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WM LT40 Questions

Started by chainsaw_louie, January 25, 2025, 07:31:22 PM

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chainsaw_louie

Couple of lt40 questions....

- does the lt40 have a carriage lock to keep the sawhead carriage in place and stop it from rolling if the mill is on a slight incline and the engine is off ?

- can the lt 40 be safely loaded & operated with the wheels removed ( for security purposes) ?

Thanks

GAB

The answer to your questions is NO.
Mother nature uses gravity to move things whether the engine is running or not.  That is why I carry a level and use it during setup.
WM recommends the use of additional hardware to help stabilize the mill when the wheels are off and the mill is in use.
Someone might be able to post a picture showing the hardware recommended when the wheeels are off and the mill is in use.
A large log on the bed is a bit of a deterent to theft.
GAB
W-M LT40HDD34, SLR, JD 420, JD 950w/loader and Woods backhoe, V3507 Fransguard winch, Cordwood Saw, 18' flat bed trailer, and other toys.

caveman

The tongue will come off easily by removing two bolts.  I took ours off to make it a little more challenging for someone to drive off with and it makes walking around easier too.
Caveman

Magicman

Also it should be a simple matter of running a chain underneath the sawmill and locking it through the wheels.

Hopefully I never have the occasion to leave my sawmill where I felt that it would be unsafe.  I am into my 22nd year of sawing and have never hesitated to leave my sawmill at any customer's location, even when it was near a highway and completely unattended.

That being said, I have never left any of my cant hooks, etc. not that they might have been stolen, but I like to account for all of my tools at the end of each sawing day.
98 Wood-Mizer LT40 SuperHydraulic    WM Million BF Club

Two: First Place Wood-Mizer Personal Best Awards
The First: Wood-Mizer People's Choice Award

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

barbender

My carriage has a chain to fix it in the travel position
Too many irons in the fire

chainsaw_louie

Quote from: barbender on January 25, 2025, 10:08:43 PMMy carriage has a chain to fix it in the travel position
Doesn't chaining the carriage over the hitch end of the mill make it more difficult to lift and connect to a tow vehicle instead of leaving it in the travel position.  

A heavy log would make double difficulty 

A piece of machinery in front would discourage me . 

barbender

Your questions are a bit vague. Is this solely for theft deterrence, or what is the point? Certainly leaving the head on the hitch end would make it so no one could lift it onto a hitch, unless they had a jack. You could use a chain and lock or so.ethi g to fix it in place. 

I removed the bolts and put 3 loint hitch pins in my hitch, the first thing I do when I'm setting up is pull them out and remove the hitch. That's just because I hate hitting my shins on it! But it would be a theft deterrent as well.
Too many irons in the fire

chainsaw_louie

I'm just thinking of reasonable measures to take when setting up a trailer mounted mill in an outdoor location where it won't be moved often if at all and word of its location will inevitably get around. 

So far I've come up with
-remove hitch 
- store a heavy log on mill
- add gps tracker 
- remove key!
- lock and chain carriage on tongue end
- remove jacking bar
- remove wheels 
- park heavy equipment in front of mill

WV Sawmiller

  You might put up some hidden cameras. Make sure access is restricted by locked gates, cables or chains, or put a big log or something across the road if you have MHE to do so. You might take the gas tank with you if it is removable. I do this when I am at a customer site. (Sight, Cite :wink_2: )

   Be sure to have the jacks tight so it can't be lifted.

   When home about half the time mine is in the front lot which is pretty accessible by others but I keep the jacks down, at least the front and real are tight and the bar is removed. I don't remove the tongue but I do keep a padlock in the latch.

    If hydraulic be sure the loading arms are down unless set up for winter use.

    Basically anything you can do to make it more inconvenient and delay a thief trying to steal your mill will help protect it They want to get in and out quickly and without making noise or being seen. 

   I haven't done it but I could see where putting up mobile motion detector lights and alarms would help.
Howard Green
WM LT35HDG25(2015) , 2011 4WD F150 Ford Lariat PU, Kawasaki 650 ATV, Stihl 440 Chainsaw, homemade logging arch (w/custom built rear log dolly), JD 750 w/4' wide Bushhog brand FEL

Dad always said "You can shear a sheep a bunch of times but you can only skin him once

GAB

Quote from: chainsaw_louie on January 25, 2025, 10:36:59 PM
Quote from: barbender on January 25, 2025, 10:08:43 PMMy carriage has a chain to fix it in the travel position
Doesn't chaining the carriage over the hitch end of the mill make it more difficult to lift and connect to a tow vehicle instead of leaving it in the travel position. 
I believe I read somewheres that it is not recommended to leave the mill head with the electrical shoe in contact with the copper contact strip when the mill is not in use.
Will someone correct me if I am wrong on this, and feel free to add to my entry if you have reasons why.
GAB
W-M LT40HDD34, SLR, JD 420, JD 950w/loader and Woods backhoe, V3507 Fransguard winch, Cordwood Saw, 18' flat bed trailer, and other toys.

Peter Drouin

A&P saw Mill LLC.
45' of Wood Mizer, cutting since 1987.
License NH softwood grader.

Dave Shepard

GAB, I'm not sure start year, but Wood-Mizer put a solenoid in the fusebox to prevent key off activation of the hydraulics. 

With the proliferation of battery grinders, locks and chains are obsolete. I may be weird (no comments! ffcheesy ) but I have an M18 grinder in my Volkswagen. 
Wood-Mizer LT40HDD51-WR Wireless, Kubota L48, Honda Rincon 650, TJ208 G-S, and a 60"LogRite!

GAB

Quote from: Dave Shepard on January 26, 2025, 03:01:38 PMGAB, I'm not sure start year, but Wood-Mizer put a solenoid in the fusebox to prevent key off activation of the hydraulics.

With the proliferation of battery grinders, locks and chains are obsolete. I may be weird (no comments! ffcheesy ) but I have an M18 grinder in my Volkswagen.
My mill is a 2005 so I doubt that I have a mill with a solenoid in the fusebox.  

Concerning the grinder: I now carry one (M18) when I go on a sawmilling job.  When a blade is destroyed out comes the grinder and it comes out in pieces.  A lot less work in some cases.
GAB
W-M LT40HDD34, SLR, JD 420, JD 950w/loader and Woods backhoe, V3507 Fransguard winch, Cordwood Saw, 18' flat bed trailer, and other toys.

Dave Shepard

Do your hydraulics work with the key off?

A grinder definitely makes blade extraction easier.
Wood-Mizer LT40HDD51-WR Wireless, Kubota L48, Honda Rincon 650, TJ208 G-S, and a 60"LogRite!

GAB

Quote from: Dave Shepard on January 26, 2025, 06:32:51 PMDo your hydraulics work with the key off?
My hydraulics do not work with the key in the off position.
GAB
W-M LT40HDD34, SLR, JD 420, JD 950w/loader and Woods backhoe, V3507 Fransguard winch, Cordwood Saw, 18' flat bed trailer, and other toys.

Magicman

Which means that here is no problem with leaving the head on the hydraulic strip.
98 Wood-Mizer LT40 SuperHydraulic    WM Million BF Club

Two: First Place Wood-Mizer Personal Best Awards
The First: Wood-Mizer People's Choice Award

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

GAB

Quote from: Magicman on January 26, 2025, 07:29:28 PMWhich means that here is no problem with leaving the head on the hydraulic strip.
Thanks,
GAB
W-M LT40HDD34, SLR, JD 420, JD 950w/loader and Woods backhoe, V3507 Fransguard winch, Cordwood Saw, 18' flat bed trailer, and other toys.

barbender

And it also means that have the solenoid👍
Too many irons in the fire

John S

I purchased two carriage locks from WM about 10 years ago to keep the sawhead in a fixed position when using the resaw table that I made for a repeat (now deceased) customer. They bolt on to the upper track fore and aft and they did the job.
2018 LT40HDG38 Wide

terrifictimbersllc

Quote from: chainsaw_louie on January 25, 2025, 10:36:59 PM
Quote from: barbender on January 25, 2025, 10:08:43 PMMy carriage has a chain to fix it in the travel position
Doesn't chaining the carriage over the hitch end of the mill make it more difficult to lift and connect to a tow vehicle instead of leaving it in the travel position. 

A heavy log would make double difficulty

A piece of machinery in front would discourage me .
Yes x 3, lower head all the way, clamp a log behind it, take the wheels with you, cameras
DJ Hoover, Terrific Timbers LLC,  Mystic CT Woodmizer Million Board Foot Club member. 2019 LT70 Super Wide 55 Yanmar,  LogRite fetching arch, WM BMS250 sharpener/BMT250 setter.  2001 F350 7.3L PSD 6 spd manual ZF 4x4 Crew Cab Long Bed

barbender

If i was somewhere I had to take those measures to prevent theft, I just wouldn't go there🤷 But I'm used to not having to worry about it.
Too many irons in the fire

Magicman

I totally agree.  Throughout this entire topic I have been wondering and thinking about the same thing:

Quote from: Magicman on January 25, 2025, 09:02:13 PMHopefully I never have the occasion to leave my sawmill where I felt that it would be unsafe.  I am into my 22nd year of sawing and have never hesitated to leave my sawmill at any customer's location, even when it was near a highway and completely unattended.
98 Wood-Mizer LT40 SuperHydraulic    WM Million BF Club

Two: First Place Wood-Mizer Personal Best Awards
The First: Wood-Mizer People's Choice Award

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

trimguy

Just wondering, if you had to do all these things to not worry about it, wouldn't it be easier to just tow it home and back when you need it ?

Stephen1

I am in an industrial location and lots of people know about me now. I leave my mill out if I'm sawing the next day.  I do this on portable jobs when I leave the mill also
I lock the hitch, I put a log on and clamp it, I lift the loading arms, and leave to bottom on the ground, I move the head over the log and lower it. I also take a picture just in case, so I can prove to insurance that it was secured. 
I don't believe cameras work as I've never seen a camera pic that I could identify the culprit.
Yes Gab to prevent killing your battery, WM recommends you do not leave your head on the copper strip overnight. 
IDRY Vacum Kiln, LT40HDWide, BMS250 sharpener/setter 742b Bobcat, TCM forklift, Sthil 026,038, 461. 1952 TEA Fergusan Tractor

Magicman

Quote from: Stephen1 on January 28, 2025, 08:24:10 AMWM recommends you do not leave your head on the copper strip overnight. 
Actually this safety recommendation was geared more toward someone operating the hydraulics on earlier mills that did not have the disconnect solenoid.  With the solenoid there is no power to the strip when the key is off.
98 Wood-Mizer LT40 SuperHydraulic    WM Million BF Club

Two: First Place Wood-Mizer Personal Best Awards
The First: Wood-Mizer People's Choice Award

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

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