Tractor run log splitters

As some of you know I’ve got a few older tractors and I’ve been thinking of using my current 32 MTD splitter and making it to run off one of the tractors.
That said I don’t have any remotes to plug into and I’m thinking if I plumbed into the pumps they do have I’m going to be seriously flow and psi limited. Another option is a PTO pump, but I may be in the same boat as far as flow and psi.
Another thought I had was using the existing pump and stepping some pulleys to get the rpm to run it. We are talking 540rpm to 3600 though and that’s some serious steps!
Anyone have any good tractor run set ups or thoughts?

 

Probably need a pto pump to get enough flow. Most remote tractor pumps are only 6-8 gpm. Mine is 12gpm but it works ok with a 3.5” cylinder. I believe the pto pumps are up around 16-20gpm

 

I spent two summers on the backend of an International 574 running a splitter off the tractor’s hydraulics. Seems like he had rigged a bungee cord to one of the levers on the tractor to keep it from kicking out of the detente position. Had underslung rear facing exhaust. Blick. Not super fast, even with the tractor rev’d up. Handy to be able to lower the 3pt and roll a big piece on.

A PTO pump geared up so the tractor could be idled down would be interesting.

 

I had a 574 diesel for a while. One of the first things I did was change the manifold and put an upright exhaust on it.
I’m kind of toying with a double reduction with two belts......

 

I'm curious why you want to run it off the tractor, did the engine blow?
I have a 3ph splitter and it's slow, very slow. That's why I bought a gas splitter with it's own engine.

 

The 8hp Briggs that’s on it runs fine but vibrates something awful! I put rubber generator mounts on it to calm it down some, but it’s still bad. It has shook the engine shroud to pieces and just generally drives me nuts. Not to mention I enjoy messing with stuff and the tractors see a lot of sitting time so I thought if I can make something to work I would give it a shot.

 

A $100 Predator engine would fix that...

If you still want to use the tractor...go PTO pump, and go big...that will allow you to keep the RPM's down.
My boss put a 3PH backhoe on his 950 Deere...was super slow, so he bought a PTO pump, he loves it...said its much faster, even with the engine running at 1000 RPM (instead of PTO speed)

 

I get what you’re saying, and I thought the same thing. I do enjoy the speed of the single speed pump of the tractor. And I like not having to maintain another engine. But after having mine on my tractor for a few years, I’ve been thinking about going to back to one with a motor on it just for portability. It would be easier to take it to my boy’s house to help him split. On top of that, it would be nice to be able to split and throw them straight into the tractor bucket and take it to stack in the garage

 

+1 on the Predator mentioned above. I have never actually owned one, but I do own several Hondas. Predator is pretty close to a perfect Honda clone and I’ve never heard anything bad about them

 

That's why after the first year of using my new splitter I ditched the Briggs and bought a Honda for it. I'll have to post the Briggs on Kijiji sometime and let someone else enjoy the suck.

 

Picked up a 21 gpm pto pump today.
I’ll keep you posted on progress.
The stock pump now is 14-16 gpm two stage.
We shall see.....

 

Moar better

 

I'm bouncing this idea around as well. I've been contemplating operating the standard hydraulic pump minus the engine using the PTO with a step down. The step down would be a tire driven by a PTO shaft driving a much smaller pulley on a shaft to which the pump is connected. I haven't done the math yet but it "looks like" I'll be able to run the PTO way below 540 rpms and get the same speed out of the splitter. We'll see how it goes and there's some decent fabrication that needs to take place yet!

 

I have a 17? gpm PTO prince pump on the back of my tractor. Works really well for me.

 

Got all the fittings and hoses ordered today.
Got a pressure gauge to go on it too so I can adjust the bypass pressure accordingly. I’m going to give her an oil and filter change while I’m at it.

 

I’ve seen one run off a Farmall Cub and it was slow but powerful. min the farm we ran one of of the 4430 let’s just say the hoses would get a bit warm, but there was nothing it couldn’t split.

 

I had one from Tractor supply but only a few days before I put it up for sale again.
The bracket it was mounted on seemed flimsy and trying to tilt from horizontal to vertical was always a shaky situation.
It tilted to the side and laid “sideways” across the rear of the tractor.
It was slow on my Kubota using the tractor hydraulics.


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When I built my splitter I used with tractor but it didn't take me long to put axle and a twin cly briggs, to slow and two many hours on tractor,also can pull it to other places to split

 

Heres a picture of my setup. You can see the resivior in the background. I dont have any pictures of the pump itself.

 

Looks good! Pump just slides on the pto with a keeper chain to keep it from spinning?
I was thinking on getting a quick attach extension to keep right on the pump with a pin through it. I just have visions of it working it’s way off and landing on the ground!