Cub Cadet 27ton Splitter--Need Help with Control Valve Replacement

[otsegony]

To All:

I have a huge backlog of firewood to splt and a broken splitter with winter coming in here in upstate NY. I could use some advice on my broken splitter. The control valve, an Energy hydraulic model with a kick out detent that is stuck in the up position. I have a local mechanic who fixed it by opening the top cover and cleaning up some rust and debris he found in there amidst the ball bearing mechanism. That worked for about 2 hours and now it is stuck in the retract position once more.
As the mechanic is quite busy with snow blower repairs this time of year I was thinking about just replacing the valve myself. They seem to be readily available from Amazon and the manufacturer for under $100. But I haven't seen any installation instructions on putting a new valve in. Do you simply disconnect the hydraulic fluid lines and bolt a new one in? Does one need to bleed the air out of the system? In which case I haven't found a bleeder valve anywhere on the machine.
Also the Prince branded valve seems to get better reviews as a more durable valve for not much more cash. Are they interchangable with the Energy models?
Any help would be appreciated!

Garet

 

[gzecc]

I suggest getting the same, as was there for an inexperienced installer. There is no bleeding. Its an open system. You will have to cycle it a few times to get the air out. Be prepared for some fluid leak while replacing.

 

[claydogg84]

Your problem isn't the valve, it's the detent assembly on the end of the valve. This can be replaced without having to drain any oil. You'll need to get the information off of the valve and call energy. Their website is energymfg.com. It's an easy fix that I've done before myself. I beleive it was around $60 but I'm not certain.