How often to service Champion 27 ton splitter?

[krag]

How often do you need to service the Champion log splitter?

I've been running it 5-10 hours a week on average, it was serviced a year ago.

I put a gallon of hydraulic fluid in yesterday and it overflowed somewhat, it had leaked out about a quart due to the hose clamps which tend to loosen. I drained a little oil and put in a new oil filter I had ordered from the company. They recommended changing out the hydraulic oil every 100 hours which my brother's mechanic thought was ridiculous.

 

[Junkyard]

Changing it every 100 hours isn’t ridiculous at all. Other than the return filter which isn’t very tight (as in microns) it’s got nothing for filtration. Probably uses cheap oil as well. Sits more than it runs. If it was a pressurized system with high quality return filters, say 5 micron, and a quality oil with a good additive package you could go longer. No more than a bucket of decent oil costs with a filter why not. Those aluminum body pumps don’t like debris, they’ll score the body easy and it’ll lose pressure.

Same goes for the engine. A quart of oil a year, especially since there’s no filter, keep the air filter clean and it’ll last forever. I will admit that I am somewhat biased in this approach as I’m responsible for keeping 20-25 pieces of equipment running and have learned over the years a good maintenance program is cheap insurance. I’d rather wonder if I’m doing it too often than know I wasn’t if that makes sense.

 

[krag]

Changing it every 100 hours isn’t ridiculous at all. Other than the return filter which isn’t very tight (as in microns) it’s got nothing for filtration. Probably uses cheap oil as well. Sits more than it runs. If it was a pressurized system with high quality return filters, say 5 micron, and a quality oil with a good additive package you could go longer. No more than a bucket of decent oil costs with a filter why not. Those aluminum body pumps don’t like debris, they’ll score the body easy and it’ll lose pressure.

Same goes for the engine. A quart of oil a year, especially since there’s no filter, keep the air filter clean and it’ll last forever. I will admit that I am somewhat biased in this approach as I’m responsible for keeping 20-25 pieces of equipment running and have learned over the years a good maintenance program is cheap insurance. I’d rather wonder if I’m doing it too often than know I wasn’t if that makes sense.

Thanks for the advice; I picked up a gallon at Lowe's yesterday for around $15. AFAIK the hydraulic oil has never been changed and the filter I installed yesterday was also a first. Does the hydraulic oil breakdown at all?

We've been running it since 2018.

 

[Junkyard]

It’s like any oil, it doesn’t break down so much as it becomes dirty as well as the reservoir draws moisture. Better oils have better anti-wear additive packages. There’s actually a class action lawsuit on the cheap hyd oil various places sold. I can see changes in our oil samples when the guys refill with cheaper oil after a hose burst or something like that.

 

[Stem]

I change the engine oil once a year. usually do it in the spring when I change the fuel filter. Hyd fluid & filter I change every couple years depending on if/how much moisture gets in it. keep an eye on the tank vent to make sure it doesnt get clogged & that stuff will last a long time. clean the air filter & change spark plug as you see fit.

 

[Junkyard]

Another thing to think about in regard to hydraulic oil is heat. By standard rules of pump flow vs reservoir size they should have coolers. High temps will trash a system just as fast as contamination. I know mine will get hot enough you can’t hardly touch the cylinder. Need to shoot with IR gun and see what temp actually is. I’ve considered making some changes to it which includes a simple cooler on the return side.

 

[krag]

The hydraulic fluid has been getting hot to the point that the "Champion" sign on the cylinder turned a darker color, not that that is a technically accurate way to ascertain any damage. If you pull out some hydraulic fluid what should you look for in breakdown? Changing out the hydraulic filter and adding fresh fluid should help but it has been a while. Brother's mechanic said that going with synthetic could carry a big risk.

 

[Junkyard]

A good standard AW 32 or 46 hydraulic oil will be fine. I’d choose the weight based on your average operating temp. In CT 32 is probably fine as I doubt you’ll be splitting in the heat of summer. It gets a smell when it’s been hot, it’s hard for me to explain but I know it when I catch a nose full of it. If you have the old filter cut it open and see what things look like inside.