My First Splitter

[Pyrate Dave]

Took delivery of my first log splitter on Friday; I had ordered the DHT 22 Ton through Home Depot's website, and shipping was fairly quick. Assembly went smoothly, and the first test split was flawless. I was able to spend a couple of hours on Sunday, working my way through a downed tree, and am impressed by the power of this machine. My only prior splitter experience was using a borrowed splitter that did not convert to vertical; what a back saver this is. My only concern is that I noticed a slight leak from the control valve; it's an intermittent leak, but something I will be keeping an eye on.

 

[Montanalocal]

My splitter came new with a few leaks also. The worst place to have a leak is the solid pipe connection between the valve and the cylinder. Mine came with a solid pipe there, which means that if there is a leak on either end of that pipe, there is practically no way to easily tighten it. You have to drain some of the hydraulic fluid so that you can disconnect some of the hoses. Then you have to try to make a complete revolution of the valve to try to tight the pipe connection, which in most cases you can not do.

After several attempts to tighten that connection, I gave up and put a brass union and two wrench tightenable nipples in there, which is what should have been there in the first place. Now, if there is any leakage there I can slightly loosen the union and tighten either of the side nipples as needed.

It is hard to tell from your pictures if you have a union there or not. If you do not and it starts to leak there, replacing it is the way to go.

 

[Jags]

Was gonna walk away but can't....
I don't believe those brass parts (especially the union) is rated for anywhere near the operational pressure a spliter runs at. I could be wrong - I ain't a pro on brass parts - but finding out the hard way is gonna be bad. Real bad. Do your due diligence before adapting parts onto a hydraulic system running at 2500-3000 PSI.
No offense MLocal - I like the ingenuity, just not sure if the parts are compatible to a hydro system. Safety first. High pressure oil injection of the skin ain't no joke.

 

[beatlefan]

Took delivery of my first log splitter on Friday; I had ordered the DHT 22 Ton through Home Depot's website, and shipping was fairly quick. Assembly went smoothly, and the first test split was flawless. I was able to spend a couple of hours on Sunday, working my way through a downed tree, and am impressed by the power of this machine. My only prior splitter experience was using a borrowed splitter that did not convert to vertical; what a back saver this is. My only concern is that I noticed a slight leak from the control valve; it's an intermittent leak, but something I will be keeping an eye on.
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That leak isn't going to get any better. I'd contact the manufacturer and get a new valve coming.

 

[Montanalocal]

I am a 3rd generation commercial farmer and I have been dealing with hydraulics all my life. Brass is my preferred go-to for critical applications. I like brass because it seems to seal up better than iron. My splitter has been running this set up for several years with no problems. But if anyone wants to use black iron, by all means.

 

[Whitepine2]

Was gonna walk away but can't....
I don't believe those brass parts (especially the union) is rated for anywhere near the operational pressure a spliter runs at. I could be wrong - I ain't a pro on brass parts - but finding out the hard way is gonna be bad. Real bad. Do your due diligence before adapting parts onto a hydraulic system running at 2500-3000 PSI.
No offense MLocal - I like the ingenuity, just not sure if the parts are compatible to a hydro system. Safety first. High pressure oil injection of the skin ain't no joke.

Jags is 100% right on this you can't just put regular pipe,if used only high pressure pipe should be used and never cast fittings.

 

[Pyrate Dave]

Thank you for the advice. It looks like the leak is coming from where the valve pivots, not from the fittings on the valve. I'll email DHT's customer service and see what they suggest.

 

[brenndatomu]

I ain't a pro on brass parts - but finding out the hard way is gonna be bad. Real bad. Do your due diligence before adapting parts onto a hydraulic system running at 2500-3000 PSI

Good call, if @Montanalocal used a union like is in his pic, that part is rated for 10% of what it should be for use on a high pressure hydraulic system like a log splitter...ER trip in the making. It's a good idea, just the the wrong application for that particular part...use high pressure parts only! And yes, black iron parts are a real bad idea too...

 

[Dobish]

I love my dht22. I haven't had any leaks so far, and I'm about 2 cord in.

 

[TreePointer]

I use only hydraulic fittings on high pressure lines. They are a little more expensive because they are machined to higher tolerances. Many are of such high quality that they do not require an hydraulic fluid rated thread sealer like Permatex High Temperature Thread Sealant