Not to carry water for Northern Tool, but I am very satisfied with the splitter I bought from them. Check out this link http://www.northerntool.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_6970_200316905_200316905
This is the same design I bought locally, but with a Honda 5.5. I like the wedge design. It's not as wide as some and seems to enter the rounds easier. I also like the way the wedge is mounted to a plate that rides on (around) the I-beam. The channels that the wedge rides in on some designs just seem to clog up with debris. The log cradle is also a very nice feature when splitting horizontally. The automatic throttle control increases power as you split and the automatic return is a time saver. Cycle time is good.
The only drawback I can see with any of these splitters is in transporting them. I have towed mine a couple of times and although it is designed with that in mind, I'm not too sure. It seems to spend more time bouncing and flying just above the road behind my truck than actually rolling along. I just keep thinking that eventually something has to crack or bounce off. Since the wheels are attached to (incorporated in) the hydraulic tank on mine, I can see the tank cracking at that mounting point. Unfortunately, all the splitters I looked at shared this problem.
Just my .02, hope it helps.
This is the same design I bought locally, but with a Honda 5.5. I like the wedge design. It's not as wide as some and seems to enter the rounds easier. I also like the way the wedge is mounted to a plate that rides on (around) the I-beam. The channels that the wedge rides in on some designs just seem to clog up with debris. The log cradle is also a very nice feature when splitting horizontally. The automatic throttle control increases power as you split and the automatic return is a time saver. Cycle time is good.
The only drawback I can see with any of these splitters is in transporting them. I have towed mine a couple of times and although it is designed with that in mind, I'm not too sure. It seems to spend more time bouncing and flying just above the road behind my truck than actually rolling along. I just keep thinking that eventually something has to crack or bounce off. Since the wheels are attached to (incorporated in) the hydraulic tank on mine, I can see the tank cracking at that mounting point. Unfortunately, all the splitters I looked at shared this problem.
Just my .02, hope it helps.