LT35: Is this rail supposed to rust like this?

[KWood255]

I'm in the Barbender camp.
Ice is more of a concern than rust.
ATF and plenty of it keeps rust under control.

If ice builds up on the small platform above the axle, the battery box won't have enough clearance to make it past the axle.
We're talking about serious, North country ice. A hard kick with your boot won't slide the ice off - it'll get you a broken toe.

We have a forecast of -40 tonight.

Ain't that the truth Andries! Pretty good cold snap here again, but only -33c this morning. All in all, a nice start to winter. Looks pretty reasonable in the forecast. I will take -20's in January anytime. 

Our winters seem to be getting milder. I remember as a kid the Christmas break would be hovering around -35 to -40 the whole time. I don't miss it, but moose hunting in late November at -30 was awesome. 

We cut a ton of lumber over the past couple weeks while it was mild. Took full advantage of the weather. I have no desire to run the mill beyond -15c. It's not enjoyable after that, and too hard on equipment. 

[Mr. Buck]

I'm with Yellowhammer.  Looks like you have a lot of condensation on your metal.  You need something that repels water. 

Only the power head is tarped. The rails have been open to the rain / sun.  I honestly didn't think the rails would rust to the point of beginning to pit in less than 60 days if left outside without treating them.  Live and learn. 

As I mentioned I had planned to have the shelter built before the mill arrived, but alas, not so.  Until then I've learned some great stuff and have it better protected until I get the building finished. 

If the CLP treatment wih the PVC cover doesn't last until I finish the building, I'll let you all know and try the BoeShield.  Maybe I'll cold blue the whole rail  

[DanMc]

I have raised this same question about rust on the rails and received the same answers.  I don't discount the answers, but I can't help that the rust bugs me.  I still have a full-time job that limits the time I have available to run my mill.  The last time I ran it, I finished up with marine grease on the rails.  Since then, I don't see any rust.  I'll have to clean that off with a rag soaked with camping fuel to remove it before I run it the next time, so it doesn't goober up things.

The PVC cover for the rail sounds interesting, but I'd be concerned about that trapping water and making the issue even worse.

[Mr. Buck]

I looked closely at the top rail. On my unit, the rail is painted/powdercoated on the lower 1/4 of the bar (about 90 degrees) and covers the stitch welds. So even if the pvc cover channels condensation around to the bottom, *and* it doesn't drip out of the slot cut in the bottom of the pvc, at least its painted.  It would need to collect 1/2" of water on mine to get over the paint.

I'll keep an eye on it, but i think with a rust preventative and keeping it out of the rain it should be ok. 

For what it's worth, I used 3" pvc. Its what I had on hand and it also allows some airflow over the rail. 
I'll let everyone know if not. 

[YellowHammer]

If you are going to leave it for awhile, spray it with a little orange Krylon and as soon as you start using it again the bearings will wear the paint off real quick.  Kubota Orange at Tractor Supply matches the WM color very close.