looking for a timber harvester owner manual

[climber2]

Hi everyone, I picked up a TH 36htd25 over the weekend and the owner did not have manuals. I am wonder if anyone on here can point me in the right direction...again. Its a 2001 , i have the engine figured out. Just looking for some good reading on setup and troubleshooting. Thanks!

[york]

Hi,
This guy may be able to help you....

https://www.facebook.com/kenneth.clouser.5

[warren46]

I have a Timber Harvester owner's manual.  If you PM me your email address I will scan it and send it to you.

The only adverse comment I have heard about Timber Harvester mills is the inadequate documentation.  I did not find the manual very helpful.

Warren

[york]

Just looked at my owners manual and not much to it,not worth the 35.00 they think it is.....A little common sense goes a long way,to take care of a TH mill.....

[msojunior]

Would you still have a copy of the timber harvester manual?

Timber Harvester
1996 model # 36HT 25
Serial #Th0796295

Joshua

[Chuck White]

Welcome to the Forestry Forum, msojunior!

[esteadle]

The Owners Manuals for Timber Harvester weren't really all that much. A couple of paragraphs on basics (very basic) on mill operation, and the rest is diagrams of how to put sub-assemblies together. They threw in the engine owners manual too (mine was a Kohler CH730). But you can get the service manuals (better) from Kohler's website.

I did get a TH Setworks manual from them though. I scanned it and put it here.
http://steadwood.djfirefly.com//assets/docs/Smart_Sets-Documentation.pdf

Maybe that will help you?

Best of luck...
Eric

[esteadle]

Hey... I went back into my private messages. I was having a private conversation with another FF / Timber Harvester owner, and I had thought I had written up some things about how to set up the mill (I use my mill for onsite jobs so I do the setup and take-down often). I copied the stuff I wrote out of that message so I can post here. Maybe this will help you?

It takes me about 30 - 60 minutes to level out the mill and get it set up, depending on terrain. I recently bought 5 new 5000lb screw jacks (40 bucks each on Amazon) because my old jacks were just worn out, and were taking far too much effort to turn. (Good investment).

When I get onsite I move the saw into position, I block the wheels, then lift the front part of the mill off the hitch and roughly level with 1 of the jacks. There are 4 steel legs, one on each corner, that get dropped and tightened up with a T bar (I use a large crescent wrench to get some extra leverage on them). Then there are 2 jacks one either side of the supports for the axle/wheels that lift the wheels up off the ground. I set these jacks and tighten up until I get a rough level, and the wheels are off the ground. Then I move to the back of the mill and set another jack, so that i can set the back legs. Sometimes I need to add a little height to one of the legs, so I'll cut a disk off any convenient log with a chainsaw and put that under the legs where i need them.

After I get it leveled out, then I unbolt the saw head (4 - 9/16" bolts) and free it to move. Finally I unbolt the 2 arms for the log loader and set that down on the ground (it's heavy so sometimes I use a chain that slips around the loader connecting arm and attaches to the sawhead .... this lets me let the loader feet down with the hydraulics, but I have to fire up the engine first, so sometimes I just GRUNT and let it all down by hand ;-)

Basically at this point the saw is ready to go after adding fuel, a blade, and some lubricant to the lube tank.

Hydraulics: Everything is hydraulic on my mill: The saw advance, the head up/down, the clamps and the posts, the log loader (huge advantage over ramps), the debarker, and tapers, and also the sawblade roller bearing (to open the saw throat when cutting wide slabs), and finally the Hydraulic turner.

The engine runs at 2 speeds, so when I'm in high production mode, I can get things lined up and set for the next cut quickly. And when I need a little "finesse", I can run all the hydraulics at low idle speed too. So far, the only real issue has been with a couple of hydraulic lines that have worn out and busted, and needed to be replaced (2 hoses last season -- I got replacements at NAPA and they made them the same day, so I could finish sawing).

There are a few quirks that I have learned to live with. Hydraulic "loops" have some slack in them and there is a "balance" when running the saw forward that I use a flow control valve to adjust. The saw speed needs to be managed throughout the cut anyway though, especially on the opening cuts to get the log sawed down to a cant. When I push the advance button, the saw head can "lurch" forward, so I always start it a few extra inches back from the log or cant so that the sawhead can lurch and then settle down into a steady forward speed. This avoids a possible wavy cut as the saw enters the wood. And as others have mentioned, there is a little bit of warmup time for Hydraulics before they get flowing well, when the temperature is cold out (less than 40). But that works itself out in the first couple of cuts.

Other mill parts I've replaced: clamp post (I sawed mine off by mistake one day :-), roller bearings, belts, and hoses. I had to re-run the hydraulic hoses because the cable ties deteriorate in the sun, and break which allows the hoses to squirt out of their bundles. And a couple of switches in the control box (that are used all the time, so tend to wear out). I had to replace the idle wheel bearing (sealed) twice now, and also the hydraulic turner "face bracket" on the motor, and a pillow bearing block on the turner axle (that was my fault for being a little to aggressive when trying to position a log too big for this mill). And the Setworks box has an "Encoder" in it that will eventually get gunked up with Sawdust and stop counting pulses correctly. That I've replaced twice now too.

The hardest part I had to replace was the lifting gearbox that moves the sawhead up and down. That is made by Motovario, and getting ahold of a dealer for that was the tricky part. But you now know who makes it so that is half the battle.

You can PM me if you like, or want to discuss anything... I love my mill. No regrets. I bought it from Mr. Ken Clouser (mentioned above) btw. He and his sons are top notch fellows and will be happy to help you, too, I'm sure.

Eric
Steadwood Forest Products
http://steadwood.djfirefly.com