Champion Power Equipment 7-Ton Compact Horizontal Gas Log Splitter with Auto Return

I just want to start by saying what a great machine. Starts on every pull.Every piece of wood I split, split with ease. Slight hesitation on some really really hard crooked wood. But it split it.Did have a delivery problem. The box look like it got poked with a forklift. Small dent on the gas tank. But Amazon made it right. They gave me a small discount refund.I can move it around the yard with ease. The hard wheels roll over everything. I do recommend putting something under the front of the splitter. The hydraulic fluid will leak out of the front of the rail due to pressure.As far as safety I haven't had a problem with it. So far as safety I have all my fingers and haven't bled once.I did get burned on the exhaust. But that was my fault. Exhaust clearly says do not put your hand on it. Well I didn't read that until it was too late. At the time it seemed like a good place to put your hand.I could run well over an hour on one tank of gas. And one cool thing about the gas tank is it has a level indicator, how much gas is in it.I would recommend this over some of the bigger ones. Because it moves very easily and you can store it pretty much anywhere. It's less than the size of one of my granddaughters electric cars.Buy it from Amazon because they offer free shipping for prime members. And they were very gracious when I had the delivery problem with the holes in the box and a dent on the tank. Amazon was great thank you

Based on the reviews, I decided to take a chance and buy the Champion 7 ton wood splitter. The delivery was a little delayed but it was delivered for free. This is my first owned wood splitter. I have used others in the past and in comparison this is a compact splitter. It came boxed up in several parts as you can see by the photo. The instructions are not precise but all bolts were in their own packaging and only fit in predrilled holes. I managed to assemble the splitter with myself and my helper Laci (shown in picture). :) in about 1.5 hours. Added gas, oil and hydraulic fluid. Slid the choke over and gave it 2 pulls and it fired right up. I started with maybe a 12" round log and I got no where :( . So I looked and read more and rechecked the hydraulic fluid and it was not registering on the dip stick. I added more fluid. It held almost 2 gallons of hydraulic fluid. On my second attempt the very first pull it fired right up. I went from 6 inch oak to about 18 inch in diameter and it sliced right through them all. I even put some knotted pieces on there and it busted right through.The only drawbacks I have would be no towing capability and like one other reviewer noted, the ram doesn't go far enough to split all the way through the piece of wood. That's another reason to read the reviews. I learned from his review to stick a small 2x4 block behind the wood so it would split all the way through. These are not big issues for me. I am not splitting enough wood that I need to tow it to the site. It is rather compact so it probably wouldn't tow that well behind a truck. But on the other hand it can easily be put in the back of a truck or trailer. I started and stopped it several times and it started on the first pull every time. The next thing I know I looked around and wow, I had a good stack of wood in about 30 minutes. Over all, I am satisfied with the Champion 7 ton wood splitter. If you are just splitting a few cords this is the machine to get it done.2 years later , still loving the champion. Working great . No issues with it. I have slit some 16 in. Logs I know weighing over 80 pounds because I weighed them.It has my recommendation3 years later, still running like a champ. Starts on the first pull. I cut about 2 cords a year. I have put some huge logs on this splitter. The trick to the large logs is to chip away at them until you get them split . But if you just splitting for your home 2 ft. In diameter should be a breeze.

I waited a few weeks to write this because I wanted to have adequate time on the unit. So far I have put 10 hours on the Champion 7-Ton Gas powered log splitter and made sure we were past the engine break-in time. For Background, I run about 5 cords a year through my wood appliance at home and for 4 years have either been renting a 40-ton from the Hardware store or borrowing a neighbor's 20-ton Huskee. I have used several 7 and 9 ton electric splitters as well. I purchased this unit after reading nearly every review on Amazon and on the Champion Website.Assembly: The Box took 2 people to move, but was delivered without any damage. Assembly was super easy - maybe 1 hour. Out of the box, several cotter pins on the lever were damaged on the unit, but those are a few cents at the hardware store. Instructions were detailed and minimal tools needed. Many reviews referenced problems filling hydraulic fluid - folks need to understand that is the total system capacity and not the tank capacity, so there is a bleeding process to go through to fill to the full amount. The hardest part was installing the suction hose; space constraints and the reinforcement in the hose itself made it challenging to install but we muscled it on and tightened the clamp. Engine came to life easily and assembly was complete.Operation: Unit starts easily. Compared to other log splitters, this little 98cc engine is more cold-blooded. After start, it need a minute or two to move the throttle lever to 'full run'. You need to listen to the engine and slowly move the lever once it warms up and sounds like it is running rich. This is common on small engines, but more noticeable on this unit compared to other log splitters I have used. Just understand that it may need more time to warm up before use.The power of the unit shocked me. I have used 7 and 9 ton electric units, and this 7-ton gas unit far outperforms anything electric. The manual says 50 pound max but let me assure you, I have loaded much, MUCH heavier pieces. Really anything the 20-ton Huskee could do, this unit can do. When doing 100-pound green elm and hackberry crotch pieces, we just attack them like we would with a maul; start on the sides, work your way in. It handled oak crotch pieces and even a few complex hardened ash joints as well. Many reviews referenced leaking relief valve. I noticed this as well. Upon investigating, we found the issue went away by ensuring the unit was perfectly level. Any up or down angle and it leaked and the instruction warn of this as well. Compared to larger log splitters we have been using, this unit is more sensitive to being level for proper operation.The unit is extremely fuel efficient. The most annoying thing about renting large splitters is having to fill up the tank just as I get in a groove. This unit will work for 45 minutes and gas will still be high up in the tank! Again, a factor of the small engine.Ergonomics: This is where I would give it a 4/5. Being low to the ground means we are hunched over most of the time. It is nice to be able to split heavier pieces lower to the ground, but we feel it in our lower backs after a good splitting session. The ram is comparatively slower compared to larger units we rent, so more time hunched over operating the lever. The unit is light, easy to wheel around. Not instead of moving my logs to a splitting area, I just wheel the splitter around to the log areas. Two people can easily lift it into a truck or van and the solid tires are well constructed.Upgrade: The 4th picture is an aftermarket engine monitor we installed to measure RPM and tach time. To stick to maintenance schedules, I recommend this be purchased and installed. This unit was $12 and installed in 5 minutes.Conclusion: This was a great buy! I am giving it 5-stars even though it has some quirks. It's a 7-ton log splitter and behaves like a 7-ton log splitter. Amazing power for it's size and it outperforms comparable 7 or 9 ton electric units. It's light enough to move freely with one person and has been able to handle everything I haven thrown at it. Being a smaller unit, just pay attention to ensuring it is leveled correctly before use and listen to the engine as it goes through the warm-up process before moving right away to 'run'. This unit is more 'cold blooded' than larger splitters. It's small enough it can just wheel into the garage when done and is super mobile around the property. I would absolutely buy this unit again!

Decent little machine that does what it's supposed to do. It has limitations compared to a 20 or 40 ton unit but taking that into consideration it works very well. With this unit big rounds of wood take multiple splits to break the rounds down but this splitter will get the job done.