Timberwolf 4-way wedge broke. Fix or replace??

Rugged made
Wesspur
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I would call them direct. I accidently snapped the return metal pipe fitting on the pump. I told them that it was my fault but they sent me one free of charge. And it was well out of warranty.

Conversely the dealer I bought the splitter was of no help. They dont sell them anymore think timberwolf pulled the franchise
 
Your wedge profile is somewhat different from the slip-on wedge I had for the TW-6.
I modified mine for a completely different reason, which was large splits needing re-splitting were falling to the sides and on the ground, and also on the out-feed table, behind the wedge, and out of reach for re-splitting without making extra steps to retrieve them.
However, doing something similar may also strengthen what you have.IMG_1385.jpg IMG_1518.jpg IMG_1466 (1).jpg IMG_1464.jpg
 
Sandhill, the OP has a TW-1 which is a narrow single wedge and the slip on 4 way is non-adjustable. It is a totally different design machine and wedge. On an other note, I've always admired your 4-way mod and someday intend to build one similar. Think of all the strength you added too. Wherever that machine is now, the owner will most likely never break that
 
The was a small issue with it. Splitting in the lowered position worked great, pealing off small splits on the bottom. If the lower splits needed re-splitting the wedge could be raised, and the lower splits pulled back. The upper splits stayed on the four-way, out of the way of re-splitting one piece into two.
However, splitting large rounds with the four-way raised, would sometimes raise the slip-on four-way and it would come off during the split.
I never found a need to split that way so not a problem.
You could add a couple inches to the front to balance it out.
 
Sandhill, I guess if I were to build one the adjusting function would be fixed with the wedge. It would drop down all the way flush with the top of the beam for single splits and designed very similar to an Eastonmade. I would however make the wings long to hold the top splits but it would never tip off.

Sorry for the derail, I agree with all of the other comments that it was shoddy welding and could easily be fixed up better. This should first be brought to TW attention and if they don't fix it, then re-weld it together properly
 
Derail:
The thing about Eastonmade is that there is a cradle keeping the round above the beam and allows the four-way's wings and splits stuck in it, to lower out off the way, to beam height for single splits. (that's a lot of s's)

I completely agree with others, the first step is communication with Timberwolf, and see how they want to run with it.
 
Sandhill Crane said:
Your wedge profile is somewhat different from the slip-on wedge I had for the TW-6.
I modified mine for a completely different reason, which was large splits needing re-splitting were falling to the sides and on the ground, and also on the out-feed table, behind the wedge, and out of reach for re-splitting without making extra steps to retrieve them.
However, doing something similar may also strengthen what you have.View attachment 794657 View attachment 794658 View attachment 794659 View attachment 794660
Click to expand...

I do not think that the pictured four way wedge would last ten minutes, for every body else it would probably get the job done. I built several wedges only much smaller with little success. The design with the single section of the wedge behind the front of the wedge looks like it has some potential. The effort twisted the I beam into a pretzel and broke the wings off. However I am going to try again with smaller wing and a very beefed up center beam. If I have any success I will share some pics. Thanks
 
Yea I have a lot of hours behind a welding helmet and that is some weak welds. I am no certified welder but can lay a decent bead that will hold. Wonder what the rest of the welds on machine are?
 
As they would say on forged in fire it's not what your wedge does to the wood it's what the wood does to the wedge. But to be serious I think any good company would replace that wedge just out of embarrassment.
 
cantoo said:
I assume that it slides over the standard wedge so not likely enough room to weld the inside of the rectangle.
Click to expand...

I think you may be correct, what I think caused the failure is the pressure applied by the wings during splitting. It's an easy fix just grind and re weld, the problem is the other side is going to fail also from what I see in the Picture.
I would take a grinder and cut the welds on the other side almost into so I could get to the core. The first pass should be right down the center bonding the two edges of the base metal, next passes should be on the two edges of base metal, then you could weld the center with a pass bonding the 2 edge passes. repeat till you form a corner. This way you will bond with good penetration the base metal and the weld that forms the corner. The problem is they made a corner weld but didn't get good penetration on the base metal on each edge. That's what is called an full open corner and it's a strong weld for this application if done right. Going back and looking at the picture it looks like the weld failed itself and they didn't weld the corner weld all the way in, it was just welded 1/2 the way and that is why the weld failed. Apply a U Groove corner weld to the welds and I bet it holds forever, a weld should never fail in itself, it should be even stronger than the base metal.
Mild Steel has a tensile strength of 58,000–80,000 psi, depending on the amount of carbon incorporated. When using a Mig I use ER70S-6 and 95/5 argon/oxygen mix on structural steel, which produces a tensile strength much stronger than the tensile strength of mild steel. It this case the mild steel will fail before the weld.


corner-joints.jpg
 
husqvarna257 said:
As they would say on forged in fire it's not what your wedge does to the wood it's what the wood does to the wedge. But to be serious I think any good company would replace that wedge just out of embarrassment.
Click to expand...

In any case it would let the company know where their Quality Control is failing.

I build Goose Neck, Pintle Hook, and Bumper Hitch Trailers in all sizes and you have to be up to snuff on your Quality Control or you will get the crap sued out of you if there is a manufacturer failure.
 
Good news. After contacting Timberwolf and sending them detailed photos of the damaged wedge, they have offered to send me a free replacement and will include a fully paid return receipt to ship the broken one back to them. Thank you all for the advice. And I have to put in a good plug for Timberwolf who, obviously, stand by their products and put their money where their mouth is.
 
Theodore2 said:
Good news. After contacting Timberwolf and sending them detailed photos of the damaged wedge, they have offered to send me a free replacement and will include a fully paid return receipt to ship the broken one back to them. Thank you all for the advice. And I have to put in a good plug for Timberwolf who, obviously, stand by their products and put their money where their mouth is.
Click to expand...
Great news. Glad it worked out for you. And good on TW for standing behind their product.
 
I do not think any four way wedge can last long pretty much no matter what. Except for those who have small trees without knots. I have a 40 ton splitter that can not budge some knots. I do not see how a multi wedge could improve that. Where one could make multi splits with one stroke seems awesome. The fact that TW would consider fixing some thing that may or may not have been a defect seems quite commendable. The possibility of setting up a wedge system that maybe could be removed with out a cutting torch would be a definite time saver. Thanks
 

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