Detent question on a wood splitter valve

[trialsguy]

I have this valve https://www.surpluscenter.com/item.asp?UID=2232010700071954&item=9-7724&catname=hydraulic

1) is it best to have the ram bottom out in the return position thus causing the detent to center the valve or have it stop short a little bit by installing a bolt or something so that the ram housing stops short of a complete retraction?

2) When I let it bottom out it killed the engine so I am assuming that I need to adjust the detent a little bit, never done it before so I need to figure out what the process is. Bugs me a bit because when I lever it to return the ram to load another log I have to push it into the detent mode and the lever sticks a little bit, there isn't any lever play to allow me to return the ram before it gets to the detent location on the lever movement. I hope that I am explaining myself it sure reads like gibberish after re reading this


The log splitter is almost complete short of building a axle so that is will be mobile, right now I put it in a small trailer so that I could hook it up to the hydraulic system of my ingersoll 3018 lawn tractor to test it out, which it works pretty well considering it has a 9 gpm pump. it moves plenty fast for me

 

[kennyd]

1) Bottoming out the piston is no big deal-don't waste your time adding a stop.

2) Try removing the detent first and greasing it...it may solve both your problems

 

[trialsguy]

even though this is a new valve I might have to remove the detent and grease it?
I will check it out

Went to show it off and broke the dang choke cable and the battery went dead before I could get it started. Its always something

 

[J_J]

This valve is supposed to kick the valve out of detent when the pressure gets to the set pressure. The adj psi range on the detent setting on this valve is 300 to 1,750 PSI. You need a gage to set it. Release the ball and spring carefully.

If you held the lever back in the retract mode, the valve relief valve would relieve, so are you saying that after you put it into retract detent mode, it caused the engine to stall?

The relief setting from the factory is 2200 psi

 

[trialsguy]

J_J what I did was I split a log then to simulate the auto return I pushed the lever so that it returned the ram so that I could load another log hands free of the lever but once it returned all the way it loaded the hydraulic something squalled and stalled the engine, so I figured that something needs to be adjusted so that it would kick out the lever. Is this correct?

 

[J_J]

Yes, and /or clean the ball and spring as KennyD suggested, but when you take it out to clean it, you need to reset the detent release pressure. If you have the gage, also check the relief valve pressure. You could boost the pressure up a little bit, as it is set for 2200 psi, and the max is 2750 psi

 

[trialsguy]

I dont have a gauge yet, I will have to look at the sheet of paper I got with the valve to see if it has detailed instructions on how to make the adjustments that I need. First I will try and grease the valve f, I am hoping that I can count the amount of turns it takes to remove it then re install it using the same method.