TW 6 Auto valve?

[Joesell]

I used a TW 6 a few years ago and it had an auto cycling valve in both directions. It was super nice to be able to get the next piece ready while it was doing its thing. I've been dreaming of owning one since that day. Well today I finally got my own. I was pretty surprised to find that it only had an auto return. Is this something new? I guess I just assumed that it would be auto in both directions. Did they change it for "safety" reasons? Is there a way to mod the valve to make it auto in both directions?

It's been a few years since I used the other one. Maybe I just imagined it all along.

Other then that. I'm really impressed with the quality. Everything on it is top notch. I only got the 4 way wedge that came with it. I can't believe they wanted almost $700 for the 6 way. I think I'll weld up my own if the need arises.

I can't wait to fire some wood through it.

 

[Swamp Yankee]

Easy to upgrade

Couple years ago T'Wolf dropped the auto-cycle valve. I don't know why, but here's some rumors I've heard.

Product liability. Complete and total BS. When operating the auto-cycle as intended you're staging the next piece and are not close to the splitting operation instead of standing next to the splitter holding the valve open. If it was a huge liability issue, T'Wolf would have done a recall to protect themselves. Prince, the manufacturer, would have pulled it from the market if they were being sued and losing money in product liability suits.

Bad batch of valves. Have heard T'Wolf received a large quantity of defective valves that generated a lot of warranty claims and lead to the use of the a-c valve being discontinued.

Last, and I find this the most believable, as told to me by my local retailer, was end users screwing with the adjustments, literally, and getting the valve so far out of whack that it would require a trip to the dealer to be re-adjusted to get working correctly. Of course this was not covered under warranty and customers complained.

From my experience with auto-cycle, in order to operate properly the oil has to heat up to steady state temperature. If you start chasing adjustments before that happens it will get screwed up for sure. When adjusting, a little turn will do. Adjustments of 1/8 turn max. at a time are typically all that's required. Users were turning the set point adjusting screws 1/2 to full turn and in a lot of cases, turning the incorrect adjustment screw even though complete adjustment instructions were clearly covered in the manual.

If you want to add auto-cycle, it's pretty straightforward. I've added it to a couple TW-P1 splitters for friends and it takes 45 minutes to an hour. Cost is in the $400 range for the valve and fittings.

1 SPOOL PRINCE AUTO CYCLE LOG SPLITTER VALVE

Take Care

 

[Kevin in Ohio]

When I built my splitter I put an autocycle on it and really like it. As stated above, they still make them. I got mine from James and he is a little cheaper on them.

Prince hydraulic control valves

His service after the sale is top notch and will help with any problems that may arise. My Prince valve had a bad factory thread on the power beyond circuit and he replace it, no questions asked, when the problem was confirmed.

After about 25 cord I had to adjust mine. The auto in would pop off as soon as it would come across any resistance. When adjusting the valve you have to keep adjustment screws within a "range". You basically can't do just one as it will effect the other to the point of not working. As stated above, it doesn't take much to get it working again. Mine is still going strong now and it's behind a 28 GPM pump.

Don't know the reason why they quit the autocycle as I heard all the same rumors. Why didn't you ask them when you went to purchase? Give them a call and let us know.

 

[WoodTick007]

The auto-cycle valves are great. I put one on the splitter I just completed in this summer.

I was looking at your Timberwolf and it looks like the 2" square tubing on the log lift is open on that ends..... Is that correct or do I need to bump up one power level on my 3 pairs for $7 Walmart readin glasses? LOL One would think for that kinda money they would finish things like that....For one it looks better and for 2 it keeps water and debris from entering the tubes and possibly rusting in the long run.

Very nice splitter by the way

 

[Chris(Glen)]

I am looking at putting one of these onto my splitter build. I have a question though. I priced it through Splitez and they said I require a dump valve. I don't know much about hydraulics so anyone care to give me some input on this?

 

[gulity1]

Woodtick I realize you may not read this but for anyone else. The reason they may not be capping might be for drainage when you weld or close off a tube like that it will retain water, moisture (sp?) which will cause rot, rust, etc. being that it is a log lift and on the gorund mostly this is probly the case although I dont know that for sure, just some input.
I am a mechanic/welder for a large car hauler company and we see a lot of rot or rusted through in sealed up tubes as well as exploded tubes for water freezing in the winter 2x2 3x3 3x5 1/4 or 3/8 even pretty amazing the power of frozen water

 

[Joesell]

I actually went through and tweeked a couple things right away. I pulled all the cylinder pins and never-seized them. I put hitch pins on instead of cotter pins(not needed, just easier if I ever need to take apart again). The hoses for the lift table were kind of in the way and unprotected, so I wraped them up and tied them back. I also found some square plugs at the hardware store for the ends of the log lift. I was thinking the same thing about the water in there and corroding the tubes. Hopefully it won't be a problem because I only plugged the bottom. It should keep crap out for the most part, and any water that gets in will drain out the top when I store it with the lift up. I also made a block out of c channel for the log lift when stored. I noticed that the table would bleed down when stored for a few days. Now I just but the c channel on the ram and let the pressure off. The block keeps the lift in the air and out of the way.


One thing I'd like to do is weld some hooks on the push plate. This thing powers through just about anything, even with the 4 way on. But every once in a while I over do it and get it stuck in a big gnarly piece. It would be nice to be able to put a chain on it and pull it back. I don't want to void my warranty though. I'll probably call the dealer one of these days and see what he thinks.

Anyone try that yet? Is there a better way?


I found a big problem right away, if you can call it a problem. If I don't have 2 helpers stacking, I'm pretty much buried in 15 minutes. It's a nice problem to have, but it's hard to get in a groove. After looking around here, it seemed like the only way to go was a hay elevator. I found one that was close enough to me, and about 36' long. The motor was shot, so I yanked it off and put on an engine off an old snowblower that I had in the barn.


I split for a couple hours straight last Saturday to give it a good test run. All I can say is WOW! I won't know how much I did until I stack it, but it was a bunch.

Now i need to make a shoot and slow the conveyor down.

The conveyor is 20" wide and the splitter table is 36". A simple shoot should fix that problem.

Slowing it down is proving to be a little more involved. The conveyor has a 15" pulley on it, and the smallest pulley I could find for the engine is a 3", even at just above idle, the chains are cranking around. It wouldn't be a big deal, but it really beats up the paddles when the wood bounces around before it catches and rockets up and out to the pile. If I can't find a smaller drive pulley, I'm going to make a set of idler pulleys so further reduce the speed and up the torque.

So far though, this thing is awesome!


If anyone has a pulley for a V belt that's smaller then 3" and has a 1" keyed shaft, I'd be interested in it.

 

[Sandhill Crane]

One thing I'd like to do is weld some hooks on the push plate

I have been seriously considering a TW-6 and going over a lot of threads on it and alternative machines. A local TW rep is about 90 miles away. I asked him about getting stuff jambed on the wedge. He said it took him a few years but discovered most stuck pieces could be dislodged with the log lift. This was a phone conversation and I've never used a TW, but maybe this makes sense to you? I can not quite picture it, but maybe it roles the stuck piece up the wedge in some way.

 

[Joesell]

I forgot I posted that. He's absolutely right. I wish they had a paragraph about that in the manual. All you have to do is shove you next piece close to the stuck round and use the lift. It really does pop the stuck right off. I actually made a big wedge that that works pretty good.

 

[Sandhill Crane]

Joesell: Did you ever upgrade your splitter with the auto-cycle valve?

 

[firebrick43]

The reason your having troubles finding small pulleys is their a bad idea. Depending on the belt size there is a certain minimum radius and also you run into grip issues as there isn't enough surface contact.

I am surprised there is no jack shaft on that corn elevator. Go to your local industrial store and get a pair of pillow blocks, some shafting and some pulleys to make yourself one

 

[Joesell]

I didn't get a new valve yet. I was thinking about it when I was splitting today. I don't get a lot of nice wood. So I don't know how much I would benefit from an auto valve.

 

[Outriggers]

I have owned my TW6 for about 5 years. I ran my old splitter for an hour a few days ago to split a few odds and ends. My back hurts just thinking about it. Once you run a TW6 my old splitter seems just a bit better than a maul. I only have the 6 way wedge. I can either take it off or use the 6 way off to one side of the log. Yup, 1 person no elevator you'll bury your self in wood in minutes. I back a trailer up to the table grate, but I still have to stop and get the wood out of the way. You can keep 3 people busy.

 

[Sandhill Crane]

Joesell: Have you worn any of that shiny red paint off the wedges yet, and retired the TW-2HD?

 

[Joesell]

Joesell: Have you worn any of that shiny red paint off the wedges yet, and retired the TW-2HD?

Oh yeah! I'm missing paint on the wedges and the beam. I use it often enough that it stays polished. I actually sharpened the wedges last week. Made a big difference.

I never had a tw2. I had a 20 ton Speeco. And yes, it was retired and sold immediately.

 

[Sandhill Crane]

I miss spoke. Saw the TW-2 under Swamp Yankee's post.
Been reading all I can, mostly on ArboristSite, on big splitters from different companies.
Everyone seems very happy with the big TW's and Timberwolf as a company. There is a dealer about ninety miles away from me, twenty miles east of Lansing.

 

[Joesell]

So I'm finally ready to pull the trigger on an auto valve for my tw 6. I almost ordered it but I'm not sure if I need a power beyond or not. I don't think the stock valve has it, and I'm not sure if I need it. Should I get it just in case? Can I just leave it plugged if I don't use it?

 

[jrider]

Just read through the thread. I have owned one for 2.5 years now and love it. I like to have 2 guys working it at a time and if I have 3 and decent wood, can split more than a cord an hour. I also like the idea of the log lift to dislodge stuck pieces. Will have to look into that the next time I get a piece stuck. Sorry, I can't help with the auto valve. I can see it being great with 1 guy running the machine but probably dangerous with more than that.

 

[Sawyer Rob]

I thought long and hard about putting an auto valve on my TW, but I decided it just takes too much attention to use it safe, and I think I'd rather be "paying attention" to the ram/wedge when I'm splitting. SR

 

[Joesell]

I thought long and hard about putting an auto valve on my TW, but I decided it just takes too much attention to use it safe, and I think I'd rather be "paying attention" to the ram/wedge when I'm splitting. SR

I thought the same thing for a long time. But I find myself standing there looking at the ram move instead of getting the next piece. So now I'm back to wanting to try it out. For some reason, I thought it would be a quick swap out. After looking at the install instructions it looks like I'll need to get an extra hose to tie a couple ports together, and a couple new fittings. What I don't understand is if you have to plumb 2 ports together, why didn't they (prince) build the valve with them tied together internally? Also, I'm still stuck on the power beyond option. Like I said earlier, I thought I'd get it with the power beyond and leave it capped off, just incase I ever needed it. Then I ran across a post somewhere that said if you don't use the power beyond, you can't cap it, it has to run back to the tank. Which is another hose and fitting. I'm just looking for some clarification before I order. I'm a pretty handy guy, but I don't do hydraulics often.