Hi guys, i think i might have found the problem. A friend called round the other day, he has 2 JCB's and other plant and does all his own hydraulic work. When i mentioned my problem he said it was sort of normal that the return affects the engine more on the return stroke than the push stroke and he demonstrated it on his JCB with the backhoe as it has a large pushrod compared to other cilinders, what the problem seams to be is not on the logsplitter but the govener on the engine is reacting too slow, on tickover and just over is hardly working at all. If i up the engine speed you hardly notice it although you can hear the engine tone change as it comes under load. I think the problem was mixed at first having return lines a bit on the small side but since changing them all thats left is the govenor problem. The engine is 35 years old and old tech so i'm not too surprised. These Lombardini engines are eternal but they do wear and need adjustment, this one still has the factory lead seal on the governor adjuster. So now i need to look at the governer, pind the necesary adjustment, parts if worn and have it set back to factory spec. Thanks for all your help and coments, i'll let you know the outcome.
Derek
