3C3 running tractor accessories

[MrF]

Hi all, I haven't posted in a while, but my JCB 3C3's only moved twice in the past year or three and I've only had chance to lay a spanner on it once to fix a leaking core plug. Life keeps getting in the way.
But now I need a log splitter before winter sets in proper & I wondered about a hydraulic 3 point tractor mounted splitter and while I have a tractor with a 3 point to physically hold the equipment, it has no hydraulic service, so can the jcb hydraulics run equipment designed for a tractor hydraulic system?
I only have the normal 3c3 pump, not the dual pump to run a hammer etc so I have no hammer pipework or controls to tap into.
I was thinking to use the connections for either the rear bucket craw cylinder, or the front clamshell bucket closing rams.

Does anyone know if the pressures/flow from these spools is ok for this job and I can fit some quick releases and swap the lines onto the log splitter or even a valve and tee's?
I don't want to butcher the machine to do it but If I can do it without it also helps with the eternal "do we really need that Jcb still" conversations that I have with my good lady...

[essexpete]

So you would park the splitter then hydraulically connect the 3C to the splitter? I would guess the JCB will have a lot more flow and pressure than an elderly tractor. I would say your idea of using the front 3rd service would be the easiest. We had quick couplers on ours to help swap from bale grab to 4in1. I am assuming the splitter will have it's own spool valve and RV? Ideally you would probably have a free flow return to tank but I expect you will be OK. Just need a strong bungee over the JCB lever or perhaps a wood stop to drop in the gate in the cab?

[Billy26F5]

There is a small hitch though, tractor hydraulic oil is very different from the JCB stuff, so you'll need to clean out the splitter first and be sure its seals will be ok with the JCB oil, which I would suspect they should be.
Sandy

[hair bear]

Just a thought, why don't you just use the 4in1, or a clay spade on the back?

[essexpete]

There is a small hitch though, tractor hydraulic oil is very different from the JCB stuff, so you'll need to clean out the splitter first and be sure its seals will be ok with the JCB oil, which I would suspect they should be.
Sandy

I think the contamination would be marginal, the pipes could be drained down.

[MrF]

Contamination I can deal with but I run all my hydraulic stuff on hvb46 (jcb, forklift, ride on commercial mower) , and that's what the farmers here use universally as tractor hydraulic oil. I was thinking about bypassing any spool controls on the splitter and using the cab 3rd service lever to actuate the ram (with a physical link "remote control"...) , so to the machine it would be just a big ram connected on the bucket service that way.
Ironically the tractor I have the 3 point on has hydraulics, but its so old they use the gearbox oil with no filtration or anything and have no take off points, they're only to lift the 3 point arms.

As for why not just use the 4in1, the thought has crossed my mind, but putting the rounds directly inside the jaw mechanism seems a bit abusive on pins and blade edges if you mean that. I also thought about a splitting head gripped in the bucket underneath and dropping it on the round, or mounting it on the rear bucket and pushing it into the rounds or replacing one of the pavement pads on the stabilizer legs with one carrying a splitting head, and using the stabilizer leg controls to split the rounds. All of the mounting a splitting head on something rely on the machines weight on that endpoint being enough to provide x ton of force. But I have a smaller stand alone hydraulic splitter which is supposed to be 8t, and it can't split these rounds. Though they're probably 8 chinese tons, so about 3 on a good day...

There's also people selling cheap (sub 1000e) "rotary log splitters for excavators" which is a hydraulic motor with a splitting cone mounted right on the shaft of the hydraulic motor and some bucket ears bolted the motor. But, I can't say I'd expect a hydraulic motor bearing to last with the force a directly mounted splitter would put on it...

But since posting this I went on youtube and there's videos of splitters that mount the tractor style hydraulic ones using the rear bucket and use the bucket craw or auxillary service to actuate, they are wide I beams, with the ram out to one side, and you drop them onto the round side on and pinch it to split. Seems interesting, I could just mount the splitter I'm eying up horizontally with some bucket ears to get this, although it'd have to be gravity dangled as I have no aux service so would have to use the craw ram one.

Or while I'm fabricating bucket ears and mount plates there's this, I've been thinking about adding a thumb pivot for a while now and I could get a shorter I beam length to form the sharp thumb easy.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eXUcc1VPVmc
Then I could just drive the JCB to the tree and do it in situ next time and split into a dumper or some ibc frames right on the work area because bringing those big rounds up to the yard was a task in itself, and once its split and in a ibc wire mesh container, I can fork them out the garden using my bucket forks and use the forklift once they're in the yard.

A cunning plan is forming...

[Billy26F5]

Ironically the tractor I have the 3 point on has hydraulics, but its so old they use the gearbox oil with no filtration or anything and have no take off points, they're only to lift the 3 point arms.

That's why I was mentioning this, as that's what I'm used to. I like the idea of making an attachment for the JCB, and it certainly is easier to move cut wood than large solid pieces.
Sandy

[MrF]

Understood, in that case, yes, running implements on gearbox oil would probably be bad, plus no filtration and changing implements is a recipe for disaster. In my case its a Massey Harris Pony (built pre Fergie), so it originally had no 3 point but hydraulically raised link arms. I added the 3 point myself to make it more useful.

I found another interesting implementation of the splitting thumb setup on youtube here, I can make this with a plasma cutter and some plate & tube and spare over-length pins I have in my treasure stash (scrap pile) so I just need to roll my sleeves up and get stuck in :
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tl_O9MLK4tw

[essexpete]

That is handy, I wonder how that would work on narley old wood?