Timberwolf TW-6 on Ebay

[luckydozenfarm]

While being bored at work I came across a 2010 TW-6 on Ebay and I realized that it has over 3500 hrs on it. That seems like a LOT of hours for a 3-4 year old machine. Also he wants to get at least $7500 for the package, not including shipping. Seeing how a new one similar to his setup costs about $10k at a dealer I called in Dallas, that makes me think a couple things:

1) If it sells then those machines REALLY hold their value.
2) It obviously holds up well judging by the pic for a 3500 hour machine.
3) if it really does 2-3 cords an hour, and saying that 25% of the hours are idling/not splitting, that thing has processed over 8000 cords of wood!!
Anyway...just some thoughts..and BTW...there is no way I'm paying 75% of retail and driving all the way to GA for a gas engine machine with 3500 hrs on the ticker...

 

[tomtrees58]

I got a tw5 last year new was 7800.00 so that's good

 

[cuttinscott]

their probably is a missing decimal point between the 3rd and 4th digit on the hour read.... The Splitter loosk clean from the 1 pic in the ad
$7500 seems fair they are $9300.00 + new

Scott

 

[T. Mainus]

A couple of splitters after the timber wolf is a built rite for sale as well. I would go for the built rite over the timber wolf for the disappearing wedge on the built rite.

 

[luckydozenfarm]

I emailed the seller and asked him if it was a typo on the hour meter, and I'll post his response when I get it. I am seriously considering getting a TW-6 for my operation, but $10 grand is a ton of money in this business as we all know. One of the biggest parts of the decision is the resale value of the equipment and if he can get $7500 out of it, that makes the decision that much better. I will admit I don't live in an area where this kind of machine is in high-demand, but with the internet anything is possible I suppose.

 

[angelo c]

wayyyyyyyy too much money for a 3500 hour machine. first of all, they don't come with hobbs meters so when did he really start the 'clock' ?
why not finance the machine new if you are going to pay $8000....don't forget the gas and time to pick it up.
pretty sure there is a 40 hour machine upstate NY for $8000 asking...thats closer to fair priced. searchtempest.com from the poconos 200 miles and you'll find it

 

[luckydozenfarm]

Angelo
I'm not sure..you are talking to someone (me) who has never seen a Timberwolf splitter in person. I just assumed it did since he advertised how many hours it had. You are right, I prefer to buy equipment that I'm not familiar with new (or for almost free). That way I can figure the thing out before something goes haywire and I have to fix it.

 

[angelo c]

Angelo
I'm not sure..you are talking to someone (me) who has never seen a Timberwolf splitter in person. I just assumed it did since he advertised how many hours it had. You are right, I prefer to buy equipment that I'm not familiar with new (or for almost free). That way I can figure the thing out before something goes haywire and I have to fix it.

I have run a few, am looking for one currently( for a friend/partner) and like to think i have a good finger on that pulse. I missed a tw5 a few months ago that was CHERRY for $5200. I would have owned it for 5k. and I agree with the poster above who suggested the Built-rite. also ive been looking hard at the allwoodlogsplitters.com. but resale wise a TW is tough to beat. almost worth buying new like the Kubota owners say and trade it in after a few years. always owning new. Oh and if you haven't run one,,,RUN THEM ALL before you spend a dime. there are plenty of us around who would let you run theirs. you would not buy a tractor or a truck without driving it would ya ?

 

[luckydozenfarm]

There is a TW dealer in Dallas that said I could come over and demo their unit. I may bring a few different sized rounds in my truck with me and see how she does. Right now I have a 3 Huskee 22's going and they are good. I put a guy at each splitter and I divide my time between cutting rounds and bringing in pallets. But most of that happens on the weekends when the crew is available. I usually get off work at 4:00pm and during the summer it doesn't get dark until 8:30 so I'd love to be able to get my splitting done during the week with a TW-6 and then spend my weekends doing something else like cutting more wood.

 

[angelo c]

the Huskees will be gone as well as two of your employees. you'll still need at least one other to feed the TW though. no reason with the machinery you have already why you can't do a few cords by yourself a day after work.

what kind of wood do you get ?
lawn service cast offs or sticks ?

definitely go and run the tw in dallas. a log lift and table grate are gifts from heaven....better then beer !!!

 

[luckydozenfarm]

I've tried putting in a few hours a day on the 22's but it wasn't because I wanted to. Doing 500-600 cords a year by yourself with a Huskee 22 is like attempting to drain a lake with a bucket. On a good weekend my crew and I can get out about 20 cords in a day. It is timber-cut Oak poles that we have gone out and contract cut for ranchers looking to thin forests for grazing. In our neck of the woods it's about 60% loblolly pine and 40% various oaks in the field. The pines get cut out first for board timber and then a few years later the oaks just get out of hand after the pines are thinned out. That's where we come in.
I told this rancher a few years ago to get some orange paint cans and mark the trees he wanted removed. He called me back a few days later and said it took him 40 cans of paint...he had over 2000 oak trees marked to cut that were weak during the drought. I charged him $3 per tree to cut it down and pile the branches over the stump for him to burn. I worked that field for almost two years getting it all cut down.

 

[angelo c]

that adds a lot more good information and oh by the way pat yourself on the back for managing that scale of an operation. that's not an easy task.
as i like the TW6 I might look elsewhere for your operation. sounds like you might be better served by a processor of some sort. or 2 SuperSplits which will out run your three 22's and the 1 TW6..
roughly how much are labor costs ? at some point it might be worth bringing in a contract "processor" who can do 5 or 6 cords an hour. roughly 24 days of "processing" and all you have is on operator loading the deck ? maybe two weeks work and poof .

 

[luckydozenfarm]

The problem I see with a processor is the logs have to be fairly straight and under 18". That's the exception rather than the rule from what we usually cut down here...giant 24"+ diameter post oaks or live oaks . Also, I can't afford a processor so that's out. I really just want to get away from splitting on the weekends.
My max output of yearly firewood is limited by the fact that around mid-June I have to abandon all cutting operations and shift into splitting operation to get it all split in time. That means pulling my crew off the saws and onto the splitters. If I wait later, then I don't have enough drying time or splitting time. If I start earlier, then I run out of wood too soon. I want to be able to keep both operations flowing throughout the wood season. That means I will need to split about 15-20 cords after work each week AND cut the equal amount on a weekend. The cutting is the easiest part, as its all machinery. My brother-in-law shuttles the wood from the field to my lot with the truck while I cut and move logs with the skidder on my tractor and load them with my brush grapple. We can move wood pretty well and if the cutting field is close and have no breakdowns we can sometimes make 4-5 loads a day. I'd also like to not have to pay a crew to split my wood. That's a pretty big expense in itself.

 

[angelo c]

having to pull crews off saws has got to be debilitating...what i meant in "contract processing" is around here is there are outfits that will come out and charge you by the hour to bring out a processor. if you could separate the long straight "sticks" and have them processed that might cut your times as well as a TW or other. and you could just deal with the "uglies"...which is what the TW shines at. 24" stuff is still in processor range.

 

[luckydozenfarm]

I'll have to look to see if anyone out here does that kinda work.

 

[tomtrees58]

i got this up state ny

 

[angelo c]

Hey tom !!

 

[Pruning@trunk]

angelo/tomtree--I haven't seen or run any of the TW models but if I were to get one it would be either the 5 or the 6. The one thing I don't like on the unit is the wedge and the way the 4 way option works. I would think that if one had a sharper, narrower wedge along with a harder alloy steel than a wider wedge it would do a better job at splitting the wood. Also the other thing I would change is have the whole wedge to be adjustable. So have a 12"-15" 2 way wedge and then have the 4 way wedge flat along the top of the beam and then when you want to use the 4 way option have the whole wedge raise instead of just the wings.

The other thing I noticed is the pusher bar should be indented so it can make a closer push to the wedge.

Side note: What is the maximum size logs which the tw 5 or tw 6 can split?? Also can it handle tough wood like 30 in. white oak rounds with knots in it?

 

[angelo c]

36" nasty oak will slow it into the 2nd stage but no prob.
The wedge you describe is on the built rite. Plus you can get it with a cat diesel. Wayyyy cool.
tom can vouch for the production on a tw5.
Funny on the pusher. We used to just put rounds back to back and let them push through. We tried hard to get it to stall. It will but man it was not easy. Its a 2 stage I think they call it.

 

[tomtrees58]

40"or 50 is a ever day wood for me this is ones 36"