NorthStar Horizontal/Vertical Log Wood Splitter - 37-Ton, 270cc Honda GX270 Engine

This is a very heavy duty log splitter with high quality throughout.The Honda engine is a perfect companion to this splitter. It takes the biggest, gnarliest logs in stride.Assembly instructions are excellent and very clear. Northern Tool has very good tech support (one castle nut was defective and I received a new one in two days after phoning) and expert advice is available with very short wait times (under two minutes in my case).NOTE: This splitter weighs 525 lbs. The shipping weight is over 600 lbs. It comes on a single pallet and requires assembly. The shipper drops it at your address from a full size semi truck with a lift gate: No forklift.It is your responsibility to get it from curbside to where you want it.Assembly requires two strong persons due to the weight of the various components. Do not attempt to handle this beast by yourself. Once it is assembled it is easy to move around and very simple to use, but the assembly itself can be dangerous due to the weights and the awkward shapes involved.

This is a story with two chapters: the assembly and then the operation of the log splitter.The assembly was incredibly difficult. There was the physical part of lifting and moving the very heavy ram about to get it to center into the mounting. It was nearly too much for myself and my wife. But the more difficult job was getting NorthStar to provide all the correct parts for the model I ordered. There were nuts and bolts missing for three different assembly steps: both fenders, the face plate for the valve, and one of the structural nuts for holding the thing together was missing. About $30 later and I had bought those missing parts.The manual is written very poorly. They change the names of the parts from the diagram to the assembly description. There are no sizes called out for the nuts-n-bolts so you just sort of figure out which is the right size based on the pictures. There are several critical illustrations missing like one for the throttle controller mounting and for the hoses passing around the cylinder. Likely the worst set of instructions I've seen made-in-USA.Then I got to the step where you put the hoses onto the valve and hydraulic oil tank. They had shipped hoses for a smaller, less powerful unit, and thankfully they didn't fit. I emailed customer service but didn't hear anything back so I called service and they "overnighted" the parts, the order got placed five days later, and arrived nine days later. It was then I found out whomever put the wrong hose in the box, and hadn't put in a bunch of screws, also didn't put in the correct sized hose clamps. Another call, another ten days waiting for the "overnight" parts.I called customer service three times across the month I was working on the splitter, the phone was answered quickly, the technicians knew what they were doing, and were US based.You will be required to supply two gallons of hydraulic oil which was about $200 locally.Chapter two: the operation of the log splitter has been just super. After an initial few logs my wife and I got into a routine and can load, split, and stack a log in about 20 seconds. The motor starts the first pull on choke every time. It's a bit loud so we wear hearing protection along with steel toed boots and work gloves.I have cut 9 cords of red oat with the log splitter and it was capable of splitting the larger 20' diameter logs with just a bit of a pause. With most logs you do not have to make a full stroke of the piston, the log cracks and splits open after about 8" of motion and you can just start retracting after that point.The two steel pieces on either side of where the wood sit form a table that is a nice feature in that you have room to catch and spin a log around for a second stroke of the piston. The assembly that pops off a stuck log is a nice touch too. Most of the logs come off with easy, this just assists popping off those that want to stick.Hopefully not many people have to go through what I suffered in assembling my unit and you can get right to the joyful operation of this beast of a log splitter.

Excellent product, way more power than any rental unit I’ve ever used. Honda engine is a dream, starts incredibly easy. In the vertical position it can easily split huge 30”+ rounds. The log stripper is awesome for the rare occasion that a log gets stuck on the wedge. The wheeled jack stand is a great improvement that makes moving the machine around very easy, especially if you work by yourself. All the pins in the outriggers are self-contained so you don’t have to ever worry about losing them. Pulls easily. Overall I would definitely recommend this splitter.

Great engine and the log stripper is a nice addition. Unfortunately there are several fatal flaws with design. One is how the valve and handle assembly attaches (you can find YouTube about that problem). Another is the collar that holds the hydraulic cylinder to the I-beam. In the picture you can see how the collar has been deformed from pressure. This was after less than 80 hours of operation.

A product is only as good as it's weakest link and in my opinion is Northern tool.Ram shaft seals went bad (not worn, but disintegrated from poor material), when I called Northern Tool Corporate, I was told they do not carry seal that I need to buy a cylinder at $400. Corporate tech told me they tried to remove head and could not do it, they don't carry the parts. Took me 5minitues to remove head once exposed. So no support of a $20 seal kit buy a$400 cylinder.None of the 5" bore kits on internet fit their 3ton ram.

First, I have to say this machine is seriously well built with all solid plate steel construction and full welds. The instructions are difficult to follow and I feel some tasks would be easier if done in a different order but two people assembled it in less than 2 hours. Be sure to lay out all the nuts and bolts. I found some hiding in fittings and it made everything more clear when they were discovered. The hose clamps need to be bigger and stronger but that is a minor detail. I am also concerned about the oil filter using the painted surface to seal against the gasket but it isn't leaking yet.First day out and performance is about on par with the 34 ton competitor's model for roughly the same price. What I like is this has a Honda engine that I know will start with one pull every time. The unit it replaced used a Briggs & Stratton that was not so easy at times. The competition also used some sheet metal pieces in the log tray area that bent easily. The log tray on this machine looks strong enough to handle a dump truck sitting on it without bending.Customer service is great as well. I had a fitment issue and one call gave me hope that it just needed a light sanding to smooth out some minor scratches. They also assured me that they would send a replacement part right away even if it was very large and heavy.Overall, I am extremely happy.