3rd. Roller Toe Board at head of LT40HD

[DGK]

I have been trying to figure out a way to ease the handling of removing large beams off the head end of my LT40. My site layout and workflow, have me taking the large beams off the head end of the mill on to a roller stand, and then onto dunnage where the beams are stacked and lifted with the forks on the Bobcat. I am thinking of adding a third hydraulic toe board mounted immediately aft of the front jack leg similar to the way that the board drag back deflector table is positioned with an additional drop down jack at the outboard end of the new bunk. Before I go and embark on this project, I would love to hear how others handle the heavy pieces. Accessing the mill from the side and lifting the beams off directly with the bobcat is doable but the space is very tight and is a slow process and is not my preferred option.. I work alone so there are limits to how much I can and want to lift. Additionally, there is no roof overhead to mount any type of hoist etcetera. Bring on the ideas. :-)

[barbender]

I have nothing to add, other than I have had the same idea ;)

[Magicman]

You could operate both rollers with the same control since you will not be actually leveling with it.

[drobertson]

I too have thought about this,  I ended up putting rollers on the back side that hinge down onto the rail, I roll the cants down onto the main roller then roll the direction I need to go, this is the only pic I have. The stickers you see are on the 10' section, the vertical rollers are the ones that hinge down onto the track between the toe rollers.

 
It does require walking around the mill, but it has been pretty handy for me.

[Sawyer697]

I always use the Bobcat to unload, but have space on the backside. My son install a I Beam with a winch overhead to take his off, and runs them right out on the trailer. He has a manual mill.  How about a set of rollers on the out going side like used in bigger sawmills. they roll down the track, out of the way?

[Jim_Rogers]

How large a beam are you talking about?

I have done this with a 6x6:



 

What you see is a roller on top of a saw horse. It gives you a point where you can move the timber to and then slide it off to the blocks.

Recently I have been sawing timbers for a timber frame shed. And I only load one log on the log bunks at a time. Then when the timber is done I raise it up with my roller toe boards, and while it's up off the bed rails, I lift it off the mill with the forks from the log loader side, while the planks and boards that need to be edged are on the log loader arms.

We have moved large beams as big as 7x10x20 with just a roller on a saw horse:



 

If you plan your sawhorse location right the timber will nearly balance and you can pivot it to where you need it to go and slide it off the mill.

Good luck
Jim Rogers

[drobertson]

Nice pic Jim, no doubt leverage is key. 

[DGK]

Thanks for the replies. Some of the beams are 8" by 12" by 16' to 20'. The thought of the additional roller is to avoid hitting the hydraulic box as well as have 2 supports under the beam at all times. I do have a roller set up behind the hitch end of the mill but it ends up bearing all the weight. Additionally, a 3rd roller would allow me to move some long beams towards the hitch end and lift with the Bobcat when necessary without the risk of hitting the saw head positioned at the back end. At the moment, it requires lifting and then rotating the skid steer in a static position to swing the beam away from the head. and to clear the control console. This digs a hole with the Bobcat. I would prefer a straighter departure.

[Brucer]

I've used a couple of systems.

For my manual mill I built a couple of arms that I can lift on and off the main rail in a few seconds. A few seconds more and I attach a couple of offloading ramps to them. A Logrite mill special will turn even large beams onto the arms (with no damage to the beam). After that it's easy to lever the timber onto the ramps and slide it down.

I was able to offload some 14"x21" cants 20' long with this sytem.

The ramps ...


And a closeup of the arms ...



I kept the arms and ramps when I sold the first mill and have used them with my hydraulic mill from time to time. However, with roller toeboards my current method is to roll the timbers off the back of the mill. I built an outfeed table to move the timbers clear of the mill and then drop them onto a couple of ramps (same ramps I built for the first system.



The 3 black rollers are the ones WM uses on their twin blade edgers. I just bought them as spare parts. Once the timber is on them, I pull a lever and they swing down, dropping the timber onto a pair of roller bars that are similar to skate rollers. A gentle sideways push sends the timbers down the ramps.

I was able to offload a couple of 8x12's 36 feet long with this setup. I've added two six foot extensions to the mill since I built the outfeed table. To shift a timber past them I have a pair of rollers in brackets mounted on 1x4's. I just set the rollers onto the perforated channel used in the extension clamping system. The timbers roll nicely over them and onto the roller table.

[backwoods sawyer]

I use a couple different methods depending on the layout of the milling site and equipment avalible.

Timbers can just be kicked off onto the loading arms a block placed under each end and lower down giving room to remove with forks. keeps eveything away from the controle panle and the sawhead.

Used a pair of rollers to get the beams off the mill so we could get the next log on the mill on this Timber frame home project. The block in the midle of the rollers was used as a brake.




 

I like power rollers, skate roles and and jump chains too ;) Little 1/2 hp 110 motor hanging on a belt under the roller works good to move beams to.

A roller set up like this would mount right on the outfeed table.


  

[giant splinter]

Doug,
Here is a link to a company that has several products that can help you with your outfeed roller system, they have sections of heavy duty rollers and stands that you can set up to carry your beams safely out to where you can get under them with your bobcat forks without tearing up the grade your working on.http://www.globalindustrial.com/p/material-handling/conveyors/roller-gravity/1-9-dia-steel-roller-conveyor-straight-section-26

[backwoods sawyer]

I pick up a pair of their transfer tables at an auction one is powered the other is not. The legs are very wobbly and under built for heavy loads and side forces but the table and rollers work good as long as a chunk of wood don't stop ya ;) Plan to remove half the rollers to allow chunks to fall thru the rolls.

[Peter Drouin]

After I cut a beam I go back in with John and pick it up off the mill, and put it where it needs to go. :D

[DGK]

Once again, thanks for the suggestions. Brucer, I have seen your ramps in previous posts and thought that they were a great idea, but now, I see your new system is even better. It would be great to be able to offload at the back end but it is not an option for me in my current workspace. Backwoods Sawyer, your system of offloading is similar to what I have in mind except at the head end. The 3 rd. toe board roller would give the reach necessary to get to the out feed table. Thanks for the link Giant Splitter, I will check it out.

[DGK]

Here are a few pics of my latest mods. The mill started out life as a LT40G28 manual but has since grown a bit. The latest mods are 3rd hydraulic toe board, dual hydraulic pumps, 2nd battery, 2nd contact strip, and external DC power.

[Cazzhrdwd]

Doug that is super!!

[DGK]

Thanks. :-)

[Peter Drouin]

Nice job with the mill,  smiley_clapping