BOSS 7 ton electric log splitter

[flh69]

The ram on my Boss 7 ton splitter broke & when it did it bent the hyd. shaft. I did get the shaft straightened but the return spring put two raised spots on the cylinder that the hyd. shaft goes thru to pull the ram. I was wondering if the piston will let fluid go past it and lose pressure. The one picture shows the area of the hump beside the piston & the other picture shows the raised area. There is another raised area on the tube on the other side of this area.

 

[JB-PlantHeirloom]

TLDR: Probably be okay depending on design SA vs. DA

In the FWIW category, almost these electric splitters all use the same design and same parts from the same OEM. Surplus Center used to sell the hydraulic cylinder itself, which is (if memory serves me ) 2.25 x 15. Surplus from their Dirty Hands stuff I guess.

Dirty Hand Tools | Brands | www.surpluscenter.com

Dirty Hand Tools,Brands, 14.1 GPM 2 STAGE HYD PUMP New, BUCHER WUXI two stage HI/LO pressure hydraulic gear pump. Replacement for Dirty Hand

www.surpluscenter.com

They used to all pretty much follow the "task force" design for the head, which was weak and horrid as I have bought them, used them, and returned them. The one from Lowe's lasted maybe two weeks. The exception being Ryobi. imho, It was the best, I do not know if it still is. I see Northern Tools has started to give up on the all in one design.

I guess the Ryobi patent or something expired. because that is what they now copy, as far as the head is concerned. The execution is in the details and quality. I never had a Ryobi break, only leak from the piston seals after years of use.

I have bent a few of the others, the only one I did not bend that I can remember was the Northern Tools copy, but, it was so weak, slow, and heavy, I sold it and bought yet again, another Ryobi.

I would question how they arrived at 7 tons since I figure it at 3.97 tons. I have not seen too many electric powered hydraulics (12v or 120v) that exceed 2000 psi and 1800 RPMs on the (fan) motor. The rule of thumb is a wedge only adds up to 30% so it would be 5.16 tons, which happens to be what all the electric log splitters end up being 5 tons.

If the piston goes through the seal like that you will end up destroying the seals and the wiper. I just did a quick google search to show you the break down:

What is a Hydraulic Cylinder?

Whether you are simply wondering “what is a hydraulic cylinder?” or looking learn about hydraulic cylinder parts and how they work, or possibly are considering hydraulic cylinder repair or a hydraulic cylinder rebuild, understanding the basics of these cylinders is essential. In this definitive...

www.yatesind.com

Once you break the wiper, which I imagine is hard plastic on these models, then your seals will follow, even if you manage not to originally destroy the seals with those bulges. The metal for the raised spots had to come from somewhere, I doubt the piston rod is completely square and straight.

I have bought a few damaged and destroyed (electric and gas) log splitters over the years and it is never worth the $ to fix a bent piston rod. I just used them as they leaked and then junked them when the leak got too bad. Any leak = less pressure.

I suspect these "all in one" things that use springs for a return do so because they are single acting so there is no seal at the cap end, just the base end. So, if the piston rod is fairly straight, going in and out, and not cocked inside the cylinder, then the seals on the base end should be fine, though any wiper on the cap end will be destroyed, eventually. BUT, it is probably just flexible rubber and not hard plastic.

I have never had a Boss or repaired one, so, I can only guess at it's construction by the pictures and beause you mentioned springs.

 

[flh69]

TLDR: Probably be okay depending on design SA vs. DA

In the FWIW category, almost these electric splitters all use the same design and same parts from the same OEM. Surplus Center used to sell the hydraulic cylinder itself, which is (if memory serves me ) 2.25 x 15. Surplus from their Dirty Hands stuff I guess.

Dirty Hand Tools | Brands | www.surpluscenter.com

Dirty Hand Tools,Brands, 14.1 GPM 2 STAGE HYD PUMP New, BUCHER WUXI two stage HI/LO pressure hydraulic gear pump. Replacement for Dirty Hand

www.surpluscenter.com

They used to all pretty much follow the "task force" design for the head, which was weak and horrid as I have bought them, used them, and returned them. The one from Lowe's lasted maybe two weeks. The exception being Ryobi. imho, It was the best, I do not know if it still is. I see Northern Tools has started to give up on the all in one design.

I guess the Ryobi patent or something expired. because that is what they now copy, as far as the head is concerned. The execution is in the details and quality. I never had a Ryobi break, only leak from the piston seals after years of use.

I have bent a few of the others, the only one I did not bend that I can remember was the Northern Tools copy, but, it was so weak, slow, and heavy, I sold it and bought yet again, another Ryobi.

I would question how they arrived at 7 tons since I figure it at 3.97 tons. I have not seen too many electric powered hydraulics (12v or 120v) that exceed 2000 psi and 1800 RPMs on the (fan) motor. The rule of thumb is a wedge only adds up to 30% so it would be 5.16 tons, which happens to be what all the electric log splitters end up being 5 tons.

If the piston goes through the seal like that you will end up destroying the seals and the wiper. I just did a quick google search to show you the break down:

What is a Hydraulic Cylinder?

Whether you are simply wondering “what is a hydraulic cylinder?” or looking learn about hydraulic cylinder parts and how they work, or possibly are considering hydraulic cylinder repair or a hydraulic cylinder rebuild, understanding the basics of these cylinders is essential. In this definitive...

www.yatesind.com

Once you break the wiper, which I imagine is hard plastic on these models, then your seals will follow, even if you manage not to originally destroy the seals with those bulges. The metal for the raised spots had to come from somewhere, I doubt the piston rod is completely square and straight.

I have bought a few damaged and destroyed (electric and gas) log splitters over the years and it is never worth the $ to fix a bent piston rod. I just used them as they leaked and then junked them when the leak got too bad. Any leak = less pressure.

I suspect these "all in one" things that use springs for a return do so because they are single acting so there is no seal at the cap end, just the base end. So, if the piston rod is fairly straight, going in and out, and not cocked inside the cylinder, then the seals on the base end should be fine, though any wiper on the cap end will be destroyed, eventually. BUT, it is probably just flexible rubber and not hard plastic.

I have never had a Boss or repaired one, so, I can only guess at it's construction by the pictures and beause you mentioned spring

Thank you for the very informative reply. First I want to say I normally use this splitter to split splits. I have a gas powered splitter that I built years ago, "known as the beast", that I use for the firewood I cut. I split them in a size I can handle & then I use this one when I am ready for burning. However I was using this one for some big stuff and my beast was at my cabin in PA. My Boss looks just like the one pictured in your post. The ram cyl. bent and the return spring is what caused the humps. It bent so bad that the spring would not return it. It just stayed in the extended position. I straightened it with a press and it now goes thru the cyl. tube as it should. I bought another one & was wondering if it is worth putting any money in this one to have one at both of my places. That way I would'nt have to transport one back & forth.

 

[JB-PlantHeirloom]

You are 100% welcome.

> if it is worth putting any money in this one to have one at both of my places. That way I would'nt have to transport one back & forth.

I can answer that with a YES, it is worth having one at both places. As long as the second location is secure.

I used to take my gas powered splitter and an electric OR two electrics when doing tree jobs. The SOP would be I would use the gas powered splitter and keep the kids away from me while splitting the bigger stuff with the gas splitter, then they would take the smaller QTRs and such and split them to the kindling or stove size on the much slower electric. Between 2-3 kids and myself, we could process a lot of wood and only handle it once more to stack it.

At home using the Ryobi we used to bring it out the front door, around back where we split wood smaller, then drag it back around the house to the front door, to store it inside the utility room. The thing is tippy on grass and dirt.

Dragging the log splitter around the house, then running the cord out, unrolling it, then rolling it up again, takes time.

Then when taking the electric splitter (Northern Tools one was the most unwieldy), you have to load it, unload it, run the cord, load it again, then unload it at the house. I timed it once, you end up losing about 20 minutes. One reason I like having a G-Shock watch, it is easy to time the little things in your day and see how they add up.

I use to get sick of the routine and leave the splitter on the trailer (my second electric) whenever possible and built a smaller deck on the front. I could lift the Ryobi myself the 30" inches to put it in the trailer, but, that NT splitter I just could not pick up without a struggle, so, I had to roll it up on those awful wheels using a ramp.

When you want to split, you want to split, not waste your time futzing around moving a log splitter, yet again, while unwinding the cord people did not properly put back (even though you explained many times how to) that now looks like a piece of lasagna, after you have to unravel the whole criss crossed cord just to plug it in.

What you could do is put a BIG label on the splitter near the handle and the wall end of the cord that says "LOOSEN vent before splitting". That right there could save you time and money$. :-D

 

[flh69]

The thing is tippy on grass and dirt.

I did put another set of wheels on the other end of mine. With 4 wheels it is much less "tippy".
Do you think it will lose pressure as the piston goes over the two spots on the cylinder? I really don't
want to put too much money in this & that cylinder is over $50.

 

[JB-PlantHeirloom]

> Do you think it will lose pressure as the piston goes over the two spots on the cylinder?

If this is a single action cylinder, which I would assume it is with return springs, the pressure seals/rings are at the lever end, so as long everything is straight, it is unlikely to leak fluid because of the two spots or crinkles since they will just rub the wiper at the front of the cylinder.