My splitter has made firewood for 5 houses in the neighborhood for the past 10 years. It easily has 400 cord through it...probably closer to 450. It doesn't owe me a dime. I used it yesterday for the first time in a while. The old briggs still runs great but things have definitely slowed way down on both pump stages. I don't know anything about these pumps...are they thow-away items or can they be rebuilt?
Stick a pressure gauge on the extend side of the cylinder and see where it is at. Not sure what is on it for a pump but if it was me, I would just replace it and be done with it (assuming it is definitely a bad pump). It doesn't owe you anything.
post up a pic or brand of pump and model number. These pumps are not that expensive, maybe just a replacement pump is easier. I think at this price point it i not worth attempting to rebuild, but rather replace the pump
It is a SpeeCo brand PN 390705B0. 11 GPM @3600RPM. A little looking on the interweb and looks like they are considered non-serviceable. I'll guess I'll run this one until it pukes and swap in a new one.
A quick search. $189 for a new one. For that price considering all the hours on the one you have I would vote to just replace it. Oil change and hydro filter while you are at it might not hurt either.
11 GPM SpeeCo S390705BO Log Splitter Pump | 2 Stage (Log Splitter) Pumps | Hydraulic Pumps | Hydraulics | www.surpluscenter.com 130 bucks, for exact new replacement. that's the best deal by about 50 bucks I have seen in my quick search
Filter is fairly new but I didn't check the suction line. I'll do that, but I really think the pump is just tired. Even the high pressure stage doesn't have the power it used to.
Like you said it doesn't owe you anything. You should time the stroke before and after the pump replacement. It might be slower than you thought just because it wore so gradually.
What horsepower is the engine? You might consider swapping the 11 GPM pump for a 13 GPM one...gain a bit of speed. Even if your engine won't quite pull the larger pump 100%, you can tweak the unloader valve to open just a touch sooner and get away with it...since most people split most of the time with the pump staying in "hi flow" or 1st stage, you end up with a slightly faster splittah...even if it does go to "low flow", or 2nd stage a bit sooner occasionally. At least this brand, both the 11 GPM and the 13 GPM both pump 2.1 GPM in 2nd stage...but the 13 GPM pumps 2 more GPM in 1st stage (or hi flow) Hydraulic Log Splitter Gear Pump: 2-Stage, 11 GPM Hydraulic Log Splitter Gear Pump: 2-Stage, 13 GPM This shows how to...
Hmm..that's like 5.5 hp (ish) so 11 gpm is probably about right...unless you upgrade to the 13 GPM now, detune it a bit, then upgrade to a slighty larger engine (212cc Predator) later on for the full effect
Hell, it could last another 10 years...or 10 minutes....hard to say at this point. I'm not getting any faster I as age so maybe it being a little slower isn't going to make a difference.