My new wood splitter: Wolfe Ridge Mfg.

[Ryan'smilling]

Well, I've been splitting wood by hand for a long time. I thought I wouldn't ever want a hydraulic splitter because i always thought they were noisy, slow, and expensive. I got to try a Gransfors Bruks splitting maul about 6 years ago and promptly purchased one of my own. It's an excellent tool, and I enjoyed every minute of using it. I had a very efficient way of splitting wood, too; normally I'd just leave the rounds on the ground after bucking and swing the maul like a golf club. No lifting required until everything was split.

This spring however, I upped my maple syrup game. Starting this year I will burn between 15-25 cords of wood annually, and that just seemed a little daunting to do by hand. Another consideration is that it would be more efficient if I could cut my syrup wood longer than I can split by hand. 32" would be great because I'd be able to spend less time bucking and stacking, and I'd be able to load the firebox more quickly, which makes the cooker run faster.

So... After lots of pondering I settled on a three point splitter powered by a PTO hydraulic pump. I want to thank @Sawyer Rob for his great pictures Ave descriptions here and on TBN of his TW3-HD. Like I said, I always thought of hydraulic splitters as being really noisy because the operator has to stand right next to an air cooled gas motor. I loved the idea of being 10' from the motor instead of 1' from it.

So, I called Timberwolf and got a quote for a 36" tw3-hd with a sorting table. And then I got discouraged. Timberwolf wanted about $5500-6000 after adding the options I wanted and delivery. Then I remembered seeing an ad on Craigslist for a local guy who builds similar splitters. I called him up and he agreed to build me a three point version, which he hadn't done before. Obviously, I saved the freight cost, and the price of the unit was considerably less as well. Plus, I got to pick my colors .

So, here's some pictures:

It's got a 5"x36" cylinder, an auto cycling valve. 4 way wedge, sorting table, 20 gallon tank, and yes, it's powder coated purple .

I was a little worried about my smaller tractor being able to lift it, since it's 10' long and weighs in the neighborhood of 900#, but the NH can do it. I'll definitely want to rest it on a block while it's in use, and find a couple more weights for the front, but it'll work, which is great because it frees up my loader tractor to bring wood or pallets over to the splitter or do other jobs.

I've only had it since Saturday, and only used it for maybe an hour, but so far so good. I had a friend over for the maiden voyage, and it was great being able to have a conversation at regular volume without ear protection while splitting wood. I love that after you set a block on the beam and knock the levers into detent, that's all you have to do. The splitter just pushes splits off the table into a pile. Just have to pull forward a little when the pile gets too big. I also like being able to adjust the height of the splitter with the three point hitch. It sure splits in a hurry too; a full cycle takes 22 seconds at a little over half throttle. At 540 PTO RPM it should be about 14 or 15. I'm gonna make a block to shorten the stroke for splitting stove length wood, so that should be in the 10-13 second range depending on throttle setting. I don't think a cord an hour will be difficult with this unit.

I'll update this thread when I get a chance to put a few more hours on it.

Thanks again to Sawyer Rob for the inspiration, and to Chris at Wolfe Ridge for the excellent workmanship, and for cranking this thing out quickly! Here's the Wolfe Ridge website, by the way:
http://wolferidgemfg.com/wolfe-ridge-mfg-professional-grade-firewood-splitters/

 

[Sawyer Rob]

Looks like a GREAT splitter!

Looking forward to a full report WITH picts.! lol

I just want to mention, the best price for a Timber Wolf splitter, will come from one of their dealers, not from TW itself.

SR

 

[svk]

Awesome! I think you need to arrange a GTG soon!

 

[CaseyForrest]

Looks good....

 

[Sandhill Crane]

Splitting longer wood looks like a nice option, for splitting and stacking.

 

[Ryan'smilling]

Splitting longer wood looks like a nice option, for splitting and stacking.

I hope it works out that way. I think the sweet spot for wood that long will be stuff that can go through the 4-way once and make 4 medium splits. I'm thinking that stuff much bigger than that will become too heavy to handle at that length, and resplitting stuff that long seems a little awkward. I am gonna try the 32" length for a while and see how it works. I like the idea that I can make two 16" pieces of stove wood out of each one.

 

[Sandhill Crane]

For re-splitting larger 32" logs you may find a log lift and wooden bench to extend the outfeed table useful if you like working mid-thigh level, but not necessary. A pulp hook would be extremely helpful if you don't use one already.

 

[dave_dj1]

That's a nice looking splitter. Is the 4 way adjustable? We had a local fella (passed away last year) that painted everything he owned purple, snowplows and all. We called him the purple plow.
I have never understood using a $20,000 machine to do the work of a couple hundred dollar motor but that's just me.

 

[Ryan'smilling]

For re-splitting larger 32" logs you may find a log lift and wooden bench to extend the outfeed table useful if you like working mid-thigh level, but not necessary. A pulp hook would be extremely helpful if you don't use one already.

I don't have a pulp hook yet, just a couple of pickaroons, but I'll have to pick one up. I've been meaning to add one to the arsenal. Do you mean an extension that makes the table longer, like behind the wedge?

I had Chris weld on the brackets for a log lift, so it's a $600 bolt on part now. I'm pretty sure that includes the steel, paint, valve, and cylinder. It was a stretch for me to buy a splitter like this in the first place, so i left it off for now, but maybe down the road. I can definitely see where it'd be handy.

 

[Marshy]

Do you mind sharing what the splitter cost you?

For the price of used splitters I have been considering a 3pt hitch splitter as well. They still command $500 used or more but it seems better than the $800-1200 people want for the little mini splitters that are 2' off the ground and have a one way. I imagine you probably paid north of a grand and a half for that splitter new but man, it's way better built than any 3pt splitter that I've seen.

 

[Ryan'smilling]

That's a nice looking splitter. Is the 4 way adjustable? We had a local fella (passed away last year) that painted everything he owned purple, snowplows and all. We called him the purple plow.
I have never understood using a $20,000 machine to do the work of a couple hundred dollar motor but that's just me.

Yes sir, it's adjustable, but not hydraulically. It could be made to be moved with a cylinder, but for now I'm gonna try just leaving it pretty low and see how that goes. My thought is that it'll peel off a couple of finished splits no matter the size of round. So if you've got a bigger piece you'll get 2 finished pieces and 2 that need resplitting rather than 4 pieces that need resplitting. I'm very much still learning, though.

About the tractor as the power unit, I see your point. There's definitely pros and cons either way. My little New Holland, though only cost me $5500. To add an axle, Honda motor, and frame for the splitter would have added about $2000-2500 (squarely out of my budget), i would guess, based on Chris's prices on his 24" models, and that motor would only be good for one thing, whereas my tractor does all sorts of things. I like being able to hop on the tractor and pull forward or adjust the height of the beam, and more than anything, i love being away from the noise. That 3 cylinder diesel in the NH is quiet.

 

[Ryan'smilling]

Do you mind sharing what the splitter cost you?

For the price of used splitters I have been considering a 3pt hitch splitter as well. They still command $500 used or more but it seems better than the $800-1200 people want for the little mini splitters that are 2' off the ground and have a one way. I imagine you probably paid north of a grand and a half for that splitter new but man, it's way better built than any 3pt splitter that I've seen.

It was a little north of $3k, but I think a regular length model would be a decent amount cheaper. Also, the auto cycling valve added some cost over a standard valve.

I think the main distinction between this splitter or the timberwolf models versus a regular three point splitter is that these are powered with a PTO pump rather than the tractor's pump. Obviously that adds the cost of the pump, but it also adds the cost of a hydraulic tank and mounts for it, and 20 gallons of fluid. And it means that the splitter requires hoses and fittings to allow 20 GPM of flow. A splitter that plugs into the tractor hydraulics doesn't require any of that, and usually they use smaller hoses and fittings because most compact tractors only have 8-12 GPM of flow.

You can find three point splitters very reasonably even new, but like you say, they aren't like this. I'm gonna be splitting wood for decades to come, God-willing, and I figured that spending a little more up front would mean a more productive unit which will leave me more time for other projects.

 

[Sandhill Crane]

If you have two tractors, that's a nice set-up. We all work differently, have different priorities, etc. The build looks very nice, and it sounds like the money you paid for it never left your community. It's all good.

The biggest and best isn't always the ticket, and things do change. My TW-6 is still for sale. The SuperSplit has done twenty cord this past month, the TW has done one, maybe a little more.

Yes, I was referring to the table behind the wedge. You could temporarily build a staging table (instead of a log lift) to place along side your splitter to set the tip of your forks on with several larger logs, and then roll them in place to split. If you did, make it at least 6' long, with the middle at the wedge. It would give you room to work the re-splits as well. Then a short extension (wood table) behind the wedge because your splits are 32". That only works if you have a more stationary place to split, as near the stacking, but it is easily moved and set up if you have forks.

You just need to use it a bit. By the time you rub some paint off the wedge, you will figure out what works.

Whenever I see a box store tip up splitter, I always think, "Where do people stand when they use these in the horizontal position?"

You have a good looking splitter, and who doesn't love maple syrup...

 

[Marshy]

It was a little north of $3k, but I think a regular length model would be a decent amount cheaper. Also, the auto cycling valve added some cost over a standard valve.

I think the main distinction between this splitter or the timberwolf models versus a regular three point splitter is that these are powered with a PTO pump rather than the tractor's pump. Obviously that adds the cost of the pump, but it also adds the cost of a hydraulic tank and mounts for it, and 20 gallons of fluid. And it means that the splitter requires hoses and fittings to allow 20 GPM of flow. A splitter that plugs into the tractor hydraulics doesn't require any of that, and usually they use smaller hoses and fittings because most compact tractors only have 8-12 GPM of flow.

You can find three point splitters very reasonably even new, but like you say, they aren't like this. I'm gonna be splitting wood for decades to come, God-willing, and I figured that spending a little more up front would mean a more productive unit which will leave me more time for other projects.

The price seems reasonable for what you got. The added benefit of the PTO driven pump is huge. Most 3pt splitters I see are operated with the tractors hydraulics, don't have the auto cycle valve and don't have a 4 way. Nice acquisition sir. Now I'm thinking I should buy a 3pt and add my own tank and pto pump and auto valve.

 

[Sawyer Rob]

Another thing I like about my 3 point splitter, it leaves the remotes on my tractor available to run a conveyer or anything else I want to run with them...without taking away from the splitters speed.

SR

 

[Ryan'smilling]

The price seems reasonable for what you got. The added benefit of the PTO driven pump is huge. Most 3pt splitters I see are operated with the tractors hydraulics, don't have the auto cycle valve and don't have a 4 way. Nice acquisition sir. Now I'm thinking I should buy a 3pt and add my own tank and pto pump and auto valve.

That would definitely be an easy way to do it. There are a couple of options for 20 GPM pumps, you can get a Prince (USA) from eBay for about $460 shipped or a Dynamic (imported) for about $300 from Surplus Center. The auto valve is another couple hundred if I recall correctly. I see used three point splitters on Craigslist relatively often. Some are pretty chinsy, but some look pretty solid.

If I wanted to make 24" splits or less, I probably would have done something like what you're talking about. I did briefly considered building one instead of buying this one, but it would have been ugly, would have taken a long time, and I just don't have the time to take on something like this.

If you do build one, put up a thread. It'll be cool to see what you come up with.

 

[svk]

You could pay for that real quick if you processed larger logs into manageable splits for OWB users too.

 

[NSMaple1]

It sure splits in a hurry too; a full cycle takes 22 seconds at a little over half throttle. At 540 PTO RPM it should be about 14 or 15.

I think I would want to take advantage of the big tractor engine torque, and speed the pump up with a gearbox, maybe. So the tractor is only idling. Having it run at half to full throttle with what is not really much load would give me the fingers on chalkboard feelings.

 

[Ryan'smilling]

It sure splits in a hurry too; a full cycle takes 22 seconds at a little over half throttle. At 540 PTO RPM it should be about 14 or 15.

I think I would want to take advantage of the big tractor engine torque, and speed the pump up with a gearbox, maybe. So the tractor is only idling. Having it run at half to full throttle with what is not really much load would give me the fingers on chalkboard feelings.

Agreed. Lots of tractors have a setting that allows you to achieve 540 PTO RPM at a lower engine speed. I think Deere calls it ePTO. Unfortunately, neither of mine have that feature. Another cool way up do it would be if you had a tractor with a 1000 RPM PTO, which most larger tractors do. There's pumps in the 40 GPM range that use that PTO shaft and are rated for that speed. Again, I'm out of luck there. For now anyway.

I'll have to spend more time with it, but with the auto cycle I'm not too worried about cycle time, since I don't have to sit there holding a lever. My NH achieves 540 at lower throttle, so I'm thinking that setting that tractor at about 2000 engine RPM will make for a nice cycle time, a comfortable engine load to speed ratio, and most importantly, a pleasant experience for the operator.

 

[NSMaple1]

We've got some gear here with gearboxes on PTO mounted pumps - pretty simple setup, but I don't know what the gearboxes cost. Or maybe yours already has one? A gas engine shaft would likely turn up a lot faster RPM, than a PTO shaft would to start with.

How many trees do you tap? Have an RO?