Log splitter pump mounting question

[cabinman]

web design

Take a clothes hanger, and place it vertically at the end of the beam,. the high point ,..where the hook is, is right at the top of the beam, this is a sonerial,.. not ment to be an exact measurement,.The point is,.. this truss shaped web welded to the beam/wedge will help keep the wedge from bending,. Take a square and see if the wedge is 90% from the beam,.The,.neakid eye, my, neaked eye says, its tilted back a little already,.. dont let it bend,..the rounds will ride up on the wedge,. the web thickness should be 1/4..3/8 thick, I wish I could do the cad drawing thing to make it simplier, Sorry,..

 

[cabinman]

Strainer/filter

Thanks everyone for your comments. Cabinman, the fitting at the bottom of the tank is 2 1/4" wide. I don't know what that translates to as far as pipe size. It is for a screened strainer on the suction side. The strainer was longer than my tank was wide, thats why I had to build that boxed out area onto the tank. I don't know what a truss shaped web is. Is it to make the beam more rigid? I've seen where some weld plates at 45 degree angles between the top and bottom plate of the i-beam. Is that what you are speaking of? I got lucky with all my fittings and hoses. I went to the scrap yard today and they had a crane there with all sorts of hoses and fittings. Picked up a dozen 1/2 and 3/4 fittings and a few hoses for $2.00. I was looking at having to pay $5 to $8 per fitting locally. I don't see how anyone could build one of these without the advantage of a scrap yard. I also bought the axle, hubs, spindles, wheels, and tires at the scrap yard off a small old boat trailer. Cost me $5. Also picked up the iron for the splitter from the scrap yard. It would cost you more to build one if you had to buy all new parts than if you just went and bought a new splitter.

And Triptester is correct. The valve is upside down and does function correctly that way, but I have decide to build a bracket to mount the valve right side up.

Also thought I would mention, the end plates on the tank are larger than the tank in order to bolt fenders on, if I decide to install fenders down the road.

I also need advice on different methods on how to rinse the tank out good prior to fluid. Hindsight, I should have left one tank end off until all cutting was done on the tank. I did place a magnet from a microwave inside the suction port of the tank where I could remove it and clean it when needed.

Iam glad you did the home work on the size of the strainer/filter, I think you will be glad you are filtering the oil before it gets to your pump,

 

[cabinman]

Boxed beam

Thanks everyone for your comments. Cabinman, the fitting at the bottom of the tank is 2 1/4" wide. I don't know what that translates to as far as pipe size. It is for a screened strainer on the suction side. The strainer was longer than my tank was wide, thats why I had to build that boxed out area onto the tank. I don't know what a truss shaped web is. Is it to make the beam more rigid? I've seen where some weld plates at 45 degree angles between the top and bottom plate of the i-beam. Is that what you are speaking of? I got lucky with all my fittings and hoses. I went to the scrap yard today and they had a crane there with all sorts of hoses and fittings. Picked up a dozen 1/2 and 3/4 fittings and a few hoses for $2.00. I was looking at having to pay $5 to $8 per fitting locally. I don't see how anyone could build one of these without the advantage of a scrap yard. I also bought the axle, hubs, spindles, wheels, and tires at the scrap yard off a small old boat trailer. Cost me $5. Also picked up the iron for the splitter from the scrap yard. It would cost you more to build one if you had to buy all new parts than if you just went and bought a new splitter.

And Triptester is correct. The valve is upside down and does function correctly that way, but I have decide to build a bracket to mount the valve right side up.

Also thought I would mention, the end plates on the tank are larger than the tank in order to bolt fenders on, if I decide to install fenders down the road.

I also need advice on different methods on how to rinse the tank out good prior to fluid. Hindsight, I should have left one tank end off until all cutting was done on the tank. I did place a magnet from a microwave inside the suction port of the tank where I could remove it and clean it when needed.

Also you might want to box the ends of the beam, (both ends) this will keep the beam from twisting, Boxing the beam is, welding a web on each side of the flange, verticle members,..an I beam is 2 horziontal flanges with a web in the middle,..A boxed beam has 3 verticle webs, the one is standard and the other two added are at the out side of the flanges, giving you 3 verticle members and 2 horziointal members,, make them as long as possable , especially on the wedge end, they have to be no longer than the stroke length of the pusher,plate about the lerngth of the wedge,..

 

[cabinman]

magnets,..... SCARRY MAGNETS

Thanks everyone for your comments. Cabinman, the fitting at the bottom of the tank is 2 1/4" wide. I don't know what that translates to as far as pipe size. It is for a screened strainer on the suction side. The strainer was longer than my tank was wide, thats why I had to build that boxed out area onto the tank. I don't know what a truss shaped web is. Is it to make the beam more rigid? I've seen where some weld plates at 45 degree angles between the top and bottom plate of the i-beam. Is that what you are speaking of? I got lucky with all my fittings and hoses. I went to the scrap yard today and they had a crane there with all sorts of hoses and fittings. Picked up a dozen 1/2 and 3/4 fittings and a few hoses for $2.00. I was looking at having to pay $5 to $8 per fitting locally. I don't see how anyone could build one of these without the advantage of a scrap yard. I also bought the axle, hubs, spindles, wheels, and tires at the scrap yard off a small old boat trailer. Cost me $5. Also picked up the iron for the splitter from the scrap yard. It would cost you more to build one if you had to buy all new parts than if you just went and bought a new splitter.

And Triptester is correct. The valve is upside down and does function correctly that way, but I have decide to build a bracket to mount the valve right side up.

Also thought I would mention, the end plates on the tank are larger than the tank in order to bolt fenders on, if I decide to install fenders down the road.

I also need advice on different methods on how to rinse the tank out good prior to fluid. Hindsight, I should have left one tank end off until all cutting was done on the tank. I did place a magnet from a microwave inside the suction port of the tank where I could remove it and clean it when needed.

THE MAGNETS YOU WANT are out of your obslete computer hard drives,.,. these magnets are so strong, you wont want to play with them,..Warning,..you dont

want to get a finger, between them,..They bit like a Puppy on steriods, Dont F$&k around with these, MAGS, NO Kidding,.. OIL tanks, Allways use a filter, LOLOL,... Rinse it the best you can blow it out, and add the oil as quick as you can to prevent rust, Shake, shake, shake it all around, every inch must be coated, or its rusts,...

 

[mga]

THE MAGNETS YOU WANT are out of your obslete computer hard drives,.,. these magnets are so strong, you wont want to play with them,..Warning,..you dont

want to get a finger, between them,..They bit like a Puppy on steriods, Dont F$&k around with these, MAGS, NO Kidding,.. OIL tanks, Allways use a filter, LOLOL,... Rinse it the best you can blow it out, and add the oil as quick as you can to prevent rust, Shake, shake, shake it all around, every inch must be coated, or its rusts,...

true, they are strong for little magnets, but they're only good on one side.

i'm at a loss as to why anyone would even consider magnets. if you have a filter, and you design your tank right, with the suction side off the bottom at least an inch, you'll be fine without the added options.

 

[sdnomad]

I understand your concern about the wedge bending forward from the force of the ram and I agree it is something I need to shore up, but I don't understand what you are describing to keep it from happening. Don't know what the hook or sonerial is??? Are you saying I need to weld an i-beam vertically along the backside of the wedge, from the top of the wedge to the bottom of the main i-beam?

Take a clothes hanger, and place it vertically at the end of the beam,. the high point ,..where the hook is, is right at the top of the beam, this is a sonerial,.. not ment to be an exact measurement,.The point is,.. this truss shaped web welded to the beam/wedge will help keep the wedge from bending,. Take a square and see if the wedge is 90% from the beam,.The,.neakid eye, my, neaked eye says, its tilted back a little already,.. dont let it bend,..the rounds will ride up on the wedge,. the web thickness should be 1/4..3/8 thick, I wish I could do the cad drawing thing to make it simplier, Sorry,..

 

[mga]

hey man....if you buy a decent wedge (northern tool has some good grade steel ones) and weld it properly to your beam, you should not have any problems with the wedge bending anything....unless you have a skimpy beam.

 

[blackdoggy]

true, they are strong for little magnets, but they're only good on one side.

i'm at a loss as to why anyone would even consider magnets. if you have a filter, and you design your tank right, with the suction side off the bottom at least an inch, you'll be fine without the added options.

The reason you consider magnets is because they will grab any ferrous crap and hold it until you take it out and clean it off. Also if you have larger chunks that you some how forgot to clean out of your tank it will grab them so your lines don't get clogged.
P.S. Hard drive magnets are magnetic on both sides all you need to do is remove the steel backer plate with a wood chisel (watch your finger when you do this).

 

[cabinman]

Web dssign

I understand your concern about the wedge bending forward from the force of the ram and I agree it is something I need to shore up, but I don't understand what you are describing to keep it from happening. Don't know what the hook or sonerial is??? Are you saying I need to weld an i-beam vertically along the backside of the wedge, from the top of the wedge to the bottom of the main i-beam?

Again, sorry I cant do the cad drawing, A clothes hanger, is a truss shape, like the rafters /trusses in a pole barn, , the high point on the hanger is the point where the hook is, and yes welding a I beam on the back side of the main beam, and wedge is what Iam talkin about,. But instead of using a I beam, make a web, shaped like a clothes hanger, and weld it on,,

 

[sdnomad]

Finished pics of homemade wood splitter

Here is the finished product.

 

[gtstang462002]

Looks like you have used it a little... Hows it do for you?

 

[Hedge]

Looks like a keeper.... Great size for someone who doesn't have a lot of space to store it and yet big enough to get the job done.

 

[blackdoggy]

You couldn't have built that it looks too damn good lol but if you really did build it it looks fantastic but I don't see your log lift.

 

[triptester]

sdnomad,
The splitter looks great. Good work.

Jerry

 

[SWI Don]

Nice Job. You must have a warm place to paint. I'm jealous.

I like the Big Dog sign.

Don

 

[kevin j]

-Just saw this thread, too late to matter but might help others.

-First off, a nice looking unit. For my needs, I like the lightweight, movable, and fast approach, not the big massive approach.

-Pump above or below is mainly based on pressure drop to get fluid to the pump inlet. With tight inlet line that doesn't leak air, in warm oil, and large lines, the tank can be feet from the pump. In most cases, It should be as close as possible, and below tank so the head pressure tends to push the fluid into pump. When it have to lift up, there is a negative pressure from that lift. Mainly, get as large as possible on the suction strainer, fittings, and hose.

-Tank baffle: Oh I do hope the baffle has lots of holes in it. Someone earlier implied the oil should go up and over the baffle like a waterfall. That adds lots of air and increases the chances of either aeration or cavitation. You want the oil to come back from return UNDER the fluid level, ideally slow down to a uniform smooth flow in a diffuser, then move as slowly as possible around the full tank distance. The point is to have as much time as possible for air to combine and move upward, while larger particles or water moves downward. The baffle is to direct the flow and keep it from short circuiting right from return to suction. Cut a couple lower diagonal corners off the baffle to direct the flow along the outer walls for cooling and to avoid any dead fluid spots. You DON'T want the baffles solid. Also remember cold fluid is really stiff, so the holes and space need to be quite large.

-Filters vs. strainers: Mostly semantics, is it a coarse filter or fine strainer ! Things with metal screens, 50-100microns or bigger, usually called strainers. Things with glass fiber or paper pleated elements are called filters.

-Filter 'ratings' are somewhat vendor smoke and mirrors. I won't go into Beta ratings for efficiency, Just get a good one for return flow. The 'rated gpm' is of course at some pressure drop, which depends on oil temperature and viscosity. If the vendor chooses to rate it with 10 oil at 160F temperature, for return line use it could go to maybe 30 psi drop across the filter, it can be called a '30 gpm filter'. To use on a suction line where the pressure drop should not be more and a couple psi with cold oil, it might be more accurately a 2 gpm filter.

-The bypass on a return filter is maybe 25 to 40 psi. Bypass setting on a suction filter is set to maybe 3 psi. Sometimes the spring & valve have two positions, sometimes they are different heads.

-Most of the standard oil filter sized return filters (with 1 inch fine threaded post and 1/2 or 3/4 NPT ports) I would use for about 15 gpm max on return line. Remember, the flow out return is greater than pump flow by the ratio of cylinder areas: Closed side area / rod side area might increase the return flow by 30 to 50% over pump flow.

-I would NEVER use a suction filter for logsplitter. I would probably use a suction strainer but vastly oversize it. What Northern calls strainer for15 or 20 gpm, I would only use for half that flow or less. They are not accounting for cold temperatures.

-Strainer or not is actually a difficult decision on case by case basis. It is to prevent weld berries or stray bits of trash from damaging pump, but can of course cause cavitation. I usually use a very large suction strainer (1/8 inch holes, or 60 mesh at the finest is using a screen) with most industrial systems. There, we fill the tank through a quick coupler to force oil through the return filter. For splitters, given that someone might pour in oil from a jug in the back of the truck with bits of dirt, wood chips, and maybe the occasional nut or bolt worked loose from inside the tank, I would use a large strainer.

-Cavitation is not the same as aeration. Yes, air can come out of suspension when there is a cracked inlet or loose hose. Cavitation is when the fluid pressure drops low enough in the inlet to pump that the oil actually 'boils' or vaporizes some volatile portions into a vapor. At a slightly different spot, the bubble collapses and the liquid around the vapor bubble slams into other liquid and the shock wave causes impacts to the metal parts of teeth, etc. Somewhat like detonation in a piston engine if you understand that situation. Anyway, cavitation is very hard on pump and erodes the metal surfaces.

-For cold start, heating the tank is a great idea. Remember to heat the pump and inlet line because the hose is still thick fluid. The magnet stick on heaters work very well on the tank at the strainer location.

-Cleaning the tank: Sandblasting the parts is good, blasting the finished tank is not. Bits of sand get trapped in crevices and weld joints, Sand, weld slag, or the mill scale on plate surface are essentially sharp particles of glass and very abrasive. They get released later when things flex or bounce. Sanding the mill scale off is good, or using pickled and oiled steel (not common in the scrap yards), or using stainless steel if you have it, especially for the lid. Phosphoric acid degreaser from the Napa store, used for degreasing body parts before painting, does a good job of cleaning. I would never paint the inside of tank. There are some specialized epoxy coatings, but mixed results and not for amateur application. Instead of rust particles, you can get paint flecks or big chips coming off.

-The splitter valve might be reversible in direction. Sometimes the fixed point on end of the lever can be mounted above the spool, or below the spool. That reverses the direction of spool motion. I don't know about the Prince valve: Is there a little chain link type connector there with two mounting bosses where it can be installed?

-Time to go to work. At some point I'll get back and add some more hydraulic info or formulas.

kcj

 

[sdnomad]

Thanks for the comments. The Big Dog sign I found in the scrap yard when searching for steel. If anyone is planning on building a log splitter and has any questions or wants dimensions, let me know. I have used it and it works great. The ram speed is fast. I used a 10hp motor and a 16gpm pump with a 4x24 ram. Thanks for everones help.

 

[heimannm]

Easy way out

I bought my splitter from Tractor Supply about 20 years ago that is similar in design except: the wedge is on the end of the ram and the beam pivots vertically if needed for really large logs. Pump is above the tank and an in line 10µ filter on the return line. Pressure fittings are steel, designed for hydraulic use and the return line is a piece of red Goodyear hose. 8 HP Briggs & Stratton engine and two stage pump, not sure of the brand. The original coupling failed right away but the company provided a much larger Lovejoy replacement free of charge. I did have to replace the valve about 5 years ago as it started to leak. I think I paid around $1,300, maybe less than that and I have never regretted it for even a moment. This unit will cut an oak 4x4 set cross wise; not recommended but it is that strong.

 

[Mike Van]

Lookin' good nomad -

 

[Blazin]

Killer job on the splitter! You gots my vote!