2005 LT-40D SH

Amax · June 04, 2013, 11:52:09 AM

Hello everyone,

It has been quite a while since I've posted.

Anyway, finally I have the opportunity to purchase ;D an LT-40 Diesel Super Hydraulic. It's a 2005 model.
I'm hoping to get a demonstration soon. Was looking for some guidance on what you guys thought this might be worth assuming fair to good condition. The guy wants me to make the first offer... The mill has about 1MBF on it and I'd say about a 75 - 25 split soft wood to hardwood has been milled.

Thanks
Al∏

drobertson · June 04, 2013, 01:07:29 PM

Not sure what to say, I paid over 30k for mine new at the end of 04' 51hp cat, super, less than 3k hours less than 1million feet, would not sell, (never say never), for less than 25K, take the demo, give it a going over, don't act too excited, there are more to look at. Might consider having a wmz tech give you some insight, without seeing it I would be scared to suggest any number, I will say this, it took about 1000 hrs to work out some of the bugs in mine, so it is very possible this machine is ready to rock, the very reason I wish not to part with mine. on the other hand, it could have hidden issues that takes a good day of sawing to show face, hope it all goes well for you, give wmz a call, 800-553-0182 go through the menu and pick sales, david

Chuck White · June 04, 2013, 01:17:44 PM

Call Wood-Mizer and ask them if they can provide you with the Wood-Mizer Orange-Book price on the mill.

Bibbyman · June 04, 2013, 01:22:03 PM

Even the most experienced among us would need more info. ElectricAl recently went through an LT40 Super that was a rolling wreck. The one you're looking at could have been well maintained and ready for service.

Nomad · June 04, 2013, 04:54:32 PM

It's 8 years old and has seen minimal service. How many hours on it? How long has it set since it was last used? Outside or under cover? How about the maintenance on it? Some things need to be done whether it's had hours put on it or not.

Quote from: Bibbyman on June 04, 2013, 01:22:03 PM
Even the most experienced among us would need more info. ElectricAl recently went through an LT40 Super that was a rolling wreck. The one you're looking at could have been well maintained and ready for service.

Or not. The advise to call WoodMizer is good advice. They can tell you what it used to be. It's gonna be up to you to figure out what it is now.
Personally, I'd take a real hard look at it and hopefully run it. See if it's been polished up like a used car. Look at the rails, masts, and chains to see how much rust or pitting there is. Check the engine maintenance. Check the hydraulics for water, leaks and hose condition. Will all the fittings take grease?
8 years old. Is it the original battery? How about the engine coolant? Does he have any maintenance records? Has it been moved often? Sitting in one place that long will raise Cain with tires and wheel bearings. Any critters living in it? They can do a number on wiring.
Give it a real critical look! Don't get starry-eyed. Then call WoodMizer back and talk it over with somebody. You should be able to come up with a reasonable offer.
Hopefully it's in great shape! But be careful...

CalebL · June 04, 2013, 05:47:55 PM

When I found my mill (2005 LT40 HDD34 with debarker and setworks) it was relatively close to a woodmizer location. I had the previous owner drop it off and I paid to have Woodmizer do a gold service ($370 at the time) on it BEFORE buying it. That way they could tell me the condition of the mill before paying for it which helped me determine how much to pay for it.

I realize that is not going to be possible for most but it helped me tremendously in making the decision to buy it. My mill had around 400 hours on it and I gave about $17k for it.

customsawyer · June 04, 2013, 08:05:52 PM

Go and look at it, get the serial number then give WM a call. Give them the serial number and they will be able to tell you what all they have helped to fix.

Magicman · June 04, 2013, 09:58:00 PM

I would use the above research for your benefit and for bargaining power. My opinion is that he is on a fishing trip wanting you to make an offer. He knows what he wants, but is trying to up the price with your offer. Personally, I will not make an offer but I may "low ball" him which will flush him out and he will immediately squeal and reveal his asking price.

How many hours are on the sawmill. One thousand (M)bf is not much use in 7-8 years. I am assuming that you know that Roman numerals are used for lumber measurement thus M=1,000.

barbender · June 05, 2013, 12:32:50 AM

Amax, if it has only sawn 1000 board feet, that is not enough. If it sat outside that whole time without moving much there could be issues there. I would find out how many hours it has, that is a better indicator of usage.

Amax · June 05, 2013, 07:12:33 AM

Thanks for all the replies. Plenty to help my research before making a final decision and once I get to see it and run it I will certainly call Woodmizer. I should have the opportunity to see the mill in action as well as operate it in a few weeks.
My rookie error on how much it has been used. :laugh: It has cut about a million BF. Not sure how I'd write M with a line above it!

Cheers

WDH · June 05, 2013, 07:23:14 AM

That makes it 1MMBF.

Bibbyman · June 05, 2013, 07:27:11 AM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HFlAeUGjiYk&feature=youtube_gdata_player

Here is one of four videos ElectricAl made of an LT40 Super that had been abused to death. From watching this series you can gain some experience as to what to look for.

Up, sawing and in use is a good sign.

Magicman · June 05, 2013, 07:28:00 AM

_
M = 1,000,000

beenthere · June 05, 2013, 09:51:15 AM

Quote from: Magicman on June 05, 2013, 07:28:00 AM
_
M = 1,000,000

When board feet, it is MMBF for a million..

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Board_foot

Magicman · June 05, 2013, 02:01:06 PM

Which is what WDH said in the above post. I Googled Roman Numeral Million, and not million bf. :-[

I learned my bf lesson for today.

barbender · June 05, 2013, 04:09:12 PM

1 million feet is a lot of sawing, I would it expect it to have at least 4000 hours on it. That's not enough to wear it out by any means, but the number of hours gives you a idea of what components may need extra scrutiny. I'd rather buy one that had a few hours that is well maintained versus one that has low hours but has seen neglect (like the one I bought). I've spent a lot of hours getting the bugs worked out of mine, I still haven't got all of them.

Bibbyman · June 05, 2013, 05:09:11 PM

It's not easy to equate hours to board feet due to a many variables; size, type and quality of logs, how the sawyer opperated, if they used an edger or edged on the mill, etc.

Our 2002 LT40 Super has a few hundred hours less than 6000 hours. We've probably sawn a couple of million board feet on it. 2012 was a slow year for us and I calculated we sawed nearly 200, 000 bf - 65,000 for one customer alone. We sawed about 1, 800 bf today before thunderstorm came up. The old battered, edge worn mill saws as good as it did when new. Would it be worth the same as an identical mill with say 500 hours. Well, could be if that mill had been neglected and abused.

drobertson · June 05, 2013, 08:55:09 PM

bibby, ten four on the hours, this does not reveal much, except that the key was on, one main reason while idling I shut mine down, plus, I kinda like quite ;D One must see what they are buying, and know what is expected from the product before they do so, david

barbender · June 06, 2013, 01:19:34 AM

I totally agree with you guys, the condition of the mill is the bottom line. But the number of board feet sawn is really no better of an indicator of usage, because of the variables Bibby listed. Plus, the hours are the only thing metered, and you can bet the engine was running for most of the metered hours.

ElectricAl · June 06, 2013, 08:13:52 PM

guess I won't be selling a Used Mill to Nomad any time soon.

He'll look right past my Spit Shine and see the pits in the parts.

Some guys are just too nit picky !

fishpimp · June 06, 2013, 10:30:29 PM

Quote from: drobertson on June 05, 2013, 08:55:09 PMt
bibby, ten four on the hours, this does not reveal much, except that the key was on, one main reason while idling I shut mine down, plus, I kinda like quite ;D One must see what they are buying, and know what is expected from the product before they do so, david

I kill mine quite often too... I'd rather smoke a blade as waste 2$ in fuel ! Lol jk
Off road Liquid diesel gold is 2.50$ round here

GAB · June 07, 2013, 09:46:46 PM

Amax:
When you call W-M (and I hope you do) I suggest that you ask them if that mill has been reported stolen and to whom they sold it to originally. That could give you some important history. Gerald

GDinMaine · June 08, 2013, 10:30:46 AM

I kill mine quite often too... I'd rather smoke a blade as waste 2$ in fuel ! Lol jk
Off road Liquid diesel gold is 2.50$ round here
[/quote]

I would love to pay that for off road diesel. It is around $3.50 here.
As for the mill. Make the owner run it. If you know how you should run it as well. Try to have someone's number with you whom you can call and describe the mill. WM keeps all the maintenance records, and can tell you what - if anything - has been done on the mill by any of the service centers or the mobile service guys. They can also tell you what the previous owner bought from them. If you ask for the guy's name and have the mill's serial number they couls probably look it up.

rmack · June 11, 2013, 08:35:22 AM

I paid $133.9/liter to fuel up yesterday, that's $5.06/U.S. gallon.

Amax · June 16, 2013, 04:46:40 PM

Well finally got to make some sawdust today 8) 8) 8) which helps a lot to make my mind up about this mill.

Just cut some spruce and pine for now. I'm going to see it cut some of our maple and then quarter sawing some of our white oak and red spruce tone wood next week. The tone wood we grade and use for guitar tops.

Can't wait to saw some more and hopefully make an offer on this machine. Here's some pics I managed to take before my phone battery died.

From what I can tell the mill looks in great condition for 2005 and it has had a number of upgrades. It's the 47HP diesel, has the new Accuset2 Setworks and the De-barker. None of the components appeared to malfunction or seemed damaged. All the key stops, clamps and hydraulics appeared straight and in excellent working order. I saw the process from setup and leveling right through the process and finally got to "play". Have to say the Accuset2 is very cool and helps simplify things once you get used to it.

In addition to the mill I'd get the Re-saw attachment, the blade tooth setting equipment and I believe the pro series blade sharpener along with a few Cant hooks and a bunch of spares etc.

(memo to self... charge your ruddy phone) :