PTO Pump Driven Log Splitter?

[TractorDad3]

Greetings, thank you for your thoughts on this build.
Troy Bilt engine froze up after neighbors misuse. Secretly
very happy as I now can use my tractor. Bought a 21 GPM
pump that is marketed for log splitting. Pulled the engine
and existing pump. Looking to plug in the pump and go.
Have a few questions:
Is the tank on the existing splitter sufficient capacity? Looks
to be between 4-5 gallons
The splitter calls for Shell Tellus Oil 32can I use Universal
Hydraulic Fluid?
What am I missing before enjoying this work?
Thank you for your time

 

[crsutton81]

The best scenario is to match the tank gallonage capacity to the pump GPM. It will work with the smaller tank but you will probably run into the chances of the fluid getting hot without some kind of cooler if ran for long periods in warm weather. Universal tractor hydraulic fluid would be fine although GL 32 fluid will be cheaper and acceptable.

 

[jhwis]

Make sure the pump is anchored and can't spin. I twisted off the return line...learned the hard way.

 

[TractorDad3]

Thank you for the comments, I figured oil heating would be my problem. The splitter was free, so I am ok with investing a little in it. What about plumbing in a 10 gallon tank to the current system? Fluid runs from splitter frame/tank to pump, pump to valve, valve to filter, filter to 10 gallon tank, then plumb a line down to frame tank? Are two separate reservoirs no good?
Full disclosure, I am not going to be selling cords. I bet Ill do a half cord or less at a time a few times a year.
I did look at a cooler, which is significantly more than a tank (if I even found the right one
Thanks again for the comments!

 

[TractorDad3]

That sounds pretty scary, thank you for the reminder!

 

[caterpillar guy]

Some times standardization of oils is worth more than having to stock a cheaper oil and depending on how they are bought might be just as cheap to use the tractor hydraulic fluid. 5 gallon of 32 might cost more per gallon then a barrel or tote of tractor fluid. If buying the tractor fluid in those quantities rather than stocking a pail of 32 might be more practical. Pump needs to be mounted so it is solid or bad things will happen.

 

[TractorDad3]

Copy that, thank you for the insight on fluid. Ill do my homework and go with cost effective. Wont dump the last bucket of HyTran in I have squirreled away, thats for sure.
I can picture a pump spinning uncontrollably slinging fluid everywhere under my deckand now Ill have nightmares

 

[crsutton81]

Yes hydraulic coolers are pricey for what they are. The common way here for hydraulic presses and stuff ran from hyd motors, is to have 1 tank of the correct size capacity to at least match the pump GPMs. My theory on this is say you have a 25 gallon tank. That would give you a good 20 gallons of oil to cool itself down while being diluted with the other already warmed oil. Think of it as a radiator if you will. If it were me I would seek 1 big single tank to use, and would also eliminate a fair amount of unnecessary piping to connect. Maybe a local parts yard would have something suitable such as a wet line tank or such found on an road tractor truck.

 

[Harold Hubbard]

I've been using a PTO pump driven splitter for thirty years. I have had the pump get loose twice, with resulting carnage. You don't need a rigid mount, as that will stress the PTO shaft, but it needs to be secure and prevent the pump from rotating or coming off the shaft.

Do not use it with a tractor that has an underslung exhaust! If that is your only available choice, rig some kind of temporary exhaust pipe that will direct the fumes up and away from you while operating the splitter. I learned this the hard way, splitting headache before noon, and general feeling of illness the rest of the day, after we switched to a tractor with vertical exhaust.

You will also be surprised at the amount of fuel you go through. You will find yourself running the tractor at a pretty high RPM, even with that big pump. Any tractor over about 25-30 HP will be gulping fuel, especially if it a gas engine. Best choice is a diesel compact, if you have one.

 

[ss55]

Replacing the small engine might cost less than all the fuel a tractor will burn through.

 

[BarnyardEngineering]

For half a cord of wood a year a 5 gallon tank will be just fine. Most of the time the oil will just be circulating anyway.

If you know the make and model of the splitter you can find out what GPM the current pump is. It's probably 15GPM already. 21 isn't that much more.

Does this wood splitter have a $150,000 CVT transmission? If not, you can use universal hydraulic oil. It's just a simple roller pump, simple hydraulic valve, and a simple hydraulic cylinder. It don't much care what kind of oil is in it.

 

[Pitalplace]

I made this splitter from an old farmhand f10 loader. I used the pto pump and tank from the loader and the splitter from the iron. It is used on a ford 600 and most of the time just at idle.

 

[Russ from MN]

If you only use it for an hour or so at a time I don't think overheating will be a problem.

 

[TractorDad3]

Thanks for the comments Mr. Hubbard. Very good to know on the mount.
Ill be running it with either an Oliver 550 or 4-cylinder Ford 4000, both diesel with vertical exhaust.
Very excited

 

[TractorDad3]

Thank you Barnyard, I trust your advice! The original pump
looks to be an 11 GPM, so a bit of a step up
Ill periodically keep a temp gun on the hydraulic tank

 

[TractorDad3]

Now that is a beautiful build. I like that loader tankmaking
me think about checking the scrap yards for loader tanks
now

 

[TractorDad3]

Very good, thank you Russ. I was thinking hour shifts would be about max

 

[Russ from MN]

I built a 3-point splitter about 15 years ago, it runs off the tractor hydraulics, works very well. It's used on a 2001 JD 4600, and I use the loader control valve with a long rod attached to it. My wife runs the hydraulics, I carry to wood. We seldom run it longer than an hour at a time. We have mostly black ash, it's easier to split with a maul than lift into a splitter. But, then we have some elm! I can't post a picture now because my best computer is sick!

 

[rustred]

All u are operating is a cylinder in and out. 2 gallons of oil and a small tank is all thats needed. Whats all this talk about big tanks and a cooler. I made my log splitter and run it off my Charlyn pump off the pto. The oil hardly gets warm. And I dont think it holds 2 gallons of oil.

 

[BarnyardEngineering]

I have a commercially-built log splitter with an engine-driven pump, and about a 5 gallon reservoir.

The cycle time is very fast, and after a couple of hours of splitting, the valve, cylinder, lines, and oil are all VERY hot. The oil will cause burns. Everything else is uncomfortable to touch without gloves.

If you have to set a stake to see the cylinder move, sure, the oil won't heat up. It would drive me up a wall splitting wood that slowly.