Customer Reviews for Champion Power Equipment 37 Ton 338cc Gas Powered Log Splitter with Vertical/Horizontal Operation and Auto Return

Works great. I read previous reviews that stated hydraulic hose issues and just checked mine thoroughly.

This Log Splitter Works Great! Started on first pull. I read a lot of reviews about several different log splitters in the 30+ ton range before making a decision. The Champion 34-Ton Log Splitter from Home Depot was in the top three, and for the price it was the best value, with many positive reviews, I decided to purchase it. When I picked it up, it was all assembled and ready to go. After reading the instruction manual, I checked all the connections and fluid levels then added fuel. I went through the start sequence, pulled the rope, and it started first pull. I let it warm up a bit then cycled the ram several times to remove air from the ram as outlined in the manual. The hydraulic oil site glass is great, after cycling the ram it showed it was low as per the manual said it would be, I added about a gallon and a half of oil to bring it back up to correct level. It restarted on first pull and I began putting large almond rounds on the cradle. This log splitter went right through them with ease, it works just as good as any log splitter I've rented. I wish I would have purchased one sooner. As other reviews have mentioned, it is front heavy, but that extra tongue weight helps with towing. I also noticed the bolt and nut to keep the coupler latched came off so I added a captive hitch pin on a 1/16 inch cable. I also added a tongue jack with swivel wheel to make moving it around much easier. I've included pics of the modifications. Over all I am very pleased with this log splitter. Thank you Home Depot and Champion for a great experience and product.

This is a GREAT log splitter... Took about an hour to assemble. Had really good instructions... Split several truckloads of wood last weekend and the splitter never hesitated. Very strong... Can't imagine needing anything larger. Highly recommend!

Solid log splitter, fairly easy to assemble, caution if you buy it pre-assembled! If you buy this PRE-ASSEMBLED make sure to tighten up all the hose clamps on the main (clear) hydraulic hose! Otherwise they may pop off during operation and spill hot hydraulic oil everywhere! It's solid, goes through hard and soft wood easily, has plenty of power and the engine starts right up. Nitpicks: the log table should be bigger and the engine is a house brand, not a brand-name engine. After the break-in period I'll switch to synthetic oil and hopefully that will keep it running smoothly, but no complaints so far. Did a ton of research before settling on this unit and for the price it's the best out there.

This 27 ton splitter is amazing, I burned out two wen electric splitters in one year, problem was I use wood to heat my home so they just could not keep up, the Champion 27 ton I bought from HD is just incredible, it has gone through every piece of wood ive throw at it, I highly recommend this splitter, piece a cake to assemble with a friend, real heavy and dangerous to do alone, directions very clear and packaged well.

This was a great product, although it would have been nice to have the tools with it needed to put it together.

Easy to use, split wood effortlessly. Great cycle time!

Bought already assembled. Was about a gallon low on hydraulic fluid. Topped off and splits even the biggest logs I could carry. Overall, the performance is quite impressive. And then started leaking a LOT at the control valve handle on the first day I started using it. Called for warranty service and they sent me a new valve. That took over a week to get. Put on the new one myself. It doesn't leak, but doesn't auto reverse consistently. I can live with it, but quite disappointed at the overall quality. For $1000 I shouldn't have to add a gallon of fluid nor should I have 2 control valves that don't work correctly.

Only had to adjust return pressure..quick and easy.

I bought this splitter two weeks ago, I had two large oaks cut down and asked for all the wood 20 inch in diameter and under, and I looked at it and said your not going to split all this by hand, so I look at various other splitters from different companies and decide on this splitter, this splitter is great, there hasn't been a piece of wood it wouldn't go through, knots burls, it goes through everything, granted I have only had it a couple of weeks but I have split about four cords of wood with about three left and works great, starts first or second pull, I love it, sure beats splitting with a maul and wedges, plus I signed up for a Home Depot Credit card and got a hundred dollars off when I received my statement.

I just bought this log splitter this past weekend and have run roughly 1 cord of wood thru it. So far I'm impressed with the features and operation of it. It has good power and has been unstoppable so far. I've borrowed less capable splitters and they did sometimes have trouble splitting larger pieces of wood. Nothing stops this splitter. I like that it has a 2 stage pump and can raise the pressure when the going gets tough; that's a good way to provide both speed and power. The auto return is also very handy. Now after I split a piece of wood, I can set the lever to retract the ram and walk away from the splitter while I get another piece of wood. I don't have to worry that the hydraulics will try to retract the ram past its stops. The engine is as easy to start as everyone else says so no problems there. I got mine preassembled from Home Depot but I'm sure I could assemble it myself (with a likely helper for the ram pieces because they look HEAVY). There are a bunch of little things that they also got right on this splitter. For example there is a small graphic of starting directions near the on/off switch. There is a fuel shut off AND a fuel bowl drain (good for draining the fuel when not in use). There is a sight glass for the hydraulic fluid. The ram cutting edge is oriented so that it tends to trap the wood being split onto the splitting beam. The engine air filter is reusable (you wash it and then reoil it). There is a small mesh screen to trap debris before it gets into the fuel tank. The gas cap is raised up so there is a lip that prevents the inevitable wood debris from falling into the tank when you fill up. Even the cotter pin that holds the valve control is kinda spring loaded (so you can undo it by hand and reuse it if ever necessary). I get the sense that whoever designed this product actually cares about how user friendly the product is and I appreciate that. Overall I'd say the price is good and the value is excellent. I don't see where they cut any corners on this machine and I hope it serves me well for years to come. I'd also give a shout out to Home Depot in Winchester VA who prepped this unit for me and helped my load it onto my truck (with a forklift).

Excellent machine. Only had two small problems. First was engine oil was too full and ran out filler. Second was a hydraulic leak at at pump output due to a missing O ring. After fixing those, machine worked flawlessly.

assembly was interesting since you had to lift the hydraulic unit up to put the large carriage bolt that attaches carriage and hydraulic unit properly. took several 2X4s to put the unit and carriage at the correct height. One other problem was with the motor oil containers. 1/2 way down the bottle it had 6oz and a line. no other markings on the bottle of oil. did that mean that at that point it is 6 oz of oil or does it mean that the whole bottle is 6 oz??? since it takes 1.2 quarts do you put both into the motor or only 1/2 of a can in...... other than that the unit works well. Bruce Cuyler

Fantastic! What else can I say. I strap it down with bungie cords to my utility cart and pull it through my woods with my lawn tractor. I works perfectly!

Very easy to assemble and easy to use. This splitter is a beast!

This is a monster! I picked it up fully assembled and ready to use. Checked all fluids, filled the tank with fuel and was up and running. Started right up, went through every round that I had, even the ones with really bad knots. For a home owner this log splitter was a little over board, but better to have the power and not need it than to need it and not have it. The hydraulic cylinder or ram has a very nice control to split the wood and auto return. The towing feature is nice, can move it to the wood piles all around the property.

Admittedly, this splitter seemed to be on-sale AND I had a 10% off coupon - so, compared even to used on Craigslist it has a serious value, dollar-for-dollar. AND, it seems to be a popular item b/c there were none in any HD in my home state (AL has 30) and only a couple in neighboring states (I had help from HD Customer Service in finding one). I felt it would be worth it and drove a couple of hours ... and found that it was fully assembled and on display (yay - the drive was worth not having to assemble it - the guys that helped me load it into my pickup were GREAT). I'm a mechanical engineer and really liked the heavy-duty construction. Then, well, life delayed me and it was 3 weeks before I even pulled the cable to try and start it ... WOW, first pull and it started right up!!! So, I spent yesterday, Saturday, afternoon splitting about 2 1/2 cords of 12 to 18" diameter, 18" long oak logs -see photo (cut down about 6 weeks ago). THIS THING IS A BEAST ... never missed a lick. Easy to use (lifting logs is the hard part - LOL). So far, I'm very, very pleased. I've got about 4 or 5 more cords to do over the next month or so. I did check out the mfr (CPE) a bit. They are for real. They seem to exclusively distribute around the U.S. through HD. That's a plus for us, since we are very happy with all our purchases from HD (we're doing a huge home remodel and bought new windows, new kitchen appliances, etc etc from HD b/c we got the best overall value). I did read other reviews (hoses leaking/spraying fluid, etc.). SOOO, I made sure every connection, every bolt, every hose clamp was absolutely tight. Again - no problems at all; in my book a home run!

This log splitter made easy work of two 24" diameter oaks I took down this Spring. I was able to split four cords in half a day with no issues. It's easy to move with an ATV or lawn tractor. Assembly was straight forward and can be done by one person except for lifting the splitter onto the wheel base. Excellent product.

A powerful little machine This 7-ton log splitter is a powerful machine. It starts easily and I haven't found a log that it can't split. I have split hard wood with knots and twists and the splitter powers through them. I am a homeowner who has a lot of trees that were felled and I wasn't sure if this splitter would be powerful enough for me. Boy was I wrong! This machine will split logs well beyond what you would think it can handle. I have split 20" dia logs 18" long without any problems. And Home Depot did a price match and I purchased it for just under $500.00. Champion - Great price, great machine and even better customer service! I am extremely please with Champion customer service. I email them on a Sunday with a question about the engine idle adjustment and got a response within 24 hours. They also email me with a follow-up wanting to know if I tried their recommendation, which were spot-on. In conclusion: Champion 7-ton log splitter is a little powerhouse of a machine and their customer service is great! If you are considering any of their products I would recommends that you buy it.

This splitter works great! Starts on first or second pull. Splits everything I have put in it. I wish it had a cradle over the engine though, I dented my gas tank with a log the second time I used it. Doesn’t hurt it’s performance though. Best splitter I could find for the money.

Great Splitter Has the power to get the job done. Very easy to put together but it dos take 2 people to assemble, about 30 minutes Very heavy parts. Started second pull,

Being 70 years old I needed a little help assembling but after completion and adding fluids the engine fired up on the second pull. The splitter has been operated horizontally and has performed great

I've only used the splitter twice so far but love it. Works so well and effortlessly. I wish I'd purchased it last year.

So far so good. Picked this up in late November and was splitting in early December. I've only split Poplar and Ash (which are my two favorites to split by hand) and has worked great. When I get to some harder woods I'll know for sure. Even so, what a time saver as opposed to doing it by hand. (My joints, hands, and back would give this splitter 5 stars for sure. Crate is heavy so be prepared. I lucked out as my timing to pick up at Home Depot coincided with a large truck and pallet jack I was using for work. It would be very tough getting it out of pick-up truck in my opinion. Just be careful if this is how you will transport the crate. Put it together alone, no problem there. Again be smart about it though. Some of the hoses are already attached so that was great! I haven't tested the 11 second speed precisely, but it's plenty fast enough with the wood I've split currently. I picked up motor oil and hydraulic oil ahead of time so I'd be ready. Very suprizenly the crate contained both oils in proper quantities! Not a waste since maintenance will require changing both (motor oil in just 5 hours of breakin). Good instruction manual. Nothing about the cotter pin on the hand controller lever in the manual so be aware when installing. It will be obvious once you take a close look. I noticed reviews that said the motor was loud. Can't disagree but you should be wearing hearing protection regardless, so no problem with engine noise level. Have changed the motor oil according to the manual periodicity. Fill and drain locations are well positioned. (You know how some locations can be on equipment!) Pulls easily behind my Garden Tractor, at least outside of the snow - but that's the Garden Tractor problem not the splitter. So until I get a melt, the splitting is on hold for now. I've used the splitter in both the horizontal and vertical position. Side wood catchers worked well in the horizontal position. I Just tested this functionality as I prefer to operate a splitter vertically. A couple negatives: Right Bumper reflector was not mounted squarely which may annoy some folks. Purely asthetics. Hitch seems a bit weak. It may be that I'm simply used to trailer hitches and this is typical on small pull behinds., but..... Overall: I like it a good deal thus far. Fair price. I would recommend this. For those of you used to splitting by hand, you may feel a bit guilty, but your body will thank you for getting one! Best $1000 I've spent in a long time with immediate rewards! If there were halfies I'd give it 4.5 stars.

Great splitter! The team at the Joplin Mo Home Depot had the splitter fully assembled and ready to go. The only prep I had to do was to swap out the plastic hydraulic transport plug for the vented steel one and add fuel. Started on the second pull and, after a break in period, I was splitting 20 inch oak with no problems. The work tables are a great help. The cycle time is impressive for a splitter of this capacity. This is my second piece of Champion power equipment. I purchased a duel fuel generator to take to South Texas for assisting with Hurricane clean up. I am very pleased with both.

Just bought this splitter and started using it. Works as promised, including some gnarly aged madrone rounds. The store product information promises "hydraulic oil included" and there is, but upon reading the owner's manual, you learn that an additional gallon (!) or so is required right away after a few cycles. I miss a securing pin when in the vertical position and wish this model also came with a Honda engine. Including thread tape for the filler plug and a funnel are nice touches. I also like the fuel cut-off switch to run the cylinder dry when shutting down

Easy assembly (about an hour) with obvious quality parts and design. I would have given it 5-stars, but the vent screw/pin is the only weak spot. Instructions tell you to open the vent "2-3 turns", but the screw falls out after about 3-turns. If the screw is loosened a couple of turns just to allow pressure relief, vibration will eventually make the screw fall out (I'm going to lose it eventually!). Overall, very pleased with the machine. I am splitting 16" and less fir rounds, pretty easily (10" max per specifications is conservative, but depends on type and age of wood, I guess). It binds and shuts the motor off if you hit a knot or exceed the 7-ton rating, but for the most part it is a very capable little log-splitter! First time log-splitter user, but it has exceeded my expectations. How relieving to rest the mauls (and me) for awhile!!

First one was seized from store. Couldn’t pull recoil rope at all. Had to drive an hour back to Home Depot to swap it out. Second one was put together missing some hardware. Had to source my own. Consider TSC for your splitter.

Great power. The splitter works super well for all the wood I’ve had to split