John Deere 4400 Tractor Rear Hydraulics

[ovrszd]

Your 16gpm times would be the slowest I'd want. 10 seconds would be brutally painful......

 

[mike48130]

Your 16gpm times would be the slowest I'd want. 10 seconds would be brutally painful......

But the 16GPM could be brutally painful on your fingers. :thumbdown:

I work with a guy that cut off 2 tips of his fingers on a log splitter. Didn't ask him how it exactly happened but can guess.

 

[ovrszd]

But the 16GPM could be brutally painful on your fingers. :thumbdown:

I work with a guy that cut off 2 tips of his fingers on a log splitter. Didn't ask him how it exactly happened but can guess.

The splitter I have now is trailer mounted, 45 ton, 6" cylinder, 30" stroke. Several family members use it. Everyone knows if you are feeding splitter or removing the splits you never, ever put your hand or fingers on the piece being worked or on the table when in action. Only the lever operator does that work.

When operating I never, ever put my hand or fingers on the end of the block. Your guy made a grave error and I'm not sure cylinder speed had anything to do with it.

 

[Dutch445]

it looks like there are still power beyond kits available, LVB25221, runs about $435

 

[beenthere]

When operating I never, ever put my hand or fingers on the end of the block.

In addition, never have someone else running the control lever that isn't also the one loading the block to be split.

Thanks for the speed numbers for the different gpm's.

 

[mike48130]

Yeah, we all know not to do it, but you know how that goes. But now every time I split wood I think of him, and am extra careful. I guess his fingers taught me something. :laughing:

 

[ovrszd]

Yep Mike. I'd be the same way.

 

[JD70LPStandard]

Thanks to all for comments and feedback. I spent many hours using a 3 pt hitch mounted hydraulic splitter on a John Deere 2240 tractor in my younger days. 1,500 engine rpms and the ram speed was good (not too slow but not so fast as to make knotted oak splits exciting). The 2240 appears to have a pump rated at 9 gpm and 2,250 psi. The 4400 appears to be rated for 8.3 gpm and 2,500 psi, so sounds to me very similar. Is there an important detail or two I'm missing here that would make my 4400 work poorly compared to the 2240?

Since a 3 pt splitter is the only kind I have ever used, I hadn't considered a stand-alone unit with its own engine. However, keeping another engine serviced and running is a committment, and towing a stand-alone splitter on uneven/rough ground to where I need it isn't nearly as handy as one hanging on the 3 pt hitch. I don't mind running one from my tractor - I bought it to use and enjoy.

My main objective is to have a splitter that provides adequate splitting force and reasonable cycle times and doesn't cost a fortune to get my tractor set up to run. Again, if I'm missing something on the 4400's hydraulics, please let me know. Otherwise, I'll check with my local dealer on a Power Beyond kit as Dutch445 mentioned. I haven't googled what a Power Beyond kit is, but is it a pair of hydraulic outlets on the back of the tractor that either have pressure and flow full time OR have a separate SCV to control flow as needed?

Again, thanks to all for the input. Very thought provoking.

 

[ovrszd]

I totally understand your position.

My only reason for mentioning a PTO pump is that you might equip your tractor to run a 3pt splitter cheaper or at least comparable cost by using a PTO pump. And your cycle times will improve dramatically.

Make sure to post pics of your decision!!!

 

[Dutch445]

the power beyond is a supply and return line with constant pressure, tapped into the rockshaft circuit. connect the loop, rockshaft works,
most power beyonds have a separate return to sump port to return oil from the backhoe/splitter etc.