msmith
ArboristSite Operative
Been nosing around a bit, but this is my first post. Been cutting firewood for nigh on to 40 years but never knew there was a site dedicated to trees until I started perusing for equipment.
I'm losing my firewood help this fall due to college, so I have to make some changes.
We've used an outside wood burner since 1991 and up until the last few years have only consumed about 10 cords a year. The last few years we have been burning year round and that has upped to 12-15 cords. This year I plan to heat my 36x52 foot garage with the same stove, so I figure that will bump to around 20 cords. Even with my son's help, it can be brutal trying to get 12 cords in, between building fence, doing hay, etc..
Currently, I use a 3 point hitch mounted splitter that I got from Tractor Supply about 10 years ago. It was great when I got it as up until then I had been using an 8 pound maul exclusively. I took the legs off so that I could get it lower to the ground which helps a lot, but on the bigger chunks, it takes two of us to lift them on. I hate using it in the vertical position, the squatting kills my back, and the wedge likes to push the block away from the splitter. I had back surgery, laminectomy at 3 levels, and two discs removed, and one herniated one still in there, so I would like to remedy the bending, lifting, and squatting as much as I can. I know it can't be eliminated.
With my son going to college in the fall, I need to speed up the process in the summer while he is here or make it a lot easier on the old guy in the fall when I am a one man circus. What I have been toying with is...either a Wallenstein WP865 or a Timberwolf TW-5. I was wondering if there would be anyone here that has any experience with either one or both. The Wallenstein looks like it would be great for a one man show, but would be limited a bit on the size of logs. The TW-5 looks like it could take a behemoth of a log, but would be better with two guys or more hand work for one.
I have several acres and usually drag my own logs out as I get blow downs or standing dead timber, but also have a source for junk logs to be hauled to my location too. Any comments, ideas, suggestions, or questions would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks in advance,
Mike
I'm losing my firewood help this fall due to college, so I have to make some changes.
We've used an outside wood burner since 1991 and up until the last few years have only consumed about 10 cords a year. The last few years we have been burning year round and that has upped to 12-15 cords. This year I plan to heat my 36x52 foot garage with the same stove, so I figure that will bump to around 20 cords. Even with my son's help, it can be brutal trying to get 12 cords in, between building fence, doing hay, etc..
Currently, I use a 3 point hitch mounted splitter that I got from Tractor Supply about 10 years ago. It was great when I got it as up until then I had been using an 8 pound maul exclusively. I took the legs off so that I could get it lower to the ground which helps a lot, but on the bigger chunks, it takes two of us to lift them on. I hate using it in the vertical position, the squatting kills my back, and the wedge likes to push the block away from the splitter. I had back surgery, laminectomy at 3 levels, and two discs removed, and one herniated one still in there, so I would like to remedy the bending, lifting, and squatting as much as I can. I know it can't be eliminated.
With my son going to college in the fall, I need to speed up the process in the summer while he is here or make it a lot easier on the old guy in the fall when I am a one man circus. What I have been toying with is...either a Wallenstein WP865 or a Timberwolf TW-5. I was wondering if there would be anyone here that has any experience with either one or both. The Wallenstein looks like it would be great for a one man show, but would be limited a bit on the size of logs. The TW-5 looks like it could take a behemoth of a log, but would be better with two guys or more hand work for one.
I have several acres and usually drag my own logs out as I get blow downs or standing dead timber, but also have a source for junk logs to be hauled to my location too. Any comments, ideas, suggestions, or questions would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks in advance,
Mike