Swingers... calling all swingers...

[sigidi]

Any set up tips on a hill side? ???

don't do it!?
(Thought I'd get in first before any of you funny fella's say it!!!) :D ;D

Lucas mill being used, did a hillside job today and yesterday, had some difficulties with set-up and take-down, single man operation so any tips would be glady received.

[LIL]

Of course you can  :D

Just ask Ianab ;D

[NZJake]

Gidday sigidi, specifically what were the difficulties involved in the assembly? What do you mean by hillside, the mill was on a lean sideways or were you meaning that you were pushing up and down a hill?

Cheers, Jake.

[sigidi]

G'day Jake,

problem was... if you can picture this, looking at the end frames of the mill (or down the length of the tracks) was uphill about 700mm(28") every 3m (10') and across the mill (perpendicular to the tracks) there was a slope of about 450mm (18") the width of the mill.

Ideally if I could have afforded it, I'd have had the logs (only 2 x 10-12') trucked home for better ground, but I also thought that's why the mill is portable and I needed the practice - trying to make a business of this ya know!!! :D

Well I milled em where they where dropped and had trouble putting the end frames up as the stabilising legs wouldn't hold the frames up 'til I could get the rails in (stabilising legs up hill) the whole set-up needed "tweaking" once it came time to put the carriage in as it wasn't quite 'wide' enough for the carriage - the carriage was binding on the rails, figured out I had to pull the endframes uphill to 'square' everything up... it just kept going from there... I had to tighten up the locking mechanism on the carriage to stop the powerhead sliding away from the required mark becasue of vibe and slope (no problem to do - but still had to do it)... on and on.

Packing up was just as painfull, I am a one man operation so putting the rails on the truck, while it was sideways across the hill, the rails kept sliding downhill off my racks.

I know I'm only new to it all (cracked 16 hours of engine time today) and I should probably be patient, but it's DanG frustrating when you are wanting to make a professional busines and ya can't set up ya gear straight off, or pack it up well at the end of the day :-[

Again any pointers even for the Peterson set-ups I know it's not the same but would have some of the same considerations I'd think.

I finished today thinking never again - level site of no cut lumber... but this was the reason for looking into Lucas and Peterson mills, their versatility and "ease" of overcoming milling site topography ;)

[Captain]

Relative ease of overcoming topography, but there is a limit to the slope that I like to tackle.  

Honestly, the WPF Peterson setup with Lo-lo tracks is my preference on hilly terrain, the weight of the tracks and the carriage of an ATS get a little more unstable.  It does however work when all the stabalizers are down.  It also is a good bit easier when there are two to setup on that kind of situation, and the unit does not have to be braked every time to remove your board.

Unfortunately I do not have many pictures of millingo n hills (I live in eastern Massachusettes, pretty flat here) but I know Lanab sure does.....

Captain

[Vermonter]

I also use the lo-lo setup, it's also faster to build and adjust, but you have to keep the left rail clean.  I worry more about the tracks being level lengthwise than across.  I have used cribbing to put one corner or the other up as high as a meter.  You will also have to set up the skids to keep the log up too.  I take the first couple of cuts off and lay them down between the skids to walk on.
Up here, there is seldom enough flat space to set up the mill, much less handle logs with a machine.  My last three jobs were for people that wanted minimal impact to the woods and involved setting up well off the "beaten path".

[sigidi]

Thanks a heap,

do you guys put your stabilising arms uphill or downhill?

Lucas comes with a midspan stabilising leg - do you suggest I use this also to help keep everything rigid?

It's so hard to believe/understand some fella on the end of a phone (who I suspect doesn't get out and mill much anymore) but he probably knows how to do it not how to teach it - or maybe I'm too green? :D ;D

I have learned to position the carriage so that the engine slides down hill to the measurement stop and this will alleviate any vibe probs with the carriage sliding away from the measurement stop in the horizontal cut. Even though I tensioned up the locking cam, I think this will be a good step

Thanks again for the help

[Ianab]

One thing I would say is to try and gets the logs laying straight across the hill. Even if it means a bit of work with a cant hook or winch or towstrap to swing the log around. Dont let it roll onto your foot or anything silly like that.    Setting up the tracks running uphill is a pain in the behind. I also run Lo Lo tracks and the most important thing is to get them parrallel and level. They dont have to be exactly the same height. Like the others have mentioned you will want a selection of  blocks and boards to chock up the bunks, and with the WPF, the rails.

And I agree, having a helper makes life easier.  ;)

The swingblades do allow you to cut on uneven ground... they never said it was as easy as flat ground  : Most other mills you just cant do it ! I'd suggest a small extra charge for setting up in rough terrain, it is going to take longer to true everything up. But compared to getting in heavy machinery to move the logs it's not a big deal.

Ian

[Arthur]

Any pics of the hill.

we have lots of pics of different hill angles and setups.

best so far is a 22degree hill with a 1.2m log laying on a transfers angle.

no problem with the EcoSaw as it is designed for uneven ground.

Two good pics on our website under the PNG folder in the picture gallery.