"Chief" hydraulic cylinders; anyone using them?

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9Fingers

9Fingers

Member
Mar 27, 2014
7
New England
I'm building a splitter and comparing cylinders. Boils down to Prince or Chief, 5" bore. Difference is port size. Prince is SAE 10, about a 5/8" ID vs. the Chief with SAE 12, a 3/4" ID. Valves will be from Northern and have 3/4" ports. 22GPM pump and 18 hp briggs industrial engine that I have on hand.
Prince is a well known name, available lots of places, Chief not so much. View the specs here:

http://www.baileynet.com/cylbore/5/...cat/Hydraulic-Cylinders/type/Tie~Rod-Cylinder

Not too many 3/4" ported cylinders to chose from.

Any thoughts?
 
I wonder if I'll see any performance issues with the bush down. A small bit of cycle speed I suppose, going from 3/4 down to 5/8. I know that the smaller you make your plumbing, the higher your temperatures will be for a given flow. I know I'd really see a difference if I went down to a 1/2" port.
 
I run a prince on my home built unit. It has been working flawless for quite a few years now. That said, I don't know of any bad reviews on the Chief brand.

The difference in port size won't really make any difference in cycle time. It will actually raise the resistance a bit, which leads to a bit higher pressure/heat. Most likely if you have a large enough oil reservoir you won't even notice it.

On my little splitter (for clarification - I have 3 splitters) I run a 16gpm pump through 3/8" ports with no ill effect.
 
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the larger the ports the faster you can fill empty cylinder - that is what relates to cycle time in that area. also larger ports lines mean less friction, friction = heat , excessive heat is bad for hydraulics. your valve is 3/4 so might as well stay with 3/4 lines and ports on cylinder why mess around downsizing it. added expense for reducers and more areas for potential leaks. use the Kiss principal ( keep it simple stu.....) Northern tool has pre made lines at reasonable prices ( course depends on your location and shipping if needed) If you need to turn something use 45 deg hi flow elbows rather than 90's if at all possible.
 
I have written about port sizing before, but to keep it simple, smaller ports make more heat and heat is wasted power. A smaller port size CAN reduce your cycle times. The heat is part of the evidence. I open up and contour the ports on cylinders and have been doing it for years. It helps keep temps down and can boost cycle times. Am I splitting hairs? Maybe. I just like my stuff to work right and be in the best shape possible. My splitter motor is anything but stock. :)
 
I bought a commercial AllWood splitter a couple years ago and use it pretty hard. It came with a Chief main cylinder...it takes care of business...no complaints...
IMG_3325.jpg
 
SAE-10 is fine for 22 GPM, but if you see yourself ever wanting to hotrod that splitter with a really big pump, then SAE-12 ports may become a requirement.

What is your engine size or horsepower?
 
Just came back to this thread after a long hiatus. 18 horse and 22 GPM as stated in my first post. I did build it and am very happy with it. No issues at all with the Chief cylinder. I run the engine at perhaps 30-40% RPM as it's an old engine and I'm getting to be an older guy. I'm not in a big hurry these days. Having the work table at a good height and with a vertical ram so everything is waist high or a bit above has really saved my back over the last couple of years. It has a side lift and that is worth it's weight in gold, in my opinion.
 
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Glad to hear you used the bigger stuff. I am upgrading mine to a 22hp and 28 gpm pump, and I need to upsize my lines and ports. I have 3/8 feeding the return side and 1/2 feeding the pressure side, so I have some work to do. Glad yours works great!
 
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