hydraulic pump for wood splitter

[ptman]

new member here trying to figure out how to fix my wood splitter. i have an older model mtd wood splitter, 25 ton i believe. this was my father's and it had been sitting up for about 6 years before i brought it to my house to start using. the rubber gasket b/w the couplers had dry rotted and i couldnt figure out what size i needed so i thought i would take them off and take them to the local small engine shop to make sure i got the right size. the coupler on the shaft for the hydraulic pump was real tight and i ended up breaking the shaft. i have found the replacement pump for this splitter and it is $600, which is a little too much for me to stomach spending on this thing. my question is this: would it be possible to buy another pump which is cheaper to replace this one with? if so, what should i look for to make sure it is compatible?

i am also going to try and take the pump apart to see if i can take it to a machine shop and have a new shaft built, but i have been told that if i mess up any of the seals then it will be worthless b/c they dont make any replacement parts for this pump. thanks for any advice

 

[greg13]

$600 for a pump is too high. Shop around
http://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/search/log splitter pump
http://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/NTESearch?storeId=6970&ipp=24&Ntt=log+splitter+pump

 

[ptman]

i completely agree that that is way too much. i wouldnt even consider spending that to replace it. i have actually found a couple on amazon even cheaper than that. i just want to know 1) will another pump work on my splitter and 2) what makes the difference b/w a $100 and $300 pump?

 

[triptester]

The pump you need will be dependent on the engine size you have. A 5.5-6 hp will handle an 11 gpm 2-stage pump. A 8 hp or bigger will handle a 16 gpm 2-stage pump.
Log splitter pumps are 99% interchangeable.The only thing special about the pumps that the splitter manufacturers sale is the PRICE. The exact same pumps can be found online for $100-160.
http://www.splitez.com/log_splitter_parts.html
http://www.surpluscenter.com/Hydraulics/Hydraulic-Pumps/2-Stage-Log-Splitter-Pumps/
(broken link removed)
http://www.ebay.com/bhp/log-splitter-pump

 

[Jags]

Yep, what Triptester said. You are not beholden to OEM pumps. There is nothing that makes the original on your splitter special enough to cost those kind of bean pods.,

 

[ptman]

thanks for the replies. i am completely blown away at how much of a difference there are on the prices of these pumps which all seem to have pretty much the same specs. the only other thing im worried about is how it will line up. the original pump has a flat bracket bolted to the top with 3 holes that connect to an aluminum spacer. im going to have to make sure all that will line up right and then i should be good to go

 

[Jags]

Most have a common bolt pattern, just make sure the pattern matches what you have.

 

[English BoB]

new member here trying to figure out how to fix my wood splitter. i have an older model mtd wood splitter, 25 ton i believe. this was my father's and it had been sitting up for about 6 years before i brought it to my house to start using. the rubber gasket b/w the couplers had dry rotted and i couldnt figure out what size i needed so i thought i would take them off and take them to the local small engine shop to make sure i got the right size. the coupler on the shaft for the hydraulic pump was real tight and i ended up breaking the shaft. i have found the replacement pump for this splitter and it is $600, which is a little too much for me to stomach spending on this thing. my question is this: would it be possible to buy another pump which is cheaper to replace this one with? if so, what should i look for to make sure it is compatible?

i am also going to try and take the pump apart to see if i can take it to a machine shop and have a new shaft built, but i have been told that if i mess up any of the seals then it will be worthless b/c they dont make any replacement parts for this pump. thanks for any advice

What make is the splitter ?

 

[ptman]

What make is the splitter ?

it is a yard machine by mtd. it is 23 ton w/ a 6 hp briggs engine. the model # has come off for some reason

 

[cachunko]

If you have a 6hp motor, I'd get the 13.6gpm pump instead of the 11gpm. A little faster cycle time. I have a 6.5hp predator engine and this pump works great on mine.

http://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200321053_200321053

 

[ptman]

If you have a 6hp motor, I'd get the 13.6gpm pump instead of the 11gpm. A little faster cycle time. I have a 6.5hp predator engine and this pump works great on mine.

http://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200321053_200321053

Thanks for thaw suggestions. I would love to put a bigger pump in it to speed things up bc it is super slow as it was. I was told by local shop that if I went with a bigger pump, I ran the risk of blowing the seals or gaskets due to them not being able to withstand the increased pressure. Us there any truth in this??

It still blows my mind that that pump in your link is cheaper than some of the 11 gpm pumps.

 

[cachunko]

Thanks for thaw suggestions. I would love to put a bigger pump in it to speed things up bc it is super slow as it was. I was told by local shop that if I went with a bigger pump, I ran the risk of blowing the seals or gaskets due to them not being able to withstand the increased pressure. Us there any truth in this??

It still blows my mind that that pump in your link is cheaper than some of the 11 gpm pumps.

As far as I know, a log splitter pump is a log splitter pump. The pressures are all the same. The difference is how much/fast a pump can do it's job. I have a limited understanding of this however.

 

[ptman]

As far as I know, a log splitter pump is a log splitter pump. The pressures are all the same. The difference is how much/fast a pump can do it's job. I have a limited understanding of this however.[/QUOT

I, obviously, have basically no understanding of this. I just wanted to make sure that if I spend the money on a pump, it won't blow it up and I still won't be able to use it

 

[cachunko]

It won't blow up I've had the northern tool pump for about 3-4 seasons now. I've split probably 10 full chord or so so far with it without a hiccup. You wouldn't be disappointed.

 

[Jags]

due to them not being able to withstand the increased pressure. Us there any truth in this??

Hog wash. 2700 psi is 2700 psi irrelevant of volume. The larger pump is an increase in VOLUME not pressure and yes - a 13 gpm pump should work just fine in your situation.

 

[greg13]

The only issue you may run into with a larger pump could be lack of horsepower to push it. If the splitter was slow to begin with the pump could have been on it's way out.

 

[ptman]

I took the pump apart today and this is the part that broke. Is there anyway to just buy this part?

 

[greg13]

I took the pump apart today and this is the part that broke. Is there anyway to just buy this part?

IF you could find them, you would have to buy both gears since they are matched. If there is any scoring in the pump housing it is not worth putting money into, plus they may cost almost what a pump costs if you can find them.

 

[ptman]

I figured it wouldn't be worth it. It's the shaft that broke. The guy at the shop told me it would be really difficult to take apart without messing anything up (I'm beginning to think he's a liar). It was so easy to take apart. I was just hoping there could be a cheap fix for it

 

[ptman]

thanks everyone for all the advice. i got the 13 gpm pump and put everything back together again and it works 100% better than it ever has. so much faster cycle time now.