Best Log Splitters for 2026: Gas Splitters From 8 to 37 Tons, Matched to Your Wood

Log splitters are sold by one number - tons - and that number is the least useful thing on the box once you are past about 20. The things that decide whether a splitter is pleasant or miserable are how long each stroke takes, how long a log the beam will take, whether you have to lift every round onto it, and whether you can move the thing to the woodpile rather than the other way around. Every spec below is from Champion's own product pages or the Amazon listing, checked in late September 2026.

The Short Version

Champion figures are from Champion's spec pages; Landworks and Full Boar figures are from their Amazon listings. A dash means the source does not state it, and we would rather leave the cell empty than guess.

How Much Tonnage Do You Actually Need?

Champion's own buying guide boils the decision down to three questions, and they are the right three:

• What is the hardest wood you will split? Size the machine to the toughest species in your pile, not the average one.
• Is it green or seasoned? Champion notes that freshly cut green wood takes more tonnage to split than dry wood, which gets more brittle as it loses moisture.
• How big are the rounds - now and later? Champion's advice is to buy for the diameter you might split in a few years, not just this winter's pile.

Champion's own tonnage chart is an image we cannot quote reliably, so here is our read, not a spec: if you split mostly seasoned, stove-length wood from trees you cut yourself, the 20-to-27-ton class is a reasonable place to start. If you buy log-length loads of green hardwood, or you are cleaning up big storm-down trunks, the extra headroom of the 33-to-37-ton machines is what Champion's green-wood and future-diameter advice points toward. And if your honest answer is "a face cord of dry pine," you are in electric splitter or even kindling splitter territory.

Tonnage Is Not Speed

This is the spec that is easiest to overlook. Cycle time is how long the ram takes to push out and come back, and it is what sets your pace through a cord. Champion's own catalog makes the point for us: it includes three 27-ton splitters, and two of them cycle in 11 seconds while the 201312 we recommend cycles in 16. Same tonnage, very different pace.

So why is the 201312 our pick? Because it is the one Champion 27-ton we could find on Amazon with an Add to Cart button, and because, in our view, a 16-second cycle is rarely what slows down a home woodpile - lifting and stacking are. If you are processing firewood to sell, shop Champion's 11-second 27-ton models (100424 and 201518) at a dealer instead.

The Landworks 20-ton's listed 7.5-second cycle is the quickest on this page. That pairing makes sense for its size: less force, a quicker stroke, for wood that does not need 27 tons.

The Picks

Champion 27-Ton (201312): Our Top Pick

Per Champion: a 224cc engine, 27 tons of ram force, a 16-second cycle, and a 4.8-inch cylinder fed by a two-stage pump rated at 14 gallons per minute. It takes logs up to 24 inches long, has log cradles and log catchers, and an auto-return valve that Champion says handles over 220 cycles per hour. The beam converts from horizontal to vertical, which Champion says lets you handle large, heavy logs - instead of lifting a heavy round onto the beam, you split it standing.

For moving it, Champion rates it towable up to 45 mph with an extended tongue, a 2-inch ball coupler, and 16-inch tires. It weighs 465 pounds and carries a 2-year limited warranty with lifetime tech support per Champion. The Amazon offer is from a third-party seller rather than Amazon itself, so check the seller and freight terms before you buy.

Champion 8-Ton Compact (201466): For a Small Pile and a Short Walk

This is a different animal: a 79cc engine, 8 tons, a 20-second cycle, horizontal only, and a 19-inch maximum log length per Champion. It is not towable, but at 143 pounds and 53 inches long it rolls around a yard and fits in a shed. Champion rates it for logs up to 50 pounds, so think split-sized rounds of seasoned wood rather than fresh trunk sections. It is the one splitter on this page sold and shipped by Amazon directly, and it carries the same 2-year Champion warranty.

The Champion 8-ton was out of stock on Amazon when we checked in October 2026. For the same small-pile job, the BILT HARD 6.5-ton splits logs up to 20.5 inches long and 9.8 inches in diameter, rolls on 5.7-inch wheels, and stores upright, per the listing.

Who is it for? Someone who burns a few cords a year, cuts their own wood to stove length, and does not want an electric cord running across the yard. If you have an outdoor outlet near the pile, compare it with the electric models first.

Landworks 20-Ton: The Lightweight Gas Option

Per its listing: a 7 HP engine with a two-stage Bucher gear pump, 20 tons, logs up to 20 inches long and 16 inches in diameter, a 7.5-second cycle, and 130 pounds all-in on 10-inch transport wheels. That weight is the story - it is lighter than Champion's 8-ton. It is horizontal only and sized for wheeling around a property, not towing down a road. It ships from Amazon but is sold by a third-party seller.

Full Boar 33-Ton: More Tonnage, Sold by Amazon

The listing gives 33 tons from a 223cc OHV engine, a 14.3-second cycle, an H-beam frame, an auto-return valve with adjustable detent, and a hydraulic oil filter mounted inside the reservoir, where the listing says falling logs cannot damage it. The listing names YARDMAX as the manufacturer. The listing does not say whether the beam goes vertical or give a maximum log length, so we have not claimed either. Its advantage is simple: more tonnage than the Champion 27, sold by Amazon itself.

Champion 37-Ton (201314): For Big, Green Rounds

Per Champion: a 338cc engine, 37 tons, a 5-inch cylinder, a 17 GPM pump, the same 16-second cycle and 24-inch log length as the 27-ton, and the same horizontal/vertical beam and 45 mph towing rating. It weighs 542 pounds. This is the splitter for people who buy log-length loads of green hardwood or clean up after storms. On Amazon it is sold by Northern Tool + Equipment.

Gas or Electric?

The electric splitters we cover are in the 6.5-ton class - far below these machines - but they need no gasoline or engine oil. If your wood is seasoned, stove-length, and within reach of an outlet, electric is the sensible buy. Gas earns its keep when the wood is green, big, or far from the house, or when you want to tow the splitter to the pile.

What Goes With It

Split wood is only half the job. It needs to dry: a firewood moisture meter tells you when it is ready, and a firewood rack keeps it off the ground while it gets there. The saw that feeds the splitter is covered in our Stihl lineup guide and our Husqvarna Rancher comparison. If you plan to tow one, check your vehicle's towing rating against the splitter's weight.

Common Questions

What size log splitter do I need?

Champion's buying guide sizes it by three things: the hardest wood you will split, whether it is green or seasoned, and the largest diameter you expect to handle now and later. Green wood takes more tonnage than seasoned, per Champion. In our view, seasoned stove-length wood is where the 20-to-27-ton class fits, and green hardwood or big rounds are the case for 33 to 37 tons.

Is a 27-ton log splitter enough?

In our view, for most home firewood, yes. The bigger practical differences between 27-ton machines are cycle time and whether the beam goes vertical - Champion sells 27-ton models with 11-second and 16-second cycles.

What is a good cycle time for a log splitter?

Among the splitters on this page, listed cycle times run from 7.5 seconds (Landworks 20-ton, per its listing) to 20 seconds (Champion 8-ton, per Champion). Faster cycles matter most when you are splitting a lot of wood in one session.

Can you tow a log splitter on the road?

Some are built for it. Champion rates its 27-ton 201312 and 37-ton 201314 as towable up to 45 mph with a 2-inch ball coupler. The Champion 8-ton is not towable, and the Landworks 20-ton rides on transport wheels meant for moving it around a property.

Is a vertical log splitter worth it?

If you split rounds too heavy to lift comfortably, yes. Champion lists a 100-pound maximum log weight for its 27-ton and says the vertical position lets you handle large, heavy logs - you split them standing rather than lifting them onto the beam.

Splitting by hand instead? See our splitting maul and axe guide.