Timberwolf TW-3 Table Grate Retention???

[Agrarian]

I just bought a TW-3 3PT hitch mount splitter and it is great. My only gripe is that the table grate, which simply slides into place, wants to work its way out every 6 or 7 chunks. This is largely do to the extra space between the grate's male end and the splitter's female end (no highschool jokes here!). The grate has a 4" male end and the splitter has a 4.5" female end so the normal vibrations of using it cause the table to "walk" out of the hole. The factory assures me this is normal and that I have the correct grate and am not missing any parts.

So, my question to the Timberwolf table grate users out there is "Are you experiencing this same problem and, if so, how have you cured it?" I suppose I could use a bungee cord or maybe weld another 3/8" plate to the top of the male end on the grate to take up the slop. What do you do????

 

[gandrimp]

I've never seen one, but can it be drilled and pinned?

 

[webie]

WTF You have the best splitter built , There are no defects

Can you post a picture of it ? I have the TW3HD with the table and my set up has a piece bolted to the end of the I beam and the grate actually hooks too it . It never slides off.

I had to rob this picture off of timberwolfs sight hope you can see what I mean .

 

[Agrarian]

If I see the setup on the TW3HD correctly, it is much different from that on my TW3. If you look at my first photo, you can see they welded on two steel plates to form two boxes on the end of the splitter beam. If you look at the second photo you can see two U-shaped beams welded to the table that slip into the boxes on the splitter beam. That's all there is to it - nothing actively holds the table to the beam. And because of the 0.5" difference in size between the box and the beam, the table hangs down at 10 to 15 degrees.

I was told by the service manager at Timberwolf that the table cannot be permanently attached to the beam because a curly piece of split wood could catch the grate and destroy it if it were not allowed to move rearward. But from the photo of the TW3HD above, it appears that the table is essentially permanently attached - or am I missing something?

The service manager also said I could angle the 3PT such that the table would wiggle into the beam rather than out of it. For me to do that, the beam would have to be at a 15 degree angle which is not practical to say the least.

Anyway, still interested in hearing your thoughts!

 

[Valkyrie Rider]

How about a clamping the c-channel on the table to the square beam? The clamp would allow it to come off if something got jammed, but should hold it from vibration.

 

[Agrarian]

The clamp is a great idea and I like it better than the bungee. I'll try it this weekend

 

[Agrarian]

I've just had a new thought for a fix. I can drill and tap a 3/8 hole on the top surface of the male end (table end). I can then put a bolt in it and once it is inserted in the beam I can back the bolt out so its head compresses against the underside of the splitter beam. This should be invisible outwardly and still "give" with a bad chunk.

I am still disappointed that Timberwolf has not addressed this issue themselves.

 

[Blackjack1234]

I have the Timberwolf TW-1 splitter with the table, it looks to be built about the same according to your pictures, and also has the 'vibrating out' problem. Throttling in the motor a bit so it doesn't vibrate so much helped some, try that with your tractor, put the bucket down if it has one, somehow cut down on the vibration. I've been around tractors all my life and some tractors just rattle and vibrate, especially at certain RPM's.

My solution was to just periodically push it back in as I was throwing split chunks off.

I'd be careful about putting a pin/bolt in, make sure its small enough and not hardened steel so it will 'shear' off if its gets under stress. I would think that a good stout bungee cord would work, less risk of wrecking something.

Before I bought the manufactured Timberwolf table, I tried making a table using 2x4's as the male ends that stuck into the female end of the splitter, with plywood on top, and wooden dowels holding it on. Didn't work worth a darn, the chunks kept pushing it off. Seems like the heavy weight of the manufactured table helps keep it on, so you may want to rig something up to add more weigh (two cement blocks?) underneath the table, that would help keep it on.

Let us know what you come up with.

 

[Agrarian]

So I'm not the only one suffering from this "feature"!!

It appears Timberwolf uses this design on the TW1, TW2 and TW3. The HD versions of these splitters have a different beam design where the end is completely closed and therefore use a different (much better) table attachment. The design on the TW3 must have changed along the way because the stock photo of it on the website shows a solid end to the beam.

The tractor is idled about as low as I want to go and still have good cycle times. Your point about the bucket is a good one and I try that the next time I split. Much of the vibration actually comes from the side-to-side motion caused by tossing large chunks on the beam and is due to the 3PT hitch side-to-side slop.

Taking my bolt idea and your concern about the shear requirement, I could place a wooden shim between the bolt head and the beam so it would disintegrate when a bad chunk caught the table, allowing the slop to return.

After spending top dollar on this unit, it just bugs me that such an obvious problem was not addressed in some manner.

Keep those cards and letters coming!

 

[webie]

Poor

Mine does swing around and move with different narly wood on my TW3HD , but what I dont understand is why they would do something so poor as to have this designed like this .
I am at a loss on how to help you out , Bungy cord not a bad idea or even like you said tap and pinch bolt still would slide if you hooked a piece of wood up .
I can definately see that it is a PITA for you now . I know how much these things are and I am sorry but I would be chewing some tail all the way up the ladder on this one there is no reason for poor enginering on this .

 

[Blackjack1234]

Much of the vibration actually comes from the side-to-side motion caused by tossing large chunks on the beam and is due to the 3PT hitch side-to-side slop.

Most three points have some way of stopping that side to side motion, whether its sway blocks attached to the tractor, a chain or bar attached to third point, somehow tighten that up.

Maybe the design on the Timberwolf outfeed table is not the greatest but its better than not having one!! The bending over it saves is great! When I first bought my TW splitter I didn't have one, I saw right away that I needed to up the ante and get it. Even poorly designed it saves a lot of work.

 

[Agrarian]

Don't get me wrong, I don't mean that I hate the table. The table is great (pardon oblique pun), is built ruggedly, and is totally necessary. I have no problem with the price I paid vs the benefit it provides. I just wish they had thought through this one design aspect a little better! I still think Timberwolf is the best splitter.

 

[Swamp Yankee]

TW-1 and TW-2

The ball coupling lock on the tongue acts as a stop, or at least on mine, and keeps the grate from moving forward. I've also found that after about 15 or 20 minutes of splitting that area of the splitter is so full of chips and bark the grate won't move unless you clean it out.

As to the TW-3, obviously you don't have the coupling to help. Maybe just add a short piece of light chain with hooks to connect the table to the tractor hitch.
I kind of like the idea of a small C-clamp. Should hold well but slip off if really necessary to keep something from breaking or bending.

Good Luck

Take Care

 

[webie]

I am going back to what I originally said this is just poor for the price you paid for that splitter . I would beleave myself that if this is a takeoff design from the tw1 and 2 that they some how hold the grate on by maybe the trailer hitch like the one guy said .
Honestly I think I would drill a small like about an 1/8th inch hole through the male and female part there on the bottom , on one side and just drop a small cotter pin in it , not bend it over or anything . This would be light enough to sheer off if you did hook the grate with a piece of wood yet enough to hold the grate in from just wiggling its way out after you split a few pieces .

 

[Agrarian]

I would drill a small like about an 1/8th inch hole through the male and female part there on the bottom , on one side and just drop a small cotter pin in it , not bend it over or anything.

Ahhh, another good idea and much simpler than mine with the threaded hole and bolt - I like it! It will not be obvious and should provide the light retention I need. I'll look at how well it can be implemented tonight.

Although a bungee cord or chain would probably work, they would serve as a visible reminder to me of how much this bothers me. And yes, I am anal about some things!

I called Timberwolf to ask what that short welded piece of square tubing was on the underside of the grate and they said it was for the trailer versions. Now I understand how it is used and why the trailer versions don't have my problem. So Timberwolf has addressed the problem on the trailer versions (TW1, TW2) and addressed it on the HD versions (TW3HD) but not on my TW3!

 

[cuttinscott]

Do Not Bolt or Pin or Clamp it all you will do is bend or break things... It is designed to be loose if anything hook a small piece of chain to it like a tow safety chain? and hook it back to the cradle.. Loose but not loose enough to fall out.......

Scott

 

[Agrarian]

if anything hook a small piece of chain to it like a tow safety chain? and hook it back to the cradle.. Loose but not loose enough to fall out..

I'm sorry I'm not understanding this fix and I mean no disrespect. If the chain is short enough so that the table doesn't fall out, doesn't that mean the chain would have to break before the table could fall out? If so, that would be more dangerous in my opinion than the solutions given so far.

The service manager at Timberwolf said I could modify the table attachment within reason and it would not void my warranty. And since this is not rocket science, I have to believe there is a workable solution that leaves the table protected and eliminates the aggravation of having to constantly re-adjust it. This was done for the other models so it should be doable for the TW3.

I think some good approaches have been given already and I look forward to any others you good people can think of.

 

[Connor77]

The trailer models are not immune to this table sliding problem. I have a TWP1 (or whatever the small trailerable model # is) and the table moved constantly. Drove me nuts. I put a small bolt in through the beam and through the table bracket and the bolt is fastened with a wing nut. Did this on one side and it worked well but still wiggled around a bit. Put another bolt on the opposite side and now the table doesn't move. Also, it stays on top of the trailer coupler ball handle better. There is a small wedge welded onto the bottom of the table that is meant to sit on top of the ball coupler handle. It stays more in the middle now that it's secured. I'm careful about making sure nothing gets hung up in my table so I'm not worried about securing it.

I'll try to get some pics.

 

[mybowtie]

I had the same issue with my TW1. I use the safety chains to hold the table grate on.
I did bend 2 of the tubes with a knoty split that hung up on em. I now twist the chains a bit and hook them so there is a little wiggle room for the table grate.

 

[ptabaka]

splitter

i have a tw6 the grate clips on the back side of the lift cylinder i never had it slip off just my 2 cents good luck