How many of ya have one of these Northstar 37 ton units from Northern Tool? Just wondering what longevity is like.. Anything worn out? I would like to get back into cutting wood, and am looking at one of these units..
I've got one and am very happy with it. It's just 1 year old now but haven't had any problems. Honda engine still starts easy every time. The auto idle down makes it easy on gas and your ears. It is heavy though. I use my SXS to move it around when necessary. It'll split anything you can throw at it. For assembly you'll either need a hoist or someone to help. Or, some redneck engineering!
I can't comment on that particular unit, but I have had my Northstar 32 ton for about 5 years now and have not had any trouble with it. It is very well constructed, heavy and made in the US other than the Honda GX270... Good luck with whatever you decide!
If you aren't in a hurry they put that splitter on sale about 4 times a year. Sometimes it's $200 off and other times just $100
I noodle everything. My back is way to torn up to pick up something that would require a log lift. If its a big round, dont have a measurement for reference but if its a biggen, i slicer up.
Don't know how I ever split vertical with no log lift. Just upgraded to a new machine with a log lift, best thing I ever did. It wasn't this brand but I did consider one of these.
When I was shopping I also saw this. If I remember correctly it was $200 off but was only offered for a couple weeks then it went away and back to their regular price. With summer coming I wouldn't be surprised if that popped up again. Good luck and happy shopping.
LinkedXJ I bought that exact one on black Friday sale back in 2011. 270cc honda engine, 4-way attachment for the wedge. It has a 5" cylinder with a 16gpm pump. I opted for the use of (if I remember correctly) dexron transmission fluid in case I used it in cold weather which I never have anyway. About 90 bucks for the tranny fluid. The use of that tranny fluid does not affect the warranty period of 2 years at all as I had called to verify it. The store said allow around 4 hours for assembly and get help for lifting; so on and so forth. 99 lbs helped unload it from the bed of the truck. I assembled it in 2 1/2 hours without any help; you can do it yourself-just work smart. I had no lifts or hoists or anything lie that. Just some good old Yooper power! It has always started and the one time I pulled the start rope 6 times, I figured I better look as to why it took that many pulls.....yup, I had the gas tank shut off for winter storage! I only use corn free gas in it. You will enjoy that splitter. Too bad you aren't close as I am considering selling it.
I got the 30 ton in 2018. So far it has been a good unit and I really like the idle down feature. If it has gas it always starts in a couple pulls.
I bought the 37 ton splitter a year ago. So far, I've had no issues other than the store assembling it wrong and having to fix their mess. It was the only one they had or I would have put it together myself. The unit does everything I need it to do for a farm owner. I love the auto idle down feature and was one of the main selling points as well as having a Honda engine. It does have many Chinese parts on it so don't expect American made. If looking for American made, I would look no farther than an Eastonmade wood spliiter. They are pure quality but you pay for it. The Northstars aren't cheap when compared to the Tractor Supply models.
I picked up the wings for the 4 way directly from northern tool the other day, got to try them out yesterday.. Wow do they cause things to slow down a bunch! I ended up removing the wings after about 20 minutes. I'll keep them and reinstall them if im splitting a bunch of stuff that is just right in size where a 4 way would split the log once. With my milwaukee impact, i can install or remove the wings in just a few minutes. No big deal.
If you are a somewhat handy fabricator or know someone that has some skills, here is an example (not mine) of a log lift that uses the cylinder itself: In the video it looks like he is welding on galvanized pipe, understand galvanizing produces TOXIC gasses. Otherwise it is the first example I ran across when I googled cable operated log lifts to show you an inexpensive option. Hope it helps.
