- Feb 10, 2006
- 286
I have a monster homemade splitter that is need of updating. It has an 8 hp intek engine and is belt driven to a single vane vickers pump that is starting to whine. The detent valve no longer releases at the end and requires you to be all the way out or all the way in or it kills the engine. The intek has vibrated it's muffler off and bolts are constantly comeing loose with the vibration from the engine and belt system. The beam is perfect, the wedge is great, the wood catching deck is ideal, it is the perfect height to stand and work all day, it has a 9 gallon hydraulic flud tank and is built on a cut down mobile home trailer axle, the cylinder is a 36"x 4" with a 1 1"2 bore with no leaks.
The splitter is a beast and when it is working it works well... it just seems that for every 4 hours I am working with it, it requires 45 minutes to work on it. If I am going to update it I would need to get rid of the belt system and go with a 2 stage pump direct drive system, this would require me to buy all new hydraulic hoses as it would change the location and the intake and output from the pump is 2" hose. I would need to buy an antivibration mat to mount under the engine, and buy a new detent valve. I figure all said and done I am looking at about $500 to do it right.
Splitters are in demand here in maine and I am pretty sure I could get $600 for the splitter as it sits. That being said...I sell it for $600 and take the $500 I would have put into it and get a new one for $400 more (around $1500). Basically I just want to go out, start it, work for as long as I WANT too not how long IT wants too, maintain it and have it just keep working. Could I expect that from a new splitter or are they prone to requiring tinkering? What do you think?
The splitter is a beast and when it is working it works well... it just seems that for every 4 hours I am working with it, it requires 45 minutes to work on it. If I am going to update it I would need to get rid of the belt system and go with a 2 stage pump direct drive system, this would require me to buy all new hydraulic hoses as it would change the location and the intake and output from the pump is 2" hose. I would need to buy an antivibration mat to mount under the engine, and buy a new detent valve. I figure all said and done I am looking at about $500 to do it right.
Splitters are in demand here in maine and I am pretty sure I could get $600 for the splitter as it sits. That being said...I sell it for $600 and take the $500 I would have put into it and get a new one for $400 more (around $1500). Basically I just want to go out, start it, work for as long as I WANT too not how long IT wants too, maintain it and have it just keep working. Could I expect that from a new splitter or are they prone to requiring tinkering? What do you think?
