Im kinda in the market for a splitter, well if the price is right.. So i was checking out the sponsors sites, and ran across the Timer wolf site. Now I'm not a professional, so Ive never heard of this brand. How do they compare to other brands? I hate when websites dont have prices on them as well!!! Are these splitters really pricy?
Are you looking at a special model? Whatever you buy get a log lift or get one that will split vertical too.
not really a specific model, im not familar with theirs at all.. just one for personal use. I will split alot of elm and oak, many times i will be splitting 24" and wider logs and yes i would want to get one that can go vertical too!
I have been meaning to write a review of my Timberwolf HV2 log splitter since I purchased it last year. I have time now for only a short review since you asked.
Side Note: The Timberwolf HV2 log splitter is used by some rental company's.
Upside:
• On a scale of 1 to 10, it is a 10.
• The "Cadillac" of log splitters in my opinion.
• This splitter has a better fit and finish than most cars. It really is wow! (see photos)
• Honda 242cc GX engine (don't confuse this engine with the GC engine, the GX is Honda's commercial engine)
• Heavy - 775 pounds (a good thing in splitters)
• Solid splitting head (not hollow)
• Solid end plate (not hollow)
• Large capacity hydraulic fluid reservoir (7.5 gallons)
• Large 12 inch wheels (easier to pull over small downed logs and more tow-able)
• Real tonnage rating at 25 tons
• Perfect working height – I don’t like bending over to split and didn’t like the idea of pulling a small splitter up on a platform
• Fast cycle time
• Made in USA
Downside:
• Pricey - well you get what you pay for (don't forget you get a Honda GX engine which has a retail value of almost $1,000.00)
• Heavy - well, weight is a sign of a good log splitter - but, it's heavy
Here are some photos of my Timberwolf HV2 – (I will help their marketing department out. There aren’t many photos of the HV2 on their website)
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/20112/3090/Timberwolf_HV2_Log_Splitter_02.JPG)
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/20112/3090/Timberwolf_HV2_Log_Splitter_04.JPG)
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/20112/3090/Timberwolf_HV2_Log_Splitter_09.JPG)
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/20112/3090/Timberwolf_HV2_Log_Splitter_13.JPG)
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/20112/3090/Timberwolf_HV2_Log_Splitter_21.JPG)
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/20112/3090/Timberwolf_HV2_Log_Splitter_05.JPG)
A few more photos of the Timberwolf splitting some wood:
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/20112/3090/Splitting_Wood_2010_017.JPG)
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/20112/3090/Splitting_Wood_2010_012.JPG)
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/20112/3090/Splitting_Wood_2010_005.JPG)
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/20112/3090/Splitting_Wood_2010_020.JPG)
Do you burn mostly dead softwood?
Quote from: beenthere on September 06, 2011, 02:13:47 PM
Do you burn mostly dead softwood?
No, but it is almost all that is seen in those photos. I located about 4 cords of standing dead that I didn't want to pass up. I had just blocked and stacked it before these photos were taken and it makes up my last couple of rows, which is the backdrop for the photos.
If your asking, is the splitter overkill for my use. The answer is yes, probably. My brother who lives down the road and I share the use and cost of it. I also have a neighbor that is kind enough to loan me his Bobcat on occasions. So, this splitter makes a good offering to help compensate him for the use of his Bobcat. We will never wear it out.
Quote from: Dean186 on September 06, 2011, 02:22:19 PM
Quote from: beenthere on September 06, 2011, 02:13:47 PM
Do you burn mostly dead softwood?
.........
If your asking, is the splitter overkill for my use. The .............................
No, just thinking of the volume of wood you needed to handle.
The first year of use (last year 2010) I was the only one that used it and I split about 12 cords. Some of the 12 cords was for 2010 and some for 2011. The most it would be used in a year by the 3 of use is 16 cords.
dean has a OWB so he can burn softwood and not burn much more than others burning hardwood.
Thanks for the replies! Dean, not to be nosey, but what did you pay for that model?? would it be good for splitting elm, not sure what you usually run through your owb, but i have a large supply of standing and laying elm! I love how it burns, but i hate how it splits!!!
one more thing Dean, i built a splitter a couple years ago for my ol' man. works great, but its mounted on "his" skid loader and uses its hydraulics. will split anything you throw at it.. thats besides the point, anyways, I made the splitting wedge the fixed part, and the pusher was the plate. Its nice becuase it will push the log off the splitter when done.
what do you guys prefer?? I just remember when i was younger and we rented a splitter alot of times the log would lodge itself on the wedge and be pulled back toward the hydraulics and would have to beat the log off with a sledge. The one you have pics of the one of the pluses would be the log cradle for splitting multiple times, looks handy for that.
I never used one like that sparky. But with the wedge on the ram,I can tip my splitter up,like dean's and split big wood with it,instead of having to put the big pieces on the splitter, I have split some pieces almost 3 feet across with mine. I would not want to split any up in the air like you would have to on your sparky. But I can see how yours might work better on small wood.
thats a good point!! the one i made, being on the skid loader i could rotate it with bucket controls and basically pick a log up off the ground, but yeah being one like this on wheels wouldnt work so well for that!!! thanks for the comment!!
Of course, if you have one of their hydraulic log lifters, loading the logs in the splitter that doesn't tip up is no big deal.
Timberwolf makes some of the best splitters out there, and are one of the very few who put real-life ratings on their splitters. You might regret the purchase price, but you will never regret the machine.
Quote from: sparky1 on September 06, 2011, 09:29:06 PM
Thanks for the replies! Dean, not to be nosey, but what did you pay for that model?? would it be good for splitting elm, not sure what you usually run through your owb, but i have a large supply of standing and laying elm! I love how it burns, but i hate how it splits!!!
To answer the question of will it split the elm, IMO it will. Don't get to caught up in splitter ratings. IMO it would out split the 35 ton rated units you see Harbor Freight & northern tool
Note:Please read the Forestry Forum's postion on this company distributing. One needs to look at the components. How big is the engine, how big is the hydraulic pump & cylinder. Will the frame withstand that tonnage and who makes the parts. My distributor personal guaranteed my satisfaction with splitting capabilities.
The retail prices quoted to me by my dealer last year (2010):
TW-P1 $2,195 (I was told this is their most popular home model)
TW-2 $2,995
TW-HV1 $2,695 (Horizontal/Vertical model)
TW-HV2 $3,295 (Horizontal/Vertical model)
My dealer gave me a discount off of those prices. Contact a dealer for more specifics.
Quote from: sparky1 on September 06, 2011, 09:36:17 PM
one more thing Dean, i built a splitter a couple years ago for my ol' man. works great, but its mounted on "his" skid loader and uses its hydraulics. will split anything you throw at it.. thats besides the point, anyways, I made the splitting wedge the fixed part, and the pusher was the plate. Its nice becuase it will push the log off the splitter when done.
what do you guys prefer?? I just remember when i was younger and we rented a splitter a lot of times the log would lodge itself on the wedge and be pulled back toward the hydraulics and would have to beat the log off with a sledge. The one you have pics of the one of the pluses would be the log cradle for splitting multiple times, looks handy for that.
Everyone's opinion will vary on this topic. There are pros and cons to both and that is why manufactures still make both.
The question I posed to myself was: Should I create a firewood handling/splitting process around a splitter, or create a firewood handling/splitting process that I like and buy a splitter that best works with that process. I choose the later.
For the commercial splitters it makes a lot of sense to push the splits out, where it can fall on a conveyor belt, be picked up by a front end loader or picked up by a second person in the operation. For me, working alone most of the time, I prefer to take the splits off of the cradle and then toss them into my large cart. It saves me bending down and picking them up later and then tossing them into a cart (one less time to handle the firewood). I still have the option of tossing the splits into a pile. If you want to split vertically, then having the splitting wedge on the cylinder shaft is the only option.
The Timberwolf HV series comes with the dislodging plate at the back as standard equipment. It is a must have in my opinion.
The cradle is also standard equipment on the HV series. It makes it much easier IMO. Avoid the ones that are not solid, because part of the wood will eventually catch the cradle and bend it.
I much prefer the wedge be fixed. I've used the vertical/horizontal combo's and having the wedge on the ram is the compromise for the convenience of the combo. But having the ram enter the wood behind the wedge isn't my preference. Also, I don't like how crowded the combo units are around when operating in the horizontal position. Seems the engine is right where I want to stand, or very close to it.
However it's each to their own IMO. Definitely a decision that has to be made in design or selection.
I like the lift idea and the table by the splitter idea that LogRite has designed. Saves crawling around on the knees or bending over to position big chunks for splitting. And often, for a big one I'll just put the chainsaw to it and "split" it into smaller pieces. Prolly faster than waiting for the ram to move through.
Quote from: beenthere on September 07, 2011, 04:05:02 PM
I much prefer the wedge be fixed. I've used the vertical/horizontal combo's and having the wedge on the ram is the compromise for the convenience of the combo. But having the ram enter the wood behind the wedge isn't my preference. Also, I don't like how crowded the combo units are around when operating in the horizontal position. Seems the engine is right where I want to stand, or very close to it.
However it's each to their own IMO. Definitely a decision that has to be made in design or selection.
I like the lift idea and the table by the splitter idea that LogRite has designed. Saves crawling around on the knees or bending over to position big chunks for splitting. And often, for a big one I'll just put the chainsaw to it and "split" it into smaller pieces. Prolly faster than waiting for the ram to move through.
Well stated on the "compromise for the convenience". I debated this a long time and it is still hard for me not to be open to either method.
On the crowed statement. This is what bothered me about the Timberwolf website, they do not have an image of the HV-2 in the horizontal position. Only the HV-1 is shown in the horizontal positions and since the tires are different, I was concerned. Finally a trip to a rental company, where I could only look at a Iron & Oak splitter and then to my dealer to look at a HV-1 (no HV-2's in stock). Only speaking for the HV-2 and me, I was pleasantly surprised to not even notice the tire or having the feeling of being crowed.
As far as ideal - yes a log lift would be great on a fixed head splitter. And dreaming here for me, buy the TW-5 or TW-6 with log lift. Now you're talking commercial or you must have enough money - why are you splitting your own wood. :-)
Dean, thanks for the detailed review on your TW. It sure is shiny!!! Almost hardly looks used ;D
Seriously though, TW is a good example of you get what you pay for IMO.
I'm on one side the motor is on the other,not crowded to me. I have split some wood in the 2½-3 foot size. I would not want half of that to come down on each side of the splitter.That's why I like the wedge on the ram. I can split those big ones on the ground.
Thanks everyone for the imput. Id love to have a skid loader mounted one again.. But i dont have 30 grand to drop on a skid loader this year :) It seems to eachs own this subject, which makes sense.. ill continue looking around might talk to a couple dealers and go from there!
just got a quote for the hv2 the dealer quoted me $4400.00 out the door... seems very expensive to me, I thought we were in a tough economy?? I was thinking the 2 to 3 range..
The dealer needs to make a profit on what he sells (or he will be out of business) and the mfg. must do the same. For sure it is a catch-22 as they both lose if no one buys the product.
Being told it is a tough economy, doesn't seem to translate into paying less. I doubt the steel, and the hourly wages have dropped at the mfg. end or the dealer end.
indeed everyone does have to make money.. im in the trades and totally understand this.. but 4400 is alot, although i just spend 11 grand on my owb.. :)
What kind of burner Sparky ? Never mind I found it in your other post. Congrats Lazerdan
Quote from: sparky1 on September 07, 2011, 07:59:50 PM
just got a quote for the hv2 the dealer quoted me $4400.00 out the door... seems very expensive to me, I thought we were in a tough economy?? I was thinking the 2 to 3 range..
That is a big increase in one year. It looks like I bought at a good time. The resell values will be very good on a Timberwolf splitter IMO. I looked for a used one for almost a year without any luck. Very few used Timberwolf's for sale in the county at any given time. I was using the global search feature of Craig's list.
I did forget to mention the pricing on the Timberwolf I quoted did not include shipping. The dealers price the shipping as a separate line item and pass the cost directly to the customer. Shipping is what it is. It amazes me though, that a splitter can be made in China and shipped to our local big box hardware store for $900 to $1,500 and the in state shipping cost for a US made splitter runs over $300.00 for each splitter.
Did you look at the TW-1? How many different models did your dealer stock? My dealer only had about 6 units. Two TW-1's and the rest were the big commercial units.
Quote from: peterc38 on September 07, 2011, 06:31:45 PM
Dean, thanks for the detailed review on your TW. It sure is shiny!!! Almost hardly looks used ;D
Seriously though, TW is a good example of you get what you pay for IMO.
Peterc38, I took the first set of photos the day after I pulled it home. So, it wasn't used at that time. ;D
Dean, i only inquired about the HV-1 and HV-2. The TW-HV1 sells for $3600.00 setup ready to go. I emailed the guy i didnt physically drive and check it out.
TW-1's run about $2500 if i remember correctly.
Thats a nice basic splits, take a 4 way wedge too.
It seems for that money I would also look at the splitfire line. I know they are a lot different but production seems very impressive. I don't have personal experience so i can't give a real life review, I've only researched them for many hours.
Has anyone heard of American log splitters? A friend of mine said he has one and it is the same build quality as TW but for much less money. I personally don't believe that because I do think you get what you pay for when it comes to equipment like this, just curious if anyone has any experience with them?
Quote from: brendonv on September 09, 2011, 04:04:36 PM
TW-1's run about $2500 if i remember correctly.
Thats a nice basic splits, take a 4 way wedge too.
I got a quote on a TW-1 for $2500
with 4 way wedge and table grate. It might pay to shop around a little, I don't think you will find drastic differences in price, but you may save a little, for instance while the splitter price was roughly the same, one dealer wanted a lot more money for the table grate (though I can't remember how much exactly).
I wouldn't buy the TW-1 without a table grate. My dealer almost always sold it as a packaged deal.
My brother had a TW 6, log lift, 4 way wedge...what an animal.
If you didn't have to chase the wood around (ie: stacked next to the splitter...) one guy could split a full chord in 35 minutes.
I agree, the TW-6 would make a great splitter. More for commercial use or the guy that has everything.
When I was searching for used splitters last year, I found a used TW-6 a few states away. It was still very expensive and much higher priced than the HV-2 I ended up buying.
I have the tw2 . and it has been a good splitter 8)