Hi Boss,That shelf unit is a must do when you have time, I just don't see a better splitter out there for that price. Great honest review and we thank ya.
They have now made some improvements, the oil filter now has a compression fitting rather than a hose clamp. I think they got rid of the hose clamps on some or all of the fittings. It is now 2/23/2022. Check out the new ones at Home Depot. I'm with you, I don't like plastic parts and they could have protected the engine and gas tank better. They also could have protected the pump and oil filter. Great Review. 😃
If you use it vertically you won’t have to worry about the controls or oil filter and oil hose. Of course you explained you prefer using it horizontally. I used mine vertically when I was splitting large diameter rounds and heavy pieces. Just sayin... good stuff as always.
Boss, have to tried sitting on a 5 gallon bucket with the splitter vertical ? No bending over doing it that way. I move about 10 to 15 logs within reach and split all of them. Then stack, and start over
Have the same splitter it's been great I built a protector for the engine components. The operator side I feel doesn't need any protection since I can handle it.
Woo hoo!! This is a pleasant surprise!!! A vid from The Boss on a Thursday night! 👍 GREAT way to start the weekend! Looks like an AWESOME machine, great idea with the protective shelf! I'm with you on plastic....sucks in cold weather!
Hey boss man I am thinking hard about buying a splitter . Thank you for this update. I have a Champion generator and it works great. HAAAA it is Thursday and you posted a video. Made my day.
Boss of the Swamp on Thursday. KEWL. Thanks for the review, nice to get info from someone whose opinions can be valued and believed. You do good work our friend, God Bless and may he keep you....
You know I love your channel, and yours is an excellent review. For me wood is a necessity because I heat, cook and make hot water with it. We have no other means of doing this here by choice. Wood is plentiful and cheap here in Chile. The problem for me is my arthritic back and body. I am the same age as you are and saw the writing on the wall that I needed to up my wood splitting game. As a "YOUT" i used to split a lot of wood by hand. Not anymore. It is not possible. So I needed a good splitter that picked up the logs and I also wanted to have a splitting head that split on the push and on the pull since I do not like the wait for the reset. I had one that was tractor mounted when I was a kid on the farm. The head reset automatically and was slow but dangerous too. I spent a pretty Peso to have a splitter custom built here in Chile. I will not put a link here because that would not be polite. It splits both ways and has a log lifter too. The splitting table is waist height so I am not bending over at all. That little difference in height from hip to knee tears me up. Also I foresaw the problem that you had with your splitter and made a larger table to hold the wood while I was splitting and preventing drops of wood. This also lets me concentrate on splitting a hopper, or lift arm, full of wood while not having to worry about throwing the wood on the ground and pick it up again (using my back) later. So I have in inflow table and outflow table of sorts. The nice thing is that it is all on a tricycle wheel set up and is a little bigger than yours but equally easy to move. I did pay more for my splitter ($2,492) but it is really durable too and I had my Mennonite fabricator build it with the intention that I was going to try and break it. SO it is industrial strength. My grand kids will have this wood splitter to use for their whole lives with only likely a new engine if 20 years or so needed (i they take care of it). They do sell log splitters here in Chile but they all have similar short comings that will not work for me for the remaining years (or days) I have left in this world. Thank you so much for sharing your review. It looks like what you have is perfect for you. Sorry for being long winded but I like my splitter so much it is hard not to brag. Jim in Chile.
Hi boss I love my champion 27 ton splitter as soon as I saw your video on it I thought Yep that’s the one I’ve use mine a lot got it for 899 with a military discount thanks for the midweek video
No Doubt, You can make them mod's to safely keep things out of Harms way. Glad It's working well for Ya's. Have A Swell Weekend, Friends ! Scratch For Our Furry Friends Eh ! ATB T God Bless
I only split wood the first two years by hand. The conifers aren’t bad. The oak is another story.. LOL. Nothing like a good log splitter.... Glad it has worked out good for you. At a great price. Do you ever stand it up and split? Have a fantastic day Boss..!!
We decided to go with the 40 ton Red Rock from Princess Auto, not because we thought we needed all that power, or are compensating....We just liked the space behind the wheel to work, the Ariens you were almost standing on the wheel. It's big, it's heavy but it's stable and lots of room to work out the back.
Surprise, surprise.. early video this week,!! I hope that doesn't mean I don't get a video and coffee fix.. on Sunday ??? As for the wood splitter, that puppy cuts through wood, like butter..
Yes a shelf would safeguard the hoses, maybe a hinged type device? I’d also consider a portable platform / table level with splitter. Just thinking......
I had the 20 ton champion . It was a great machine. I split 200 cords with mine. Like you I threw a tarp over it but when I returned somebody stole it. Assholes,,, so now I am looking for another Champion.
Yes sir my son bought a few years ago and loves it. What a nice surprise a video from the Boss. Hugs to Frankie &Tildy. Blessings to you & Laurie. 😊🇺🇸.
I have the 34 ton Champion and I wish I had bought the 27 ton. The 34 ton is a bit of over kill for me, it's too heavy and hard to move. I think the 27 has a faster cycle time too.
I have a County line 25 ton from Tractor supply, it didn't come with any racks, I ordered 4 of them, and mounted them like on yours, then 2 more next to the other 2, it covers the engine, and the pump on other side, do have to set it in the vertical position to fill gas tank or mess with engine, but no problem, beats a log breaking something.
build a table right up flush with the yellow piece. with raised edges or some 2x2 on the edge. looks like im going to get the 27 ton. thanks for the review. happy splitting.
JC I have a plaid shirt just like yours. Same color and the sleeves worn out up to the elbow from splitting firewood on an old home made wood splitter with a 4 cylinder ford motor
I had a pc of wood fall down a put a big dent in my gas tank. I would also like to see the oil filter facing down and it should also be protected along with the pump and engine on the other side. I had Home Depot put it together and they put the two hyd. hoses on back wards. It would not retract, I had to turn the hoses around and then it ran the way it should. Home Depot did not care to contact me. Champion customer was very good to me. Thanks for the review.
The ram seems to move pretty quickly. It drives me crazy waiting for the ram to come back if it's really slow. The price isn't too bad either. Some splitters cost double what yours was and do exactly the same thing. Thanks for the run down Boss.
Quick review. Boss loves it. Many positives. Any Requested Negatives: 1. Left side- in horizontal position needs simple DIY (2-2" x 4" w 2" x 6" between ) shelf to protect hoses, etc. from falling slit logs. 2. Right Side: plastic levers for choke, throttle, and on/off. In sun & cold- will break. He'd replace plastic with metal & would have been happy to pay $50 for it.
We bought a supposed returned unit for $999 from Home Depot this summer. Within 45 minutes, the hydraulic fluid started spraying out. Reviews revealed this happens ALOT. We returned it and bought a County Line at Tractor Supply for $150 more. It seems more robust without hot hydraulic fluid spraying anyone.
Well you got a deal on it, but alot of the tools today are Chinese junk. I have a circular saw that my Grandpa Russ Sr., bought in the early 60's made in Booneville, MO., and it beats any 18v cordless circular saw I own or have used.
Most US companies are having products manufactured overseas. The "Chinese' produce what the American companies want them to produce. If it's crap, then the American companies are just as guilty. The sad truth behind it all.
Thank you for the honest review. One thing I noticed is that you have to pull back the hydraulic arm to bring the cylinder back. The craftsman cane back by itself. Do you miss that feature? Thank you.
Great review..after 35 years of splitting wood for my wood stove..a masdive heart attack dropped me like a big oak log...so now its time to get a splitter...chamion looks like what im gettin...thanx boss
Boss, You convinced me to go and buy the Champion 27 ton splitter. It is brand new and on the 3rd day I hit the kill switch to take a break and when I tried to pull the rope I could barely pull the cord to start it. It was like it had some kind of compression lock up. Just wondered if this has ever happened to you yet. Changed the oil on it after the first 3 or 4 hours and the oil was full when I checked it.
I've had no issues with mine whatsoever. I don't know much about engines but not being able to turn the engine sounds like one with no oil in it - but you checked that. I hope you find the issue and it's a simple fix.
At 59 I have decided to break down and buy a log splitter. After having used this splitter for a year now do you stand by the decision of it being a good investment. All Chinese kind of scares me.
Boss, I called Home depot to see if they had any black Friday sales on there Champion log splitters and the guy told me that they never go on sale ever. It seems I saw one of your vids where you said you got yours on sale for like $100 off. So the question I have is that true and did you get it at HD
Yes I do and still no issues. My concern about wood falling and damaging things was a legitimate one. A piece fell and dented my oil filter but no leaks thankfully. If you get one, make a shelf to protect the engine.
I had an issue with the hydraulic hose popping off the nipple fitting on the inlet of the fluid filter. Seems that the nipple fitting/hose clamp connections are a shortcoming. Ended up upgrading to Gates hose...we'll see.
Hey Boss, sometimes with my little 5-ton, a piece will split with a bang and launch forward out of the splitting wedge. Does this happen with this splitter?
I'm glad you did the review. I'm buying the 25 ton tomorrow (on sale for $899) but I have a problem.... SNOW! The roads are muddy and my truck isn't 4wd so I have to take my jeep which means I have to tow it 90 miles at 45mph. Its gonna take forever.😁
Older video, but a better strategy for managing large splits on these Champs is to rest one of the big pieces on the larger tray and manipulate the other piece on the smaller tray to re-split it first. Then tackle the one resting on the larger tray. A fault I find with mine is that neither tray is quite large enough.
What some people don't know is most Champion,Troy built, Swisher and many more splitters are using Honda engines. Same difference for Husqvarna and Poulan, many people think Poulan is French and made in Quebec Canada lol, not realizing its actually a Huskie..I'll be moving up to the 27 ton when my smaller champion dies , which will be never lol....Great vid as always....
There' another RU-vidr who shows you their shield made out of wood to protect the oil filter. I just made one of those today for my 27T Champion. I also went and installed an hour meter that I got off Amazon. It has a wire that you wrap around the spark plug wire 5x's and insert it into the meter. It tracks in 0.10 hr increments. I put it on to help monitor when I need to do the maintenance on it. Thank for the video.
Looks like a good piece of gear, maybe see if they have a 4x adapter for it. Got one for my Husky, of course it's made to use splitting horizontally only. Thats ok since there's only few times I need the splitter for huge rounds vertically. Does the Champion go vertical?
I have a 27 ton Champion splitter that I purchased 4 or 5 years ago. It's design is a little different than the one reviewed here but I have had a similar experience - starts without much complaint and splits without failure. If I have one complaint about the design of mine it's the placement of the wheels. The wheels are positioned right where you want to stand which results in you having to lean over while working with heavy logs. It's killer on the back and limits the amount I can accomplish in one day. Consequently, I try and recruit a second person so the leaning is reduced. Overall, a great tool.
I guess some viewers have a short memory. I remember you saying last Sunday you would probably do the splitter review mid week. About 8 yrs ago, I bought a Champion 22 ton splitter and it worked well every year. I left it with my son when I sold my cabin 2 yrs ago. Mine had metal levers though so it looks like they cut some corners since then. I paid 999 Canadian then, so you got a good deal and 5 ton more splitting value. I used to save those huge pieces until the end so I could split vertical into chunks I could handle horizonal. I built a wooden cover over the work area and a box over the engine for weather protection. Mine didn't have the extra side shelves but yes, you need a shelf over that filter and hose area for sure. Thanks for the review.
I have also noticed that other log splitters have coiled wire that goes around the hoses to protect them. Your right about the oil filter and the other side. I also dented my gas tank, not happy about that. I don't like plastic either. I picked my 27 ton Champion splitter at my local Home Depot, in Allison Park, Pa. and guess what they did. They connected up the two main hoses wrong. The cylinder would not go back. I called Champion customer service and told me how to change them around. I also was told that this would come with 5 gals. of Hyd. oil, they only put in 4 1/2 gals. and they keep the rest. So far so good, and Champion CS people are great. A Big Shout out to Freddy R. for taking care of me. Thanks.
good info Boss ,, have plans to get a log splitter in near future ,not decided on gas or electric as yet,, have used both with no real pros or cons of either ,,property to be used on will have power but anywhere use and portability has a place also...I guess I'll have to flip a coin when the time comes....If you have any suggestions please toss them out this way....
The Boss in the middle of the week? Is it my birthday? No. Is it the Boss's birthday? Don't believe so. Is is that pesky little bears bitthday? Haven't a clue. Does it even matter? No it does not. Thank you Boss for this little surprise. VERY much appreciated. Cheers!
You reviewed that splitter like a champion, Boss. (Sorry but I couldn’t resist. LOL! Nice to see a mid week posting from you, thanks, a real nice review. To bad I’m not nearby, a little simple fabrication and we’d have that unit much safer for you to use.
A video not on Sunday. Wow. I’m not in need of a log splitter, but I liked the review anyway. I’ll listen to and watch anything you put up. Who knows what might come up in the future, might need a splitter and I’ll remember this video.
Boss I put a 12 foot ladder with 2 planks attached on saw horses and I fill up the planks with the wood and slide them down to the splitter, it will protect the engine if put along the side
