Timberwolf TW-P1 Question

[TS BBQ]

Computer user we read your post that you have a Timberwolf TW-P1. Thinking of getting one myself. The majority of the wood that we'll be splitting will be hedge. Some green some seasoned. We're thinking of getting the 4 way wedge and table grate. Have you split with a 4 way on hedge or has anybody out there? Or should we upgrade to the TW-2? Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

Tim

 

[Steve NW WI]

Since no one else has replied yet, I've run a TW-HV1 (same pump/cylinder as the P1 in a Hor/Vert design) that the local dealer has brought to GTG's a couple times. It didn't have any trouble at all with knotty red oak, but we did not have a 4-way on it either.

I'm not sure how hard hedge splits, but I think the 4 way would work fine on small to medium stuff, but might need to work the big stuff down to size with the straight blade first.

If I were in your shoes, I'd order it with the 4 way, you'll soon learn what you can and can't do with it on, and be able to plan your splitting so you don't have to constantly take it on and off.

 

[woodguy105]

I have the twp-1 with the four way I bought with it about 7 years ago...no table grate unfortunately. The four way is good but based on my experience with it, bigger, gnarly stuff might be a real pain. The Twp-2 might blaze through the hedge ( I've never seen or split hedge).

Bring a gnarly round of hedge to the TW dealer and run it through the four way...that'll answer your quesrtion.

By the way I have split some big oak rounds with the single wedge with no issue, the four way needs medium sized stuff.

Great splitter IMHO

good luck.

Rob

 

[TS BBQ]

Thanks for the info. guys. I appreciate it!

Tim

 

[foursaps]

i currently have the tw-2 and i think it's pretty good. wish we had got the tw-2HD so the wedge was on the opposite side of the ball hitch, but other than that we love it. also have the 4 way wedge on it, but no table. today we were splitting 36" swamp maple in it with the 4 way, no problem.

 

[highmark1]

I have a tw-3 with a 4 way and if I had to do it again I wouldnt buy one. It works great on 8 inch up to 15 inch but smaller there is no need for it and bigger you have to run them through again without it anyway. if your stove will handle big logs then it would probably be ok.

 

[Connor77]

I have the TW-P1 with 4 way wedge, table and log lift. We regularly have to take the wedge off when splitting larger rounds - anything that has a knot in it forget it - just remove the 4 way and let the main wedge do the work.

I just read another thread about this splitter and was suprised more people don't opt for the log lift. Even when you're not using it to actually lift logs it's a great staging area for the small stuff. My wife will carefullly fill it up while I'm splitting - very efficient and I'm not bending down all the time. You can change the angle of the log lift so that logs aren't "spilling" down into the beam.

We've split north of 15 cord (a lot for us - not much for others) with this splitter and really like it. Expensive but I didn't want a piece of junk from China.
If you do a search you'll see from others that 20 tons of power can handle just about anything you can get on the beam.

 

[TS BBQ]

Thanks again everyone for all of the information. Sounds to me like I just as well forget the 4 way wedge because I cut alot of hedge and it has alot of knots and forks. We've only priced the TW-P1. I'm afraid the TW-P2 and P2HD will be out of my budget. Anybody know what those 2 cost? We will be splitting between 2 families and possibly selling some on the side. Around 25 cords total? Which model would be best to fit my needs? I don't want to buy one model and wish that I would of gone bigger.

Decisions, decisions............

Tim

 

[highmark1]

Imust apologize for my mistake above, I have a 2hd not a 3. I feel kinda like a moreon hahaha. The 2HD was about $4500.00 with the 4 way. A twp1 would work, a tw2 would be better. A 2hd is probably overkill for the money but I'm hoping it will last my lifetime(i'm 41 now). The tw2 (I think if I remember right was around 25-3000) and has all of the same components that a 2hd has. The frameof the 2hd is the same as the tw5 without all of the options. You can add all of the options of the tw5 to the 2hd in the future, like a loglift for when i'm 60.

 

[Blackjack1234]

I recently bought the TWP1 and with the four-way and would agree with others that the four-way will bog it down on knotty pieces - but its easy to slide on and off, takes about 2 seconds. So it saves me lots of time on the 8-15 inch pieces and I slide it off for the knarly pieces. I'd buy the 4 way again.

Wish I would have bought the table grate to cut down on bending over, but I have birthday in Feb, just might have to go buy myself a present!!

 

[Hoover]

TS BBQ,

To answer your questions about pricing on the TW2 & TW2HD - here is what the dealer told me:

TW2 - $3600 + 425 4 way wedge + 300 table grate +425 log lift = $4750

TW2HD - $4600 +425 4 way wedge + 600 table grate + 900 hyd log lift +hyd wedge lift 750 = $7275 Auto cycle is avail for another 600.

That's alot of shekals...depending how much you split or how much ya wanna spend - it's a great splitter.

The TWHD is nice bc the hitch is reverse mounted so you can split w it still hooked up, but imo - if you're gonna spend that kind of money, get a TW5. You get a bump to 25 tons, an 11hp motor, 22gpm pump, 5" cylinder and standard 4 way wedge w an option for the 6 way and std auto cycle and wedge lift for only 800 bucks more than the TW2HD.

Take a look at Iron and Oak, American and Split Right - they make some great splitters too and might be less expensive in some cases.

decisions, decisions....
Good luck - let us know what you decide!

 

[Connor77]

When I bought my TW-P1 splitter in July of '08 the prices were:

Splitter: $1995
4 way wedge: $195
Table: $295
Log lift: $395

And the TW-2 was $2995

The $600 price increase on the TW-2 seems quite extreme.

Timberwolf makes a good product but if they're not careful they'll price themselves beyond the reach of many. I spent more on mine than I really wanted to but I split the cost with my Dad who also burns wood.

 

[angelo c]

I've bogged down a TW-6 with a crotch big and knarly enough(chestnut oak)...any splitter will bog with a 4 way,(even easier with the 6 way) it just squeezes too much material into too little space. ( think 200lb woman into a 100lbs dress )

My point is read the wood. don't stuff wood into any splitter just too see if you CAN split it. It's ok to noodle the stumps some and it makes more sense to split it with the 2-way and save the abuse on the machinery no matter what manufacturer or tonnage.

A

 

[Blackjack1234]

I have the TW-P1 with 4 way wedge, table and log lift. We regularly have to take the wedge off when splitting larger rounds - anything that has a knot in it forget it - just remove the 4 way and let the main wedge do the work.

I just read another thread about this splitter and was suprised more people don't opt for the log lift. Even when you're not using it to actually lift logs it's a great staging area for the small stuff. My wife will carefullly fill it up while I'm splitting - very efficient and I'm not bending down all the time. You can change the angle of the log lift so that logs aren't "spilling" down into the beam.

We've split north of 15 cord (a lot for us - not much for others) with this splitter and really like it. Expensive but I didn't want a piece of junk from China.
If you do a search you'll see from others that 20 tons of power can handle just about anything you can get on the beam.

Connor, tell me more about the log lift. Does the handle get in the way when you're not using it? Is it very easy to take on and off? When transporting, does it lock into position? I did not by the lift with my TWP1 simply beccause I don't handle a lot of big pieces, if they're that big I leave them in the woods, plus from the pictures it looks like it might get in the way when you're not using it.

 

[Connor77]

The log lift handle is not in the way at all. And the handle itself is nothing more than a long pipe and if you chose to get it out of your way you just lift it out of the sleeve. We wouldn't split either a lot of small rounds or big rounds without it. As I mentioned it's a great staging area for smaller logs and for big stuff it does a great job of lifting. We split rounds that I couldn't lift myself even if I cut them shorter (I have some huge oaks). I'd love to be able to only cut smaller trees but that's not in the cards.

For traveling I just remove one bolt on the bottom of the log lift assembly and then bungee cord the lift to the beam. Super easy.

If I had to make a choice between the table and the log lift I'd actually choose the lift. I'm sure I'd be in the minority on that one but the log lift saves my back big time.

Regarding the table grate I drilled 2 small holes through the bracket (the part that slides into the splitter) and 2 holes through the beam. I temporarily bolt the table onto the beam so that it doesn't slide out when big pieces of split wood are trying to push it. It also just stabilizes the table better since it's secured. These are fairly small diameter bolts but they do the trick.

 

[computeruser]

Computer user we read your post that you have a Timberwolf TW-P1. Thinking of getting one myself. The majority of the wood that we'll be splitting will be hedge. Some green some seasoned. We're thinking of getting the 4 way wedge and table grate. Have you split with a 4 way on hedge or has anybody out there? Or should we upgrade to the TW-2? Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

Tim

The 4-way will not go through stringy Elm, and it is a ##### to pound a stuck piece off a 4-way. It will usually split with the regular wedge, or at least shear its way through if it is up against something really nasty. I haven't split any hedge, so I don't know about that stuff, but the splitter is fine with my usual oak-cherry-ash-maple mix. If you are going to be in the nasty species a lot, think about something with a 4.5" or 5" cylinder...

 

[Connor77]

Sorry Blackjack - I just re-read your question and I'm not sure I answered it completely.

If you're not using the log lift (at all) 4 bolts (I believe) are all that need to be removed and the whole unit will come off. Then you can reinstall the sides that come standard with the machine which center the wood on the beam. Pretty easy.

If you're not using the log lift and you put wood on the beam from that "side" of the machine you have to be careful where you step. The only time the frame that does the actual lifting is on the ground for me is when I'm using it to get a big round up onto the beam. Otherwise, we use the log lift to put small stuff on there and I feed the splitter with these pieces.

Next time I use my splitter with the log lift I'll try to get some pics uploaded so you can see it in action. Well engineered "accessory" in my opinion.

 

[Blackjack1234]

The log lift handle is not in the way at all. And the handle itself is nothing more than a long pipe and if you chose to get it out of your way you just lift it out of the sleeve. We wouldn't split either a lot of small rounds or big rounds without it. As I mentioned it's a great staging area for smaller logs and for big stuff it does a great job of lifting. We split rounds that I couldn't lift myself even if I cut them shorter (I have some huge oaks). I'd love to be able to only cut smaller trees but that's not in the cards.

For traveling I just remove one bolt on the bottom of the log lift assembly and then bungee cord the lift to the beam. Super easy.

If I had to make a choice between the table and the log lift I'd actually choose the lift. I'm sure I'd be in the minority on that one but the log lift saves my back big time.

Regarding the table grate I drilled 2 small holes through the bracket (the part that slides into the splitter) and 2 holes through the beam. I temporarily bolt the table onto the beam so that it doesn't slide out when big pieces of split wood are trying to push it. It also just stabilizes the table better since it's secured. These are fairly small diameter bolts but they do the trick.

I could see where you'd have to put bolts on the table to hold it on!!! I rigged up a table out of 2x4's and plywood and the split pieces push it right off. My next try will be free standing.

How is your TWP1 for noise? I heard great things about the Honda engine, how quiet it was but that really doesn't matter because it seems like everything 'vibrates'. I quieted down the ball hitch with a bungee, but it seems like the whole unit rattles so I've started running the engine just a hair under full throttle. Now when a person puts that table on I'm sure that will rattle too. Yes I've checked all the bolts for tightness.

 

[Blackjack1234]

Sorry Blackjack - I just re-read your question and I'm not sure I answered it completely.

If you're not using the log lift (at all) 4 bolts (I believe) are all that need to be removed and the whole unit will come off. Then you can reinstall the sides that come standard with the machine which center the wood on the beam. Pretty easy.

If you're not using the log lift and you put wood on the beam from that "side" of the machine you have to be careful where you step. The only time the frame that does the actual lifting is on the ground for me is when I'm using it to get a big round up onto the beam. Otherwise, we use the log lift to put small stuff on there and I feed the splitter with these pieces.

Next time I use my splitter with the log lift I'll try to get some pics uploaded so you can see it in action. Well engineered "accessory" in my opinion.

How about if you're running it from the side where the lift handle is, if you're not using the lift, can you just pull the handle out, and still have the log cradle affect with the log lifter side??

Pictures would be great! One problem with buying equipment over the internet, its sometimes hard to get the full look and feel of how it works.

 

[mybowtie]

The log lift handle slides out. Easy to use and I use mine all the time. The 4 way is nice for the straighter stuff as others have mentioned. Friend has a tw1 and has probally split 100+ cords wth his. Nice splitters and worth the extra $$ imo......