iDRY Vacuum Kilns

Sponsors:

2005 LT-40D SH

Started by Amax, June 04, 2013, 11:52:09 AM

Previous topic - Next topic

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Dave Shepard

Did it have the 51 CAT, or did they upgrade from a gas engine? Looks clean.
Wood-Mizer LT40HDD51-WR Wireless, Kubota L48, Honda Rincon 650, TJ208 G-S, and a 60"LogRite!

Magicman

Looks good.  I am seeing a toggle switch that has been added to the hydraulic pump housing??
Knothole Sawmill, LLC     '98 Wood-Mizer LT40SuperHydraulic   WM Million BF Club Member   WM Pro Sawyer Network

It's Weird being the Same Age as Old People

Never allow your "need" to make money to exceed your "desire" to provide quality service.....The Magicman

Nomad

     Looks really good!  I'm curious about that toggle switch too.
Buying a hammer doesn't make you a carpenter
WoodMizer LT50HDD51-WR
Lucas DSM23-19

Amax

Quote from: Magicman on June 16, 2013, 09:13:38 PM
Looks good.  I am seeing a toggle switch that has been added to the hydraulic pump housing??

He did tell me... I've forgotten.  Too much to see and learn first time through.  It was a bit of information overload.  Good news is I get to play with it again tomorrow as we're cutting the Tonewood (Red Spruce).
A man sooner or later discovers that he is the master-gardener of his soul, the director of his life.
James Allen

Every man dies. Not every man really lives.
William Wallace

Nomad

Quote from: Amax on June 17, 2013, 05:18:30 PM
Quote from: Magicman on June 16, 2013, 09:13:38 PM
Looks good.  I am seeing a toggle switch that has been added to the hydraulic pump housing??

He did tell me... I've forgotten.  Too much to see and learn first time through.  It was a bit of information overload.  Good news is I get to play with it again tomorrow as we're cutting the Tonewood (Red Spruce).

     Okay.  Well, fire up the mill (without a log on it!)  Close your eyes, stick your fingers in your ears, and flip the switch. :D  If the mill blows up, my real address is in Tahiti.
Buying a hammer doesn't make you a carpenter
WoodMizer LT50HDD51-WR
Lucas DSM23-19

scully

I would look at the set works ,I assume it has the older version does it work with no glitches ? Witch motor does it have ? If it is a Cat hopefully it has been maintained properly . have the mast rollers ever been replaced ? There is a schedual on those ! If you call WM ask what updates they had for this mill . Pull the breather ellament and see if it is packed with sawdust if so I would wonder how well maintinance was done . No doubt this has all the potential to be a great mill but establish a good estement of what it will cost to bring it back to 100% ! I would plan on a minimum of 1000$ I know this from my own  experiance and I got very lucky ! If you know your way around machine repair you can save a bunch by doing allot yourself . My 01 super is worth 26,000 plus acording to what I have seen ,and thats after a total refurb and service . I would base most of my evaluation on the engine ,thats just me ,I hope this helps .
I bleed orange  .

Magicman

I have added a couple of switches on mine.


 
My all time favorite and most used is the "Fast Forward".  LINK  I never have to touch the potentiometer to zip to the back of the sawmill for a measurement, etc.
Knothole Sawmill, LLC     '98 Wood-Mizer LT40SuperHydraulic   WM Million BF Club Member   WM Pro Sawyer Network

It's Weird being the Same Age as Old People

Never allow your "need" to make money to exceed your "desire" to provide quality service.....The Magicman

Bibbyman

Has it been repainted?  Looks like parts are orange that are black on our mill. I note pins that are plated on our mill look painted.
Wood-Mizer LT40HDE25 Super 25hp 3ph with Command Control and Accuset.
Sawing since '94

Amax

Quote from: Bibbyman on June 17, 2013, 10:36:03 PM
Has it been repainted?  Looks like parts are orange that are black on our mill. I note pins that are plated on our mill look painted.

Yes, some repainting has been done.
A man sooner or later discovers that he is the master-gardener of his soul, the director of his life.
James Allen

Every man dies. Not every man really lives.
William Wallace

Bibbyman

Quote from: Amax on June 18, 2013, 11:25:24 AM
Quote from: Bibbyman on June 17, 2013, 10:36:03 PM
Has it been repainted?  Looks like parts are orange that are black on our mill. I note pins that are plated on our mill look painted.

Yes, some repainting has been done.

I don't know if it changes the value, just something that looked different.
Wood-Mizer LT40HDE25 Super 25hp 3ph with Command Control and Accuset.
Sawing since '94

barbender

I thought it looked like it had been painted, too. That doesn't mean much, it's what's underneath that counts. But I'm always skeptical of the "Rustoleum rebuilds".
Too many irons in the fire

Amax

Quote from: barbender on June 18, 2013, 08:20:22 PM
I thought it looked like it had been painted, too. That doesn't mean much, it's what's underneath that counts. But I'm always skeptical of the "Rustoleum rebuilds".

Used the mill again today and will run it again Thursday.  It's in great shape and has been maintained well.  A number of upgrades and repairs were conducted last winter.  Since that was happening the guy brought the mill in to his shop and basically blasted and repainted much of the frame etc.

I'm still not sure how age alone relates to the $$ value and I'll certainly call WM to confirm the maintenance claims and try to establish fair value before my final decision.
 
Certainly this mill seems in great condition and has been looked after and maintained.  It has 2300 hours on it which, if you assume 2080 hrs available per year based on 5 x 8 hour days per week, equates to running it for about a year in total since 2005.  Or to look at it another way only about 330 hours per year.   That does not seem very high.  I know the guy does not run it through the winter so mostly those hours have been accrued March to October.

I'm still not feeling comfortable about the $30K asking price even with all the extras, upgrades and recent maintenance.  Then again it runs great, looks good and gets me in the game.

A couple more questions...

For you guys in cold winter climates... How many of you run in the winter?  For those who don't why not?  For those who do what equipment issues do you commonly experience compared to summer running?

A man sooner or later discovers that he is the master-gardener of his soul, the director of his life.
James Allen

Every man dies. Not every man really lives.
William Wallace

Amax

This question is aimed at those using their mills mobile... What are you guys spending on annual maintenance and what hours is this based on?
What are the most common issues you've come to know about?
A man sooner or later discovers that he is the master-gardener of his soul, the director of his life.
James Allen

Every man dies. Not every man really lives.
William Wallace

pnyberg

Quote from: Amax on June 18, 2013, 08:55:46 PM
This question is aimed at those using their mills mobile... What are you guys spending on annual maintenance and what hours is this based on?
What are the most common issues you've come to know about?

I bought my mill in the fall of 2009.  It had been used as a demo unit, and it had 6 hours on it.  Right now, it has about 1,190 hours on it.  In the time that I've owned it, I've had just under $4,000 in expenses that I've put on the books as 'Sawmill Maintenance'.  This does not include blade expenses.  $560 of that is two visits from Bob, the Wood-Mizer remote service guy.  That's just travel and labor charges; no parts.  The rest is pretty much all parts, but there's a lot of parts that are in inventory rather than on the mill.  For example, I've got replacements for both drum switches, a solinoid, and every belt on the mill on hand.  All these things will go bad eventually.  So, at a guess I'd say that I've spent around $3000 to replace parts on the mill.

If you have a mill that's in constant use then the most constant issue is maintenance.  It's just part of your life.  Other than that, stuff just breaks when it wants to.  Sometimes you might get a clue that trouble is coming, in which case a good mobile sawyer would pay attention and take appropriate action.  Sometimes you might forget to put an outrigger up all the way, and snap that sucker right off, but that would never happen to a good sawyer.

I am of the opinion that after a few hundred hours a well maintained sawmill reaches a kind of 'steady state' in which there's always something that needs attention or will fail soon, but if you're keeping up with things, the overall condition of the mill does not degenerate over time. 

Hope this make sense, and good luck.

--Peter

No longer milling

customsawyer

I have a toggle switch on my mill in the same place as that one. It is used for my log deck. The switch allows you to use the mill hyd. to operate the chain on the log deck then if you flip the switch the same hyd. lever will operate the log loader.
Two LT70s, Nyle L200 kiln, 4 head Pinheiro planer, 30" double surface Cantek planer, Lucas dedicated slabber, Slabmizer, and enough rolling stock and chainsaws to keep it all running.
www.thecustomsawyer.com

WoodenHead

Quote from: Amax on June 18, 2013, 08:48:40 PM

Certainly this mill seems in great condition and has been looked after and maintained.  It has 2300 hours on it which, if you assume 2080 hrs available per year based on 5 x 8 hour days per week, equates to running it for about a year in total since 2005.  Or to look at it another way only about 330 hours per year.   That does not seem very high.  I know the guy does not run it through the winter so mostly those hours have been accrued March to October.

I'm still not feeling comfortable about the $30K asking price even with all the extras, upgrades and recent maintenance.  Then again it runs great, looks good and gets me in the game.

A couple more questions...

For you guys in cold winter climates... How many of you run in the winter?  For those who don't why not?  For those who do what equipment issues do you commonly experience compared to summer running?



A few things in response:

a.  The number of hours on the mill will depend a bit on whether the person works alone or has a crew.  Running a mill by myself, the hours don't climb too fast.  330 hours per year is definitely more than week-end warrior use.  Even with a crew and regular use, I think you would do very well to put 1500 hours per year on a mill.
b.  I wouldn't be comfortable with the $30k asking price either.  There have been low hour (500 to 1500hrs) LT40D SH for $23.5k to $25k, but you have to be patient and willing to potentially travel long distances to find something like that.  But if you are anxious to go and/or you are comfortable with the machine's history then it might be worth it for you.  Only you can determine that.   ;)
c.  Winter can be hard on diesels, particularly in terms of starting.  I sawed through the winter with an LT28 diesel.  At -16 C (3 F) it just didn't want to go and neither did I.   :D  Lubricants are that much stiffer when cold.  The electric motors have to work harder for head movement.  Winter sawing can be done, but I'm going to try to avoid it this winter if I can.

Thank You Sponsors!