Log Splitter Advice Needed - Nubie to the Site

[JBFab]

I would put a piece of UHMW also sold under the trade name Tyvar on the top flange, you can bolt it down using Flat head countersunk screws (FHCS) with nylock nuts underneath, you want to oversize the hole about a 1/16 or a little more (in the plastic, and the beam) and when you tighten the nuts leave them a little bit loose, not so much that the head of the FHCS can stick above the plastic, but just enough so that the plastic can move. (It needs a little bit of room to expand and contract in different temperatures, since it reacts at a different rate than the steel you are connecting it to) You can purchase the plastic for relatively low price from modernplastics.com, I believe mcmaster carr also sells sheets. The material has a very low co-efficient of friction, so as long as the base of your pusher is smooth, wear is generally not a concern, 1/4" may get you by with 5/16 bolts, with 3/8" material, you should be able to use a 3/8 FHCS. I would stagger the bolts on either side of the beams web at roughly 12" On Center

 

[r0858]

Log Splitter plumbing hydraulic hose questions

Thanx to all you guys that have given me the great advice on building my log splitter in my original post, beleive it or not all of it has come in handy, and Ill post pics of the finished product soon.

My question now is that I have the 5X36 cylinder with 3/4 inch working ports, and the ports from the control valve to the hydraulic cylinder are 1/2 inch. Do I need to use 1/2 hose from control valve to cylinder, or does it need to be 3/4? I am using 3/4 from tank to pump and pump to control valve.

 

[triptester]

With a 5" cylinder 3/4" hoses would be better but if the ports on your control valve are only 1/2" the larger hoses may not help a great much.

 

[kevin j]

what is your pump capacity? That flow defines line sizes.

very likely the valve is small. Won't affect speed or force, but the increased pressure drops create heat.

I would go 3/4 hoses, that wayif you have to upsize valve, or choose to upsize pump and engine later, the hoses are already ok.

k

 

[r0858]

pump size is 16 gpm

what is your pump capacity? That flow defines line sizes.

very likely the valve is small. Won't affect speed or force, but the increased pressure drops create heat.

I would go 3/4 hoses, that wayif you have to upsize valve, or choose to upsize pump and engine later, the hoses are already ok.

k

 

[2FatGuys]

+1 on using 3/4" hoses.

The 16 GPM pump can work with 1/2" lines, but it won't be long before you are ready to get a bigger pump. With a 5"x36" cylinder, you will have an 11.5 second one-way cycle time. This means to cycle the ram both to full split and then to full retract, it will take 23 seconds. You won't use it long before you are ready for faster times, which requires a larger capacity pump.

A 22 GPM pump will take full cycle time to aboout 16.5 seconds and a 28 GPM pump will reduce it to around 13 seconds. Based on my experience, both of these should use 3/4" minimum lines.