Planning to build log splitter on a shoesting budget

[bowtieman427]

Planning on building a new homemade one to retire old tired John Deere 5.

I have a cylinder picked up on CL 4 1/2" bore 29 1/2" stroke 2 1/2" rod. I am pretty sure it has 3/4" ins. Here is the post on the cylinder
http://www.arboristsite.com/community/threads/possible-log-splitter-cylinder.263750/

I picked up a Haldex Hydraulic Pump-16 GPM 2-Stage pump #1001507 very resonable. I see 8HP min required for pump the pump is clock wise also (not sure what way different small engines turn. I do have a free beam 3.5" top with 6" web 1/4" thick may have to update or box it in ?
split hardwoods, maple, elm, oak, ash , locust, hickory etc.
-What is a good valve and style to go this this combo ?
-what is a good used engine to look for ? Currently see a couple Tecumseh 8HP and a B&S 9HP vangaurd on CL for the same price pretty cheap not sure of the rotation match up with the pump ?
-How big of a reservoir should I plan for ?
I see a lot of clones out there too real cheap.
-What size lines should I consider given the pump is different from the cylinder?
-really on the fence of what kind of splitter to build. I love the dual splitter forward and back, but not sure can build strong enough. I seen one design with the wedge slides in and out of the beam Like the vertical and horizontal idea. Also like the simplicity of horizontal with adjustable 4 way wedge.

any ideas please share. I am planning and picking up parts as they come trying to keep cost down where I can.

 

[wndwlkr]

http://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_22089_22089 I like this valve, double detent& 3/4 ports ! with this valve you could run 3/4 lines every where & your cycle time will be good. hope this helps.

 

[triptester]

The double detent limits your extend pressure. Consider the Prince LS-3000-2 it has 3/4" ports all around and the relief on the extend stroke can be adjusted to the max. rating of the system components.
The beam would be considered to light. Most would use at least a 6x6 beam with 3/8" or thicker flanges.

 

[muddstopper]

I think you will be disappointed in the size pump you are considering. There isnt that much difference in the price between a 16gpm and 22gpm pump. If you can take the 16gpm pump back and exchange it for the 22gpm pump, I would do it before you do the build and save yourself some disappointment.

The 16gpm pump will give your cylinder a adverage extend retract time of 4.75insec. A 29.5instroke will take about 12.5sec to fully extend and retract. With the 22 will mover your ram a adverage of 6.5insec for a cycle time of just over 9sec all the way out and back in. I will just about guarantee that those numbers are probably faster than the actual cycle times you will achieve while actually spitting wood. With a 16gpm pump you need 8hp and with 22gpm you need 12 hp. There are plenty of riding mowers out there with big engines that can be bought on the cheap. Mower engines dont have a bolt pattern for direct pump mount, but a good mount is easy enough to make.

Your cylinder will make 47,713lbs of push force and 32,987lb pull force at 3000psi. The w24payloader that your cylinder was designed for had system relief set at 3600psi, so you wont have to worry about over pressurizing your cylinder. I know that was a question you had in your other post about buying the cylinder.

You Ibeam isnot adequate for the tonnage that cylinder is capable of making. I suggest you either do a lot of beefing up the ibeam, or look for at least a W6 6x6hbeam. A W8 8x8 would be even better. I know I could twist a 6x6 with a 4in bore cylinder. And that was after I top plated it with 1/2 plate and double plated the web with 5/8plate. Yea you can beef the small 3 1/2Ibeam, but Unless you already have a ton of scrap laying around, you can probably find a better beam cheaper.

Oil capacity is usually suggested for 1 gal capacity, for every gallon flow. If you go with the 16gpm pump, than I would suggest a 16gal oil tank. Yes you can get by with a smaller tank, but you risk heating the oil up and causing oil breakdown and excessive wear on your hydraulic parts.

The control valve already mentioned is a good one and is capable of flowing the 16gpm and up to 25gpm oil flow. It will work well with either pump you decide to use. Beware of the cheaper valves, they usually have 1/2in ports and while they might work with a 16gpm pump, they will not be big enough for the 22gpm pump. Use hose sizes to atch your port size. You will most likely need a 1 1/4 suction hose from tank to pump, This can be clamped on hose. Everything else is high pressure and will need 3000+psi rated hoses. I like using JIC type fittings and #12 jic is a 3/4 hose size, just so you know what to look for on a used piece of equipment you might try robbing hoses off of.

 

[mn woodcutter]

Great information!

 

[wndwlkr]

The double detent limits your extend pressure. Consider the Prince LS-3000-2 it has 3/4" ports all around and the relief on the extend stroke can be adjusted to the max. rating of the system components.
The beam would be considered to light. Most would use at least a 6x6 beam with 3/8" or thicker flanges.

They are fully adjustable.

 

[triptester]

Yes the valves are adjstable but there is only a single adjustment for both directions forcing the cylinder to max out in both directions producing undue wear on the hydraulic components.

 

[bowtieman427]

Thanks for the replies and great input. If I ever wanted to add a lift table would I have to go with a different valve to run the hydralics. The lift table would be a great add on later.

 

[gulity1]

Ill help you out with hydraulic hose and fittings and what not, What you got in mind for hose I can do 1/2, 3/8, 1/2, 5/8, 3/4 and Might have some 1.25 suction line around, maybe.

 

[bowtieman427]

Many thanks gulity1 that will be a huge help. I am still in planning but want to run as big as practical to stop bottle necks. My cylinder appears to have 3/4" and the valve I plan on has 3/4 connectors. Pump I think has 1/2" out and 1". It would be wise to run big hose to not impede flow. Please share your thoughts. Plus I will have to put a filter in here too.

 

[WoodTick007]

Your beam is junk and will bend, bow, and twist. It might be usable if you box the entire thing with some 3/8 plate and then weld some 1/2" x 6" plate to the top of the beam for the push plate to ride on.

 

[muddstopper]

Yes the valves are adjstable but there is only a single adjustment for both directions forcing the cylinder to max out in both directions producing undue wear on the hydraulic components.

The detent is adjustable from 600-2000psi. This valve can be used for a splitter if detent is set to the psi needed for cylinder retraction. You would have to manually hold the valve to make it split., which is what you have to do with a regular woodsplitter valve anyways. The valve should automaticly self center once cylinder is fully retracted.

 

[bowtieman427]

I hear you about the beam I will be looking at a 8W 35lb/ft.

Your beam is junk and will bend, bow, and twist. It might be usable if you box the entire thing with some 3/8 plate and then weld some 1/2" x 6" plate to the top of the beam for the push plate to ride on.

 

[Jerryv88]

Thanks for the replies and great input. If I ever wanted to add a lift table would I have to go with a different valve to run the hydralics. The lift table would be a great add on later.

If you are going to add a lift, you need a valve with "power beyond" or a two spool valve. With a power beyond valve you can run the output of it to the input of another valve and use the second valve to control a second cylinder. A two spool valve is the same thing just built into the same body.

I am working on a similar build and also trying to go cheap, but I bought a two spool valve with one spool having a detent from Splitez. They also have some of the other small parts you need; wedge, filter, strainer, etc. Northern is also a good source for some parts.

An 8x8 beam would be good if you can find one.

Jerry

 

[bowtieman427]

Valves and planning. Is it ok to get the Prince LS 3000-2 dedicated to run the log splitter cylinder ONLY and then later if I added a Hydrualic wedge and log lift use Prince Control Valve- RD523CCAA5A4B1 2 Spool Valve- 25 GPM -4- way/3-pos-spring center both spools 3/4" in and out ports NTP 3/4 " working ports NTP with Power beyond. At a later point the RD523CCAA5A4B1 would be first in series of valves and the LS 3000-2 would be last in the line. Not 100% sure if this is OK to do. once again planning stages with a future out look. I do like having a simple resonable valve dedicated to the splitter cylinder. If is rails it would NOT break the bank on replacement parts. Thanks in advance

 

[Jerryv88]

That should work and you will have 3/4 inch ports all around in case you do get a bigger pump in the future. You will probably need flow restrictors on the smaller cylinders. You can decode the Prince part number here:

http://www.princehyd.com/Portals/0/valves/ValvesRD5000.pdf

Jerry