Sawmill Maintenance/Repairs

[Magicman]

I have been wondering where you were.  ??

Yup, go buy a battery and hopefully you will be OK.  I am still wondering about that idler bearing.  ??

[caveman]

We had a small job to do this morning.  After cutting a few nice longleaf logs from a blown down tree from my neighbors, we sawed the 2x6's.  When we went to edge them, the edger would crank but not start reliably.  We replaced the key switch with a new one about a year ago.  The key switch was not activating the fuel pump and probably the ignition when on the run setting (the pole was loose in the switch).  Thankfully, we had another in our spare parts and the edger is back in business.

Also, while sawing the pine logs this morning, the hydraulics were slower than they should be with sporadic bursts of speed.  We checked the solenoids going to the hydraulic pump motors and one of them was not working.  In our parts, I found a few identical solenoids.  We replaced the offending one expecting to have super hydraulics again-no joy.  The replacement we used was bad.  We tested one of the others and it seemed to work properly, so it was installed, and they hydraulics are fast again.  

[Magicman]

I am back to sawing tomorrow and noticed that my DeBarker was busted.  Well one of them anyway.     


That old spud has slicked the bark off of many logs.


Thankfully I noticed it before it broke completely off.  As it was I was able to throw a quick bead on both sides and it should be OK, at least for now.

[doc henderson]

My Dad and brother would have told me to drill a hole at the end of the crack to stop it from propagating back despite welding.

[Magicman]

I was in a hurry and needed to spend my time rebuilding a closet for a Great Granddaughter.  (I finished the closet.)

The weld looks kinda dauby and if it propagates, I will weld it back again. 

[doc henderson]

I am so happy you got to build that for your GGD!!!!!  I bet it (the spud) will hold and if not, you will fix it.  I just suffer from being the "dumb doctor" in the family, so I thought I would pass it on.  Godspeed!

[Magicman]

I broke two blades today.  Both of them were down to 1 1/8" and felt flimsy when I uncoiled them, but two is still unusual.  1 1/8" blades generally do not break.  My B57's were squished and even though I could not see where the blade was contacting either bandwheel, I went head and replaced both B57's.  My blade for tomorrow morning measured 1 3/16".  We shall see. 

[moosehunter]

This was from earlier this summer.
Sawing away when all of a sudden the auto clutch would engage but no speed up!
Found a broken / worn through wire where the harness is supposed to clamped to the saw head. Clamp broke, did not see it, up & down motion wore through.
Bad wire was under where the black tape roll is, I always carry wire repairing tools and parts with me. 15 Minutes and I was sawing again.
mh

[moosehunter]

I finally get a pic posted and it turned on me!??
mh

[Magicman]

I had a (fuel) situation yesterday morning where my engine would not start.  12.7 volts battery and it was spinning over correctly.  Just sorta pop and puff smoke but not run, like it was out of fuel.  Glow plug lamp on so it was glowing.  I cracked the "out" line on the lift pump, hand pumped, and there was fuel there when I pumped.  On the second try afterwards it popped off and ran & cranked/started as normal for the rest of the day.  Dunno??  Clean clear fuel ran out of the water separator filter.  The two filters are well within their replacement schedule but I will replace both of them this week. 

Mystery solved.  As we all know anything that fixes itself ain't fixed.  It will be back to bite you in the butt.  This morning the engine would not start.  Hot battery and spinning over as normal but no joy.  I went back to the lift pump again and primed, cracked the out side and primed several times.  Still no joy. 


I reached down to unplug and replug the spade connection on the fuel solenoid and it was loose.  Fully plugged onto the male side, but jiggly loose.  I squeezed the female side with my pliers and then it made a tight connection.  Yeah !!!!

[caveman]

I'm glad you got it going.  We had a similar situation a few weeks ago on the telehandler.

[jpassardi]

Good deal Lynn. As you said: when something "fixes itself" you can almost guarantee it hasn't...it's really an intermittent problem that will just be tougher to diagnose.

[WV Sawmiller]

   That kind of reminds me of when I got my first car (A '69 Buick LeSabre that I'd still be driving if the USMC had not decided they needed me in Okinawa Japan instead of in the USA). I am no mechanic and had starter problems so the mechanic sold me a new battery which helped for a few weeks. Then when the problem recurred he sold me a new starter and when that did not fix it he sold me a new alternator. That fixed the problem - not because the alternator was ever bad but because when he put the new alternator on he tightened the loose fan/alternator belt that was the problem all the time.

[barbender]

With a mechanic like that, you'd best learn to be one yourself!

Magic, you are so right about things that fix themselves. I'd much rather just have it break all the way and get it over with! When issues "self correct" I'm ill at ease, waiting for the other shoe to drop anyways🤷

[Ben Cut-wright]

he tightened the loose fan/alternator belt that was the problem all the time.

Strange a belt that loose for that long never *spoke up.

How did you find out that the loose belt was the "problem all along"?

[WV Sawmiller]

   Just speculating. What I am trying to suggest is something simple like that is often the problem instead of replacing many more complicated and expensive parts.

[Jim_Rogers]

Speaking about something fixing itself, one day while driving to the post office I noticed that my turn signal blinker was blinking very fast. That usually means that one bulb is burned out. It was raining that day.
So, I figured that some other day when it wasn't raining, I'd find the burn out bulb and replace it.
Next time I drove my van the blinker worked fine.
Like the old guy used to say, at the factory where I worked, how did it get fixed: "that is one of the things we may never know".

Jim Rogers

[doc henderson]

also said, "if it ain't broke. don't fix it".  

[LeeB]

No help from me on the belt Lee.  Yes, I replaced the fan belt but....

I did have to do a replacement in the water pump neighborhood:  Repair LINK

This could very well be your problem.

Lynn, I know it's been almost twelve years ago when you did this but can you remember anything about pulling that assembly of the water pump? Mine hasn't seized but it's growling real good.

[Magicman]

Nope, I remember nothing.  Just start taking stuff off and pulling stuff loose.  I did it on a sawing site with only my normal tools.

[TimW]

My retired friend, a auto/truck gas and diesel mechanic (who always worked on my truck while I slept before retirement) came out and looked at the Yanmar. He had never heard of Yanmar.  He looked at it for a few minutes while I ran it with no problems and told me to change the fuel pressure regulator/selenoid on the high pressure pump.  I found one on Amazon for $50 or $60 dollars and the Yanmar has ran super fine ever since.  I was skeptical about replacing it as the high pressure pump was changed in troubleshooting and my old pump was then reinstalled.  Go figure.  I won't know for sure it is fixed, until next summer's heat arrives. 

[Magicman]

When troubleshooting gremlins, a fresh mind that has no preconceived "smarts" is often the key to success.  Maybe not in your circumstance....but maybe so.  I know that we are all hoping that it will be. 

[Stephen1]

Its been pretty darn cold up here and lots of snow.
Last week I was fixing a Hydraulic leak, on the log turner/back stop. It has been a small drip since sept and now its winter and cold out so in the shop is repair time. Re & RE the fittings on the bottom where the drip was. They were loose, so clean and new thread goop and tighten. Next morning Have more hydraulic fluid. Let's go to the other end of the divergent fitting and take it off and there is a hairline crack. I ordered a new one along with Brushes for the Hydraulic pump. The parts came today and will go to the shop tomorrow and replace them. 
I also fixed my side cabinet on the mill, 1/4" screws that had become loose and sloppy. I redrilled them to 9/16 and tapped them to 5/8" screws. All are the same size. Probably should not have been using the impact gun to remove and retighten. 
I also had to do metal work on the side tail light ,it had been damaged by those ugly logs that sometimes get hooked on it as you lift. Not the best location for the light. I did lots of hammering and bending in the vice, then retapped the screws to 5/8" and now its on pretty darn good again. Next are 3 grease fittings I am going to tap them and install new grease nipples.
after I change the brush and hydraulic it will be a full tune up on the saw head. It's inside on nice level shop floor. Makes all the adjustments so much easier. 

[SawyerTed]

A straight left tail light on a Woodmizer sawmill is downright unusual!  

[Stephen1]

I have been fixing that taillight since I got the mill 6 years ago. It's a slide on tailight, and then held on with bolts that only compress not bolt solid. It's always getting bent or knocked off by ugly logs.  I was told it is what it is...