Power steering pump on a wood splitter

[camel2019]

Has anyone used a power steering pump(old GM saginaw type) as a hydraulic pump for a wood splitter?. My neghibor is looking to start producing firewood on the side and I have a lot of the stuff here to build a splitter panther then a pump.

 

[olyman]

Has anyone used a power steering pump(old GM saginaw type) as a hydraulic pump for a wood splitter?. My neghibor is looking to start producing firewood on the side and I have a lot of the stuff here to build a splitter panther then a pump.

max pressure will be about 1200 psi, but the volumne will be really low......

 

[GenXer]

Look into a cheap one at harbor freight/ princess auto.

 

[olyman]

Look into a cheap one at harbor freight/ princess auto.

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[camel2019]

Look into a cheap one at harbor freight/ princess auto.

I had one here for a bit and sold it think it was a 3.2 princess auto pumps are made in South Korea.

 

[camel2019]

max pressure will be about 1200 psi, but the volumne will be really low......

I read that you can drill out a hole on the pressure side of these and get more flow rate. Going to use one for my electric motor unwinder but the cylinder for that is tiny. What kind of GPM should I be shooting for with a splitter?

 

[Wood Hound]

Just go buy a decent pump and adapter and be done with it...

 

[blades]

i get the parts laying around- but the power steering pump would be so slow

 

[camel2019]

My buddies splitter was made with an old pto shaft driven dump truck pump setup the ones that have the pump/valve on the tank. but those are few and far between around here

 

[JRM]

What kind of GPM should I be shooting for with a splitter?

Going by memory a 35 ton splitter requires somewhere in the ballpark of a 28gpm pump. I doubt a PS pump would ever close in on half that even if it was overdriven.

 

[camel2019]

Going by memory a 35 ton splitter requires somewhere in the ballpark of a 28gpm pump. I doubt a PS pump would ever close in on half that even if it was overdriven.

Supposedly they can get to about 12 to 15 gpm if you believe the internet. I have also read somewhere around 3 to 5 gpm good enough for my motor unwinder with its small cylinder.

 

[camel2019]

I think I found something that will work. I just don’t want to seem my neghibor swinging a maul/sledge hammer all day he has already had a heart attack while behind the wheel of a big rig. He is going this for some side money right now around here maple and oak are selling for $100-$150 a face cord.

 

[Lightning Performance]

@camel2019

The old Vickors dump truck pumps were 15ish GPM.

You can run double or triple pumps. You can gain about 15% in volume per pump if you port them. Getting your small pulleys right and matching the pump pair will be a smoother cooler operation. Your going to need a fluid cooler. Mounting the pumps with your belt straight isn't easy and using a ribbed belt vs V belts will reduce drag and run cooler at the pulleys. The big win is using an auto tensioner

Street 90s are a MUST for flow volume and make sure you drill out the tiny ports in those cheap unions if you use any. Stick with a 1" return line with a spring in it and a large tank vent.

 

[JRM]

Well I'd be interested in what you come up with, good luck.

 

[camel2019]

Think I will just wait for 2 stage pumps at princess auto to go on sale(rarely do) and go from there. Wish their was still a supply of surplus aircraft hydraulics around that’s how princess auto started selling hydraulic parts in the first place.

 

[Lightning Performance]

Think I will just wait for 2 stage pumps at princess auto to go on sale(rarely do) and go from there. Wish their was still a supply of surplus aircraft hydraulics around that’s how princess auto started selling hydraulic parts in the first place.

Plenty of people still running Cessna pumps on loader kits. They work ok.

 

[Ol' Brian]

Check out Surplus Center. They've got everything you need. If you're on a really tight budget, they're showing a 14.1gpm Bucher Wuxi pump for $89.95. Don't know what engine or cylinder you're going to use, but a 212 Predator would run this, it is on the small side for this pump GPM rating, but it will split wood, and give a good cycle time with a 4" cylinder. But the high pressure side is fairly low displacement, so when it kicks down into high pressure mode, you'll still get full pressure out of the little Predator... but it will be slow. But you'll be faster than a box store splitter with the 14.1 gpm.