Ruggedmade wood splitter. Beware, poor quality. Not so rugged.

[4570Man]

So first off this machine cost half what a comparable timber wolf would cost so I have refrained from hating on them until now. Upon opening the box I noticed it was a low quality pump that’s like $100 on Amazon. And the valves sucked. I was willing to look past that. Next within an hour use I realized the provided 4 way wedge was utterly useless. This wouldn’t have cost another $5 to make better, but what was I going to do at this point so I had a better one made and didn’t complain. Then the beam flanges bent. I did contact them this time and they said it was due to misuse. It was in warranty at that point and that’s complete bs. Redesigning the push plate would have likely prevented this at marginal cost. Anyway with no assistance from them I straightened the beam and welded some 3x3x3/8 angle iron under the sides for reinforcements. This wouldn’t have cost them very much at the time of original construction. Anyway I still refrained from hating on them at that point because I didn’t pay for a TW. Then their cheap pump failed and I have to give credit where credit is due. They sent a new and better one for free. Next the Crome plaiting on the cylinder is garbage. You have to be careful not to drop wood on it or it’ll scar it. Next at this point I finally decided to post this review the wedge broke off of it. It’s out of warranty at this point so I didn’t really have high hopes at this point but I thought the right thing to do would be for them to offer to pay half the bill for a fab shop to fix it. They again claimed abuse and offered nothing. I fixed it myself so anyway it’s done. And like most splitters this is a far cry from the rating of 37 tons. And I haven’t adjusted the pressure relief. It’s still at factory settings.

 

[oosik]

So you paid half - you got half. Some times half isn't quite enough to make a descent splitter. Sometimes half is just a PITA.

However - it's good to know what half will get us.

 

[4570Man]

So you paid half - you got half. Some times half isn't quite enough to make a descent splitter. Sometimes half is just a PITA.

However - it's good to know what half will get us.

I’m aware of that part which is why I’ve waited a year and a half to bash them. But at any cost this tool isn’t a useable piece without quite a few repairs. On top of that their warranty sucks. If you bend anything they’ll claim abuse and not take care of it. And the part that gets to me the worst is they could have spent another $200 and made this a much better piece. Then you’d still be nearly half the price of a TW and 90 percent as good.

 

[Sawyer Rob]

So you paid half - you got half. Some times half isn't quite enough to make a descent splitter. Sometimes half is just a PITA.

However - it's good to know what half will get us.

I agree with you...

I bought the TW and got the whole package not half... lol AND after using it, now for several years, I long ago quit worrying about what it cost. I got what I paid for and while the cheapo guys are still crying and fixing, my splitter works PERFECTLY EVERY time we use it...

It's one of my best buys!

SR

 

[4570Man]

I agree with you...

I bought the TW and got the whole package not half... lol AND after using it, now for several years, I long ago quit worrying about what it cost. I got what I paid for and while the cheapo guys are still crying and fixing, my splitter works PERFECTLY EVERY time we use it...

It's one of my best buys!

SR

I agree with the logic and I usually do buy quality tools but the towable self powered TW is pushing 7k and at the time I didn’t have 7k to spend on a wood splitter and I needed a wood splitter. So that posed a slight problem. So in hindsight I’m not sure what the best course would have been.

 

[shooterdon]

Just curious, what was the price difference?

 

[aczlan]

Just curious, what was the price difference?

He said half and that the TW was $7000, so it was probably around $3500.

Aaron Z

 

[Jstpssng]

^^^
That's still a good chunk of change by my standards.

 

[4570Man]

He said half and that the TW was $7000, so it was probably around $3500.

Aaron Z

I think I paid 2700 plus shipping plus 15 gallons of hydraulic oil. It’s increased in price and currently is 3200.

 

[shooterdon]

WOW!!!

Hard to accept a splitter that is over $3000 is junk.

4570 Thank you posting the review.

I was considering getting a faster splitter with a fixed wedge to replace my 10+ year old DR. Thought that investing $2000 would get me a quality unit....need to rethink.