Newby with another project

[rusticretreater]

Its been a while since I read your postings.  When i saw the picture of your trailer hitch and tongue on page 16, I immediately thought that it would not be sufficient.

The center brace looks great. No problems there.  I own two trailers, a 17' car hauler rated at 7000lbs and a 12 foot landscaping trailer.  On both trailers, the outside braces are C channel that extend under the trailer frame to about 1/3 of the length of the trailer.  I think that helps reduce the twisting of the frame as you travel down the road or move the trailer over uneven ground and helps spreads the load evenly.  

Google "trailer tongue construction"  and then click on images at the top of the listings. This will give you nothing but images of trailer tongue construction and you will see what I am talking about.  Its a proven design.

[Cornerstone]

  When I was researching what the design would be I looked only at portable sawmill trailers and saw a recurring theme. Most of what I found only had the one center bar reaching back to the first bunk from the end. A couple of them just bolted to the end which definitely looked weak to me. Both of my trailers that are designed to haul heavy loads have the style you mentioned, the tongue is part of the load bearing structure. One is a 16' utility tandem trailer rated at 7k and the other is a tandem for a backhoe rated at 18k.  
 
 Since this trailer tongue is only hauling the sawmill itself, (which is rigid enough to hold a 16' long 32" diameter log and not flex) as in not loaded with extra weight, I'm thinking it'll be fine. But, I do thank you for the constructive concern my friend.

To be sure I'll test it out by driving the trailer on very uneven ground around my place and check to see if there is any noticeable twist in the frame. If so I'll concede and add more structural steel and tie it into the current tongue design. 


 



 



 

[Cornerstone]

Just a few more updates and I can put this build thread to rest. This time the new belt tensioner design works very well. You'd think this would have been the obvious choice from the get go, but at least I ended up here.



 



 

The one adjustment bolt for the engine placement was not enough, since it wanted to twist angle of the crankshaft and not align properly, so a second was needed on the opposite corner of the engine mounting plate. After it was on I was able to line up the clutch perfectly with the drive belts.



 



  

I think the one remaining system I need to install is blade lubrication. I've got one of those 12v normally closed 1/4" valves for air and various fluids coming today like this.



 

I've been holding onto this switch for years knowing I would need it someday. It's a little smaller than I would get if I were to buy one, but free is my favorite price so... Who else stashes goo gobs of hardware and mechanical trinkets here? Every time I get to repurpose something I feel like I'm doing my part in saving the planet. lol Ok, that's a lie. My neighbors call me when they need hardware because they've seen my garage. My wife is an Art Teacher these days and she does the same thing with art supplies. I suppose we are a creative bunch. 



 

[doc henderson]

I would activate the clutch and lube valve from the same switch, prob. your plan.  

[Ljohnsaw]

Who else stashes good gobs of hardware and mechanical trinkets here?

This are old pictures.  Probably another 10 or 15% more nuts and bolts.  Also, there are metal drawers to the left that have the big stuff (1/2" and bigger).  Mostly free from stripping down stuff to junk or recycle.  The PB jars with the red and green lids are mostly S.S. bolts.  For $20, I got 90 pounds of them, over 1,000 pieces from 1/4" up to 7/16", 2" to 4" in length in 1/4" increments.


 

 

[Ljohnsaw]

I would activate the clutch and lube valve from the same switch, prob. your plan.  

I'd run it off the clutch side of the clutch switch.  That way, if you don't need lube, you can turn it off.  But when you do, the clutch switch is the only one you have to use.  Don't forget to put in a adjustable water valve on the line so you can drip the right amount when activated.

[TroyC]

The log bed had tilted just enough to allow the saw head to free roll down the rails, only to get nearly half way through a 1/4" thick log dog that was raised above the blades height.

I did almost the same thing with the EZ40 when I first got it. Checked all the fluids, practiced rolling the carriage and all that sort of stuff. Excited to cut, I pulled it out of the shop with the tractor. Got it to the cutting area, raised the tongue to get a board under the front jack, the head rolls to the back and coupler disengages from the ball. Sawmill stands up on it's tail end with the tongue about 6' up in the air. I realized all my mistakes at the same time. Did not put bolts in place to lock head and did not close trailer connector for the 50 yard trip to the cutting area. Luckily, I had put a stop bolt on the frame to prevent the head from completely rolling off. With the sawmill tilted up in the air, I scurried to get it down and back on the tractor before anyone saw me. Always secure head before moving mill!

Mistakes happen, there is definitely a learning curve!

[Cornerstone]

Thanks for the pointers guys, but my clutch is centrifugal so no wiring to it. At this point the lubrication solenoid with switch will be the only wiring needed.

The mill had it's maiden voyage yesterday. It seemed to tow just fine. I am debating on getting larger rims and tires though. I don't think it will be a problem with what I've currently got, but I would have more confidence in a higher weight capacity tire. Plus the fact that larger tires roll easier over rough terrain, and lastly the iddy biddy 12" rim just looks goofy to me. I took it over to my brother in laws place to show him how it worked. He's a fine woodworker and is one of the reasons I made the decision to build this thing. I was loading an ugly 20" red oak log on the bed, using the forks on my skid steer, and accidently dropped the log about a foot high instead of gently setting it down. That log rocked the bed so hard the back rollers on the saw head came off the track. Thank goodness I listened and installed the keepers, otherwise the thing would have come completely off the track, bending or breaking who knows what...

[Crusarius]

Wire up a limit switch or something small so when you pull the throttle it pushes the button and turns on.

Glad you installed the keepers that would have been a bad day.

[rusticretreater]

I put maxxis tires on my big trailer.  highly recommended.