Aug 8th - Log Spitter Runing, but not well

Yesterday I went into Jefferson City and got a haircut at Larry's. This was the 2nd time I've been there and it is an experience. Larry has been cutting hair for 58 years. Says he would die if he just stayed home. His shop is right downtown amongst all the state politicians and he knows many of them of the politicians and bureacrats. I sure enjoy listening to what he has to say. He is quite the fiscal conservative.

After the haircut I went to Tractor Supply to get hydraulic oil and a filter for the log splitter, plus some other odds and ends. They didn't have the filter. The old filter was a FRAM. I found out that it was used on several pieces of Case equipment. There is a Case dealership across the highway from Tractor Supply. I went over there and bought a filter, Case REALLY likes their filters. While there I talked to one of the sales guys about a small tractor with a loader. No luck. They don't have anything like I want at any of there three Missouri stores. He took my name and said he would call me if someone traded in something that he thought I might want.

On the way home I stopped at the gas station and filled up some cans with diesel fuel, for the skid steer, and bought a couple of gallons of non-ethanol gasoline to use in our small engines.

Below are two photos of the two steps, the bottom two, that I added Monday. I should add one more but.....

I'm going to buy a builder's level when we get back from our trip next week. Then I won't have any excuse not to get serious about finishing the motor home parking area. Well, I can always claim that I'm out of rocks, temporarily. Some guy about 50 miles north of here had 6 - 2,000# pallets of them for sale on Craigslist, $150/pallet. I think that is a decent price, but I'm not driving 100 miles to get a single pallet.

This is our log splitter, after getting it out of the weeds and up by the barn.

 When I removed the old hydraulic filter I found a complete plastic bag wedged in the filter housing. The reason the splitter wouldn't work is because the pump could not get hydraulic fluid.

I removed all of the bag that I could see and installed the new filter. I removed the gas tank, drained it, reinstalled it and put in some fresh fuel. I then started playing with wires trying to find out which of the loose end wires were used to run the electric start on the G400 10 hp Honda engine. The float must have been sticking initially because I had a gas leak. It appears that it has stopped. The engine started with surprising ease, considering that it has been setting for some time, not sure how long. It ran for a short while and then died. It appears that some of the linkage on the choke is missing, and maybe more carb linkage might be missing. I restarted it and as long as I held the choke open it ran, maybe not great, but it ran. I was able to cycle the splitter ram back and forth a couple of times so at least I know that it works okay.

Hopefully I can cob up some type of choke linkage out of a piece of wire and get it to run long enough to try splitting a piece of wood. I downloaded some information on the engine and am now going out to see if I can get a better handle on how the throttle/choke/governor is supposed to work.  I would like to run it a little and then change the oil in the engine.

UPDATE:
I cobbed a piece of wire on the choke and have it so that it will hold open after starting the splitter. After I "adjusted the "piping" for the exhaust it is loose enough so that the engine vibration causes it to roll over and push the choke closed. Hopefully it will rust fast, in the position I want it, again; if not I will need to cob something together to hold the muffler upright so that it stays away from the choke and the hydraulic hoses.

This is the first piece of wood I split. I rolled it over near the splitter and then split it in half with a splitting axe and wedge. I couldn't lift the entire piece up onto the splitter.

 Splitter in action.

 I split enough to feel comfortable that the splitter will continue running. I'm not sure that the carb/valves/etc are all correctly adjusted, but it runs.

 Now I will have to get some oil and change the oil.

Time for a shower and supper. Good night to all and may God bless you and yours.