This is the generic 6 ton that comes under a million brands from the big box stores. It's never been particularly strong but it's gotten worse after sitting idle since last fall. The first 1/3 of the stroke is......adequate but it starts to fall off and by the second half of the stroke it's barely moving at all. Is there anything that can be done? Right now it won't split about half the wood I have..
Sounds low on oil...have a manual for it? Usually, you stand it on end and there is a plug to take out for oil fill...as far as how to check the level...depends on the exact model?
I couldn't find a Ryobi, but they're all pretty similar...here is a manual, oil change on page 10 7TYHS520-A manual.pdf
Also where do you go to buy ISO 22 hydraulic oil? Autozone doesn't carry it and NAPA only has 5 gallon buckets. I assume RK and TSC have it but neither are near me.
Napa doesn't have snow plow oil? That is often ISO22. Do you use it in real cold weather a lot? If not then I'd have no issue putting a more standard weight hydraulic oil in it...like AW32, or if you want to go ahead and change the oil, you could put ATF back in it.
I don't use it below 40F.I actually only us it between 40F and 60F for comfort reasons. I definitely want to fully change out the oil. ATF would work you say?
From doing some reading it sounds like AW22 and ATF are better for low temps and AW32 is better for high temps. It sounds like 32 is similar enough to 22 to work--and I can get 32 at Autozone..
I put kubota Super UDT 2 in mine because I had some left after my tractor service. Works like it should.
So if I put AW32 in instead of AW22 in, is that going to affect the splitting performance at all? BC I'm willing to special order and wait for the 22 if the 32 is going to diminish my splitting capacity. This splitter is such a freaking bottleneck it's unreal. I can't afford a proper splitter but I'm absolutely drowning in rounds that I have NO ability to split. Like, I have probably half a cord of osage from the springtime that isn't even in the ballpark of being able to split. It's fun to hit it with my Fiskars axe. Watching it bounce off as if it's concrete is entertaining. Every month that goes by, the wood hardens up further. I can't justify renting a splitter either just for the fact that I have wood to burn, just not the stuff I WANT to burn. I can't even noodle the osage. Not even with a 90cc saw and a fresh chain. IT THROWS SPARKS.
What does your wedge look like, pretty sharp, kinda like an axe, or more of a triangle shape? I've noticed the wedges on those little electric splitters are not all created equal. On mine it has a pretty sharp/narrow wedge that has a radius/taper to wider at the back, and it is rarely stopped. My sister has a similar machine, but the wedge on it is more like a simple triangle shape, kinda blunt, certainly not terribly sharp, and it can be stalled out easily. I was going to take a 6" grinder to the wedge to modify it, but my brother ended up finding a different machine for her (a huge upgrade too!)
Cool! I'll just do that. So anyway, checked the fluid level and it was barely on the bottom of the dipstick. Dunno where it all went but it was basically empty. Chucked some ATF in there figuring (a) it wouldn't hurt and (b) might help flush it out for when I put fresh fluid in. Instant night-and-day improvement. I'd forgotten how well the thing could work. I'll stop by and get some AW32 and do a proper change later today.
While we're on the subject of splitters, I think I want to upgrade in a few years. Something with a faster stroke and ideally something that can do 4x splits at once. What is the 240v splitter world like? I have no interest or use for an engine but I have a breaker box directly on the other side of the wall from where I split, so I could easily run even a 60amp circuit if I wanted to for like no money.
