New purchase

[DOVEMAN]

Looking to purchase a new mill. I have looked at hudson,timberking,norwood and woodmizer. I keep coming back to woodmizer. What do you guys think.
I have spent years looking and drooling at them, this would be for hobby with hope that it could be more in the future Lord willing. Any info would be great differences in what you have and what you have experienced. Thank you and I look forward to hearing what wisdom I can learn from others.

[Chuck White]

Welcome to the Forestry Forum, Doveman.

I've got to agree that Wood-Mizer is a good quality mill, but then so are the other ones you mentioned!

Don't forget to check used mills, there are some really good deals out there!

[GAB]

I/We purchased a mill after doing a lot of looking (over 5 years worth), attending shows, seminars, etc.  One thing that bothered me was that one reps were so gung ho about making the sale that he flat out lied to me.  It took me one week to see for myself that what he told me was absolutely false.  I stayed away from that brand/manufacturer as I wondered if the entire company had that philosophy.  I could not afford to take the chance.
The mill we purchased was an LT40 with hydraulics, the cat diesel (33HP), debarker, auto clutch, lube mizer, and a 6' extension.  I have since purchased a used SLR.  The one mistake I made is I should have ordered a 12' extension.
Gerald

[DOVEMAN]

I notice you both have woodmizer mills. I lean that way however they seem more expensive. I know if you buy good equipment it will serve you better and have fewer problems in the long run.

[Banjo picker]

I don't own a woodmizer , but I will tell you what I do like about them...You can get them to put you on their yearly loop to come and check out your mill and tweek it to perfection.... That would be worth a lot.  I wish others would follow suit... Banjo

[Magicman]

Welcome to the Forestry Forum, DOVEMAN, and I wish you the best with your sawmill search.  Do plenty of reading and research, and as Chuck mentioned above, don't overlook used.

[r.man]

Woodmizer is definitely the John Deere of mills but the others can give you good value for your dollar. As with anything the closeness of a dealer that you like might swing you one way or particular features on one over another might do the same.

[thecfarm]

DOVEMAN,welcome to the forum. I looked for about 10 years before I brought a mill.

[rooster 58]

 Doveman,
      Welcome to the forum. I wound up buying a used wm. I nearly pulled the trigger on a 40 but at the 11th hour I found a slightly used mill and edger that was bigger than the 40 and cost less than the 40.
     I did put the accuset 2 on it and had Marty go over it and wound up having about the same cost as a new 40

[SawyerBrown]

Doveman, just want to say hello and welcome!

Don't think you can go wrong with Big Orange, but maybe you need to decide whether you need a Cadillac rather than a Chevy, especially starting out for your own use.  As others have said, read up on the other brands, do some pricing, consider used, and then weigh all the options ... and get out your checkbook!

[scully]

Hey welcome ! I guess the main thing is budget . I respect all mill manufacturers ,however I am all orange ! When you decide to bye veiw it like building a garage/shop . Figure how big you need it then go half again or double . If you could find an LT 40 used with all the stuff in good shape or even in need of some tuneing I would definately not rule that out ! Thats how I went.....

[ladylake]

Woodmizer is definitely the John Deere of mills but the others can give you good value for your dollar. As with anything the closeness of a dealer that you like might swing you one way or particular features on one over another might do the same.

I'm no fan of over priced John Deere machines, every time I'm in a John Deere shop it is full of them getting repaired  at huge cost and the owners claim they never break down. Far as buying a mill the cost of maintenance should be high on the list, the best service is service not needed.   Steve

[jcbrotz]

Woodmizer is definitely the John Deere of mills but the others can give you good value for your dollar. As with anything the closeness of a dealer that you like might swing you one way or particular features on one over another might do the same.

I'm no fan of over priced John Deere machines, every time I'm in a John Deere shop it is full of them getting repaired  at huge cost and the owners claim they never break down. Far as buying a mill the cost of maintenance should be high on the list, the best service is service not needed.   Steve

Chevy, Ferd, Dodge they all suck when broken down, and good when running to each his own! Stay out of the John deere shop if ya don't like them and go red or orange and best of luck to ya, I own Green, red and blue all is well as long as they run and pull. Everything only breaks when you need it most the key is to have the parts when you need them most, I know woodmizer does and timberking should also. FYI go orange you will not regret it

[ladylake]

 I guess I've had real good luck with my TK and no big repair bills plus have not needed much service at all in over 9500 hours.  Steve

[hunz]

I originally went with a small band mill manufacturer, and boy did I regret that decision. Smaller volume definitely did not equate into higher quality control. I have and love my Mizer, would never look back. One side note on John Deere. I am a 5th generation farmer, and my father currently uses nothing but JD on our commercial tomato farm in FL. I have recently sat and run brand hammer new Case and new Holland 105hp tractors. There is no comparison. They all are tractors, and do what they are supposed to, but JD has their stuff together. From fluid throttle control to ergonomics, clutch feathering sensitivity, and hydraulic smoothness.....but like others have said, they do command a premium. You are paying for MUCH more than that green paint.

[beenthere]

every time I'm in a John Deere shop it is full of them getting repaired

Just thinking maybe this is because the JD's are worth getting repaired, and not throw-away.  Just maybe...
Parts still available, value still high, good sense to fix and know you're good to go.

True for many of the Deere models... 50-year old model 4020's in reasonable condition sell for what they cost new because they are worth it.

Also, there are engines for sawmills discussed here that are in that category of being worth repairing when they get a lot of hours. Others... not so much.

Maybe there are some similar examples with chainsaws...  some come to mind. ;)

[DOVEMAN]

Thank you guys for the input. It seems like bigger is better, like a shop you never regret having too much room/ power capacity.

[thecfarm]

I am on ladylake size with JD, I have talked to more than one JD fan,never had a bit of problem with it.  :  On and on they go about how great they are.Had it for 10 years. Than I ask how many hours. Most times it not much over a 1000.  : And some have never been around another brand either.But that is the one that I would want to buy. Never seen the woods,bucket has never been used much. Looks just about brand new.

[hunz]

I am on ladylake size with JD, I have talked to more than one JD fan,never had a bit of problem with it.  ::)  On and on they go about how great they are.Had it for 10 years. Than I ask how many hours. Most times it not much over a 1000.  ::) And some have never been around another brand either.But that is the one that I would want to buy. Never seen the woods,bucket has never been used much. Looks just about brand new.

Our farm in FL still has a 4440, 4250, 4960, and 2550(the only old ones left). All are over 30 years old except the 4960 which is a 95'; 3 of the 4 were bought new. The 2550 had 12,000 abused hours on it before the hour meter broke. The 4440, 4960, and 4250 have in excess of 10,000 on original power trains as well. Used nearly everyday to harvest 250,000 tomato packages per year, we've been doing it since 1968 in Bradenton, fl. Check us out....Hunsader Farms.

The rant is completely off topic but serves as a simple reminder. Those with years of experience with a product, generally can give proper account of its ability. We use what makes us money, and keeps us going. My family has spent literal millions on tractors in the last 50 years. We don't make accidents when finding the right color, our liviy hood depends on it. Be rest assured, there have been many other color tractors out there for us to demo.....none keepers. As the old saying goes, you get precisely what you pay for.

My advice....demo a few mills, then make a decision.

[Brucer]

...  and a 6' extension.  I have since purchased a used SLR.  The one mistake I made is I should have ordered a 12' extension.

I made the same mistake. So I ordered a second 6' extension the following year. I had to make up a short brace to connect the two 6 footers together, but it was very simple.

[pine]

You don't really say what size mill and how many bells and whistles you are looking for but all four make a good mill.  Might throw Cooks in their as well for evaluation.
Try to find someone in your area that has the mill that you are looking to buy and see if you can go over and help, get a demo, whatever and see how it runs.  Looking at as many as you can in person will help you narrow down your decision.

I found that I was making tradeoffs from manufacturer to manufacturer when I was looking for my mill.  No one met all my criteria so it was who came closest.

List the pros and cons for each mill on a sheet and that might help as well.

[Ianab]

There is one things worse than expensive parts and service.

That's not having ANY parts and service. And that's the issue with some brands. They are a bargain to buy, and my even be OK, IF you could get the parts and service (easily)

A lot of top brands are there not because they are technically so much better, but the equipment is supported. That support costs money, but if you can keep a machine running (and making money) then the dollars spent on parts & maintenance are just part of your operating expenses. Having a cheap machine that's broken, (and not making any $$) is far worse.

As for sawmills?  Many of the simpler (and cheaper) mills use off the shelf parts. Anyone with a basic workshop could build one from scratch with supplies from a local engineering shop. In that case manufacturers support isn't so important.

But with a more complex mill with electronics and custom built parts? Then the supplier support IS important.

Ian

[Gary_C]

I am on ladylake size with JD, I have talked to more than one JD fan,never had a bit of problem with it.   On and on they go about how great they are.

This brand loyality by itself is a bit overated and especially with the green paint crowd. Most times brand loyality is nothing more than what a person is most familiar with and not about actual performance or features. That's why when you are looking at buying you should look past the color of paint when you evaluate any mill.

For me, the Woodmizer open side or cantilever design was the most important feature followed by the outstanding customer service, training and product support. Then there is also the light weight or portability factor that Woodmizer used to win the first shootout over the four post mills before they changed the rules.

So what you need to do is look at each mill up close and personal and see what features you like the best and see what fit your needs. And yes, consider the used market because you can sometimes get a mill at a price you can afford with more labor saving features in the used market.

And forget about this paint color stuff.

[ladylake]

  Yes you can get a bigger log through a LT 40 than my B20 TK but the TK 2000 has 37" between the post and will clear a log that's 44"  high so if you have a odd shaped  log just put the hump up, Far as service TK service is great and not needed very much with a lot of off the shelf parts. For sure try and watch several different mills in operation and look over how they're built.  Being around a lot of farms John Deere had some real good models like the 4020 and some that were in the shop a lot.   Steve

[xlogger]

Steve's correct, I've got a JD4020 that was not taken care of that runs good and also I got a TK2000 that the owner before me didn't take good care of but it runs good also. I'm not good at fixing a lot of things but I can work on my TK if needed. But I'm lucky it doesn't need much work and cuts true. Ricky