Water-cooled Homemade 19-ton Logsplitter

[pipefitter_splitter]

Finally got around to taking some photos to post on here of my homemade logsplitter I built last year. Searched around the internet for any logsplitters with water-cooled hyrdaulics and couldn't find any. So here is the (known) first. Professionally, I am a Pipefitter/Welder.

-Approx. 19 ton capacity
-6.5 second cycle time @ full throttle
-Water-cooled hydraulics via plate heat exchanger
-Stationary single razor wedge design. 12" tall
-Honda GX390 engine
-28gpm 2-stage hydraulic pump (Northern Tool)
-4"x24" hydraulic cylinder
-Frame, reservoir, structural, axle, piping, fittings, hoses free from workplace surplus
-Total cost approx. $1300

Open to questions, comments, etc.
Can take measurements and close up photos for those wanting to build their own.

 

[begreen]

It looks nicely done. I can't recall our splitter ever overheating, even when splitting for about 6 hrs. Is this a common issue?

 

[pipefitter_splitter]

It looks nicely done. I can't recall our splitter ever overheating, even when splitting for about 6 hrs. Is this a common issue?

Thank you. I added the water-cooling side of it after running it without for a little while. Hydraulic fluid crosses into overheating territory after 140F. Without the water-cooling I was spiking the reservoir temperature well above into the 160Fs+. Ideal hydraulic fluid temperatures are between 110F and 140F for maximum component life. Construction equipment and air-cooled logsplitters solve the problem with active cooling.
I can't speak to how your machine does heat-wise. A lot of factors at play. Ambient temperature, throttle speed, work speed, cylinder port and hose sizes (smaller adds friction), etc.
Without the water-cooling, I could throttle down and keep the temperatures within range, but who has time for that?

 

[Whitenuckler]

Finally got around to taking some photos to post on here of my homemade logsplitter I built last year. Searched around the internet for any logsplitters with water-cooled hyrdaulics and couldn't find any. So here is the (known) first. Professionally, I am a Pipefitter/Welder.

-Approx. 19 ton capacity
-6.5 second cycle time @ full throttle
-Water-cooled hydraulics via plate heat exchanger
-Stationary single razor wedge design. 12" tall
-Honda GX390 engine
-28gpm 2-stage hydraulic pump (Northern Tool)
-4"x24" hydraulic cylinder
-Frame, reservoir, structural, axle, piping, fittings, hoses free from workplace surplus
-Total cost approx. $1300

Open to questions, comments, etc.
Can take measurements and close up photos for those wanting to build their own.

Very good work. Great project!

 

[zrock]

Interesting i have yet to see a log splitter overheat the hydraulic fluid.. Especially when you do not see it on the big units.. But if it works for you give er...

 

[pipefitter_splitter]

Interesting i have yet to see a log splitter overheat the hydraulic fluid.. Especially when you do not see it on the big units.. But if it works for you give er...

The larger commercial splitters do have active cooling for the hydraulics in the form of an air-cooled radiator, usually accompanied by electric fans. Same thing with construction equipment. Industrial and larger construction equipment even have coolant-to-oil heat exchangers to keep their hydraulics cool.
Here is the oil cooler mounted on top of the reservoir of an Eastonmade 12-22 logsplitter. This was the splitter that I based much of my design and material sizing off of.

My first working version of my logsplitter did not have any active cooling, and I observed some hydraulic temperatures as high as 160F+ indicated by my reservoir temperature gauge. It was at that point, I found a cost effective plate heat exchanger which would handle the heat with no problem. The valve on the cooling water outlet of the plate heat exchanger modulates the water flow through the heat exchanger and keeps the temperatures stable at the setpoint. In my case 110F. The excess heat is expressed as a little water trickle.
You can read about how hydraulic fluid degrades with heat here: https://precisionlubrication.com/articles/temperature-hydraulic-oil/
I know a lot of guys run their splitters without observable issues in regards to heat, but if you're seeking maximum fluid/pump/cylinder life it's important to keep those temperatures in check.
For reference, my fluid capacity of my system is about 13-14 gallons AW46.

 

[Slimdusty]

Looks good, nice work. You have a 28gpm pump with about a 14 gallon reservoir, this creates considerable heat, hence the need for cooling, whereas store bought entry level splitters are around 9-12 gpm pumps and about 10 gallon reservoirs. They dont create near as much heat as yours can.

 

[pipefitter_splitter]

Looks good, nice work. You have a 28gpm pump with about a 14 gallon reservoir, this creates considerable heat, hence the need for cooling, whereas store bought entry level splitters are around 9-12 gpm pumps and about 10 gallon reservoirs. They dont create near as much heat as yours can.

Thank you. I need to correct my initial post but my pump is actually the 22 gpm pump. I based my build around the Eastonmade 12(hp)22(gpm) system. That seemed to escape me when I was writing up the build details.
Having a larger reservoir would make my temperatures rise slower but wouldn’t actually have any hand in bleeding the excess heat.
In another forum, a hydraulics professional posted in my build thread talking about how he builds commercial hydraulic power packs with reservoirs as small as 5 gallons. They utilize active cooling in the form of an air cooled radiator.
I think a lot of guys could benefit from getting an accurate temperature reading on their reservoirs to extend their splitter’s lifespan.

 

[Pinesmoke]

Good looking build 👍.

I wonder if simply changing the hydraulic over to ATF would be a plus. 140 I think is low operating temp for an AT.

 

[hobbyheater]

This splitter is over 40 years old and has no oil cooler other than oil reservoir which is in the mast
(holds about 10 gallons) and have never had a heating problem!

 

[salecker]

This splitter is over 40 years old and has no oil cooler other than oil reservoir which is in the mast
(holds about 10 gallons) and have never had a heating problem!
View attachment 340426

A very unique splitter that doubles as a skidder