A surefire way to increase the speed of your log splitter is to upsize the engine and hydraulic pump. When paired with a proper hydraulic cylinder, you can significantly reduce the cycle time for your log splitter, enabling you to split more wood in a shorter period of time.
With this in mind, the RuggedMade team decided to supersize an RS-322 log splitter and give it a field test to see how quickly we could turn a large woodpile into split firewood.
What Is Log Splitter Cycle Time?
For log splitters, "cycle time" is defined as the amount of time it takes to fully extend and then retract the hydraulic cylinder rod. It is determined by how quickly the machine can move fluid in and then out of the cylinder chamber.
The output of the engine, the flow rate of the pump, and the outer diameter of the cylinder rod all contribute to cycle time speed.
The Modifications
We started with an RS-322 RuggedMade log splitter and then made the following modifications:
- Engine: We replaced the standard 212cc (6.5hp) engine with a 420cc (15hp) engine.
- Hydraulic Pump: We replaced the standard 13 GPM pump with a 28 GPM pump.
The results? The cycle time for the RS-322 log splitter with the standard engine and pump is 12 seconds. With the souped-up engine and pump. . . well, you'll need to watch the video to get numbers. Spoiler alert - the cycle time was much faster!
