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Pull LTHD40 w/Ford Ranger or Chevy S10?

Started by Bodger, July 07, 2011, 10:25:13 AM

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Bodger

I'm really looking at downsizing some and burning less gas - is anybody safely pulling their mill with a smaller truck? 
Work's fine for killing time but it's a shaky way to make a living.

Bandmill Bandit

have moved mine with a ford ranger and a dodge dakota quite a few times both had the biggar V6. NO problem at all.

Dont know that you will save much gas. They don't give the mileage the size would suggest they should.
Skilled Master Sawyer. "Skilled labour don't come cheap. Cheap labour dont come skilled!
2018 F150 FX4, Husqvarna 340, 2 Logright 36 inch cant hooks and a bunch of stuff I built myself

fuzzybear

 I have a 1989 S-10 with a 4cyl. that I use to pull a trailer with about 1800lbs, and about 500lbs worth of tools in the box. It pulls fine, not running 70mph but will pull at 55 with no problem even running up the big hills.
 I am a firm believer in the 80's S-10 and Rangers with 4cyl. engines and a 5 speed trans. They have fantastic power to weight. I've gotten up hills in 2wd that I have had to put the 3/4t into 4wd to make it up.
 Biggest plus for me is the fuel mileage, I am getting about 28-32mpg. that's with the worst gas in North America.
 There are a lot of these trucks around for parts, and new parts are not overly expensive.
 Hope this helps.
FB
I never met a tree I didn't like!!

Bibbyman

We pulled out manual LT40 with a Dakota with 318v8.  Not a problem but not as heavy as an HD mill and more truck.

Is your mill a newer model?  Or a Super?  If so, it'd be heavier than the older standard HD models. 

I'd make sure the breaks on the mill trailer worked before I'd take out. Pull is one thing, stopping in time is another.
Wood-Mizer LT40HDE25 Super 25hp 3ph with Command Control and Accuset.
Sawing since '94

Tom

Bibby expressed my concern.  I've been in front of a heavy load that I couldn't stop and pinched washers out of the driver's seat.  Moving a load forward is just a small part of the equation.   When you realize that you are between a heavy load and a problem, (a rock and a hard place)  you start looking for more truck.  It best be there or the scene might not be pretty.  :D

Don't be totally reliable on trailer brakes to allow you to use less truck.

Bodger

Yea, stopping is pretty important.  It's pretty flat here but I still like to have good brakes.  I bought my mill new in '95 and have pulled it with 3/4 tons all along.  When the master cylinder on the tongue went out I just disconnected everything.  Another concern would be getting the mill out of the woods when I've been sawing in the same spot for two or three days...it can get mighty embedded.  OK, thanks fellows for your input.
Work's fine for killing time but it's a shaky way to make a living.

Tom

My opinion is that a 1/2 ton will do the pulling work and most of the stopping work too, if there is enough weight on tires for traction.  The older LT40's aren't too heavy, weighing in at about, or less than, a ton and a half.   I pulled mine with a 1/2 ton toyota and eventually spun the bearings, requiring a rebuild. $$

The good thing about the full sized (American) trucks is that there is a large footprint and sufficient weight to handle the load.   Just being able to move a heavy load isn't telling the whole story.  It is a lot easier on a truck to work when it can perform its task at lower RPMs and lower speeds.  Gears work toward helping but they don't replace horsepower and weight.  The best option I found on my Toyota was four wheel drive.  That is what allowed me to pull my mill from the sawdust piles and loose mud and dirt around the mill.  You can replace some of that capability with a winch, either manual or electric, if four wheel drive is not an option.  Sometimes a winch comes in handy anyway.

The best truck for custom sawmilling services is probably more dependent upon what you have to use it for when you aren't sawing.  By that I mean, are you hauling loads of lumber, or pulling trailers loaded with logs.  The size truck that would do all of the work comfortably for a small company would probably be a full-sized one ton.  A 1/2 ton would the minimal size. The compact 1/2 tons won't do the whole job and could get you into trouble, especially traction wise.

If fuel mileage is the major concern, make sure your truck is empty.  We are all guilty of hauling junk around.  I justified my junk by saying it was my office and workshop.  But, I didn't use my truck for anything but work, and it was my office.  If you add up the weight of the tools, water, gasoline, spare parts, lunches, change of clothes, books, and other paraphernalia that we carry around, you might be surprised to find that it's enough to impact gas mileage.  Every so many pounds requires another horse to pull it.


Magicman

I would stay with your present setup.  Brakes entered my mind when I first read the title, and the woes have been covered.  You will realize more mileage efficiency when the truck/engine is matched to the load.

I have sawed many jobs that would not have been reachable without 4WD.
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

pnyberg

I'm not really a 'truck guy', so I can't compare this to that, but I can share what I know.

When I bought my WM LT40 and started my portable sawmill business, I just happened to own a 2007 Toyota Tacoma, 4WD with the factory towing package.  The truck is rated to pull up to 6500 lbs.  I can't imagine attempting to pull more than the 4000 lb mill.  I have no complaints about it's performance, but I don't think that it could do much more.

The truck more or less empty gets about 18 mpg.  Pulling the mill, it gets about 10 mpg.

A smaller truck may save you money on fuel if you're driving around town empty,  I question whether it will save you money if you've got a mill hitched to it.

--Peter
No longer milling

tyb525

A small truck will only save you money if you're running empty. Once you start pulling some weight, the MPG's go down fast, because you end up lugging the engine all the time. Lugging kills gas mileage.

You can find a good, used 3/4ton truck pretty cheap. 90's Chevy 2500's are pretty easy to come by around here, and they do a pretty good job.
LT10G10, Stihl 038 Magnum, many woodworking tools. Currently a farm service applicator, trying to find time to saw!

DouginUtah


When I sold my LT30 to Jeff I hauled it from Utah to Michigan with a 1992 GMC 1500 4.3 V-6.

I hardly knew I was pulling it.
-Doug
When you hang around with good people, good things happen. -Darrell Waltrip

There is no need to say 'unleaded regular gas'. It's all unleaded. Just say 'regular gas'. It's not the 70s anymore. (At least that's what my wife tells me.)

---

Brucer

I towed both my manual LT40 and my LT40HD with a 1980 - 2WD half-ton. The truck was rated for towing a maximum of 2000 lb -- the '40 weighed about 3000 lb. and the '40HD about 3500 lb. Before attempting this I talked to a lot of knowledgeable truck people. Then I upgraded the truck appropriately:

- brake controller.
- extra transmission radiator in series with the regular one.
- booster springs on the back axle.

In winter I'd put good winter tires on the back and mount 9 concrete blocks in a steel frame across the back of the box. Blocks and frame weighed about 400 pounds (and it was securely bolted through the box to the frame). I carried chains in the winter "just in case" but only had to use them twice.

The truck wasn't any too swift on our mountain roads but it got where it was going.
Bruce    LT40HDG28 bandsaw
"Complex problems have simple, easy to understand wrong answers."

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