Just picked up a new splitter yesterday. 16HP twin Onan motor (Circa 1980, if the chart I found is right) Horizontally opposed, with a 32 inch piston (the splitter, not the motor). I know my spelling is poor, Mozilla and Google Chrome both have stopped working, and IE sucks for extra features.
I will be doing some improvements, was hoping for some advice on what works and what doesn’t.
1) This hydro tank has got to go. It is wayyyyy to small, not sealed well (the top is just some sheet metal bolts anchored in) And the "roof" they have on it means I can't fill it without a funnel and hose, and its just as hard to check.
Can I mount a new hydro tank under the pump? There is a sweet spot on the back of the splitter that would be perfect for a large tank. Will the pump suck it uphill? If it will, would it all drain back out when I shut it down and cause it to get air in the lines? When I drove spotter truck, we had hydro 5th wheels, and our tanks were below the pump, but I don't know if there are one way valves I need or what.
2) The cherry picker with grapple goes down too slow. They put a needle valve on both the supply and return lines. The lines are tiny, maybe around 5/8th's if I had to guess. I want to put a 3/4" line on the return side. I opened the needle valve all the way up, better but still too slow. Any downsides to a large return line?
Also, where the lines hit the picker arm, they are getting twisted. I was thinking of running hard lines down from the cylinder, than a swivel at the base connecting to the rubber hoses.
3) I am looking for information on the pump. Some people like doing genealogy on their family. I like doing it on old equipment I buy. It was made by Drott Manufacturing, and the only info I can find on the model # is from a 1946 dozer. I know a lot of you guys have heavy equipment, and would love to know the GPM of this pump, along with the recommended RPM and so on. Its a Drott Model 52163, C.S. & Serial B89-6730.
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