Can I rotate my LT15WIDE without disassembling it?

Pepe_Silvia · February 16, 2019, 10:09:36 AM

I realize after a few months that my mill is 180 degrees out of the optimal direction and I'm loading from the wrong side most of the time. Is it robust enough to lift one end with a FEL, rotate 90 degrees, then rotate the other 90 from the opposite end? I would plan on moving the carriage to the non-lifted side.

Brad_bb · February 16, 2019, 10:20:53 AM

I would NOT recommend trying to lift your bed with the saw head on it. Lift the head off with the FEL and a chain and set it aside. Do you then have two or three sections of bed track? You'd have to see how rigid it is. I'd probably just take them apart, move them and then reassemble. Yes it's 1.5-2.5 hours of work, but they weren't designed to be lifted and support cantilevered/bending weight with those connections. They are designed to hold the pieces together linearly.

RichTired · February 16, 2019, 10:31:40 AM

Check with Woodmizer. The do have a way to pick up the sawmill using forks from the end. They have a couple of brackets that go on the end of the mill and the bracket has a place for the forks. I am sure they have limits on the number of sections and such. I saw these on a LT15 wide they had at an open house at the Georgia Woodmizer dealer earlier this month

Pepe_Silvia · February 16, 2019, 11:05:55 AM

Quote from: Brad_bb on February 16, 2019, 10:20:53 AM
I would NOT recommend trying to lift your bed with the saw head on it. Lift the head off with the FEL and a chain and set it aside. Do you then have two or three sections of bed track? You'd have to see how rigid it is. I'd probably just take them apart, move them and then reassemble. Yes it's 1.5-2.5 hours of work, but they weren't designed to be lifted and support cantilevered/bending weight with those connections. They are designed to hold the pieces together linearly.

I have 3 sections. I'll take your advice and disassemble. Better safe than sorry. Thank you.

randy d · February 16, 2019, 11:58:19 AM

when I bought my first lt15 the dealer loaded it into the back of my pick up with 2 sections attached. We hauled it home then slid it out and left the of the mill in the truck cranked the mill head down to the low end and raised the end in the truck and supported it, then drove the truck out from under it picked it up and set it on the ground and attacked the 3rd section.

SawyerTed · February 17, 2019, 08:50:35 AM

I've seen the LT15 moved by using a utility trailer in a manner similar to what randy d explains. Setting the saw head off would make it easy to lift the track on one end, back the trailer under, then slide the track on to the trailer. A few pieces of pipe laid on the trailer bed would make moving the track on and off the trailer even easier.

Mike W · February 17, 2019, 12:31:20 PM

When I first set up my LT15Wide, I too realized it would flow better with the sawing operation reversed. I just lifted the head off and rotated it 180, swapped the feed rope and brackets to the other side of the mill and was making dust again in less then an hour. Your original post makes me think the track location is good, just wish to cut the opposite direction, if this is the case, the simplest solution is to not disturb the track that is all set up and leveled already, just a thought, not fully understanding your particular situation that is.

firefighter ontheside · February 17, 2019, 03:30:06 PM

I can't find it, but Woodmizer has a video for loading an LT15 into a truck or trailer. It is how I put mine in a trailer. Slide the head to one end and lift up the other. Back trailer or truck under the lifted end. Then slide the head up the "ramp" so that the weight is in the truck. Now lift up other end and slide in. Works great. They did that with 2 sections. 3 might be too much stress.

Woodpecker52 · February 19, 2019, 06:47:47 PM

I agree if its a LT15 wide and you want to load from other direction just flip the head around!

Merlin · February 19, 2019, 08:53:25 PM

Wouldn't that mean the blade will be pulling the wood away from the back stop supports? Therefore only the clamp(s) would be holding the log/cant from being pulled off the mill?

The other concern would be that your blade guides would always be opened to max when cutting any size log/cant. Unless I'm missing something that would seem to be a poor decision for milling.

Just my thoughts, but I am new to all of this.