Timberwolf TW-3 splitter review

[Tom L]

purchased a 3 point splitter from timberwolf, they shipped it into me in a quality skid, well protected and as promised.

the splitter is easy to mount, it hooks up to my 3 point on the back of my tractor, nice to be able to raise and lower it
to get a comfortable work height, the hydraulic lines were easy to hook up. they use a type of fitting that has an O ring inside. never used them before, but you tighten the fitting up and then one half turn seems to compress the O ring and they are sealed. the hydraulic reservoir was clean inside, and did not need to be cleaned or vacuumed prior to filing. took around 12 gallons to fill it.

pump is a 20 gallon per minute. I had to take off a safety shroud to get it to fit on my machine's pto. and could not use the system that was supplied because of some angles that are bolted onto the back of my machine. so I used some existing holes and some longer bolts to anchor the pump into the PTO and stop it from moving.

the welds on the splitter are nice, no undercuts. no porosity, all even and no spatter.

the outside is coated . looks like an epoxy coating. very hard and tough to scratch

the machine works very smooth. fooled around with it and tried to split everything I could. it has enough power to split the ugliest things I could find. crotches and some locust, oak, cherry. sweet gum. the machine is fast with 6 second cycle time. my neighbor came over and we split a cord of wood in about an hour. seemed effortless. It is nice to see things work as advertised, and run smooth right out of the box

the white tube and the coffee can are filled with lead, I put them on my seat to fool the machine to thinking I am there
so the pto runs when no one is sitting there.







and I built some skids, copied from another post I saw about wood handling and storage.

[beenthere]

Looks like a nice riggin. Glad you like it after getting it all hooked up and splitting.

??  You can't just put on a parking brake and put the tranny in neutral to get your PTO to run while not on the seat?
Seems there would need to be a combination that would work that out for you (sans unplugging the seat switch) to avoid having to place weights on the seat to fool it into thinking you are there. Manual should mention how.

And I wouldn't bolt the pump too tightly, so it can wobble around a bit and not destroy your PTO bearing/seal.
I usually just have a chain hold the pump from turning when on the PTO stub.

[Tom L]

the seat has two plugs, one is on a pressure switch under the seat and the other is linked to that switch and goes inside the seat material to another pressure switch. looks like too big of deal to disconnect. seems like they don't want you out of the seat while the pto is running. a lawyer must have took care of that for us.

I am going to add  a piece of 1/2" neoprene rubber to the inside of one of the angles, around the pump, so there is a little give to it. thanks for the heads up

[thecfarm]

I feel Timberwolf makes a good product.

[Busy Beaver Lumber]

Looks well made. Hope you can get it up higher though or your lower back is going to hate you and get even with you. One of the things i love about my splitter is it working height. Not needing to bend over all day long is much less fatiguing and your back will thank you rather than punish you at the end of the day.

 

[beenthere]

All Tim has to do to get it higher is raise the 3ph to whatever height is good.  ;D
That is one of the nice features of the 3ph attachment.

I run mine up on a couple of car ramps and put a longer post at the hitch end where the dolly wheel is located. But having it at a comfortable height is A # 1 for the back, as BSL suggests.

[Tom L]

as beenthere stated it is at it's lowest level there in the pics, you can raise it with the three point to whatever height you want.
figured out how to run the pto without the weights. you have to engage the parking brake, put it in neutral, then lift the seat over onto the steering wheel, then activate the pto. cool beans, no more lead weights. 

[Ivan49]

the seat has two plugs, one is on a pressure switch under the seat and the other is linked to that switch and goes inside the seat material to another pressure switch. looks like too big of deal to disconnect. seems like they don't want you out of the seat while the pto is running. a lawyer must have took care of that for us.

I am going to add  a piece of 1/2" neoprene rubber to the inside of one of the angles, around the pump, so there is a little give to it. thanks for the heads up

I would not unplug your switches for safety reasons. Can you use a rubber tarp strap and hook to your seat to pull it down so the switches are activated. My son unhooked the one on the seat of my skidsteer that locks out the hydraulics and I did not know it and it almost got me, made a believer out of me

[beenthere]

Ivan
See Tom_L's reply #6 as he found the right combo 

[Piston]

That TW looks like a really nice, top quality splitter. 

Do they offer a 4 way wedge for it? 

[Al_Smith]

TW is probabley the Cadillac of splitters no matter which model .I applaud their honesty in the tonnage ratings they give their machines .With few execeptions are one of few who give accurate ratings .

[beenthere]

TW is probabley the Cadillac of splitters

Maybe the Ford luxury model, but the Cad is the Firewoodinator by Logrite.   ;D

[Piston]

Maybe the Ford luxury model, but the Cad is the Firewoodinator by Logrite.   ;D

Funny, I would have said Split-Fire. Firewoodinator is just a Super Split with a table.  :D

[jdonovan]

Do they offer a 4 way wedge for it?

depending on the model they offer 4-way and 6-way.

I believe the 4-way is offered on the TW3. I've got the TW3HD and have both a 4 and 6 way. Boy can you make a lot of spits in a hurry with this thing.

[Al_Smith]

Oh it's probabley a Ford/Chevy -John-deere /Farmall thing with splitters .

Some are good  some not so .Depends on who you talk to and what they own .--I like my homebuilt so there . :D

[UN Hooker]

I like my "home built" as well.  When I'm tired from splitting, I just climb on and drive it home. ;D
        UN

[JohnM]

Funny, I would have said Split-Fire.

Speaking of Split-Fire, have you made the commitment yet, Piston? ;) ;D

JM

[Piston]

Funny, I would have said Split-Fire.

Speaking of Split-Fire, have you made the commitment yet, Piston? ;) ;D

JM

It's so hard take the plunge!  I want to BAD, but I really don't want another 3pt hitch version, and I don't want to settle for the smallest one they have, so for the one I want, the 3465 (4 way self contained unit with 30" stroke length and log lift) it's pushing 5 grand. 

[Old Dog]

Tom L -
Been looking at the Timberwolf TW-3 and wondering what your current opinion of the splitter is.
Thanks

[jdonovan]

I also have a TW3, and love it. Probably have 20 cords through it now. It is fairly fast, and almost nothing stops it. If I take the multi-way wedge off, I've _NEVER_ had a piece it won't split. After getting a few stuck on the 6-way I know what to look for now, and when to pull the multi-wedge.

If you are going to run larger wood through it Get the log lifter and the grate. The lifter for obvious reasons.. The splitting grate that catches the splits is a real back saver as it keeps the first split pass at waist level. We toss the over size back on the lifter and re-split the chunks one at a time.

If you're starting from logs, we find we need 3 people to keep the beast fed. One cutting bolts, one loading, one running the hydraulics.

If I had to make the decision again, I'd go out and buy the same splitter tomorrow, with no hesitation.

[Tom L]

Tom L -
Been looking at the Timberwolf TW-3 and wondering what your current opinion of the splitter is.
Thanks

still happy with the the TW-3, since I bought this I also purchased a processor , so all my fairly straight
10-12 ft logs up to 18" diameter, I run thru that, and save the timber wolf for doing all the crotches, and gnarly stuff that I don't want to run thru the processor,
I did purchase the lifting cradle and grate for it, helps to get the logs up to the machine. and hold the wood so you don't have to bend down to pick them up after it is split, only have a single wedge on it
so I have no idea how it would do with a 4 way.
the single wedge has never been stuck, does a great job

[peterpaul]

I also had a TW3, it is a very good splitter. Whenever I had a number of large, i.e., too heavy to pick up rounds, I would just drop the 3PT down to the ground and roll them up on the splitter.  The table grate saves your back and worked seemlessly when hooked up to a conveyor.  Note, the TW3 is not rated for the 6 way wedge (TW 3HD is) although the 6 way will fit.  The only problem I had was the valve handle broke, Prince valve, the hole for the lower pin finally wore through.  Rarely did I run the tractor above idle, very fast cycle time. 
The fit and finish is top shelf as described above.  I brought it used, owned it for 5 years, sold it for more than I paid for it.  Brought a TW6 to replace it.
Edit:  I also had the 4 way wedge, works very well.

[Old Dog]

Thanks for the feedback.  I made the run down to Rutland yesterday and picked up a TW-3 and am installing it now.

I'm wondering if I'll have any problems with the hydraulic pump working itself off the PTO hub.  I understand the use of the torque arm/retaining chain to keep it from spinning but there's nothing holding the pump from backing off the shaft.  Is this a non-issue; should I try to anchor the retaining chain forward of the pump; or am I missing something altogether???

[jdonovan]

  Is this a non-issue;

its been a non issue for me

[rjwoelk]

Any pto shaft I have worked on has a coupler to secure it to the pto, would have thought it was a saftey thing. What brand of pto do you have