Well, today I finally bit the bullet.  With a grapple load of logs due to be delivered soon, I needed a splitter and took the plunge today.  The company I work for is a Timberwolf dealer, so I walked away with a pretty good deal for a TW-P1 with a 4 way wedge.  I have a whole pile of cherry I still need to split.  I can’t wait to play with it. 

I understand a “grapple” is a number (several cord equivalent) of log length (what 20-30 feet?) of various diameters, some rather large.

Splitting is one thing that must be done, the other is bucking, cutting the logs into burning length (16” or there abouts for many stoves).  How do you handle the large heavy logs?  Did I use the term “bucking” correctly, i.e., cutting logs to fireplace/stove length?

As far as I know (and I am NOT a logger by any means) you used those terms correctly.  Large logs are easier to handle when cut up.

Congrats!  From one TW-P1 owner to another, you’ve made a good choice.  The 4-way wedge is an excellent addition.

I’ve split probably 10 cords since I got mine last fall, and it is a LOT nicer to use than the old maul.  It’s been interesting to see how my cutting and splitting technique has changed - I used to be more concerned with cutting my logs for ease of splitting at the expense of uniformity of length, but with the splitter I’m able to keep everything more or less the same length, regardless of knots and branches and whatnot.  As a result, my piles are neater and my yard looks more civilized.

Contratulations on the new splitter.  You should get many years of use from it and save many miles on the arms and back.

I purchased one this year and wonder why I didn’t get one 20+ years ago.

Because Carl, with age comes money, er, I mean wisdom, I mean, laziness I split by hand for 7 years, never again!  I use my speedco when I want for as long or little as I want.  It is no longer an ordeal to split.  Get home from work and split for an hour or two and put it in the garage for a week or two again.  Splitters are a must have right after the chainsaw!

Wow this thing is cool!  I just split some cherry rounds (BIG ones) which were so gnarled and knotted I wouldn’t have been able to by hand.  It was fun, until the black flies showed up!

I stopped my a neighbor’s today when I saw he was out splitting with his new gas powered splitter.  As I walked up he was splitting a large round using the vertical orientation.  The large wedge on the hydraulic arm moved smoothly down and through the round without any hesitation.  It is a electric start 12.5 hp monster, sweet.

I’m a long way from getting one myself, I’d have to first come up with some source of logs to split.

computeruser - 11 May 2008 05:05 PM

… but with the splitter I’m able to keep everything more or less the same length, regardless of knots and branches and whatnot.  As a result, my piles are neater and my yard looks more civilized.

CU, I’m interested to know the reasoning behind your stacking technique.

congrats on a wise investment.you’ll live longer possibly.