harbor freight hydraulic log splitter leaky seal

love this wood splitter and am very excited to have this, but the seal shouldnt be leaking this bad from a few days use. and i tried adding more hydraulic fluid and it wouldnt go in. so it works about 2/3 rds of its full stroke. should be able to add more fluid when taken apart by pulling the ram to suck the fluid in

[@ds-qg6et]

Mine started leaking on the high pressure side almost right away. Also was 1 pt. Low on oil. I bought some seals on amazon -12 x 5 x 3.5mm Removed the high pressure right side shaft and guess what, the original seal was 12x3mm, too small, the smaller cross section allowed the seal to leak from the i.d.. New flourine seal was the right one and is working perfectly now, no more leaks. Used a micrometer to measure the old seal.

[@peterussell4125]

Would love to know where to order a seal kit with the correct diameters for both pistons ... please advise if you indeed have that info ... kind regards ...

[@ds-qg6et]

@peterussell4125 uxcell Fluorine Rubber O-Rings, 12mm OD 5mm ID 3.5mm Width FKM Seal Gasket for Machinery Plumbing, Green, Pack of 10 is what I used didn't need to replace left side oring. 4.99 from Amazon. Kinda hard to install but no leaks now.

[@skipperjones7490]

Wish somebody would make a video on how to fix them seals. I like it so much better than my electric one which won't split big wet hardwood not to mention the pita hand controls. This thing will go through big logs like a hot knife through butter.

[@THEoriginaljmelford]

My low side was leaking so I took it apart and turned the seal backwards. I t either doesn't leak any more or It is so little i haven't noticed it. Mine is about 20 to 25 years old and they were yellow then. Jim

[@polok890]

Good idea. I found seals at ace hardware in plumbling. Not right but work

[@mikehoward8201]

I have one of these splitters and am weel pleased with it. I only use it to split rounds that are too large for me to lift to my electric splitter table. My old 68 year old back is my limiting factor. Once I get such a round split, then I can lift the half onto my table to finish up with wood stove sized splits.

[@TruePatriot59]

Bought one of these and found the problem with these is the WEDGE is not sharp enough from factory and after I resharpened the WEDGE it splits much much better now. I can now split a 18" long x 20" wide diameter piece of wood without a problem.

[@THEoriginaljmelford]

Thanks for the info I will sharpen mine now.

[@BenFrey1980]

I bought one of these, and it worked great for about 1 rick of wood, and then it lost pressure somewhere. No fluid leaking, but there was an audible hiss. Since I was inside the return window, I just took it back. Pretty disappointing.

[@monchisdavalos2032]

Same here ! I just purchased the electric one ! And it works 50 times better!

[@beebob1279]

@@monchisdavalos2032 I got mine from my neighbor. She said it never worked from when they bought it. She gave it to me and said good luck. I took it home and the first thing I looked at was the fluid level. There wasn't any fluid in the thing. I picked up hydraulic fluid and it worked great. It does seep a bit but it does work. I would NEVER buy one or any power tool from Harbor Freight that's for sure. Too many disappointments on their other stuff.

[@beebob1279]

My neighbor was throwing hers out. It looks practically new. Was garage kept. It doesn't work. Now that it's home I can see what's going on with it. I'm thinking there's not enough fluid in it and she didn't know how to get it working from the store. I'm hoping it's not any of the seals. i don't want fluid dripping all over the wood site at the house. I needed fluid. It seeps but not too bad. I've been doing a stack of rounds every couple of days. Now I need to find out how to either replace the seals or fix them.

[@jumboslice1514]

I have the same splitter from HF. Have split quite a bit of wood but now my low torque side, left handle side won’t pump and all it does is make the piston retract and then come back out but won’t move the jack piston towards the wood. Any ideas?

[@polok890]

Seals blown or low on fluid

[@laszynandriy]

@c. Jones how does this repair hold up?

[@JasonGreene]

I have the same issue... except the leak is from the body were the Piston rod exits... not the piston holders

[@pitviper8795]

Thats where mine is leaking at were you able to fix it?

[@shadwell749]

Just got one and leaking oil from the right side same spot I think

[@Rainbowtonedsilver]

Does anyone know where I can find replacement rubber seal that is labeled rectangle ring 33a on parts list from manual? My splitter is leaking from the knob at top that releases the main ram when turned counter clockwise. I have a model 67090

[@beebob1279]

There are a lot of parts i would need. Remember that Harbor Freight Machines are throw aways. Don't depend on them for the long term

[@zacharyherrington8829]

Yeah everyone has these leaks and everyone hope’s to fix them one day but they never really get fixed this is with all harbor freight jacks I have a press it has the same problem

[@polok890]

i agree, still like the wood splitter . id never be able to split most of my wood with an ax

[@zacharyherrington8829]

polok890 I hear your brother just get a wedge probably an estwing or anything that’s looks like it’s good And a sledgehammer

[@zacharyherrington8829]

polok890 some of the harbor freight tools are good like the Pittsburgh brand but if it’s mechanical and not just a physical item it just won’t last

[@beebob1279]

Remember that Harbor Freight products are designed to be thrown away after a short time. Contractors I know won't buy the stuff because they'll throw it out after a project. So, don't waste your money on these types of things from HF. A neighbor gave me one and I put fluid in it and it does work. It leaks but can hold for quite a bit of splitting for now. I think if I run out of hydraulic fluid because it needs to be replaced, I'll throw some 30 weight oil and try to slow it up a bit. After that, it's disposable and into the garbage.

[@jahmezis45]

​@@beebob1279how did it go with the 30 weight oil

[@martesmywhat1920]

DO ANYBODY has the seal kit # ?? Please

[@AJ-ds9xq]

Do you still have this? Did you fix it? If so, is it still working? Thanks!

[@polok890]

The wood splitter still works. These things take some work to keep going

[@schnob92]

Mine cut 1 log and now won't retract. It is fully extended.

[@THEoriginaljmelford]

The arms for the roller part that rides under the i beam get bent when trying to split a piece of harder wood. you can try to straighten the arms but I just take a 4x4 and hit the side of it and then it retracts.

[@silverbankruptcy]

Great Video, But How Long does it Take to Split 2 cords of wood? Sounds Impossible.

[@polok890]

took 20 hours to split 2 cords with the harbor freight wood splitter, but i did it in 3 days. its hard work doing firewood

[@dansw0rkshop]

@@polok890 Yes it's hard work, I split around 16 cords a year. Some species (such as ash and red oak) are easier to split by hand with a maul. I like harbor freight, but that splitter looks like a very hard way to split any quantity of wood.

[@beebob1279]

I picked mine up from a neighbor who couldn't get it to work from the start. It sat in her garage and she never returned it. I think it was a gift. So, I fixed it up by putting hydraulic oil in it and it works just fine. It never had oil in it. If you get one be suspect of it's quality. I just finished splitting a third cord in two hours. It takes a while but I don't want a power splitter. Can't swing a maul anymore because the shoulders. So, this works for splitting a few cords. I do a little whenever I feel like it. I don't worry about getting it done in one day so it's no big deal. Remember that machines (I consider this a machine) bought at Harbor Freight are low quality and designed to fail. They are throw aways. I don't waste money buying junk. Buy a quality item and you'll be much happier.

[@heatherwray2989]

My log splitter started leaking after just splitting a few logs it also leaks around the back of the main cikinder . Don’t no what to do about it

[@polok890]

Just keep adding hydraulic oil it will keep working. The flush screw on the jack body is where you add it. I pump or manually pulled out the piston when im refilling

[@williewoodruffjr1609]

@@polok890 so is there a need to even bleed it. Or just fill and go

[@polok890]

@@williewoodruffjr1609 yeah , it took me probably 2 hours to fill and bleed it. You push the piston in and you can see the air bubbles. I totally drained mine tho to replace a seal, which was wrong. Close enuff is good enuff with this thing ha

[@williewoodruffjr1609]

Thx bud

[@beebob1279]

@@polok890 My directions were to pull the rubber plug on the top and add it there. Then bleed it. Where is the flush screw?

[@mikeh8228]

Talked the entire damn video....a waste of time!