So do people really understand how much power they are using on their splitters? Or do they just go for the marketing hype? I’ve been learning this past month all the splitters I’ve be used rarely go over 10 ton of force to split things. That was even on the wolfe ridge using a box wedge and a wicked wedge today. now I’ve got guys telling me if I go to a box wedge machine if I don’t get at least a 35 or 40 ton machine, I’m nuts. I get having large pumps for speed, but why run 40 tons when you are only really using 10-15 ton?
You nailed it, marketing hype. Mine is a "20 ton" and has laughed at anything I've ever thrown at it.
The splitter is use mostly is a 27 ton big box store special. (i didnt buy it) and i show it no mercy when splitting. If it bogs in the split i hold the lever and maybe once in two years i had to "back out". I dont baby it. Of course i dont put much in the way of gnarly wood through it, but dont think twice if i have gnarly round to split. Most of the time the quality of split the wood produces is my main criteria for what i scrounge.
Just marketing hype. Mine is powered with a 3 hp electric motor and makes an honest 17 tons, or 20 if I turn it up a little. And it has a 4 way. I also have a 27 ton speeco. Both of them split anything.
My transfer pressure is 800 psi. I rarely go above that with the new hose on the splitter. even when I go to the high pressure side, I only see 1500-1600 psi. The pump will put out 3600 psi. I’d love to put a 22 or 28 gpm pump on it. Cut the cycle time in half almost.
Your hp requirement will double. Max hp requirement is usually at the shift point. You would need at least 12hp for 28 gpm at 800 psi. The high side would be about 7gpm, so 5-6 hp at 1500 psi. A v twin would do nicely.
Agreed, highest power requirement with both stages feeding the cylinder, after the shift happens you can hear the engine load decrease...and most people don't realize that you can adjust that "hi/lo" shift point 3-400 PSI...that's a big change in horsepower requirement. If you have the power to pull it, crank the shift point up so it rarely goes into "low", if you are hurting for power then turn it down so it goes into low easier. Just to be clear for everyone, "high" is high speed/low pressure (both stages of the pump pumping oil) "low" is low speed, but high pressure, only the small side of the gear pump is pumping oil at this point
Absolutely. You would need at least 3/4" lines at the bare minimum, and full sized ports, not adapters. 1" lines would be better.
