3 pt log splitter help needed

[ns_in_tex]

You are not activating the bypass unless it loads the engine & hydraulics when you pull the lever.
With nothing plugged into remotes, engine idling, pull one of the levers & you should hear the engine load & hydraulic by pass open under high pressure. This will tell you what you don't want to happen for long periods of time.
With the splitter hooked up & its lever in the neutral position, you should be able to bungie cord the inside lever & hear no change in engine load or hydraulic pressure change. Even when you engage the splitter hydraulics, even though you will be pumping fluid, it will be under practically no pressure & therefore no load. Only when it starts splitting wood or reach the end of stroke, should there be much load.

 

[ns_in_tex]

I had a hydraulic man tell me the other day, you should use the female side of the quick disconnect for the pressure side (pump side) because the amount of metal holding in the ball on male side was much thinner & more likely to blow out under pressure when the two sides were not connected together.

I had always done this, just because I normally had seen them this way, but my kubota front loader came just the opposite of this.

 

[Bird]

<font color=blue>my kubota front loader came just the opposite of this.</font color=blue>

So did mine, and I never did find out why; seemed backwards to me, but worked OK since I never used that valve for anything besides the FEL.

 

[MarkV]

Thanks guys, I have a better understanding now.

MarkV

 

[SmokyMtnMan]

ok, guys, I have read and re-read all of this, printed out some, read again, and just totally lost now.
I am just going to send a couple of pics and see if anyone can point out anything they see wrong.

 

[SmokyMtnMan]

Here's another view.

I really don't understand the male vs. female thing. Both my QC's are exactly the same and ports exactly the same.
And I don't understand why there are remote valves on back of tractor which I paid for when some of you are saying that I should hook up to the FEL.
I know I'm dense and a rookie at this tractor business, but it seems there should be a standardardized way of doing some of these attachments.

 

[ns_in_tex]

Your tractor appears to be set up the same as mine.
The female side of the quick connects are on the tractor & the male side are on the hoses, but this should not have any bearing on the fluid flow, only safety issue.

If it doesn't work as you show it( with the remote control bungie corded open) , and you have tried reversing the hoses at the tractor quick disconnects & it still doesn't work, I would suspect that something wasn't right with the splitter itself.

 

[DFB]

SmokyMtnMan,

Sorry to hear that it still doesn't operate correctly for you.

Most additional control valves used to feed hydraulic attachments are generally flow fed directly from the tractors' main hydraulic system. Usually referred to as a POWER BEYOND outlet. Here we're looking at a situation where the main flow is supplied first to your rear remote's control valve and then using that valve to direct hydraulic flow into another "open center" control valve with flow eventually being returned to the tractor. From the information that's been posted that setup worked correctly for ns in tx.

With the feed hose coupled up to the correct outlet you could remove the male tip on the return line to check for fluid flow thru the open center of the splitters valve. Probably took around a gallon of oil to fill the cylinder and hoses. If there's flow there and the ram still won't move when you operate the valve it would seem that there's an obstruction in the splitter valve. Some semi solid thread sealer was gobbed all over the fittings on my log splitter (a gasoline engine powered unit).


Does your paperwork have any info on adjusting the pressure relief
Most quick couplers are rated for at least 3000psi. If the connectors blow off again I'd want to check that out too.

DFB

 

[SmokyMtnMan]

Ok, I seemed to have followed what you said, DFB on this. And I apologize to NS and others for failing to understand what was meant by male and female connections. I was thinking more along lines of 'splitter to tractor' rather than 'male to female'.
I tried it again just now.
I hooked up quick connects. made sure they were in real tight and cleaned off "female ends" on rear remotes, inserted male QC from splitter, tugged on them slightly to see if they would pop out under slight pressure..........noticed the left side or "in" side would stay firmly connected...however right side or "out" would pop off under slight pressure when i tugged.
I re-attached, tugged....thought it might be ok, then tied lever up inside cab with bungee, cranked engine, placed log in cradle and moved lever on splitter toward log.....wedge moved.....very slowly........split a 14" inch white oak very easily...it works!!
retracted lever....wedge moved back and stopped
oil dripping from right hand remote valve, but no popping off.
put in about a 22-24" piece of white oak....split very easily, not any strain on it........moved lever back...wedge retracted.
I split about a dozen pieces of oak....noticed small leak on right side remote....but it worked.

I noticed you have to keep your hand on the splitter lever when moving it forward into log...it won't continue unless you keep lever pushed......but when retracting lwedge...all you do is move it to far right and the lever stays without you pushing it
is this the way it's suppose to be?

and...what do you think about the leakage?

 

[hazmat]

Don,

<font color=blue>and...what do you think about the leakage?</font color=blue>

If I recall correctly, you have two sets of remotes. Have you tried hooking up to the other valve & corresponding quick connects? This would tell you if it is a problem with the tractor side or the splitter side.

Could be a number of things causing the leak, dirt, bad O-ring, sticking ball...

<A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.tractorbynet.com/cgi-bin/compact/showflat.pl?Cat=&Board=parts&Number=201974&page=1&view=collapsed&sb=5&o=0&fpart=>Steelfan's leaking connector</A>

<font color=blue>I noticed you have to keep your hand on the splitter lever when moving it forward into log...it won't continue unless you keep lever pushed......but when retracting lwedge...all you do is move it to far right and the lever stays without you pushing it
is this the way it's suppose to be?</font color=blue>

Sounds like a detent valve to me, does it return to nuetral when the wedge is fully retracted?

At least you're making progress. a dozen logs split so far./w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

 

[DFB]

SmokyMtnMan,

Now that's some good news to hear for sure.

It seems that everything is in proper working order. That's just the way a valve with detente should work, you want to have full control of it during the splitting cycle, and then it automatically holds the circuit open on the return cycle until a preset pressure load pops it back to the open center flow position. That way you can do more work. /w3tcompact/icons/wink.gif

You'll have to investigate that leak some more to determine were it originates. May be nothing more than slightly loose threaded on connection, that a quick turn of a wrench could fix. Hazmat has ya covered on other possible causes. When trying to connect the hoses on the remotes it sometimes helps to relieve any built up pressure in the lines by first moving the control valve's handle back and forth.

You mention it moved kinda slow. Your tractors flow rate increases with rpm. In one of the earlier posts from ns in tx he gave the various flow rates at different rpm for your tractor.

Sounds like you've got it. /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

DFB

 

[SmokyMtnMan]

Ok...I guess I'm ready for the institution now. Geez. I wasn't even thinking about giving tractor more rpm. Good grief.
I'm going to go check the other remotes now and will get back and let you know.

One more thought....when the wedge is split and splitter wedge is fully extended, it stops...and I have to remember to tap lever back so it will be retracting while I pick up split log and set it aside...(half the time I forget and have to wait on it when i get new log)....
and Yes....it does automatically return to neutral without my assistance.

does anyone know what these 3 pt splitters are the equivalent to compared to gas splitters? I know they're dependent on your tractor, but would you think they're 20 ton, 24 ton or what?

one thing I do know...I need a taller wedge on it. Gets lost in some of these monsters I've got around here.

I'm going to get a piece of Black Gum and see what it's made of

 

[hazmat]

<font color=blue>does anyone know what these 3 pt splitters are the equivalent to compared to gas splitters? I know they're dependent on your tractor, but would you think they're 20 ton, 24 ton or what?</font color=blue>

It's a simple calculation depeding on the cylinder diameter & the pressure of your tractor's hyd system. I think someone mentioned that your tracotor had about 2,500 psi

Assume 3" cylinder, force = pressure*area
area of circle = pi*radius^2
2,500 lb/in^2*3.14*(1.5)^2 = 17,662 lb = 8.8 tons

assume 4" cylinder
2,500*3.14*2^2 = 31,400 lb = 15.7 tons

assume 4.5" cylinder (odd size probably not likely)
2,500*3.14*2.25^2 = 39,800 = 19.9 tons

The TSC web page said up to 20 tons, but doesn't specify the cylinder size. Assuming it is 4", you can do the math in reverse to see max pressure it will take:

pressure = force/area = 40,000/(3.14*2^2) = 3,200 psi
<A target="_blank" HREF=http://tractorsupply.crossmediaservices.com/tractorsupplycatalog/listing_detail.asp?listingid=-2098746099&storeid=2341623&offerid=>Log splitter</A>

 

[SmokyMtnMan]

Well, Hazmat, according to that, I've got a rather low powered log splitter compared to some of the 34 ton gas models around. But I only paid $599 for it, so I guess that's ok. It seems to be able to split all I need. I just finished with a few Black Gum pieces and a couple of White oak...no problem. Just a bit slow is all.
I tried the other two remote valves and same thing...slow leak...this set both of them leak...other set of valves only the right side one does.
So, I guess maybe there's some more tightening to do when I have some daylight to do it.
I noticed that where the valves come from underneath the tractor and go to the bracket for the remotes it doesnt' seem to be very solidly braced or very steady. Seems very loose with nothing holding the hoses except the bracket where they connect.

Anyway, thanks for all the help and advice on this. It does work and split wood now. I think this is way it's suppose to be except for the leak.

 

[ns_in_tex]

SmokyMtmMan,
If yours is mounted like mine, the bracket for the remotes is all that is supposed to be firmly mounted. The quick connects outer ring is held in the bracket & the inner part plus hoses can move either forward or backwards. This is so you can just push you attachment hose in to connect and pull on hose to disconnect, or if your attachment were to come loose from the tractor, the pull on the hose automatically disconnects it, rather that breaking something.

Have fun splitting that wood.

 

[rdbrumfield]

are you sure that you have the pressure line hooked up to the inlet side of the splitter valve? Seems like a mundane queston, but if the hoses jump it could be posible. The oil should run freely through the valve and the hoses should only jump when the ram stops at either end. Good luck

 

[rdbrumfield]

check inside the female side for a small o-ring. If it has the smallest burr or tear it will drip. I had so much trouble with mine I eliminated them and just went direct. Here's the one I built. It's been around awhile, but it takes on all comers.