Just an informational thread. There is precious little info on the Timberwolf 3ph splitter or the DR other than what I can read of the respective web pages.
I needed to replace my ~25 y.o. Sears 5hp, 6-ton splitter so decided to go with a 3 point PTO powered model to put on the Simplicity Legacy XL. I've been thinking about them for a while, but the only model I saw was a Timberwolf model. The DR model was not quite as much, but looked mighty nice. Turns out, the DR is sourced by Timberwolf! There are Timberwolf stamped parts on the unit, the instruction book has the same wording, even the model number of the DR is the TWDR-3. The Timberwolf is the TW-3. (I recently noticed red paint underneath the orange DR paint too) The only significant difference I see is the DR has a narrow wedge instead of a wide wedge. No 4-way wedge yet as DR had them for 179, which is a silly price.
I picked this up at a drop location to save $100 on shipping. The crate took almost the whole bed of the F-150.
The pump (a Prince 20gpm) is ridiculously heavy, and just fits within the PTO shield. Sadly, I thought this snugness would let me get away with no torque chain. First movement of the lever resulted in the pump making a pretzel out of the guard. Lesson learned.
This one is a 17 ton unit. The 6-ton I had (visible in the background) worked fine for virtually everything I put through it so I didn't feel the need to go with a bigger unit. I, as everyone else, was concerned about ram speed (the Legacy XL has a 5.1gpm pump) which is why I went with the separate pump. I also thought about saving some bucks by buying a basic 3ph model, then adding the pump/tank/hoses/etc., but decided it wasn't worth it in the end.
I split maybe 1-1/2 cords so far. I run the tractor at a nice, purring ~1600 rpms. I like being able to lower the unit to the ground for the big logs, and raise it up to save the 'ol back. It does have auto return which I find I don't use all that much. It's quieter than the engine powered unit, mainly because I'm so far away from the motor now. I personally don't use the loader when splitting - I prefer to split at the pile and stack as I go so that's not an issue.
Net result is it's a pleasure to use, but because it's so fast the unit has a high cost-per-hour rate. That's ok, because this will truly last a lifetime or two, and I typically will split 3 or 4 days per year to make that year's supply of firewood.
Plus, it's super-cool (to me) to have yet another attachment I can run off my tractor.
Anyway, some action photos are attached.
I needed to replace my ~25 y.o. Sears 5hp, 6-ton splitter so decided to go with a 3 point PTO powered model to put on the Simplicity Legacy XL. I've been thinking about them for a while, but the only model I saw was a Timberwolf model. The DR model was not quite as much, but looked mighty nice. Turns out, the DR is sourced by Timberwolf! There are Timberwolf stamped parts on the unit, the instruction book has the same wording, even the model number of the DR is the TWDR-3. The Timberwolf is the TW-3. (I recently noticed red paint underneath the orange DR paint too) The only significant difference I see is the DR has a narrow wedge instead of a wide wedge. No 4-way wedge yet as DR had them for 179, which is a silly price.
I picked this up at a drop location to save $100 on shipping. The crate took almost the whole bed of the F-150.
The pump (a Prince 20gpm) is ridiculously heavy, and just fits within the PTO shield. Sadly, I thought this snugness would let me get away with no torque chain. First movement of the lever resulted in the pump making a pretzel out of the guard. Lesson learned.
This one is a 17 ton unit. The 6-ton I had (visible in the background) worked fine for virtually everything I put through it so I didn't feel the need to go with a bigger unit. I, as everyone else, was concerned about ram speed (the Legacy XL has a 5.1gpm pump) which is why I went with the separate pump. I also thought about saving some bucks by buying a basic 3ph model, then adding the pump/tank/hoses/etc., but decided it wasn't worth it in the end.
I split maybe 1-1/2 cords so far. I run the tractor at a nice, purring ~1600 rpms. I like being able to lower the unit to the ground for the big logs, and raise it up to save the 'ol back. It does have auto return which I find I don't use all that much. It's quieter than the engine powered unit, mainly because I'm so far away from the motor now. I personally don't use the loader when splitting - I prefer to split at the pile and stack as I go so that's not an issue.
Net result is it's a pleasure to use, but because it's so fast the unit has a high cost-per-hour rate. That's ok, because this will truly last a lifetime or two, and I typically will split 3 or 4 days per year to make that year's supply of firewood.
Plus, it's super-cool (to me) to have yet another attachment I can run off my tractor.
Anyway, some action photos are attached.
