Unpacking the splitter would have been a bit easier had the ram assembly not come pre-attached to the support rail. With these two items pre-assembled, it requires not less that three adults (preferably four adults) to extract the unit from the packing crate. With the two items separated, each item can be easily lifted out of the shipping crate by two adults and then reassembled in under a minute. In spite of the issues encountered in unpacking it from the shipping crate, the splitter was surprisingly simple to assemble and assembly itself took less than an hour. It should be noted, however, that the unit came without any fluids pre-installed. This includes not only gasoline and hydraulic fluid (both of which are to be expected) but also motor oil for the engine! Once assembled and serviced with fluids, the splitter started on the first pull and has never taken more than three pulls to start. I did have one hydraulic line that worked itself loose after about two cords of wood. However, that was easily resolved by simply re-tightening the connection. Overall, this is an outstanding machine that runs quickly and smoothly with some of the hardest oak that I have ever encountered. I would highly recommend this unit to anyone splitting considerably volumes of hardwood for personal use.

I sold my 27ton splitter that I had for 17 years and upgraded to this 32ton machine. What a beast and the cycle time is 1/2 of what my old one was. It came quickly when ordered, however there was minor damage to the engine. The customer service rep responded quickly and I’m awaiting a replacement part as I write this. I bought it on sale(saving$200), but most of my savings disappeared when I was charged $149 to have it shipped to the store. I’ve never heard of that before, but it is what it is. You have to order from in the store otherwise it’ll cost you $199. Since ordering mine, the price online has gone back up $200 to the regular price. So I guess I saved some money regardless. Assembly was easy, (it just has some heavy parts), but keep in mind no oil comes with it. You’ll need hydraulic oil and engine oil.

Works as well as the reviews stated. It is a beast. Unless you are a bodybuilder you will need help putting this together.

Assembly simple, parts very heavy. Works great! Make sure you pick up engine oil and 10 gallons of hydraulic fluid! Order aw68 as recommended as stock in stores usually limited to 5 gallons.