Is this splitter worth $1500

[infinitymike]

It is a Timberwolf TW-5.
I don't know how old it is nor does the owner. The tag with all the info is ripped off the frame.
The guy selling it is a tree service company I have known for 15 years.
They do a lot of work and pump out a lot of firewood.
They have several other processing machines and they just bought another monster.
This was never really used as a main source but The machine definitely has seen thousands of cords.

They claim to really maintain their equipment which I can see just by looking around their yard.

It has electric start but there was no battery hooked up and it started with 2 pulls.

The only major thing wrong is the push block. They have welded the brackets that ride on the I-beam several times and it obviously is broken again.

The I-beam itself is perfectly flat on the top but it is worn unevenly underneath where the brackets ride.
It looks there shoulkd be a cover plate where the engine shaft is connected to the pump.
The muffler is missing the the heat shroud and is pretty loud for a Honda and exhaust leaks from the screw holes where the shroud attaches.

The push rod cylinder shows no signs of leaking and slides in and out smoothly.
I didn't try to split anything with the way the push block is for fear of doing damage.

There is some grease/oil build up around the controls and the base but not much.

I used a TW5 that a different friend has and it is a beast. That one actually had more grease/oil build up then this one and would drip on my driveway.

I spoke to a Timberwolf dealer and he said the push block is $600 and the I-beam is $1500 but as long as the block is welded securely and the I-beam is flat there would be no need to replace them.

I guess I should have him weld the block on and then let me test it for a day to see how it handles under load.
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[bogydave]

Is this splitter worth $1500

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No.
Only horizontal, old, worn, leaky, bent, rusty, very "used", low or no maintenance.
But that's just IMO for what I'd want, if I spent $1500.
You may have twice the $$ in parts/labor /repairs & then it's still old & worn.

 

[fossil]

Not worth $1500 to me. Rick

 

[infinitymike]

Is this splitter worth $1500

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No.
Only horizontal,.

It does have a log lifter

 

[bogydave]

Yea, that has value.
It's ok as a "fixer-upper".
Definitely a top rated splitter. New price is scary, around $7k

 

[greg13]

Wave a grand at him, see how serious he is about selling.

 

[gzecc]

Not worth 15. Maybe 5 or 8 depending if it all works. I would imagine that the ram is bent. Extreamly used piece of equipment.

 

[infinitymike]

Not worth 15. Maybe 5 or 8 depending if it all works. I would imagine that the ram is bent. Extreamly used piece of equipment.

I agree it is extremely used, but from what I could see the ram operated straight and smooth.

 

[Realstone]

Pay a few bucks and have a hydraulic service guy look at it if you are serious. On the side, I've never had a piece of equipment outlast the Honda engine that powered it.

 

[thewoodlands]

If I went by the pictures I would say no.

Zap

 

[MasterMech]

You may have twice the $$ in parts/labor /repairs & then it's still old & worn.

And there it is folks. After the broken pieces are replaced you could have bought a new Iron & Oak H/V machine and still have money to go buy a new 70cc+ saw.

Don't feel guilty about skipping this one Mike. TW-5's are awesome but this one is hardly a shadow of it's former self.

 

[infinitymike]

And there it is folks. After the broken pieces are replaced you could have bought a new Iron & Oak H/V machine and still have money to go buy a new 70cc+ saw.

Don't feel guilty about skipping this one Mike. TW-5's are awesome but this one is hardly a shadow of it's former self.

As far as I can see there are no part to replace. the push block can be repaired and the I-beam looks fine.
I may offer him $800 I know sometimes I may fool myself into thinking something is a good idea, I hope $800 isn't one of those times (that's if he even takes it). I know pictures say a thousand words but in this case I think the pics may be speaking to loud. Cosmetically it's a rust bucket but it did start and operate very smoothly (with any load)

There I go again, convincing myself.

 

[gzecc]

As far as I can see there are no part to replace. the push block can be repaired and the I-beam looks fine.
I may offer him $800 I know sometimes I may fool myself into thinking something is a good idea, I hope $800 isn't one of those times (that's if he even takes it). I know pictures say a thousand words but in this case I think the pics may be speaking to loud. Cosmetically it's a rust bucket but it did start and operate very smoothly (with any load)

There I go again, convincing myself.

It was obviously a very well built machine. If you like tinkering, have a welding source, not afraid to change a motor, pump etc, $800 is not so bad. Machines of this quality (better condition) sell in the 1500 to 2k range used.
I personally like a verticle/horizontal unit.

 

[infinitymike]

It was obviously a very well built machine. If you like tinkering, have a welding source, not afraid to change a motor, pump etc, $800 is not so bad. Machines of this quality (better condition) sell in the 1500 to 2k range used.
I personally like a verticle/horizontal unit.

Why do you like a vertical/horizontal? This is my first year burning and I did use the same model machine only in a lot better condition to split 9 cord of oak and I loved it. It did have a log lifter and so does this unit. But never using anything before I might be missing the advantage to a dual position unit.

 

[MasterMech]

The pics say "I leak!". I'm looking at the top of that I-beam and it looks like it's narrowed in places. Under load that's going to allow the push block to move way to far off center and that may be why it breaks the guides off. And all that oily residue all over says that there is some significant leakage going on. $1000 buys a new splitter, albeit not a TW-5. There is a reason they aren't fixing this thing and I certainly don't want to be the guy dropping $800 to find out what it is.

 

[MasterMech]

Why do you like a vertical/horizontal? This is my first year burning and I did use the same model machine only in a lot better condition to split 9 cord of oak and I loved it. It did have a log lifter and so does this unit. But never using anything before I might be missing the advantage to a dual position unit.

Vert/Horz has nothing over a log lift unit. Nothing. It's just a good way to crack open big rounds without lifting them to a horizontal unit (sans log lift) and it's much cheaper to buy than a unit with a log lift.

 

[Kenster]

If it's not worth fixing to a professional company, I can't see a backyard operator, new to burning, overpaying for what is basically a trashed piece of junk. If you're into projects and have the tools and abilities to rebuild it AND can get it really cheap...maybe. Otherwise you could have $2000 into this and still have a battered old machine that could fail you at any time. I don't know what your needs are but I would suggest a new Huskee 22 ton for $1000. It should take care of pretty much anything you can throw at it. Lots of satisfied customers on this board.

 

[Jags]

Hmmm... I am going to buck the system here. It would take a couple of hours with a welder and an angle head grinder to get that beam into reasonable shape. The shoe could be fixed in pretty short order and I really don't see any other places that are a deal breaker. A few drips and oily areas - probably not a big deal for a piece of equipment that has been in production for years.

As long as the beam ain't bent, the ram ain't bent, the motor runs, the pump - pumps, and the valves work as advertised - that thing probably will not be as scary as the pics make it out to be.

That said - I ain't spending $1500 on ANY splitter unless it comes with the monkey to run it. If you could get that for a grand, put a little TLC into it, I would bet you could be running a pretty darn sweet machine in short order.

Grab a couple of more pics of anything that is questionable. Look at the hoses (I think the TW5 uses pretty high rated hoses.) There is no cover for the pump mount that I have ever seen.

Note: It appears that the person who attempted a fix for the slide on the shoe was not real into physics and welding. A top weld "only" on that shoe was sure to fail. It should have had a deep penetrating weld on the bottom part too, then ground out to fit the beam. It would have doubled the strength of the slides.

 

[MasterMech]

+1 on those hoses too. Remember, this thing has been outside cooking in the sun for years. That does not do nice things to hoses.

Mike, if you're real serious about this thing, I'd hire a mechanic to take a look. Make sure he's wielding a hydraulic pressure gauge and a cylinder leak-down tester too.

 

[gzecc]

Vert/Horz has nothing over a log lift unit. Nothing. It's just a good way to crack open big rounds without lifting them to a horizontal unit (sans log lift) and it's much cheaper to buy than a unit with a log lift.

Couldn't have said it better myself.

 

[mikefrommaine]

It looks to be a real pain to get that shoe off so that it could be welded from the bottom. Otherwise a little cleaning and it should easily out produce a homeowner grade model. That Honda probably will need a new muffler...

Does it have the height adjustable 4 way wedge?

Id go for it at 800-1000

 

[Jags]

It looks to be a real pain to get that shoe off so that it could be welded from the bottom.

Yeah, your probably right. I don't like that design anyhow and considering it is currently broke, I would fabricate the bolt on style for it.

 

[CK-1]

Looking at the splitter makes my back hurt. I'm not too familiar with log lifts, but unless it lifts the pieces and somehow turns the rounds for customized splits there is nothing like a vertical splitter. You would have to bend down, pick up the piece and split it again. In the vertical position, I can make big splits to small kindles by turning the wood. Around this time of year I make custom splits for my smoker.

 

[Jags]

Looking at the splitter makes my back hurt. I'm not too familiar with log lifts

Until you have actually used a horizontal machine with a log lift and outfeed table --well, lets just say, don't knock it till you try it. There is a reason that the $7000 machine uses this combo and the $1000 unit does not.

 

[lukem]

Until you have actually used a horizontal machine with a log lift and outfeed table --well, lets just say, don't knock it till you try it. There is a reason that the $7000 machine uses this combo and the $1000 unit does not.

I hate splitting vertical. Log lifter is the cat's @$$.