How hot should hydraulic fluid get in a splitter?

[Brufab]

I have 2 of the Countline 40 ton units. I bought the first one about 5 years ago when the first came out with the 40 ton. My old splitter was a Husky 25 ton unit and it would split ok but it struggled and wouldn't split live oak at all. Live oak would make it just stop and it never split a single round.
When Tractor supply came out with the 40 ton unit I looked it over and I liked every thing about it.
My 40 ton splits live oak like it not even there.
I also liked the 10'' wedge and the 9.5 cycle times. Every thing on the 40 is bigger and more heavy duty.
I put a hour meter on it the day I bought it, and it has 1264.6 hours and my newer one has 186.3 hours.
I was so impress with the first one I bought another one as a back up and so I can have two splitting stations. It splits forks and knots like butter. It doesn't mater how you orient the forked round it just bust it open with ease. I paid 1, for around seventeen hundred. The new one I paid eighteen hundred.
I had to search for the second one and I finally found one about 80 miles away. It was a long drive but I got exactly what I wanted.

Here is a link to TS log splitters
https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/countyline-40-ton-log-splitter

That's awesome sb47, yea the price of splitters went into the stratosphere. 2-3 years ago we got ours for 699 or 799$ its now $1699 which has probably priced alot of guys out from buying one. My dad will appreciate the info you shared. Thanks!

 

[sb47]

That's awesome sb47, yea the price of splitters went into the stratosphere. 2-3 years ago we got ours for 699 or 799$ its now $1699 which has probably priced alot of guys out from buying one. My dad will appreciate the info you shared. Thanks!

No problem, Im always ready to help if I can.
Well the sun is coming up so I gues I should getstarted before the heat sets in.

 

[lone wolf]

I did have a couple leeks only on the NPT connections! All of my JIC fittings are good! I used a Teflon paste product good for 10,000psi and rated to 500*. If I doubled the size of my reservoir would it run much cooler? Anyone recognize my pump and know what brand it is? Let me know.

Aluminum res with fins would help.

 

[JRM]

You would have to significantly increase your resevoir size to make a worthy difference in operating temps. Otherwise all your doing is (slightly) prolonging the length of time it takes to get the oil up to temperature.
It's kinda like the gimmick deep sump transmission pans and differential covers they sell for pickup trucks. If your actually working your truck they do nothing to decrease operating temperatures. It may just take a little longer to get there.
A cooler would be much more effective, and likely cheaper too.

 

[sb47]

Hydraulics and cold weather don't mix well. When I was driving a tree spade in the winter it would take awhile for the hydraulic oil to worm up before it worked like it should. It would be slow and not have near the power until it got wormed up.
The tree spade had 12 cylinders and the oil res held about 60 gallons so it took awhile to get it wormed up. Same thing with the skid steer, in the cold it would take awhile to worm up and work like it should.
Any temp up to about 200 I would say it's normal. When you get above 200 you start cooking the oil and can start blowing seals.

 

[c5rulz]

I've got the opposite problem most have with splitters and that is it runs too cold. I split in the Winter and the garage is a minimum of 45 degrees. After 4 hours of running the fluid was at best 60 degrees.

I ended up insulating the tank and now the fluid gets up to close too 90 which is still a little cool.

 

[Brufab]

I've got the opposite problem most have with splitters and that is it runs too cold. I split in the Winter and the garage is a minimum of 45 degrees. After 4 hours of running the fluid was at best 60 degrees.

I ended up insulating the tank and now the fluid gets up to close too 90 which is still a little cool.

Dang that's that's mean looking splitter, the cylinder shaft is huge Holy cow!

 

[sb47]

I've got the opposite problem most have with splitters and that is it runs too cold. I split in the Winter and the garage is a minimum of 45 degrees. After 4 hours of running the fluid was at best 60 degrees.

I ended up insulating the tank and now the fluid gets up to close too 90 which is still a little cool.

Looks like a pretty big oil tank. Have you tried using less oil and not filling it all the way up? That would decrease the amount of fluid and may make it heat up better on cold days. Or you could look for an oil designed for cold weather and be a little thinner. That might help.

 

[sb47]

Dang that's that's mean looking splitter, the cylinder shaft is huge Holy cow!

The cylinder on my 40 ton unit is a 5'' with a 3'' rod.
Here is a picture of the mod I did on the push plate. I simply took some 1 1/2 flat bar and bent it around the sides and top to keep the rounds from slipping off.



Here is the winch lift I put on it. It picks up some pretty big rounds. The best part is I can bust a big round in half and just swing the half that is still on the hook out of the way. Then I work one half at a time. I think it's called the Gorilla back log lift. It works great for not blowing my back out.




Here is the splitter back plate before I moded it. The edges are smooth and the rounds would slip off the edge and come flying out like a cannon ball.

 

[cookies]

If your having low temp problems weld a bung or a few nuts lined up so a110v block heater can be installed to preheat the system. I got the 25 ton from tractor supply, it has all the power I need for the wood I can physically move to split. I did have to modify the carb's main jet because it was running lean at midrange rpms reducing power. I can now split most things I throw in it below 3/4 throttle saving fuel and it powers through large rounds at a higher engine rpm under max load.

 

[sean donato]

I don't run my splitter wide open, just for speed. I run it just above idle. I think it is safer going a little slower. It makes everything last longer as well.

Mine is fairly slow with an 18gpm pump, at least it's fast enough I can work it by myself at a nice pace and not be waiting on the cylinder. The engine is run at around 3/4 throttle. More so because it's not balanced that well (not a counter shaft single cylinder) and it doesn't make a lot of difference in cycle times.

I've got the opposite problem most have with splitters and that is it runs too cold. I split in the Winter and the garage is a minimum of 45 degrees. After 4 hours of running the fluid was at best 60 degrees.

I ended up insulating the tank and now the fluid gets up to close too 90 which is still a little cool.

Whats the make and model of your splitter?

 

[sb47]

If your having low temp problems weld a bung or a few nuts lined up so a110v block heater can be installed to preheat the system. I got the 25 ton from tractor supply, it has all the power I need for the wood I can physically move to split. I did have to modify the carb's main jet because it was running lean at midrange rpms reducing power. I can now split most things I throw in it below 3/4 throttle saving fuel and it powers through large rounds at a higher engine rpm under max load.

I think the biggest reason my 40 ton unit works so well is the desin of the wedge. My first Husky splitters wedge was wider and more blunt. I had pieces of wood come flying out of it like a bomb going off. My 40's wedge is much thinner and is razer sharp and if the wood wont split it just cuts right through it. It was so sharp I had to dull it a little bit cause every time I bumped it, it cut me. I have never had a piece of wood fly out of this splitter. Here a picture of my 40's wedge. See how thin it is before it gets wider at the back of it. That narrow point is only about a half inch thick and the wider part doesn't start for about 4'' back from the point. Plus it's 10'' tall so it helps cut the stringy stuff so I don't have to flip the round over like my old one did with a shorter wedge..

 

[JRM]

I think the biggest reason my 40 ton unit works so well is the desin of the wedge. My first Husky splitters wedge was wider and more blunt. I had pieces of wood come flying out of it like a bomb going off. My 40's wedge is much thinner and is razer sharp and if the wood wont split it just cuts right through it. It was so sharp I had to dull it a little bit cause every time I bumped it, it cut me. I have never had a piece of wood fly out of this splitter. Here a picture of my 40's wedge. See how thin it is before it gets wider at the back of it. That narrow point is only about a half inch thick and the wider part doesn't start for about 4'' back from the point. Plus it's 10'' tall so it helps cut the stringy stuff so I don't have to flip the round over like my old one did with a shorter wedge..View attachment 1024642

Can you grab a measurement on the height of that wedge when you get a chance? No hurry at all, thanks.

 

[sb47]

Here is how I am set up right now. I have the splitter rite next to the log pile. I cut the logs and role them to the splitter and use my log lift to pick up the heavier ones. This is the first 40 I bought.





Here is the newer one that I don't use as often. Here some good pics of the wedge and pump.

 

[sb47]

Can you grab a measurement on the height of that wedge when you get a chance? No hurry at all, thanks.

It's 10'' tall.

 

[cookies]

The only weird complaint about the tractor supply splitters is if a chunk of log gets behind the wedge during the return stroke it will bend the piss out of the legs that push the log off the wedge.

 

[sb47]

Can you grab a measurement on the height of that wedge when you get a chance? No hurry at all, thanks.

Here is the best I could do.

 

[sean donato]

The only weird complaint about the tractor supply splitters is if a chunk of log gets behind the wedge during the return stroke it will bend the piss out of the legs that push the log off the wedge.

I've used a few of those tip and tilt splitters and much prefer a log lift. Much easier on the back imo.

 

[Brufab]

The cylinder on my 40 ton unit is a 5'' with a 3'' rod.
Here is a picture of the mod I did on the push plate. I simply took some 1 1/2 flat bar and bent it around the sides and top to keep the rounds from slipping off.

View attachment 1024604

Here is the winch lift I put on it. It picks up some pretty big rounds. The best part is I can bust a big round in half and just swing the half that is still on the hook out of the way. Then I work one half at a time. I think it's called the Gorilla back log lift. It works great for not blowing my back out.


View attachment 1024605

Here is the splitter back plate before I moded it. The edges are smooth and the rounds would slip off the edge and come flying out like a cannon ball.


View attachment 1024609

Awesome mods, equipment, and work . My dad has a small electric winch he attaches to a county line boom pole on our tractor for big rounds. The last stuff we split were 20-24" I quartered them in the vertical position so he could handle them easier by himself in the horizontal position. We were going to make a helper table or whatever but can buy one from tsc for a ddecent price.

 

[sb47]

The only weird complaint about the tractor supply splitters is if a chunk of log gets behind the wedge during the return stroke it will bend the piss out of the legs that push the log off the wedge.

I had that happen and it hit my valve handle and bent it. The ram was still retracting and because the wood was holding the valve open I had no way to stop it. I had to sit there and watch it and felling helpless. No time to shut the motor down.
I already lost the end of one of my fingers with this splitter. So I'm not putting any part of my body in harms way. If it F;s up something I will just have to fix it.