Preheating splitter hyraulic fluid

I'm curious if anyone else has to preheat their hydraulic fluid to get it to work in these temps? I have to put heat to the tank for probably 5-10 minutes before mine will run . Once started for the day, stopping and starting again doesnt seem to be an issue. Is this just to be expected in these temps or is it a sign the pump is going, motor is undersized, some other hydraulic thing or maybe need different fluid?

 

Pretty common. Some equipment that is designed for cold weather use commonly will have a way to disconnect the hydraulic system for starting. You can put lighter weight oil in it if you run in the winter a lot...might need to change back if it is going to be used on a hot summer day for very long. Do you know what weight oil is in it?
If you can get the machine started you can speed up the oil warming process by revving the engine and holding the lever to the return position forcing the relief valve to open...this creates a lot of heat in the oil which is dumped back to the tank...doesn't take too long to bring the system temp up some.

 

If I can get mine to start, I just run it. If I can't, its too cold out and I go find something else to do. I know that doesn't work for everyone though.

If you find yourself having to pre-heat often I'd look into some different fluid. Swapping fluid once a year sounds a lot easier than going through the effort of heating up a splitter several times a year....you could save the fluid and re-use next season.

 

It is a 3400 RPM electric motor with no bypass for the hydraulics. So the drill is heat the tank up a little, hand turn the pump a few times and then turn the motor on. Repeat as necessary.

I like working firewood on cold dry winter days. I use the Fiskars on the smaller stuff but I am in no shape to be going after the bigger stuff with it.

 

Well since you obviously have electric nearby, then just stick a magnetic engine block heater on the hydraulic tank ahead of time

 

now that is a banner idea

 

Just run ATF in it for the winter months, or all the time if you prefer. It is expensive. but basically a hydraulic oil.

 

I have the Ariens 27 ton w/ Subaru engine and it doesn't like the cold either. It will run but it takes over 10 pulls to start on a single digit temp day. Basically if I have to split in those conditions I let it run for 10 mins or so then I cycle it a few times before splitting. Everything seems to go fine once the engine actually fires up.

 

12° yesterday after an overnight low of -2 and I had to throw a tarp over mine as well as direct a torpedo heater at it for 15-20 mins to get the engine to start. The position of the heater naturally hit the oil tank, so it was a little bit better. Same with both quads that were parked in the way.

Kubota MX5100 started a bit hard but did start. Took a while to warm up the hydraulics on it though.

 

I dont know what the magic is with my tractor but it has started whenever asked even when not started for long periods and without a block heater just a kick of the glow plugs...hydraulics run right away too. old tractor didnt do that...ever.

 

This. Run it on a timer if needed.

 

Wood splits better when it is frozen though.

I have just found some engines start better in the cold then others. They might be of the same brand and model, or maybe not, but my bulldozer...it just hates to start in the cold. The skidder, it is usually pretty good, but my Kubota always starts.

 

Mine have always started when asked. Not sure that I've ever tried when it's this cold and don't plan on trying anytime soon. It's just too darn cold here. Just glad the cars and trucks have been starting with no issues.

 

I installed a 1000W heater on my oil tank and plug it in an hour or 2 before I want to use it. It will get the oil 60-70 degrees. I haven't tried it with the new oil though, but it should be warmer as it's thinner.

 

I found the information from the Alaskans very interesting in this thread
Colder here. What's your temp? What ya burnin?
(Read down toward the bottom and on the next page). I have used and am unimpressed with the magnet heaters. I wasn’t familiar with the adhesive style.

 

I ran ATF in my hydraulic splitter. It is better for colder temps and warm weather too. It was recommended in my splitter for use above 70 degrees. ATF will also keep things cleaner. It is a great lubricant.

Does your fluid look milky in your splitter?

 

Yeah, in the super cold, even the chonda predator takes a few pulls due to the hydraulic fluid being too cold. Once it's running, I let it warm up a few minutes. No issues then, and it will be totally fine the rest of the day

 

My skidder uses ATF for the transmission and winch, and it is no surprise that it leaks oil, so I was looking at alternatives to that expensive oil. What I found in my research was a lot of people with heavy duty hauling pickups were swapping out ATF, for John Deere Hydraulic Oil. This was due to the anti-foaming agents and other additives they put in it, considering John Deere hydraulic oil the best of the best.

The point here is not that ATF is better or worse off than hydraulic oil, it is that ATF and Hydraulic oil are so interchangeable. I did not know that.

I have mixed diesel fuel with my hydraulic oil before on my woodsplitter and it worked good, but I since learned that the two chemically bond different so that it is not a great idea I guess. The woodsplitter did not know that though, and worked well.

 

I'm a heavy equipment service tech here in the middle of Alberta, so I guess I'll throw my 2 cents in with what we've done in the past.

It hits -35C here pretty much ever winter, but usually hangs between -10 and -20C. We've tried pretty much everything in the rental equipment. 32 weight hydraulic oil was causing pumps an lines to blow up on colder days. Even on warmer days, it would take a long time before the stuff would warm up enough to get things moving at a reasonable speed.

For a couple of years, we were putting ATF into everything, but even that would grenade pumps and lines on really cold days when it went below -35. I remember one time the field service coordinator wanted this Genie boom lift brought inside so the engineering company could do the annual non destructive testing on it. I think it was around -40C and I said "You don't want me to get that thing going today." A bit of an argument ensued and then another tech came in. I said "She wants me to get that Genie out there going." He didn't even bat an eye and said "You don't want to try and get that going this morning." Well crap...she went off the deep end. I said "FINE !"....I went out and started heating up the oil pan..the block...the propane tank...around and around we go with a propane torch for about 45 minutes. I hit the start button and it protested but finally fired. It was still chocking its way up to idle speed, and BANG.....it blew the end right off the pump...red fluid everywhere. I went back inside and said "There...hope you're happy. I got it to start...and now there's oil all over the place AND you need a $2000 pump on top of the inspection...and walked out. Hell..don't listen to me. I'm only an old mechanic that's been doing this stuff all his life. LOL.

After messing with ATF for a few years, they decided to go really light and went with 15 weight oil. That was too light. Stuff started easier for sure, and we didn't have as many hoses and pumps blow up, but the leaks in the summer time were far more frequent. It seemed like half of the connections and rams would start to seep after it got above +20C.

For the past 8 or so years, we've been sticking with 22 weight oil. Shell Telus T22 to be exact, and it seems to give us the best overall results for year round use. We're also using those pad type heaters that you goop right onto the side of the tanks with silicone. I think the ones we buy are around 200 watts for 20ish gallon tanks.

All of this being said, once my splitter is done (I'm building my own right onto the front of the trailer I'm building in the spring) I'll be running 15 weight oil in it if I want to use it when it's 20 below outside. In the spring, summer, and fall, it'll be 22 weight. I have no intention of running any kind of heater. I know it's a pain for most people to switch out the oil, but hey....dealing with 5 - 10 gallons of hydraulic oil isn't really much in my world. Anyway..hope the info helps a bit.