Rough Made log splitters

[Tap]

Do any of you own one and if so does it have fluid leaks? Mine does and we think we found the issue. Seems like the factory assembled something wrong.

 

[jsasker007]

Where are the leaks? End of cylinders usually winds up just being loose or sometimes the o-rings got pinched or slightly crushed giving it a place to start leaking.

 

[Tap]

Where are the leaks? End of cylinders usually winds up just being loose or sometimes the o-rings got pinched or slightly crushed giving it a place to start leaking.

Coming from the spool valve body. Rough Made wouldn't warrant the original spool (the rep on the phone was annoying) so we bought a new spool ~$100ish. That one leaks too. My neighbor is a expert mechanic/machinist who knows his stuff. He believes the O ring and the backer ring are switched...in the wrong positions. Seems like whoever was assembling the valves didn't know what they were doing. The rings a fairly unique, almost proprietary sized. Rough Made says they won't sell just the rings so my neighbor is on the hunt for ones that will work. He thinks he found them. Might be a few weeks before he can get to reassemble it.

I was just wondering if any of you guys had a Rough Made and if you were having leak issues. We may have solved the mystery. I'll let you know how this goes in a few weeks.

 

[Catscratch]

I bet your buddy can build whatever you need. I had a Cat hydraulic motor start leaking. Took it into Cat and they said it wasn't repairable... had to replace it at close to $1,000. So I told them to order the rings that they used to assemble them. They said no can do, the motor wasn't meant to be repaired. Really ticked me off!



So I bought a couple of dollars worth of stuff and fixed it myself. Good luck!

 

[Tap]

I bet your buddy can build whatever you need. I had a Cat hydraulic motor start leaking. Took it into Cat and they said it wasn't repairable... had to replace it at close to $1,000. So I told them to order the rings that they used to assemble them. They said no can do, the motor wasn't meant to be repaired. Really ticked me off!

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So I bought a couple of dollars worth of stuff and fixed it myself. Good luck!

He seems fairly certain that there was nothing actually wrong with the spool valve. He's pretty sure that the rubber rings were swapped. There's a round O ring (cross section profile) and a rubber backer ring (that is square cross section profile) and it's critical that each is in the proper location...they are not interchangeable. The job of one ( I forget which one) is to handle the high pressure and they have the wrong rubber ring in that slot. We will find out for sure when we get new rings and reassemble everything.
Otherwise, it is a pretty nice splitter but it's a shame that Rough Made isn't standing behind their product.
But so far, we have only attempted satisfaction via phone calls. I guess it all depends on speaking with the right person.
We intend to compose a very detailed letter along with photos which we will send to someone in more senior positions. If, at that point they still don't stand behind their product, I think I will go on a rant on as many forums and review sites as I can. This splitter wasn't cheap and it leaked from day one. Rough Made needs to make this right. If they do then I will announce it. If they don't........

 

[jsasker007]

Coming from the spool valve body. Rough Made wouldn't warrant the original spool (the rep on the phone was annoying) so we bought a new spool ~$100ish. That one leaks too. My neighbor is a expert mechanic/machinist who knows his stuff. He believes the O ring and the backer ring are switched...in the wrong positions. Seems like whoever was assembling the valves didn't know what they were doing. The rings a fairly unique, almost proprietary sized. Rough Made says they won't sell just the rings so my neighbor is on the hunt for ones that will work. He thinks he found them. Might be a few weeks before he can get to reassemble it.

I was just wondering if any of you guys had a Rough Made and if you were having leak issues. We may have solved the mystery. I'll let you know how this goes in a few weeks.

I don't have that brand but I think you can find a good hydraulic shop that could take measurements and source the correct parts.

 

[jsasker007]

He seems fairly certain that there was nothing actually wrong with the spool valve. He's pretty sure that the rubber rings were swapped. There's a round O ring (cross section profile) and a rubber backer ring (that is square cross section profile) and it's critical that each is in the proper location...they are not interchangeable. The job of one ( I forget which one) is to handle the high pressure and they have the wrong rubber ring in that slot. We will find out for sure when we get new rings and reassemble everything.
Otherwise, it is a pretty nice splitter but it's a shame that Rough Made isn't standing behind their product.
But so far, we have only attempted satisfaction via phone calls. I guess it all depends on speaking with the right person.
We intend to compose a very detailed letter along with photos which we will send to someone in more senior positions. If, at that point they still don't stand behind their product, I think I will go on a rant on as many forums and review sites as I can. This splitter wasn't cheap and it leaked from day one. Rough Made needs to make this right. If they do then I will announce it. If they don't........

I've had some issues getting different machines serviced by "professionals". O-rings need to be made of the proper materials to hold up for the intended purpose. Some o-rings will be eaten up by different fluids so just using the wrong o-rings could cause leaks. People doing assembly make mistakes but the quality control should catch it but doesn't always. Start with the least expensive parts and work your way up if possible.

 

[Tap]

I've had some issues getting different machines serviced by "professionals". O-rings need to be made of the proper materials to hold up for the intended purpose. Some o-rings will be eaten up by different fluids so just using the wrong o-rings could cause leaks. People doing assembly make mistakes but the quality control should catch it but doesn't always. Start with the least expensive parts and work your way up if possible.

I'm lucky to have my neighbor helping me on this.
He was a mechanic/ machinist in the steel mill for 30+ years and he also has his own, well equipped machine shop. He knows hydraulics, and pretty much every other thing "mechanical". He has tools, equipment and he knows how to use them.

 

[Tap]

Update...
My neighbor got new O rings and put them in their PROPER location.
Splitter no longer leaks.
He said he looked on the internet for discussions on it and it seems other people are complaining about leaky valves on their Rough Made. They too probably got splitters with the rings improperly installed.
Seems my issue is resolved.
Just wanted to alert you guys. If you have a leaky Rough Made splitter, it's probably assembled wrong.
Probably had someone working minimum wage assembling those spool valves.
I wonder how many they shipped like that??