Log splitter

[bfullmer]

Looking to make electric splitter can you run a pulley on a 2 stage pump with belt to electric motor ? Not finding any 2 stage elec pump setups

 

[Mike M]

Pump should not care how it is driven as long as RPM is close to recommended. I would not know why you could not hook directly to the shaft of the electric motor with a lovejoy coupler. Just get a pump that ran off a gas engine and a electric motor that runs the faster 3450 RPM (IIRC)

 

[Richard G.]

Mike M is correct
Rig a love joy connector and make sure you have enough HP.
Might have to fabricate a holder for the love joy rig.

 

[Brendon-KS]

Make sure you fully understand the power requirement before buying parts. Most splitters run at least a 5 hp engine, even with a two-stage pump. That would take over 15 amps at 240 volts to duplicate. You could gear it down to lessen the power requirement but the ram speed will of course be slower. Also be sure the pump shaft and bearing are suitable for the large radial load a belt drive will exert.

 

[guido]

Hello bfuller,

YES, but only if the pump's R.P.M.'s required for the output are correct. That means that you need to do some home work. The pump you will be using then, will dictate you reduction gear or belt and pulley set-up.

Guido.

 

[Russ from MN]

Like Brendon said, I doubt if the bearings in a standard 2-stage splitter pump are good enough for belt drive, they are all used direct drive. You would need at least a 3 hp 240 volt motor to work properly. Hopefully someone will comment that has done it.

 

[David G]

Just remember HP is still needed, so do not expect any results with small motor, I would think 5HP plus.

 

[Steve@Advance]

It would be better to direct drive it.

You will need at least a 5 HP 220v motor and a properly sized pump to get the practical speed and power out of it.

Do your homework, hydraulics are unforgiving of miscalculations and the corrections are expensive!

 

[Nordic]

What kind of ton rating are you looking to make your splitter? I have had a 4 ton electric splitter for the seventh year in a row. It can split up to 18" blocks of green wood no problem. It runs on 120V and no issues with popping the breaker. It cost $229 plus tax.

 

[Russ from MN]

Surplus Center has by far the best deal on electric motors, this one is $252, but then you need to build a base, buy a coupling, and align it almost perfect! Then you would need a magnetic starter and a cord, and at least a 30 amp cuircut to power it.

https://www.surpluscenter.com/Electrical/AC-Single-Phase-Motors/AC-Motors-Base-Mount/5-HP-Special-Air-Compressor-Duty-230-Volt-AC-3450-RPM-US-Motors-Electric-Motor-EM05-0-36-10-10-2621.axd

A gas engine would be a lot cheaper, more portable, and easier to assemble, as most of them can have a pump adapter bolted right on.

 

[Dusty MI]

I have found that an electric motor only needs about half the horse power of a gas engine to do the same job.

 

[Brendon-KS]

Power is still power, regardless of how it is being generated. If a mechanical system requires its input shaft to provide 7 ft-lb of torque at 3600 rpm it requires a power input of 5 hp -
there's just no way around that (rounding the numbers for simplicity). It makes no difference if this power is being provided by a gas engine, electric motor, steam engine, windmill,
water wheel, draft animal on a treadmill, or anything else. All the mechanical system (a hydraulic pump, in the case at hand here) sees from its perspective is a shaft delivering some
amount of torque at some rotational speed.

 

[Russ from MN]

I have heard that was a common comparison too. For example, my dads friend had a sawmill with a 220 Cummins for power, they
repowered it with a 100 hp electric motor, he said it ran better! If a 5 hp gas engine runs a splitter pump, a 3 hp electric
motor should do it just fine, as long as the motor draws about 17 amps, any less than that it's not really a 3 hp motor!

 

[Oliver 500 Wa]

To drive many pumps by a pulley, you need an overhung load adapter. The bearings in the pump are typically not rated for a side load.

https://www.surpluscenter.com/Hydraulics/Hydraulic-Pump-Mounts/Overhung-Load-Adapters/