Running electric splitters off a tractor - Is it possible?

[cornish wood burner]

Has anyone out there experience of connecting 2x 7 tonne electric splitters to a 35HP tractor with a max flow rate of 20 ltrs/min at PTO speed?

 

I accept specific hydraulic regulators may need to be purchased etc.

 

The tractor is fitted with a pair quick release hydraulic couplings already.

 

Seems a lot of hassle for very little gain if any. I use an electric splitter for my Rayburn and with reasonably good wood I can get 7or 8 splits a minute. Pressure is probably higher than your tractor and the flow not far short. I saw a splitter at Moral show on a DB and was not really much faster. Your 20 l/m is even slower. Divide by two and you are probably better off with electric. Guessing a MF 35 by the flow rate, never the fastest hydraulics but good pressure normally.

[Justme]

Don't they suck some pto power tho...

 

 

Not hugely. I would guess that the elec motors are about 2kw each. Getting 4kW from the PTO might take 8kW of engine power or just over 10hp.

 

It would also leave the tractor hydraulics free to do another job.

 

However I now know that the point of this is to get better performance out of the existing rams so keeping the elec pumps is a non starter.

 

I would guess with a small tractor the flow rate is going to be low so will either need high engine speed or a PTO hydraulic pump.

[arboriculturist]

If you run them on the existing valves with a single supply you will only be able to operate one at a time unless you fit a flow divider, even then you will only get 10l/min per unit, is that enough?

 

Thanks for the post.

Sometimes you just have to give it a go. At the end of the day we are only talking about a couple of lengths of 1/2" hose with unions and if it speeds up the ram cycle significantly everyones happy, if not the hoses fit plenty of other machines on site.

 

I'll post the findings in due course.

[arboriculturist]

Seems a lot of hassle for very little gain if any. I use an electric splitter for my Rayburn and with reasonably good wood I can get 7or 8 splits a minute. Pressure is probably higher than your tractor and the flow not far short. I saw a splitter at Moral show on a DB and was not really much faster. Your 20 l/m is even slower. Divide by two and you are probably better off with electric. Guessing a MF 35 by the flow rate, never the fastest hydraulics but good pressure normally.

 

Ah the power of deduction - but seriously running an 11tonne tractor splitter on tractor - cycle time is 10 secs, so a 6 tonne electric should be approx. 1/2 that time, maybe less. Only time will tell, results will be posted. Thanks for replying

[treequip]

Thanks for the post.

Sometimes you just have to give it a go. At the end of the day we are only talking about a couple of lengths of 1/2" hose with unions and if it speeds up the ram cycle significantly everyones happy, if not the hoses fit plenty of other machines on site.

 

I'll post the findings in due course.

 

Save your money, I can tell you exactly what will happen

 

Of you pipe them parallel neither will work, when you ask either to do anything the pressure will escape through the open centre of the other valve. If you synronise the operation of the valves both will work until one encounters a harder bit of timber it will stop working and only the other valve will work

 

If you pipe them series (one after the other) the first valve (nearest the pump) will work fine but the other valve wont work at all while the first is in operation, if you fit a high pressure carry over (HPCO) to the first valve the second will work but only when the first isn't working, if you don't fit the HPCO, when you operate the second valve (with the first not operating) all sorts of weird and wonderful **** will happen with both valves.

 

If you pipe to a flow divider and pipe the valves parallel from that all will be well

[arboriculturist]

Save your money, I can tell you exactly what will happen

 

Of you pipe them parallel neither will work, when you ask either to do anything the pressure will escape through the open centre of the other valve. If you synronise the operation of the valves both will work until one encounters a harder bit of timber it will stop working and only the other valve will work

 

If you pipe them series (one after the other) the first valve (nearest the pump) will work fine but the other valve wont work at all while the first is in operation, if you fit a high pressure carry over (HPCO) to the first valve the second will work but only when the first isn't working, if you don't fit the HPCO, when you operate the second valve (with the first not operating) all sorts of weird and wonderful **** will happen with both valves.

 

If you pipe to a flow divider and pipe the valves parallel from that all will be well

 

Thanks for the post, but having read your earlier post and with my prior research I appreciate the only way to successfully run 2 splitters off a power uinit is with a tandem pump. Just going with a pair of Hyd. pipes and 1 splitter.

[cornish wood burner]

Ah the power of deduction - but seriously running an 11tonne tractor splitter on tractor - cycle time is 10 secs, so a 6 tonne electric should be approx. 1/2 that time, maybe less. Only time will tell, results will be posted. Thanks for replying

 

Just over 1/2 but just to clarify my 7 or 8 splits a minute includes loading and unloading. You might better that if you connect just one splitter but what I puzzles me is how you have two electric splitters or is this just "what would happen if"

[arboriculturist]

Just over 1/2 but just to clarify my 7 or 8 splits a minute includes loading and unloading. You might better that if you connect just one splitter but what I puzzles me is how you have two electric splitters or is this just "what would happen if"

 

Agreed without a tandem pto pump 2 is not realistic. We have a Thor and a german electric used for ring quarters and plenty of power with an electric to futher break these down and if the cycle time can be increased then a worthwhile excercise. Just too slow as standard.

[Breezeblock]

save yourself the bother this has got headache and poor results written all over it stick the electric splitters on ebay and buy something proper

[arboriculturist]

Interesting feed back. Piped up 1 splitter off Tractor and instead of a (12") cycle time down and back up of 10.8 seconds it now takes 4.8 seconds.

 

100% success!