Mounting Hydraulic Pump to Mower Engine

[swat253]

I'm amassing my parts to build a logsplitter. As mentioned several times within these and other forums; a logsplitter is only worth building if you can get most of the components free of cost. I have access to a couple of used mower engines, 5HP and 6.5HP B&S however, neither have the 4 hole pattern that would let me mount the pump to the engine base. I also have a non-running tiller with a horizontal 6HP B&S that I have considered swapping back and forth if I can get it running.

If I decide to use one of the mower engines, is there a work-around for mounting the pump to the engine if the engine base won't accept a pump mounting bracket? I've seen many pics of home built splitters with mower type engines but none really show how the pump was mounted.

My guess is that the mounting bracket has a 4-hole pattern on each end, but that may not be the case. Does anyone know if the bracket mounts another way?

One of my options is to purchase a new engine for the tiller and do the swap as needed... Depends on how badly the wife wants the flower beds and garden tilled up this spring!

 

[BigKansas]

They make an A, C, and D pump mount for whatever mount you have on your hydraulic pump. The pump you would use probably has an A mount and you can get those mounts in an "L" shape. You would need to find a way to mount the pump mount to the log splitter and align it with the engine output shaft and tie it all together with a coupler and insert. It is important that you keep the alignment with the pump and engine shaft or you will wear out your inserts quickly. Also keep in mind the internal workings of your engine that it can handle the sudden pressure spikes and torque from your hydraulic needs and that it has enough horse power.

 

[swat253]

Thanks B-K! That makes sense. I came across a YouTube video where a fella did just that. It was hard to see the entire set-up, but he mounted his pump to the axle/reservoir and mounted the engine to a plate just above the pump. The 6.5 B&S has a type of auto-throttle adjust that kicks in when the load picks up, so that might be the direction I lean.

I've seen the "L" bracket you mentioned on Northern Tools or some other parts website.

I'm sketching out a plan to mount the bracket on the axle/reservoir with room for moving the bracket in and out for alignment. I'll try to post pics of it once I actually test the prototype.

Thanks!