Tough decision on the future of my firewood

[msmith]

Been nosing around a bit, but this is my first post. Been cutting firewood for nigh on to 40 years but never knew there was a site dedicated to trees until I started perusing for equipment.

I'm losing my firewood help this fall due to college, so I have to make some changes.

We've used an outside wood burner since 1991 and up until the last few years have only consumed about 10 cords a year. The last few years we have been burning year round and that has upped to 12-15 cords. This year I plan to heat my 36x52 foot garage with the same stove, so I figure that will bump to around 20 cords. Even with my son's help, it can be brutal trying to get 12 cords in, between building fence, doing hay, etc..

Currently, I use a 3 point hitch mounted splitter that I got from Tractor Supply about 10 years ago. It was great when I got it as up until then I had been using an 8 pound maul exclusively. I took the legs off so that I could get it lower to the ground which helps a lot, but on the bigger chunks, it takes two of us to lift them on. I hate using it in the vertical position, the squatting kills my back, and the wedge likes to push the block away from the splitter. I had back surgery, laminectomy at 3 levels, and two discs removed, and one herniated one still in there, so I would like to remedy the bending, lifting, and squatting as much as I can. I know it can't be eliminated.

With my son going to college in the fall, I need to speed up the process in the summer while he is here or make it a lot easier on the old guy in the fall when I am a one man circus. What I have been toying with is...either a Wallenstein WP865 or a Timberwolf TW-5. I was wondering if there would be anyone here that has any experience with either one or both. The Wallenstein looks like it would be great for a one man show, but would be limited a bit on the size of logs. The TW-5 looks like it could take a behemoth of a log, but would be better with two guys or more hand work for one.

I have several acres and usually drag my own logs out as I get blow downs or standing dead timber, but also have a source for junk logs to be hauled to my location too. Any comments, ideas, suggestions, or questions would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance,

Mike

 

[NSMaple1]

The thoughts of putting up 20 cords a year makes me shudder. I do 6 or 7, I have a wonky back too but not near as bad as yours by the sounds of it.

Would investing in a different boiler setup that would burn half the wood be a possibility?

 

[zogger]

take which ever has a good log lift and can do from one foot to 8 foot diameter, whatever you get scrounged up or delivered. Dedicated wood processors work with specific narrow range log, meaning you
will eventually be forced to just buy in the logs on spec.

but..that also may be the easiest thing to do in the long run, just buy triaxle (whatever) loads of logs then run them through a processor.

My back is non working most of them time, I'm gonna need to be making some radical decisions soon on this myself. Luckily I got years ahead, but still, no back, you ain't doing much.

 

[cantoo]

Not sure of the size of your outdoor burner but my thinking is make the wood as big as you can fit in the burner and as big as you can handle. For instance mine will take a 54" long piece, that would be too big and awkward for me to handle but 48" would be no problem. My plan is to lift logs using my loader and cut them onto a hayrack that slopes down to my (soon to build) 36" or 48" splitter. No lifting and once it's on the splitter table even a big piece can be manhandled until it's split down. I have a conveyor and I'll hoping it will handle the long stuff good enough, if not then I will stack it in some 4'x4' crates that I built.
My problem with TW 5 and the Wallenstein is that you are still having to spend all that time cutting big pieces into little wee pieces and then you have to handle many many small pieces to stack and then load into the outdoor burner.
Last fall I cut a bunch of stuff at 30" long and it sure doesn't take long to go thru a big pile of logs.

 

[unclemoustache]

Super Split. Unless you have a lot of crotches and tough stuff to go through.

 

[msmith]

I have a Central Boiler 6048. It can handle 30" length no problem. Right now I buck at 24" because that is what my splitter will do. I know the Wallenstein will do up to 34" and you can get the TW in a 36" or 48" option.

I don't think a Super Split would work too well. Maybe I'm mistaken, but can it do 20-24 inch stuff, with knots? I don't want to have to lift either. Looks to me like if one was doing 18" stuff for a King or Ashley wood stove it would be the berries. I have never seen one in person so I don't know.

Where we used to live, we had a Taylor 750 and loved it. Used it for about 13 years then moved. We went one winter on propane (no nat gas available). After $3k in LP we picked up the CB. Our house has been remodeled and looks great, but it is a little over 100 years old and the floor is not insulated well. As long as I can cut and split, I'll do firewood. When I can't, then I'll switch back to the propane. The added bonus is I can heat my garage at no additional charge if I cut a few more cords.

What I've learned about having a bad back. The best thing for it is to use it, don't abuse it. If you don't use it, it will get weak and you'll have problems. Same thing if you abuse it. I was a power lineman for 25 years, 14 of those were after surgery. I also have a small farm. I have learned to use equipment for the heavy loads, even if I can lift them, but still stay active. I found that Inactivity and sitting for long periods is the worst.

zogger may be on to something. I'll have to take inventory of size of logs I have been dragging in over the last couple of years. If they are mostly under 24 inches, the Wallenstein may be the way to go and get an inverted skid steer splitter for the bigger stuff. Otherwise, go for the TW with log lift. Hmmmm?

 

[Cheesecutter]

If you have a skid steer I would put a splitter on that. Its not the fastest way too split wood but it sure takes the work out of those big rounds.

 

[msmith]

No skid steer...yet. I rent one periodically. I could get the splitter and save the big rounds for rental weekend.

 

[sledge&wedge]

No skid steer...yet. I rent one periodically. I could get the splitter and save the big rounds for rental weekend.

Could you just do light work on your own and save up the ugly ones for when your help is back in town? Seems like that might be the cheapest solution to your problem (if your help is willing, at least).

 

[FLRA_Dave]

I have the WP830. It can do some fairly decent sized logs (~22" dia rated). For the large stuff I use the bucket on the tractor and load the round from the side to be split. You get a bit bigger pieces in that way (will have to measure sometime). I was thinking about a TW-5 as well, but I'm sure glad that I got the WP830 because most of my cutting is right at waist height. I can run it for hours and not feel like my body is getting beat up.

Here is a guy that was giving me a hand running some small cherry on my WP830. It was his first time. The pivoting saw holder is great!

 

[msmith]

FLRA_Dave, that's some good info there! Sounds like the Wallenstein will work either way.

You got that big knotty piece through the machine?

 

[FLRA_Dave]

Here it is being split with the 6 way:

 

[msmith]

Wow, I like it.

 

[shamusturbo]

I have a 2006 TW-5 and it has served me well. All the points already made are very very valid. I am 25 so the cutting on the ground and lifting or rolling is no problem but with a bad back, that is still serious work! I would say, with a bad back, the Wallenstien WX-410 (upside down log splitter) that mounts on a skid steer or tractor loader is your best option by far. You still are cutting on the gound but you can split just about anything. And I believe it comes in a 36" splitting capacity as well. After a few hours of getting used to, you can split some serious undesirable firewood into some usable pieces and never leave the seat. With a bad back however, the skidsteer can be rough if you get moving too fast....I only know this because both my father and uncle try to help with what they can and both have bad backs.......

If the Wallenstein is $10k, where will it save you $10k? How much wood or help could you buy for $10k? Put some hard numbers to it if its the prices that are holding you back. But, as I see it, most of us rely on cutting wood for both mental and physical well-being.....

 

[Brushwacker]

Maintaining tens of thousands of dollars worth of equipment primarily for 15 to 20 cords of firewood a year doesn't sound to me like cheap heat. You have a lot of options. Many years I work by myself with firewood about 95+% of the time. I learned to noodle from my Dad. He was cutting until almost 90. At the last he would go out with his pickup and 018 stihl, cut and noodle to stove size his wood with that little saw. Using primarily 80 to 90ish cc saws I believe I do as well speed wise when all is said and done from start to finish vs. using an average log splitter. Don't get me wrong, often I like a log splitter for piles I get at home but I don't use my splitter enough to justify more then spending a couple thousand dollars. Even with a log lift it is still a lot of lifting, bending,moving pieces. I bought a well used Timberwolf , I am thinking it was a TW6, (may be different #) because of the price, guy needed money, but so far I think it works me harder then noodling with my MS660. I enjoy running the saw more and my body feels better after a few hours of work. If I had a man working the other side of the splitter it would be much different, but its just me and that is a lot of fighting the logs, wood chasing, and back bending. I 've had and used many other splitters, my favorite had a very nice good sized shelf on both sides and split both directions. Originally it was designed for a tractor 3 point hitch but was converted to a pull behind with its own motor. I never felt comfortable splitting with vertical splitters either.

 

[greenskeeper]

everything comes down to time, which is money. Would it be worth it for you to have an alternate heat source for your garage that could supplement the wood?

 

[ponyexpress976]

I have the tw-6. I love it. Would I love it more if it had the optional log lift?...you bet! It's an $800 option last I looked. For $150 I added a crane designed to lift heavy things into a pick up bed. It's not the fastest method out there but it sure beats lifting 36" oak. I could probably speed things up with a little atv winch as opposed to the hand cranker on there...maybe if I find one cheap.

To really hit the potential of this machine you need 2-3 running it. It will run circles around most other splitters and can be used with one guy but you really need 2 or more to hit full speed.

 

[Ed*L]

I've got the TW-5, few years old so it's still got the autocycle valve. It came with the outfeed grate, 4 way wedge & log lift also.

ponyexpress hit it on the number of people to run it, 2 are busting arse to keep it running to full potential, 3 is better.

Ed

 

[msmith]

I weighed the fiscal aspects of the machines before I came here. Sounds expensive, but at only $10k, it's a no brainer. Just heating the house alone, $10k pays the propane in just 3 years. If I were to buy wood, at $150-200/cord it would take 5-6 years to pay for itself. That and you are stuck with the length and size of splits the seller has to offer unless you have them custom cut. After it's paid for itself, then you have some equity in the equipment if you needed or wanted to sell it. The price of the machine can be depreciated off of my taxes too. As far as the garage goes, that's a bonus just for cutting a few more cords, otherwise I wouldn't heat it at all. We already have pex tubing in the floor, a manifold, and lines running from the boiler to the garage.

Looks like the Wallenstein is the one to consider since it can be a one man operation more so than the Timberwolf.

 

[svk]

My friends who have owb's get deliveries of smaller logs (locally called pecker poles) that don't require splitting so basically they cut the 8' log in two or three pieces and throw it in the boiler. Is this an option from the loggers in your area? You can buck a semi load of logs in an afternoon. This would save you a lot of time at the expense of the cost of wood.