I have had this happen before, inside the hydraulic cylinder the screw can back off , it can shoot the ram fwd without notice , weld the nut ,problem solved and ten fingers still present . Just my thought Hoard onward
If it stuttered and the problem "fixed itself" it may have been air in the system. If the piston was just acting jerky/indecisive rather than straining from a physical restriction. Usually happens the first couple of piston strokes, not after a half a dozen or so.
Sounds like air in the line to me. Without being there I can't say for sure. I always make sure the beam is greased otherwise on an older model such as mine the runner can get caught up or pinched.
Yesterday got away from me...didn't get as much done as I thought...Having trouble with a neighbor up the street. He stopped by while I was splitting wood and he bought an old friend Mr J. Beam. Also had a couple of steaks and cast Iron pan with him...Catching up with a good neighbor took priority. Anyhow. I took all of your input and went through most everything. Didn't find anything. The only thing was that where the wedge connects to the ram there is a through bolt and there is a little wobble in it, but that's the way I always remember it. I did put some bar oil on top of the beam before I started splitting and I cycled the ram a half dozen times. No issues, ran like it always had. So maybe there was some ice in the Hyd Fluid? although I doubt it was that or air in the system. I really think it was the the carriage under the wedge where it rides on the I beam got wet and iced up a bit. I am splitting up Shagbark Hickory and White Oak...wet stuff...has the wedge is driven into the rounds you can see it force out the water and it almost instantly freezes...I never get tired of that. Thanks again for the help. I believe I will have a little better that 1 year of the Oak and Hickory done by the end of the month...that will be one solid year ahead and the next goal is to cut up/stack/split some more of my logs and have a second year done by the end of April. Two years ahead will be a major accomplishment in my life. Thanks again for all the input.
That is a worthy goal which I'm sure you will achieve. Get that oak and hickory drying, then pull together whatever maple, ash, and fast- drying stuff you can get your hands on, and you're up to a 3-year supply. Shooting for all split and stacked by April is the way to go, spring and summer are so busy with everything else. Have fun!
