Yellow Central Hydraulics 20 ton splitter - refurb questions

[s0ulP@tch]

A lady at church wanted this thing gone as long as I could just haul it away - it had been sitting under a tarp for 3-4 years and wouldn’t start. I manually split and stacked some wood and drove it home after re-inflating the tires.

I got a few things accomplished:
1) cleaned out the carb jet, then replaced old gas & oil. Predator 212cc engine fired right up! Jet was corroded and the carb gaskets look iffy. I’ll just replace the entire carb - it’s cheaper than buying the brass pieces & gaskets separately.
2) I used mag wheel polish and a rag to get the rust off the ram shaft. It moves back and forth but there are some small dents in the shaft.

Questions:
1) I called HF and they have no manuals for this. Anyone have one in a digital format? This is close enough to their current 30 ton splitter that I can use that as a reference for now.
2) I will replace the hydraulic oil and filter. Hoses look good. There’s oily grit buildup near the shaft/pump, the filter, and where the ram shaft meets the cylinder. I can seal all threads w yellow sealing tape and replace the filter when I replace the hydraulic oil, but do I need to rebuild the cylinder seals? The nicks/dents in the shaft are pretty shallow, but some can catch my fingernail. Advice on refinishing the surface? I can provide pics if needed.
3) I’d like to add a cage to catch splits like on the newer splitters. Is there an aftermarket kit?
4) This is just aesthetics, but I’d like to repaint this. Any specific kind of paint that I should use? Will rattle can enamel work ok? I’d disassemble, then strip & clean w acetone first of course.

 

[s0ulP@tch]

One note: Harbor Freight says they can look up old manuals, but they need the part number to do so. They can look for all “log splitters” they’ve ever sold. If someone knows the model number (i.e. you can read the model # on your identical splitter - I can’t) I can get the manual from them.

Here’s what I e ordered so far:

1. 5gal ISO32 RO hydraulic fluid
2. Metal breather cap (current plastic cap is missing)
3. Two Wix 51551 10-micron filters (figure the first will prob clog up quickly)
4. New carburetor
5. New gas tank cap & filters (current plastic cap is cracked)

I have enough spray paint on hand to make it red & white. Should be a fun color combo. So far I’m $127 in. Will have to buy some tires and primer but that’s it I think.