No Big FEL

[Slab Slicer]

What do you do when you want to put you LT15 on the trailer that you FINALLY bought for it, and all you have to lift it with is a Kubota BX1500 that will only lift 400 lbs ??   With the help of a good friend, and some cribbing, you CAN get it done.

The first pics of this job were lost somehow from the camera, but I'll see if I can put it into words. Since my mill had logs at both end, and we couldn't get access with the trailer, I had to slide it from it's current spot, to somewhere a little more accessible. I did this by putting the mill head at the front end of the mill, and lifting the back end with the BX1500. No problem since the mill head holds most of the weight. Once in the air, I removed the legs from the center of the mill, leaving the 4 legs (2 on each end). Then I sat the back end of the mill on a sheet of plywood, and moved the head to the backend of the mill. I went to the other end with the loader, picked it off the ground, and swung it out of it's crowded resting spot. Once the mill was in the clear, I set up some cribbing to hold the front end of the mill off the ground high enough to get the trailer under it. Then, the mill head was moved back to the front of the mill, and the trailer placed under that end. I had the trailer attached to my truck, and placed a large ratchet strap from the trailer, to one of the bunks on the mill bed. This would keep the mill from sliding back off the cribbing when I lifted the back end of the mill.



 


Once this was done, we went to the back of the mill, lifted it with the little loader, and cribbed it as well. The cribbing on both ends was spaced to allow plenty of room for the trailer to fit between, but we only allowed minimal clearence for the height of the trailer.




 

We then backed the trailer the rest of the way under the mill by hand. We didn't want to chance it with the truck since the top clearence was tight. We then jacked the trailer as high as we could using the 6 jacks on the mill. We got the mounting holes on the trailer, and the mill, just about spot on. Then the rear of the mill was lifted one more time, the cribbing removed, and the mill was lowered onto the trailer frame.



 

Then the mill head was moved to the back end of the mill. and locked into position



 

Back to the front end of the mill with the loader where we lifted the mill one last time with the loader, and removed the cribbing.



 

The mill was lowered into position on the trailer, and the hard part was done.



 

Then it was only a matter of bolting the mill to the trailer, and repositioning the setworks. We ran out of daylight on Monday, and I started on the setworks today. The temps are frigid, so progress was slow on finishing up. I should have it all buttoned up tomorrow afternoon. I have a job lined up just down the road, so if there are any problems, it's not a long haul home for adjustments / repairs. A good "shakedown run" you could say.

None of this would have been possible without my good buddy Jim. He's the guy in the pics without the orange muffs on his head.  :D There's nothing like a good friend when it comes to getting the job done.

[Peter Drouin]

Now thats a nice job, good luck 8)

[thecfarm]

Now that's a match that is made in heaven. Good job on the trailer and making it all one.  We use to have a BX1800. We used it just to mow with and to blow snow in the winter.

[clww]

Nice work! With jacks and cribbing, anything can be lifted. 8)

[Slab Slicer]

Thanks guys. It was a busy Monday. Started with a trip to Wind Gap PA, to Marty and Lisa Parsons dealership. Picked up my LT15 from there sometime mid last year. They run a top notch operation. All the staff was very friendly, and knowledgable. From the folks in the showroom, to the guys in the Resharp area. Marty personally walked me through the trailer set up, and had plenty of tips and advise. Marty was at a Demo in DE when I picked up the mill, so it was great to finally meet him. His father Bob was there when I picked up the mill, and we talked for about an hour about makin some saw dust. If I'm not mistaken, it was Martys wife Lisa who loaded my mill when I purchased it. An all around great group. 

[Magicman]

It looks like it fit like a glove and will be a very useful modification.  Very professionally done.   

[rooster 58]

     Nice job on the modification 8) Your right, Marty and Lisa are awesome people who go out of their way to help you. They are patient, understanding, and have given me much encouragement in my quest to become a sawyer 8) ;)

[Slab Slicer]

Finished the set works up this afternoon. She's ready to saw again. I'll schedule with the fella down the road to get his timbers cut in the coming weeks. I have some tree removal promised to a friend that needs to be done a bit sooner. It's the remaining 60 feet of a white pine that was topped in Sandy, and it needs to come down. Nothing worth sawing, so it'll be sent to someones OWB.

I have 10 logs waiting along side my driveway that were too heavy to move to the mill with my little BX1500, but now I don't have to worry about that. Just take the mill to the logs. 

Now for that hyd. log turner I've been reading about here on the FF, and a power feed sometime in the future  ;D

[arlostone]

nice job on the trailer and real nice job onthe pics.i always forget the camera when doing fun stuff like that.

[GDinMaine]

Slab Slicer,  Nice work! A little tractor is a 100x better then no tractor at all.  Seems like you rose to the challenge.  Did you have the trailer made at a welding shop or it came from woodmizer?

[Slab Slicer]

Thanks guys. Although I have the ability to make a trailer, I did buy this one from Wood Mizer. Time seems to be my biggest issue. This just made one part of being portable, that much easier. I'm not always about taking the easy way out, but lost portable mill time, is lost income. Also, being out in the public should generate more opportunities for me.

[customsawyer]

One of the best ways to advertise your mill is to hook your truck up to it and drive to one of the big box stores.  ;) Then park and shop for about 3 hours, make sure you have some signs with your number on them.

[Slab Slicer]

Sounds like a good idea. I'm not sure how the lumber department of the big box store would feel about that, but a little competition never hurt anyone.