Howdy folks. In the honor of not hijacking a currently running thread I would like to dispel a couple of often repeated talking points when it comes to hydraulics. Hopefully I can do it without causing more confusion.
First - can we all agree that fluid doesn't compress? At least no measurable amount to mere human types. Yes - good.
Second - can we agree that a positive displacement pump will put out its rated volume as long as there is no Incoming fluid restriction and it is operating properly (not wore, slipping the lovejoy, etc.) Basically, it has to unless you stall the engine or it hits bypass pressure at the valve. The exact reason a bypass is needed - so things don't break.
With these two factual statements I would like to clear up some common misconceptions about splitters.
Small ports or hoses do NOT reduce flow unless you create enough pressure to bypass the relief valve or in the case of a splitter pump, kick it into the low side. Pressure and flow have to be treated as two different things (cuz they are).
A flow restriction can do bad things if it is too out of balance (create heat, increase pressure, increase wear), but one thing it won't do is reduce speed. Again, at least not measurable to us human types.
I know there are at least a few out there that are thinking "oh yeah - well how does a restrictor valve slow down my log lift"? By decreasing flow, increasing pressure and bypassing the excess fluid (that is the short answer).
I believe that this confusion is just a terminology issue as much as it is a misunderstanding.
So - I am gonna put it right out there...
Using a 16 GPM pump (just an example) with half inch hoses or ports is NOT going to be SLOWER than using 3/4 inch hoses or ports unless you build enough pressure to bypass the relief valve or kick the pump into low gear (so to speak). Yes - you can increase heat, yes, you will increase pressure, but you ain't gonna slow down the flow. Remember - fluid doesn't compress.
A real life example was when I was building my small splitter - I used a 3.5" cylinder with 3/8 inch ports and a 16 GPM pump. Sucker is fast. At no load (moving the cylinder back and forth) the pressure gauge in line barely wiggled, It never even touched 100 PSI (very small amounts for a system designed for up to 3000). What does this mean? Even at 16 GPM the restriction to the flow barely took an increase of pressure to balance out. All 16 GPM was running through those small ports with just a minor increase of pressure to compensate.
This is a very basic explanation of fluid dynamics. Basic being the key word here. There are many things at play, but for a splitter hydraulic circuit I hope I have hit the high points. Sorry for the long post (No jokes FFJ
)
I am hoping @kevinj will be a proof reader for factual accuracy for this post. If I am wrong in any way I seriously would like it corrected. My intent is not to mislead anyone.
First - can we all agree that fluid doesn't compress? At least no measurable amount to mere human types. Yes - good.
Second - can we agree that a positive displacement pump will put out its rated volume as long as there is no Incoming fluid restriction and it is operating properly (not wore, slipping the lovejoy, etc.) Basically, it has to unless you stall the engine or it hits bypass pressure at the valve. The exact reason a bypass is needed - so things don't break.
With these two factual statements I would like to clear up some common misconceptions about splitters.
Small ports or hoses do NOT reduce flow unless you create enough pressure to bypass the relief valve or in the case of a splitter pump, kick it into the low side. Pressure and flow have to be treated as two different things (cuz they are).
A flow restriction can do bad things if it is too out of balance (create heat, increase pressure, increase wear), but one thing it won't do is reduce speed. Again, at least not measurable to us human types.
I know there are at least a few out there that are thinking "oh yeah - well how does a restrictor valve slow down my log lift"? By decreasing flow, increasing pressure and bypassing the excess fluid (that is the short answer).
I believe that this confusion is just a terminology issue as much as it is a misunderstanding.
So - I am gonna put it right out there...
Using a 16 GPM pump (just an example) with half inch hoses or ports is NOT going to be SLOWER than using 3/4 inch hoses or ports unless you build enough pressure to bypass the relief valve or kick the pump into low gear (so to speak). Yes - you can increase heat, yes, you will increase pressure, but you ain't gonna slow down the flow. Remember - fluid doesn't compress.
A real life example was when I was building my small splitter - I used a 3.5" cylinder with 3/8 inch ports and a 16 GPM pump. Sucker is fast. At no load (moving the cylinder back and forth) the pressure gauge in line barely wiggled, It never even touched 100 PSI (very small amounts for a system designed for up to 3000). What does this mean? Even at 16 GPM the restriction to the flow barely took an increase of pressure to balance out. All 16 GPM was running through those small ports with just a minor increase of pressure to compensate.
This is a very basic explanation of fluid dynamics. Basic being the key word here. There are many things at play, but for a splitter hydraulic circuit I hope I have hit the high points. Sorry for the long post (No jokes FFJ
)I am hoping @kevinj will be a proof reader for factual accuracy for this post. If I am wrong in any way I seriously would like it corrected. My intent is not to mislead anyone.
