Thinking Upgrade: LT40 Super Or LT50?

[longtime lurker]

It's -5 f no wind
Any wind chill added to that I'm done.
This last Friday afternoon was past my max but stayed sawing till quitting time.
I try listening to music and singing to get the cold off my mind.
But I'm aware of the cold breaking equipment.
Sometimes a dumb choice about making a little money can cost you lots of money when something breaks.

96° feels like 110° here today. Didn't break a sweat until a little after 7 am which was positively balmy after the last few weeks which were stupid hot... saw a "feels like 119°" at one point and stayed away from the weatherman the rest of the week lest it scare me. :D
Won't break equipment in this but you will kill men real quick if you aren't careful. Dehydration/ heat stress/ cannot drink water in as fast as it's running out of ya. Hard to believe we're on the same planet huh?

[Bruno of NH]

It's -5 f no wind
Any wind chill added to that I'm done.
This last Friday afternoon was past my max but stayed sawing till quitting time.
I try listening to music and singing to get the cold off my mind.
But I'm aware of the cold breaking equipment.
Sometimes a dumb choice about making a little money can cost you lots of money when something breaks.

96° feels like 110° here today. Didn't break a sweat until a little after 7 am which was positively balmy after the last few weeks which were stupid hot... saw a "feels like 119°" at one point and stayed away from the weatherman the rest of the week lest it scare me. :D
Won't break equipment in this but you will kill men real quick if you aren't careful. Dehydration/ heat stress/ cannot drink water in as fast as it's running out of ya. Hard to believe we're on the same planet huh?

With heat like that I wouldn't 
Get anyone to work
We are just not conditioned for that kind of heat in New Hampshire. 

[Walnut Beast]

Sales is quick on the phone! Less than a minute. Had some questions here that nobody seem to know so I made a call to Woodmizer and they did have the answers. And current 15 to 16 months lead to delivery

[Crossroads]

Sales is quick on the phone! Less than a minute. Had some questions here that nobody seem to know so I made a call to Woodmizer and they did have the answers. And current 15 to 16 months lead to delivery

Did you order a new mill?

[farmfromkansas]

You mentioned Cooks in a post, wondered why you don't look at the AC36 with the 49hp diesel?  You get 26" bandwheels,  a chain turner, seems like a pretty long life mill. Yes I know you have to buy a wide mill if you want that.

[SawyerTed]

We know what we know...

What I know is Woodmizer has been very interested in my success.  I've tried to to talk to Cook's.  Good people but we don't talk the same language.   

I've consider Baker but not quite the right match either

[KenMac]

We know what we know...

What I know is Woodmizer has been very interested in my success.  I've tried to to talk to Cook's.  Good people but we don't talk the same language.  

I've consider Baker but not quite the right match either

I think the problem at Cook's is they don't have enough people to handle sales and customer service properly. Blades and such are no problem but mills and equipment is a different story.

[Walnut Beast]

Sales is quick on the phone! Less than a minute. Had some questions here that nobody seem to know so I made a call to Woodmizer and they did have the answers. And current 15 to 16 months lead to delivery

Did you order a new mill?

Inquiring and checking on a 70 

[Southside]

What questions did you have? 

[Walnut Beast]

On when you place the order if during that time the price goes down or sale/ rebate if they will honor it. And they will. That 70 package with what you get is pretty tuff to beat compared with everyone else since prices have went up on the other brands

[Walnut Beast]

Don't like the Indiana sales tax. None in Missouri on sawmills 

[Southside]

The operator station / setup and computer ability is second to none. Your hands never have to leave the joysticks and it's very intuitive to operate. 

[stavebuyer]

Don't like the Indiana sales tax. None in Missouri on sawmills

I have no idea about sales tax laws and rates in your state; but KY requires you pay use tax on anything you bring across the state line. If you paid sales tax to say MO and the rate was lower you still owed KY the difference.

Some states offer exemptions for farm or business use.

Sometimes it can be cheaper to have a mill delivered as you pay the tax rate in your home state if you don't have an exemption certificate.

[Raym]

Well, for what its worth, I will offer my advice/opinion based on my experience. I ordered my super 40 with 47hp yanmar, command control and all other options in 2014. It was way more mill than I needed but the reasons were that when I needed to saw, I wanted to saw with a premium sawmill. Also if business did not work out as planned I wanted something that had resale value.

As it turned out, other aspects of my (startup) business was so successful that the sawing portion never got a chance to get off of the ground. For the almost 8 years I held onto the mill because it was so enjoyable to operate when I had the chance. Fast forward to 2022....I did sell it for 20% more than I paid for it in 2014.

So....my suggestion....get the 70 if you have the funds, forget about your best guess ROI's. you cannot predict the future. you cant go wrong with too much mill, but you can with too little....

[PoginyHill]

Don't like the Indiana sales tax. None in Missouri on sawmills

I have no idea about sales tax laws and rates in your state; but KY requires you pay use tax on anything you bring across the state line. If you paid sales tax to say MO and the rate was lower you still owed KY the difference.

Some states offer exemptions for farm or business use.

Sometimes it can be cheaper to have a mill delivered as you pay the tax rate in your home state if you don't have an exemption certificate.

Since the constitution prohibits states levying any "duties" on stuff bought from another states, states with a sales tax actually call it a sales and use tax. So you're technically not taxed for bringing it into the state, but for using it in your state. The reconciliation is done (for states with income tax) on your income tax return, but few people actually do that. Some states are cracking down as they look for more tax money.

[GAB]

Don't like the Indiana sales tax. None in Missouri on sawmills

I have no idea about sales tax laws and rates in your state; but KY requires you pay use tax on anything you bring across the state line. If you paid sales tax to say MO and the rate was lower you still owed KY the difference.

Some states offer exemptions for farm or business use.

Sometimes it can be cheaper to have a mill delivered as you pay the tax rate in your home state if you don't have an exemption certificate.

Since the constitution prohibits states levying any "duties" on stuff bought from another states, states with a sales tax actually call it a sales and use tax. So you're technically not taxed for bringing it into the state, but for using it in your state. The reconciliation is done (for states with income tax) on your income tax return, but few people actually do that. Some states are cracking down as they look for more tax money.

PoginyHill:
In my opinion you needed to add to squander at the end of your last sentence.
If I had anything to do with the state budget I can assure you there are a lot of line items that would disappear.
GAB

[SawyerTed]

The decision has been made.  8)  The LT50 Wide is on order, 35.9 Yanmar diesel, debarker, lubemizer, high performance blade guides and command control. 8)

Specific lead times were not discussed but the dealer shared that Wood-Mizer is expected to begin to shorten those lead times this year.  The lead times are less about Wood-Mizer's capacity to manufacture the mills but more about components have been in short supply (similar to the automaker's supply issues).  But suppliers are beginning to recover from some of the challenges of the Texas polar freeze last year and the pandemic.

So for the time being, I am going to continue to saw with the LT 35 and squirrel away some funds to ease the hit to the bank account.  

[Andries]

Well done Ted and Company! 
All it took was nearly 100 posts of quality advice from the FF and quality time in a small cabin in the Shenandoah Valley with your CFO-MD. 
It's a difficult decision with a ton of variables, you made it look easy! 

[SawyerTed]

It's a difficult decision with a ton of variables, you made it look easy!

I appreciate the kind words.  This thread was somewhat of a confirmation of what I was already thinking.
Don't be led to believe that the life of this thread was the window of time that this decision took.  It is a decision that I have studied pretty hard since April of 2021.  I have weighed a lot of factors since then.

[YellowHammer]

Excellent choice.

[Magicman]

Congratulations on a well thought out plan based upon your projected sawing profile.  You can go forward knowing that you did not make a hasty nor impulse decision.  :P

[Walnut Beast]

Sounds pretty sound. You really wanted the diesel and chain log turner. Nothing but smiles now 👍👍