I need to increase by a substantial amount the ram going in and out I believe it is call recycle time I was splitting wood for a customer and she said it was to slow I can not afford one of those $2000.00 to $4000.00 splitters it has a 12 hp kohler gas engine with a 16 gpm hydraulic pump it has a brand new prince valve on it may be if I increase the pump gallons by purchasing a new pump that would make more money for me thank you all who responded to my other question about this log splitter. The Woodsman

What is the cylinder Bore Diameter?
What is the Rod Diameter?
What is the Cylinder Stroke?
Without any wood in the Splitter, How long does it take to extend the total stroke length?
Do you have a part number and manufacturer name for the pump?
Ditto for the valve or at least Port Size?

The reason for the questions is the pump may have an Unloading Valve problem. Something like a broken spring, Out of adkustment, Stuck open, or a stripped connection between the pump sections and you may only have the 3-4 GPM of the High Pressure pump to move the cylinder.

You're undoubtedly aware that "by a substantial amount" is insufficient information for anyone to be able to make a specific suggestion to help you.

Think about a percentage increase in speed you want. That percentage number tells you how much the flow rate must increase to achieve your desired percentage increase in speed. It is a direct proportion - e.g. doubling the flow rate will double the speed.

But that's not all you have to do. A quick calculation shows that IF you really have 16 gpm from your pump and IF your engine really delivers 12 Hp to the pump's shaft, your maximum operating pressure cannot be higher than 1,285 PSI. That's not much for a log splitter.

I wonder if perhaps your pump is a "Hi-Lo" pump (a double pump with an integral unloading valve that dumps the high flow section of the pump to tank once a preset load pressure is reached, allowing the pressure to increase to overcome load resistance but causing the cylinder's speed to diminish in proportion as the decrease in flow as a result of unloading the high flow side of the pump). This type of pump makes possible the use of a relatively low power prime mover.

If your pump is not a "Hi-Lo" pump it ought to be.

If you need a "Hi-Lo" arrangement at an increased flow rate, give me a call. We can sell you a double pump and we can supply an external unloading valve and isolation check valve that you can plumb into the system. The relief valve in your Prince directional control valve will take care of high pressure protection.

Before making this change, you should consider the flow rating of the Prince directional control valve. It is conceivable that you will have to use a larger valve.

Don't ignore the port sizes of the cylinder on the machine. Your available power is limited. It is possible to make the flow rate so high that you will lose substantial power right at the cylinder, although this will likely be a concern only when in "High flow" mode. Also, depending upon how much you increase the flow rate it might be necessary to increase the size of the reservoir, return filter, inlet strainer, etc.

Finally, remember that it matters not at all how high the pump's flow rate is unless all the available flow can get to the cylinder. The entire system should be evaluated to assure its suitability for the new higher flow rate. I'm not trying to make this more complicated than it needs to be (it is not a complicated problem), but there is no sense throwing good money after bad.

Hope this helps. If you want a quote on a pump, valves, filters, etc. please call me at 800-238-0375 or on my cell phone 901-573-5472. (I'm on the road usually, the cell phone is your best bet).

Bill O'Donnell

It is most definitely a "Hi Lo" pump, in this case, a Haldex 2-stage 1300487. It flows 16 GPM below 650 PSI and 4 GPM above the that unloading pressure. Haldex makes a mariad of 2-stage pumps, so you should be able to get something slightly larger.

bill/josh
do you sell prince, or know of a retail (qty 1) source for the new prince manual valve with built in 4th position regen spool?
I have an application where it might work, but need operator control over regen. can't have the 'normal' in line pressure actuated sequence valve.


kcj