splitter pump issues

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wdchuck

New Member
Hearth Supporter
Sep 24, 2008
2
VT
My splitter has a 5 hp honda and the pump went bad..........Went to Tractor Supply and got a new 11gpm unit, put it on and eagerly started to split wood. No go! It would do really amall stuff or straight grain, but any thing else and it just wouldnt cut it. Finally I took a look at what little paperwork that came with it and it says its a 16 gpm pump! Nice work there Tractor Supply! So am I correct in assuming that the 5 hp motor doesnt have enough ooomph to kick the 16 gpm pump into stage 2?
 
I think you answered your own question... But if it was TSC that said their pump would work on your machine, bring it back with paperwork detailing requirements and they should swap it off for free....Plus the added expense of a more powerful pump. Goodluck.... Joey Chang

Make them give you the 16gpm pump
 
wdchuck said:
My splitter has a 5 hp honda and the pump went bad..........Went to Tractor Supply and got a new 11gpm unit, put it on and eagerly started to split wood. No go! It would do really amall stuff or straight grain, but any thing else and it just wouldnt cut it. Finally I took a look at what little paperwork that came with it and it says its a 16 gpm pump! Nice work there Tractor Supply! So am I correct in assuming that the 5 hp motor doesnt have enough ooomph to kick the 16 gpm pump into stage 2?

Not so well or happily, if at all.

Get them to swap it, or go buy another 11gpm and sell the 16gpm to someone who is building a splitter or wants to jump a pump size when they repower.
 
computeruser said:
wdchuck said:
My splitter has a 5 hp honda and the pump went bad..........Went to Tractor Supply and got a new 11gpm unit, put it on and eagerly started to split wood. No go! It would do really amall stuff or straight grain, but any thing else and it just wouldnt cut it. Finally I took a look at what little paperwork that came with it and it says its a 16 gpm pump! Nice work there Tractor Supply! So am I correct in assuming that the 5 hp motor doesnt have enough ooomph to kick the 16 gpm pump into stage 2?

Not so well or happily, if at all.

Get them to swap it, or go buy another 11gpm and sell the 16gpm to someone who is building a splitter or wants to jump a pump size when they repower.

You did read that wrong my friend, Our buddy was given an 11gpm pump when he actualy needed a 16 gpm pump, so he has an 11gpm pump useless to him...I think the mistake is with TSC ad I would insist on their eating the mistake. I mean no restock fee, shipping or other etc.
 
Take it back and get a 13 gpm, or the 11 they told you it was. (11 and 13 have the same small gear set and the engine will pull either)

Basic principle: hp is gpm x psi (with some conversion factors). So if the pump is too big, the pressure must be kept lower or the engine will stall.

The problem isn't the fast speed when on both sections, you can adjust the unloading pressure down so it unloades at lower pressure and not stall the engine.

Problem is the small gear section, slow speed, is too big for that motor. Once the large section is unloaded, the engine is only turning the small gear set, but it will likely stall out at about 2000 psi load. Could work if you reset your relief valve in the manual (in/out) valve to 2000 psi or whatever the engine would pull. You would get good speed, but giving up force. The 11 or 13 gpm have smaller slow speed section and the engine should pull them to 2500 psi at least.

Try adjusting your relief down until the engine works ok. Then adjust the unloading on the pump so it doesn't stall on high speed. If you like the speed, and can live with less force, go for it. If you want full force at lower speed, take it back to the vendor and have them make it right for what you bought.

k
 
kevin j said:
Take it back and get a 13 gpm, or the 11 they told you it was. (11 and 13 have the same small gear set and the engine will pull either)

Basic principle: hp is gpm x psi (with some conversion factors). So if the pump is too big, the pressure must be kept lower or the engine will stall.

The problem isn't the fast speed when on both sections, you can adjust the unloading pressure down so it unloades at lower pressure and not stall the engine.

Problem is the small gear section, slow speed, is too big for that motor. Once the large section is unloaded, the engine is only turning the small gear set, but it will likely stall out at about 2000 psi load. Could work if you reset your relief valve in the manual (in/out) valve to 2000 psi or whatever the engine would pull. You would get good speed, but giving up force. The 11 or 13 gpm have smaller slow speed section and the engine should pull them to 2500 psi at least.

Try adjusting your relief down until the engine works ok. Then adjust the unloading on the pump so it doesn't stall on high speed. If you like the speed, and can live with less force, go for it. If you want full force at lower speed, take it back to the vendor and have them make it right for what you bought.

k
Kevin 16GPM not 13 or 11 ...16GPM ...stop doing the LSD ...LOL , Just kidding reread the post Kevin
 
As I read the post, you bought a replacement pump you thought was 11 gpm, it turned out to be 16 gpm, and the 5 hp won't turn it.
I was explaining why it won't turn it, there just isn't enough hp in the engine.
You can either turn down the psi seting of the relief valve and live with 16 gpm, or take it back and get the 11/13 that you thought they were supplying.

If you had a 16 and got an 11 by mistake, the engine would do just fine, just slower cycle.

What am I missing here?

k
 
Hey, thank you all for your responses! ........So anyway, I brought the 16 back and got an 11 in exchange. To their credit, the folks at TS were very helpful in doing the return and gave me no hassle at all!...............So I go teat home and quickly installed- funny how that gets easier and faster after the first few times.................And the results -- still not working right-erh! So I went back and checked something I should've thought to look at before and found that the cylinder o-ring is leaking from one chamber into the other..............as for the new pump, no big deal as the old one was starting to leak pretty well. Now I've just got to get that cylinder apart and get some o-rings from a local heavy equipment dealer and I'm good to go................I think.
 
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