 40 CFM. Changing filters is not expensive or difficult so seems like a reasonable solution. Thanks

 

[Joe mc]

I just up sized my pump on my new 34ton And the actual manufacture hydraulics filter holder would be an easy install I would say just order the real deal And figure out what it would take to mount it should be an easy set up