Thinking about buying a super splitter...

[Jimmychips]

Big wood: TW-5 no problems

For what its worth: I bought a Timberwolf TW-5 three years ago. I went with the TW-5 because we handle some big wood. The hydraulic lift allows my guys to split efficiently for longer periods of time. We average 30-40 cords/year. Last summer my guys split 50" round pieces of ash, and the machine lifted each piece w/ no problems. We also handle quite a bit of large oak, which the machine also handles without a problem. Speed wasn't that big of a concern for me, durability, ruggedness and the 500lb lift were what sold me on the Timeberwolf.

 

[JackD_ME]

But, but . . . this thread is about him buying a Super Split! LOL

 

[STLfirewood]

There is no doubt that the Timberwolfe is a nice machine. It's just to much money for me. Also they seem to make a lot of scrap from a 4-way or a 6-way. I don't sell the little slivers. I also split my wood up really small. That makes the supersplitter perfect for me. If I was splitting huge wood all the time and leaving the pieces really big the I would think about a timberwolfe.

Scott

 

[Philobite]

^^What he said.

I can go a long way in getting increased production tools for the difference in price between the TW-5 (a very nice machine) and the SS. Our wood is generally not big enough to justify a lift. The TW-5 would be great for large rounds, but too slow for most tanoak which ranges from a few inches up to 18", and only very occasionally up to a couple feet.

We put several cords through the SS today. It splits so blazing fast, I was able to keep two men working as fast as they could lifting rounds from the pile up to the splitter table. In some series where the rounds were 8" and under we were completing the splitting and expulsion operation on a new log about every 4-5 seconds for several minutes at a time. Two to three seconds to position the log and two to split and expel. The speed limit with the SS in the loop is not the splitter, but just getting the round onto the table, which is a human speed and endurance issue.

So the next thing to work on is a feeder hopper for the rounds, where I can lift a bunch of trees with the 950 loader, buck the rounds off and they fall into the hopper where the slant and narrowing sides funnel them down toward the splitter table. Then I can pull each one off right onto the splitter and eliminate all lifting.

 

[Philobite]

Update

A quick update on the SuperSplit. I've now split about 25 (full) cords of tanoak, plus a bit of doug fir and madrone, in the past several weeks, putting in a few hours here and there. It's one sweet machine.

For about the first 5 cords the pusher wouldn't return easily and I had to regularly scrape the tree crud off the top of the H beam where the pusher bearing slides. Now that it's worn in I only need to clean it off about every cord, which takes about 30 seconds. The instructions said this would be the case. Changed the oil at 10 hrs, and grease the rack/pinion every couple cords, that's about it. Engine starts first pull every time.

My father (82 yrs old) and I built a 4' x 8' angled ramp/chute with 3/16" metal sheet with sides bent up at an angle, and redwood framing. This holds a bunch of rounds to be split and they slide down to the splitting table as I pull them off onto the splitting table. Next step is a large bucking platform at the height of the chute top. So I'll use the 950 wheel loader to hold the logs a few inches above the bucking platform and buck them a cord at a time, then roll them about 1/5 cord at a time down the ramp/chute for splitting. Then there'll be no lifting at all.

So even without optimal bucking setup, and having to lift the logs 1/5 cord at a time up to the ramp/chute by hand, I'm able to fell, limb, skid, buck and split about 2-3 cords a day myself. And my wife enjoys the occasional time of running the splitter. With the ramp/chute there's no lifting for her and with me loading the chute, moving the splits pile and her splitting we can do just over 1 cord an hour or so for a few hours at a time. Following safety rules we both consider the SS quite safe.