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OT~ Hydraulic system suction line

JoeE.

Titanium
Joined
Aug 31, 2006
Location
Kansas
I'm putting together the hydraulic system for a log splitter I've built.

It's got a 20 gpm vane pump. 1¼" supply line.

What I want to do is run the supply line up and out the top of the reservoir, as shown in the drawing below,over and down to the inlet of the pump.

Scan10001.jpg

The suction strainer will hang from the top of the tank and hover up off the bottom. The strainer (photos below) is threaded 2" npt, so I should have no restriction in flow.

44...jpg 44.jpg



I'm curious if I'll run into any problems with it plumbed like that? Will the fluid drain back down in the tank and cause the pump to "lose it's prime"? I'd imagine as long as no air entered the supply system~ strainer remains below surface~ the oil would remain suspended in the line, right?

On a horizontal plane, the pump inlet is a foot above the bottom of the tank.

Nothing is permanent yet, but I was hoping to avoid having fittings going into the tank below the liquid level if I could.
 
It would be ideal to run the suction hose under the splitter beam.
It's not hard at all to make an oil-tight weld on a tank.
I assume you're a decent welder since you're making your own log splitter. :D
However, it should work to run the hose over the top but I'd be concerned about
the combination of that and the suction strainer, which can plug easier.
Also, vane pumps are VERY sensitive to dirt, overpressure, or overspeed.
Most Vickers vane pumps (IDK if that's what you have) are rated for 2400 rpm and 2800 psi.
They are nice and quiet, though......
Part of my job is designing hydraulic systems for unpleasant environments, in case you haven't noticed yet. :D
 
The valve in the strainer is a spring loaded bypass in case the mesh gets clogged ,whereupon vacuum lifts the valve /disc and fluid continues to feed the pump...Most filters have a bypass to prevent the filter being "sucked flat" by blockage or cold thick oil.....Also if an inlet strainer is placed anywhere near the liquid surface ,it will pull a "hole" in the fluid when cold.
 
...Also, vane pumps are VERY sensitive to dirt, overpressure, or overspeed.
Most Vickers vane pumps (IDK if that's what you have) are rated for 2400 rpm and 2800 psi.

It's a clone of a Vickers. Cylinder being used on the splitter is rated at 2,800 psi... and the little diesel I'm using will probably idle along at 2,400rpm.
 
Check out the layout here.

TW-1– Timberwolf Firewood Processing Equipment

The unit I have has been 100% functional and reliable over the past 9 years for me. Still first pull starting every season '=)

The hydro fluid is in the axle. With a restriction indicating cap on the filter to try to cut down on "recreational fluid changes".

Works for me!

Maybe try to get the illustrated parts literature to better see what is PROVEN to work.

No brag, just fact.
 
Unless you're Rube Goldberg, the best suction scenario would be out the bottom of the tank, just like all manufacturers do. While Vickers is a well known name, you would be much better off with a two stage pump built specifically for log splitters, they're cheap as dirt, have a common mounting flange and they'll extent your cylinder much faster.

This is my two cents, your mileage may vary.

Stuart
 
If thats the way you want to do it wouldnt hurt to have a check valve right above your strainer i have a system like that without a check and i go through a pump every 800 hours or so need to change it but its only a cheap pump and its an inopportune time To change the suction, every time it quits.
 
Cal,

Let me get my head around the Timberwolf splitter..every time you split a round, it falls on the ground and you have to bend over, pick up the pieces and set them in the cradle to split them further? This would hold true to any but the smallest round which would only need a single split.

If you have very large rounds to split and you can't lift them into the cradle you're up a creek as the Timberwolf will not function in a vertical
operation.

If for some reason you wanted to leave the splitter attached to the truck and still wanted to split wood..you would shove the wood into the tailgate..yes!

I would then assume that the Timberwolf is a splitter aimed at users with strong backs and small firewood.

As they say..YMMV, but I would rate that splitter as one of the more poorly designed units I've ever seen.

I built mine differently. splitter truck.jpg

Stuart
 
Cal,

Let me get my head around the Timberwolf splitter..every time you split a round, it falls on the ground and you have to bend over, pick up the pieces and set them in the cradle to split them further? This would hold true to any but the smallest round which would only need a single split.

If you have very large rounds to split and you can't lift them into the cradle you're up a creek as the Timberwolf will not function in a vertical
operation.

If for some reason you wanted to leave the splitter attached to the truck and still wanted to split wood..you would shove the wood into the tailgate..yes!

I would then assume that the Timberwolf is a splitter aimed at users with strong backs and small firewood.

As they say..YMMV, but I would rate that splitter as one of the more poorly designed units I've ever seen.

I built mine differently. View attachment 289273

Stuart

Stuart

You are spot on with your observations!

BUT........

I've made a run off table to manage the splits. It is "something like" the one TW sells for the splitter. I used deck grating. It's by the foot sold everywhere around here. Fire escapes and just drip lines on outside decks are the big consumers, so the building supply has it.

The pushing off at the same end as the hitch is a problem. I removed the hitch latching mechanism because wood got hung up on it. but it was in the way of the run off table mount any way. (Wouldn't have to be, there is room ) If needed, the latch assembly install is only one bolt. Takes less than 3 minutes.

If you had a helper to toss the wood away from the splitter, keeping the rig hooked to the tow vehicle might work out. My own experience is that the pile builds at a pretty fast pace, and when there is no longer room for fresh splits between the splitter and the split pile, the hydraulics make a clean job of pushing the splitter away from the pile. Self tending in that way.

I split up 7 cord of black birch this spring. With the four way, I could find nothing I would like to do differently.

Well, a sky crane for the big rounds might be nice, but I hate clutter around the work area. When working up big rounds, My wife is the loader operator. I set the tongs, she brings the work to the splitter ;-)

You might know the weakness of the set up you built. If a BIG round is set on the splitter when standing free of the tow rig. The weight of the round can upend the splitter. Tail out splitters need two supports. one at each end, or else they are wicked heavy to hitch up.

I've had both. Not sure which I prefer.
 
I did some reading... one guy suggests that strainers are not real efficient and really shouldn't be used. He likened it to flour through a flour sifter... the small, just as dangerous cantaminents are going to get right on through.

I had disassembled a lot of fittings and hoses off a big piece of hydraulic operated equipment at work the other day...before it's scrapped... and I took a plate off the top of the reservoir.
It had a magnetic rod that hung down into the reservoir. I'm going to reuse it on my reservoir.

If it comes down to it, I'll forgo the strainer and just put on a high gpm return line filter.
 
I did some reading... one guy suggests that strainers are not real efficient and really shouldn't be used. He likened it to flour through a flour sifter... the small, just as dangerous cantaminents are going to get right on through.

I had disassembled a lot of fittings and hoses off a big piece of hydraulic operated equipment at work the other day...before it's scrapped... and I took a plate off the top of the reservoir.
It had a magnetic rod that hung down into the reservoir. I'm going to reuse it on my reservoir.

If it comes down to it, I'll forgo the strainer and just put on a high gpm return line filter.

Gear pumps can pass a lot of crap......


ONCE!
 
My favourite splitter is still the hillbilly one on utbe .....a great big wheel ,axe head welded to the wheel ,flat leather belt drive to a tractor takeoff.....hillbilly barely avoids having skull split ,wood lands on bare feet .......and he s split up a shipload looking at the pile all around....Good ole backwoods ingenunity made America great.
 
Cal,

It's not my thread and I don't want to muddy it all up, but I'll just share these with you..an old fart with big, tough Douglas Fir rounds in hot
country.



Orchard7 0906.jpgOrchard8 0906.jpg

Stuart
 
My favourite splitter is still the hillbilly one on utbe .....a great big wheel ,axe head welded to the wheel ,flat leather belt drive to a tractor takeoff.....hillbilly barely avoids having skull split ,wood lands on bare feet .......and he s split up a shipload looking at the pile all around....Good ole backwoods ingenunity made America great.

Knots aren't funny ;-) But they burn with a good heat.

Inertia splitters don't do knots well.
 
Cal,

It's not my thread and I don't want to muddy it all up, but I'll just share these with you..an old fart with big, tough Douglas Fir rounds in hot
country.



View attachment 289274View attachment 289275

Stuart

Yup, I had similar with red oak last summer. Talk about heavy! The splitter did fine, but I needed the tractor loader to lift the round up on the beam!

Big hemlock gets run from time to time. It burns, but there are no coals....
 








 
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